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NYPD Red  By  cover art

NYPD Red

By: James Patterson, Marshall Karp
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jay Snyder
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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

Featured Article: The Best James Patterson Audiobooks and Series, According to Fans


James Patterson is one of the most prolific contemporary American writers working today—from children's and YA books to thrillers, mysteries, and even romance, it's hard to keep up with such a massive number of best sellers. Whether you’re just discovering James Patterson or you’re an avid, longtime fan of his wide-ranging work, you can't go wrong with any of these excellent listens. Here are a few different entry points into his impressive catalog.

What listeners say about NYPD Red

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

one of the best, if not the best audio books ever

What did you love best about NYPD Red?

spellbinding and surprising

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

usually listen while driving and sat in my parking lot for the last 20 minutes because i did not want to wait for tomorrow to find out!

What about Edoardo Ballerini and Jay Snyder ’s performance did you like?

voices worked well together and voice inflections were fantastic

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

wish i could have but made returning to it even more enjoyable

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Police Procedural...

I don't know why I never listened to much of James Patterson's books before. This one is written with Marshall Karp who I have never even heard of. Lucky for me Audible is running a sale and I thought for $4.95 how wrong could I go? With this well written police procedural and two great narrators )Eduardo Ballerini and Jay Snyder) makes this is a no brainer!
This book deals with a serial killer who has wanted to get into movies, acting or any aspect of the film industry. He has 10 years worth of rejection letters. Finally he looses it and begins killing people who are successful in front and behind the camera. One of the two detectives investigating this killer is married to a man in the movie business. I can't say anymore because I don't want to spoil this for anyone.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Strong Narration, formuliac and predictable story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

If a friend was looking for a quick, easy read without any plot or character challenge, this would be an option.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The first Zach and Kylie novel!

Now 70 years old, James Patterson released his first novel in 1976. He and his coauthors now pump out one new book every 24 days on average and although Patterson's name is always listed first I personally doubt that he writes little if any of the books. Patterson is a talented author; His early self written books in the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series are 5 star thrillers. 12 of the books he wrote or coauthored have become movies or TV series. Today it is best to think of Patterson more as a trademark than an author. (This is not unique to Patterson. For example when Tom Clancy was alive he did the same thing.)

The problem with buying James Patterson coauthored books is that the quality is highly variable. NYPD RED is coauthored by Marshall Karp and it is an outstanding 4 novel series (soon to be 5). NYPD RED is the first novel in the series and it is the weakest novel in the series (yes I know that it's average rating is 4.4 stars at Amazon and the book deserves the high rating, but the other novels in the series are even better). Detectives Zach and Kylie are great characters. The novels are fast paced and suspenseful. The narration of the audio books is outstanding.

I highly recommend the NYPD RED series.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Yeah… Taut As A J-Lo Dress

Too often big-foot writers outsource something to smaller-shoe collaborators and the results read like a camel instead of a horse. Not here. I don't know how much of this is Marshall Karp's doing but the mix WORKS!

Zack Jordan and Kylie MacDonald are tugged and fit together like Jennifer Lopez's red-carpet outfits. The plot in NYPD Red's like a NASCAR engine… purring at warp speed yet quietly and confidently. This will be a new series, right? Got to be.

BTW, don't know the story about the two readers or which is which but it seemed that a substitution was made about 80% of the way in. The replacement carried the ball to score.

Here's what I want in an Audible mystery/thriller…characters, plot-driven AND driving action, and a puzzle that's intelligently solved at the end. Oh, and a buzz of sexual tension's a useful blob of epoxy to hold my attention. NYPD Red's got it all.

MORE! MORE!

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Never Been So Happy to for a Book to End

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

There are some decent action sequences if you can completely suspend your disbelief.

What was most disappointing about James Patterson and Marshall Karp ’s story?

The characters were wafer thin. There was nothing unique or interesting about any of them especially the cops. There was not much of a story, just a lot of contrived action and corny dialogue. There were so many things that people did that made no sense whatsoever it was laughable. I have liked most of Patterson's books in the past, but this was totally amateurish.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Having separate narrators perform each side of the story worked well. I found the person reading for the killer to be quite good. The other narrator had a tough time with voice for the female lead.

What character would you cut from NYPD Red?

I would like to cut the two lead cops from the story and start over. I found them unlikeable and boring. I could really care less what happened to them at the end.

Any additional comments?

I have never written an online review in my life, but this book is so bad I just had to give my opinion this time.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great cop story with a surprise ending

Would you listen to NYPD Red again? Why?

Maybe in a year or so, good story line great characters

What other book might you compare NYPD Red to and why?

Maybe Lucas Davenport and his crew, but more big city not many to compare with

What about Edoardo Ballerini and Jay Snyder ’s performance did you like?

They were both great, liked it alot, would listen to them again keep up the good work

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

We are a group of truck drivers we get 4-5 hours aday, but yes if we had the time

Any additional comments?

Great story and characters 1st class readers and a few twist and turns

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Incredible. Are you kidding?

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who can completely suspend their sense of reality, to believe that the NYPD would let 2 individuals handle such an important matter with virtually no support or oversight.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Hard to say.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Pick another book.

What character would you cut from NYPD Red?

The two leads.

Any additional comments?

Nope.

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9 people found this helpful