NYPD Red: A maniac killer targets Hollywood’s biggest stars (NYPD Red, 1)

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The first sign of trouble was when the bride, Erin Easton, didn’t return to the reception. Her dressing room was empty, even though the cop guarding the door said she’d gone inside, but her bloodied wedding dress was on the floor. Detective Kylie MacDonald was already on the scene as a guest and called her partner, Detective Zach Jordan, both of NYPD Red and the investigation was immediate. The kidnapper was smart – but could the cops be smarter? One thing that has always been prominent in this series is the political element to NYPD Red. Here in NYPD Red 5 we see Zach questioning just what their role is in protecting the elite and also the everyday public of the city. Do their superiors want justice or do they just want the crimes solved in any way possible? It makes for an uncomfortable read in places and features some hateful characters who make you sit and think about whether that justice should be served or not. It’s easy to see why they were targeted and why somebody would want revenge against them and it leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the two detectives who must work alongside these people to find out who was responsible. With a branch of the police department designated to look after the rich and famous, it’s detectives Zach and Kylie who are entrusted to stop a crazed killing spree across the city.

Also, as the main narrator, Zach seems to be "behind" Kylie all the time; like he is more pragmatic than his partner. So I miss a bit agressive attitude from the MC. To make matters worse, this band will not only challenge Zach and Kylie professional skills and abilities, but it looks like their personal lives will be horrendously impacted and changed forever… NYPD RED, a police unit dedicated to investigating crimes that involve high profile people (celebrities, political operatives, wealthy people, etc.) is called in to apprehend the Hazmat Killer. Detectives Zach Gordon and Kylie MacDonald are given the case after the previously assigned detectives make almost no progress solving the crimes.I was in the mood for familiarity, wanting to choose a book from a series that I know I enjoy, so I got settled in with my favourite Patterson protagonists. There were once again two cases in this one, and while I sometimes find this concept distracting, Karp & Patterson usually pull it off well and this time was no different. The book opens right into the first of these cases, with Kylie already on the crime scene as an invited guest to the event, and the story is kept pacy throughout.

It’s been a while since I’d read a Patterson and the book easily captured the good and bad of this prolific author. NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority” starts off with two murders. First, a sniper marksman takes the life of Warren Hellman, a high profile movie producer, as he leaves the court following his being found not guilty of intentionally killing a well-respected New York detective. Across town, his brother, Curtis Hellman, is found dead on a jogging pathway along 102nd street. Someone left him with his throat slashed. NYPD Red is one of Patterson’s lesser-known mystery series about two detectives - Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald – who are a special investigative team focused on serving and protecting the rich and elite of New York city. In typical Patterson style, Zach and Kylie were also former lovers coming out of the police academy years ago and Zach has never stopped loving her, even though Kylie has sworn off ever dating a cop again. Because they work so close together, the sexual tension adds to the aura of their working relationship and is optimistically used as a tool to keep the reader’s interest.I really like James Patterson’s novels, he writes thrillers that keep us in suspense, all with very short chapters, so you read the story in no time. So you can imagine that I was very happy to get into this new novel. James Patterson’s NYPD Red series is another favourite of mine and is something different given that it focuses on police officers who are tasked with protecting New York’s elite. It’s hard to believe that this is the fifth book in the series already. It was an enjoyable read and without doubt one of my favourites in the series so far. I love Zach and Kylie and felt that the storyline here was one of the best out of the five books. In this installment, a Harvey Weinstein type is unbelievably exonerated of killing a police officer and as he steps up to a microphone on the courthouse steps to gloat, an invisible sniper delivers Wild West justice. And then another assasination simultaneously takes place (the scumbag’s equally scummy brother who also got away with murder). So it seems that there is militarily trained squad of killers for hire (known as Kappa Omega Delta/KOD — Killers on Demand) operating in NYC. The subtitle of the book is “The Murder *Sorority*” and not “Murder *Fraternity.*” A clue for the reader in advance of Kylie and Zach uncovering what’s really going on? Or people who “were gender-fluid before it was cool”? This investigation is further complicated when someone close to the team is shot in a seemingly unrelated incident.