NYPD Red

By: James Patterson, Marshall Karp

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jay Snyder

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

It's the start of Hollywood on Hudson, and New York City is swept up in the glamour. Every night, the red carpet rolls out for movie stars arriving at premieres in limos; the most exclusive restaurants close for private parties for wealthy producers and preeminent directors; and thousands of fans gather with the paparazzi, hoping to catch a glimpse of the most famous and beautiful faces in the world. With this many celebrities in town, special task force NYPD Red is on high alert - and they can't afford to make a single mistake.

Then a world-renowned producer fatally collapses at his power breakfast, and top NYPD Red Detective Zach Jordan is the first one on the scene. Zach works with his beautiful new partner, Detective Kylie MacDonald - who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend - to discover who the murderer might be. But this is only the beginning: the most brutal, public, and horrifyingly spectacular crimes they've ever encountered are about to send all of New York into chaos, putting NYPD Red on the ropes.

Zach and Kylie know there's no way of telling what a killer this deranged will do next. With the whole world watching, they have to find a way to stop a psychopath who has scripted his finale down to the last explosive detail. With larger-than-life action, relentless speed, and white-knuckle twists, NYPD Red is the next mega-blockbuster from "The Man Who Can't Miss." (TIME)

©2012 James Patterson and Marshall Karp (P)2012 Hachette Audio

seat clencher!!

The narrator was very good!! I would recommend to any who like James Patterson. Thank you.

Junk food. Millions of people like it.

According to his website, Mr. Patterson, along with his "collaborators," has written 97 novels since 1976. 97! 97! How can this be? Well, billions of people like McDonald's. This guy must be the master of the NYT best sellers list. Actually, I was only vaguely familiar with his name, as you see it in airport bookstores, etc. And, to tell you the truth, I only bought the book because Edoardo Balerini narrates about half of it. It's not that I will buy anything Mr. Balerini narrates, but it's close. The plot of this one involves a serial killer, of course, let loose out of a psychiatric facility in NYC, who then acts out the plot of his "book" by killing several famous Hollywood figures in grisly and ingenious ways. Mr. Patterson sure knows how to write a pageturner, which is the name of one of his production companies. Anyway, the hero is of course handsome, dashing and brave, and his partner is probably the most beautiful woman in the known universe. And they have a "history" together. They work in the ultra-elite NYPD Red Squad, assigned to only the most publicity-grabbing murders in NYC. The villain is completely nuts, as is his girlfriend, who also has the most beautiful body that HE has ever seen. Lord. They create maximum havoc and outwit the cops, until the good guys win, of course.
The fact that somebody else reads half of the novel is unfortunate (I know his name is listed above, but I don't remember it, all the way down here on the page). Comparing any reader to Mr. Balerini is a losing battle. The guy might be decent, but I just wanted him to go away so Edoardo could come back. The thing is in fact a page turner, again, but millions of people like it, and, as they say, who can argue with success? For me, I'd rather read Tim Hallinan or Thomas Perry.

MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED

Although I've always been a voracious reader, Jame Patterson never did it for me. Maybe because I started with one of the books in the Alex Cross series, "Roses Are Red". It took place in Washington DC and the main character, Cross, is black. I am black - born and raised in DC - a graduate of Howard University. I have a child who is a career police officer. Maybe it was just me, over-thinking it, and having way too much intimate knowledge, combined with the constant hype about the author, which caused me to not really be blown away by my first foray into the Patterson repertoire. But I hung in there and next tried "Violets Are Blue". It was actually worse! So I was done with James Patterson years ago!

However, I picked up this book in one of Audible's clever "Discover A New Series" promotions (which have cost me HUNDREDS of dollars in the past!). Here, we are presented with a male and female detective team, part of an "elite" task force, NYPD Red. I don't know how ELITE these cops are - they just seem to be doing their jobs, with the focus on the "1%ers" (and I'm not referring to motorcycle gangs). These cops waste much needed resources on the rich and famous in an era where police officers are over-worked and underpaid just trying to keep the peace among regular citizens. But, I digress....over-thinking again! For sheer LIGHT FLUFFY entertainment, this story was pretty good, although implausible in some places - kinda like a Marvel comic book. Nothing too intelligent, just a great ride. The plot line is thin but there are twists, turns, and surpises with well-crafted dialogue. There IS a co-author here, Marshall Karp. Ghostwriter? Protégé? Whatever - he does add a different, albeit subtle, component to the overall effort.

The narration is good, considering the different races, ethnicities and accents involved. My only complaint is with the head of the team, a black female captain who always talks like she's delivering Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Just imagine Dr. King in line at Starbucks, ordering an expresso con panna, shouting "I'LL HAVE A CREAM!!!" Hey, Rev! We got you! 😄

This is not a story as exciting as many other police thrillers but if you want a "light meal" with that espresso, this book will satisfy you.

GOOD BOOK

This is first book by this author I've ever read. It grabbed my attention right away, which I love. The story had everything I like. The story is compelling, interesting, and suspenseful. It has something for everyone. I'm just sorry I've waited so long to read a book by this author.

great book

great book excellent characters looking forward to the rest of the series in the NYPD red.

Not up to Patterson standards

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Barely. Storyline is contrived, and the dialogue weak -- or has Jo Nesbo's writing spoiled me??

wanting more

So good .Can't wait to hear the others in this series. starting the second one now

THE ESSENCE OF TRITE

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I APPRECIATE THE MUNDANE IN DEVELOPING A STORY LINE AT TIMES BUT I WAS WAITING FOR SOME REAL, SUSPENSEFUL (I WOULD HAVE BEEN SATISFIED TO BE TAKEN BY SURPRISE) ACTION WHICH ELUDED ME RIGHT UP THE THE LAST SENTENCE.

THE STORY SEEMS TO CONTINUE AD NAUSEAM , THE LISTENER ALREADY SOLVED THE CRIME ONCE YOU TRULY KNOW WHAT THE FOCUS IS.

AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE CLASSIC PATTERSON, THIS JUST DOESN'T "CUT IT"

Would you ever listen to anything by James Patterson and Marshall Karp again?

YES OF COURSE

What three words best describe Edoardo Ballerini and Jay Snyder ’s voice?

WELL GAITED, NICELY VARIED AND PLEASANT

Could you see NYPD Red being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

YES, BEN AFFLECK AND PERHAPS SANDRA BULLOCK

Any additional comments?

THIS LISTENING EXPERIENCE WAS NOT HORRIBLE BY ANY MEANS BUT LACKED THE SUSPENSE PATERSON IS NOTED FOR---

REALLY GREAT STORYLINE!!!

If you could sum up NYPD Red in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, exciting, edgy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This book had me sitting on the edge of me seat from start to finish. The characters were developed very well and the story had a good combination of thriller and anticipation. Great book!

Exciting

Kept me interested to the very end. Good building of characters and interesting story. Can see more coming.