‘POWER IS NOTHING but an illusion. We come into the world helpless and we leave the same way. In between, we might be able to convince ourselves and sometimes others that we are masters of our own destiny, but fate always conspires to give us a stark demonstration of the truth.’ – PRIVATE MOSCOW
A Comprehensive Book Review
My Rating 4 out of 5 for this Book
After many years, I’m glad to say that James Patterson has contributed significantly to the Private series and has not left it to his co-writer to carry it forward. The recent ones have been mostly disappointing, what with their nauseating tone of highlighting Jack Morgan’s lifestyle – gated mansion and Lamborghinis et al!
This one, thus, comes as a breath of fresh air. Gone are the paeans to Jack’s wealth and others characters get a lot of play. Well, enough preamble, let’s get on with this book review.
Jack is invited to the opening bell ceremony of his friend and mentor Karl Parker’s company Silverlink’s IPO. Karl was Jack’s training instructor when Jack was with the Marines, and they hadn’t been in touch since leaving the forces, so Jack was intrigued as to why he was invited for the ceremony. Jack turns up and before he could figure out the intrigue, a terrible disaster befalls his friend! Private is called upon to investigate, but Jack has a personal interest in the investigation, he’ll not stop till he finds the perpetrator….
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, on the frozen streets of Moscow, a nondescript girl readies herself for an almost blind date, with an attractive man at an upmarket Restaurant. As she settles down for her date, looking lovingly at the gift her date has brought for her……a blinding flash and all is gone!! Private Moscow is called in to investigate this by a reclusive Russian Oligarch, known to be close to the powers that be in Kremlin.
Two incidents in two distant continents – but Private is the common factor, or is it? As Jack races from New York to Moscow and then back to US, forces beyond his knowledge, collude to turn him into a villain! His friends are killed and a deadly assassin chases after him…. What secrets are they trying to hide? Will Jack be able to uncover the gigantic controversy and exonerate himself and Private?
Near the end of the novel, a civilian aircraft takes off from the CIA airport near Moscow, and while within the Russian airspace is being tracked by Russian MIG’s. Then, midair, the passengers take control of the Aircraft and fly it to the US Mainland, without any incident! The MIG’s are not mentioned – flight plan, authorization and other such mandatory facts fly out of the window! But, by this stage of the novel, the reader is not bothered by such goofs and is rooting for the good guys to win… What happens next? Read to find out…
Conclusion of the Book Review
As I started saying, after a long time, a Private series novel reads like a normal James Patterson one – fast, pacy and not stained with the trappings of the ultra rich, which kind of alienates most of the readers. The conspiracy has the tinge of believability on it, given how connected the world is becoming with the continuous onward march of technology. Everything is connected and someone is always aware of what we are doing – electronically. A must-read weekend novel….
I hope you enjoyed reading this book review as much as I enjoyed writing it, please leave your comments below, it’s hugely motivating!
Read the Goodreads Review here:
