Private Berlin

"Private Berlin" by James Patterson was another find from the semi-annual "Friends of the Library" book sale. This novel was originally published in 2013. It's number 5 in the Private series. Even though I've read quite a few Patterson novels, I have not read any of the previous Private series. With that being said, I did not feel that I was at a loss of understanding with the characters, plot, or setting. "Private Berlin" is a typically well-written Patterson novel. However, the descriptive violence was not for me. The characters were well-described and believable, the plot was unique and original and the setting was spot on (I've lived in Germany for a number of years, and Mr. Patterson did a phenomenal job with his description of the show more city). If you're a Patterson fan and don't mind the detailed violence, you will probably enjoy this one. show less

I really loved the first of the Private books, but subsequent books have all come up short. What started out as a group of highly skilled investigators now seems only to presume as such. The story is good -- half of it told first-person by the perpetrator of a number of serial killings. However, Madeline, an agent with Private, is poorly conceived in just about every way. Private is supposed to consist of the best of the best; agents equipped to handle high profile clients in the most delicate of situations. But Madeline not only was previously engaged to Chris Schneider, an agent who runs afoul of the evil bad guy, but also has a son -- which we know is an Achilles Heel in this profession. If she had awesome skills to offset these show more disadvantages, we might overlook it, but she does not, and becomes predictably compromised.

And that is a shame -- the running commentary by the serial killer was very well done. The overall plot reaches back to the days of Communism and East Germany and is pretty well conceived -- the plot is bigger than just a serial killer and dredging up events long buried is inconvenient and unhealthy for those who thought they moved on. The hero is just too weak for the outcome to be plausible. show less

I love this series because Private has offices all over the world and we get to visit them as the stories unravel. This one is a dark story. The heaviness that the people of Berlin carry in their hearts has to, of course, affect them in their daily lives. You can feel it and often see it in this story. Sad, but triumphant and a feeling that there will be another day...

This book was... good.
Despite the excessive detail in some areas, it was a quick read. There was a lot of action, which definitely helped it along and the few chapters that we got from the killer's perspective were a nice touch. You really were able to get a feel for his idiosyncrasies which was kind of fun (& creepy). It's funny, actually. As much detail as there was in certain areas of the book, i felt as though the killer's chapters could have used a little more. Maybe it was just me wanting to know more about him. I really don't know, but I just though he could have had another layer to him that wasn't really taken anywhere.

Also, I'm not a fan of how it ended. It's not that it was a huge leap to make, but I don't think that someone show more grieving would have made it that soon.

I would recommend this as a beach or pool side read, but not much more than that. show less

One of the better "Private" books. Patterson books overall have gotten a little cookie-cutter, but they're extremely quick reads, and this one isn't bad.

A leading investigator for a high-end detective agency in Berlin disappears, causing his colleagues to search for him. They are led to an abandoned abattoir in the former East Berlin, and eventually to a disgusting secret of the failed East German state.

Despite a slow start, this becomes a fast moving action story as the detectives follow a serial killer as he hunts down 6 people who can tie him to his sordid past. There's little or no character development -- this is a plot driven story. Unfortunately the background local colour for Berlin is superficial.

Recommended for quick reading, once you get to the halfway point of the story.

I can't tell if he was using a really bad co writer or the bad syntax was meant to convey their broken English - when it wasn't clear whether the characters were speaking in English or German. He's really mass producing these too quickly - but I'm intrigued by the series and loved the physical and historical setting of this. I found it a little too rushed in terms of tying up loose ends - but a good two day read