The Red Book
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- Create Date：2021-03-31 02:33:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：James Patterson
- ISBN：0316499404
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Summary
For Detective Billy Harney， the distance from hero to statistic is one false move。
To Harney， the newest member of Chicago PD's elite strike force -- Special Operations Section （SOS） -- getting shot in the head， stalked by a state's attorney， and accused of murder by his fellow cops is all part of breaking a case。
So when a drive-by shooting on the Chicago's west side turns political， he leads the way to a quick solve。 But Harney's instincts -- his father was once chief of detectives and his twin sister， Patti， is also on the force -- run deep。 As a population hungry for justice threatens to riot， he realizes that the three known victims are hardly the only ones。
When Harney starts asking questions about who's to blame， the easy answers prove to be the wrong ones。 On the flip side， the less he seems to know， the longer he can keep his clandestine investigation going 。。。 until Harney's quest to expose the evil that's rotting the city from the inside out takes him to the one place he vowed never to return: his own troubled past。
To Harney， the newest member of Chicago PD's elite strike force -- Special Operations Section （SOS） -- getting shot in the head， stalked by a state's attorney， and accused of murder by his fellow cops is all part of breaking a case。
So when a drive-by shooting on the Chicago's west side turns political， he leads the way to a quick solve。 But Harney's instincts -- his father was once chief of detectives and his twin sister， Patti， is also on the force -- run deep。 As a population hungry for justice threatens to riot， he realizes that the three known victims are hardly the only ones。
When Harney starts asking questions about who's to blame， the easy answers prove to be the wrong ones。 On the flip side， the less he seems to know， the longer he can keep his clandestine investigation going 。。。 until Harney's quest to expose the evil that's rotting the city from the inside out takes him to the one place he vowed never to return: his own troubled past。
Reviews
Peter Evans
，
Billy Harney has been assigned to Chicago’s new elite strike force and it’s not long before he’s in the middle of a case which will pull him back into a place he vowed he’d never go to。Billy investigates a drive-by shooting that quickly turns political。 Every question he asks he gets rebuffed。 Every door he opens gets slammed back in his face。 It’s seems this case is rotten to the core but Billy is never one to give up， even if the truth is one that will hurt him。 When he finally gets to the bot Billy Harney has been assigned to Chicago’s new elite strike force and it’s not long before he’s in the middle of a case which will pull him back into a place he vowed he’d never go to。Billy investigates a drive-by shooting that quickly turns political。 Every question he asks he gets rebuffed。 Every door he opens gets slammed back in his face。 It’s seems this case is rotten to the core but Billy is never one to give up， even if the truth is one that will hurt him。 When he finally gets to the bottom of the case， it sends ripples through heart of Chicago’s hierarchy with devastating consequences。 A fast-paced book with twists and turns throughout。 It has a great plot and super characterisation。 Personally think this is one of the best books James Patterson has written。It’s one hell of a ride。 。。。more
Julie Lacey
，
Another great read from James Patterson along with David Ellis。 Billy Harney is a Chicago Police Detective with a troubled past。 He’s just returned from leave after being arrested for murder and being shot in the head。 On his first day back he is assigned to a new unit， SOS （Special Operations Section） set up to investigate major crimes throughout the city。A drive by shooting in one of the suburbs kills two drug dealers， the girlfriend of one of them and a baby。 There’s a great deal of media int Another great read from James Patterson along with David Ellis。 Billy Harney is a Chicago Police Detective with a troubled past。 He’s just returned from leave after being arrested for murder and being shot in the head。 On his first day back he is assigned to a new unit， SOS （Special Operations Section） set up to investigate major crimes throughout the city。A drive by shooting in one of the suburbs kills two drug dealers， the girlfriend of one of them and a baby。 There’s a great deal of media interest so the pressure is on to catch the killer。 Even though on paper this case is solved quickly， Billy is not so sure and sets out to investigate further in his own time。 There seems to be a link between these killings and the case that his wife had been working when she died， so he can’t let that go。 This is a fast paced crime thriller that I really enjoyed。 Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Charlotte Pawson
，
Detective Billy Harney has been directly involved in exposing police corruption。 He is transferred to elite strike force SOS and given a new partner。 When local drug gangs seem to be going to war are their remnants still in the police pulling strings。 Billy still doesn’t know who to trust when his own past and his new partners seems to have unfinished business。 An exciting story that keeps you on your toes till the very end。I was given an arc of this story by Netgalley and the publisher in excha Detective Billy Harney has been directly involved in exposing police corruption。 He is transferred to elite strike force SOS and given a new partner。 When local drug gangs seem to be going to war are their remnants still in the police pulling strings。 Billy still doesn’t know who to trust when his own past and his new partners seems to have unfinished business。 An exciting story that keeps you on your toes till the very end。I was given an arc of this story by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lou
，
The Red Book is the sophomore instalment in The Black Book series， set in and around the city of Chicago。 For Detective Billy Harney， getting shot in the head， stalked by a state's attorney， accused of murder by his fellow cops， and subsequently being exonerated， is a normal week on the job for him。 He has been through the mill regarding his family too with his 3-year-old daughter having died from a stroke and his wife seemingly committing suicide as she was unable to handle the grief four years The Red Book is the sophomore instalment in The Black Book series， set in and around the city of Chicago。 For Detective Billy Harney， getting shot in the head， stalked by a state's attorney， accused of murder by his fellow cops， and subsequently being exonerated， is a normal week on the job for him。 He has been through the mill regarding his family too with his 3-year-old daughter having died from a stroke and his wife seemingly committing suicide as she was unable to handle the grief four years ago and having helped convict， and imprison， his own father， the chief of detectives， who was indicted on charges of federal corruption。 Harney is back on duty after a period of paid administrative leave after unearthing rampant corruption rising to the highest echelons of the Chicago Police Department。 Now that most of his colleagues distrust him and label him as a rat， Harney is assigned to the Special Operations Section （SOS）， an elite strike unit put together merely a month ago to focus on the widespread and horrific gang violence happening on the city's West Side。 Little does he know he will be working under Lieutenant Paul Wizniewski， the officer who had previously arrested Harney for murder。 When a young girl is gunned down alongside 4 others in a K-Town drive-by， it rapidly turns political with pressure being piled on the police to quickly solve the case。 To make matters his new partner， Detective Carla Griffin， is a miserable sod who has been sent by higher-ups to spy on him and report back in the hope of finding conduct that could destroy Harney’s career when revealed。 Meanwhile， elsewhere， the captain of the Bureau of Internal Affairs， Dennis Porter， is in over his head with those running an international human trafficking ring。 As a population hungry for justice threatens to riot， Harney realised that the three known victims are hardly the only casualties。 When he starts asking questions about who's to blame， the easy answers prove to be the wrong one's; they aren't looking at a normal turf war featuring Jericho Hooper's Imperial Gangster Nation。 He discovers that the shooter's identity and motive are not as straightforward as they initially seem。 Then Harney's quest to expose the evil that's rotting the city from the inside out takes him to the one place he vowed never to return: trauma from his own troubled past。 This is a riveting， palpably tense and absorbing read with so much action you are left breathless and drama that never seems to end。 Rapid-fire pacing， mystery and intrigue fill the pages and I always find I can never put a Patterson book down once I've started; The Red Book is no exception。 It's quick and easy to immerse yourself in and the engaging writing allows you to race through it。 Harney has one hell of a backstory and must be the unluckiest guy in the world given everything he's been， and is still， going through。 It makes for interesting reading and is almost as scintillating as the gritty gangland plot。 Patterson's abundant use of twists， turns and misdirection is second to none and you never know what is about to happen from one page to the next。 Dark， violent and with continually rising suspense， this is a thriller Patterson fans will devour as I did。 。。。more
Fiona
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I enjoyed this book although I hadn't realised that it was a sequel。 It works quite well as a stand one as enough information is given to let you know what happened in the first book but I prefer reading in order。Billy Harney is an appealing character， although he seems to be riding his luck a bit。 I'm assuming that there will be more books in the series so it will be interesting to see how things develop， particularly with Carla who grew on me by the end of the book。 I enjoyed this book although I hadn't realised that it was a sequel。 It works quite well as a stand one as enough information is given to let you know what happened in the first book but I prefer reading in order。Billy Harney is an appealing character， although he seems to be riding his luck a bit。 I'm assuming that there will be more books in the series so it will be interesting to see how things develop， particularly with Carla who grew on me by the end of the book。 。。。more
Sharon
，
I should start by saying that this is a sequel to The Black Book， which I'd not read。 However， this is a competent， stand alone （very American） cops and robbers thriller。Detective Billy Harney has a chequered past within the Chicago Police and certainly isn't one for politics or BS。 From page one it's action packed and romps along at pace。It's a well written action book and as long as you go into it knowing that， it's a decent read。 Not really my cup of tea， but， a Good Read。Thanks to NetGalley I should start by saying that this is a sequel to The Black Book， which I'd not read。 However， this is a competent， stand alone （very American） cops and robbers thriller。Detective Billy Harney has a chequered past within the Chicago Police and certainly isn't one for politics or BS。 From page one it's action packed and romps along at pace。It's a well written action book and as long as you go into it knowing that， it's a decent read。 Not really my cup of tea， but， a Good Read。Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview。 。。。more
Denis Wheller
，
James Patterson has been writing and publishing thriller stories （novels and short forms） since 1976 – both as sole author and in collaboration with a range of others。 He holds two world records for number of books and number of best-sellers。 This book is the second in the Black Book series co-authored by David Ellis， himself a writer of at least a dozen thrillers， but can be read as a stand-alone because enough background is incorporated inti the plot。 In some ways， certainly at the start， it a James Patterson has been writing and publishing thriller stories （novels and short forms） since 1976 – both as sole author and in collaboration with a range of others。 He holds two world records for number of books and number of best-sellers。 This book is the second in the Black Book series co-authored by David Ellis， himself a writer of at least a dozen thrillers， but can be read as a stand-alone because enough background is incorporated inti the plot。 In some ways， certainly at the start， it appears to be a formulaic police procedural。 Billy Harney is a Chicago PD detective with a troubled past。 He had unearthed a major corruption operation within the CPD which had brought down a lot of senior people and created extensive animosity within the force。 During the course of that investigation， his young daughter had died tragically and his wife had committed suicide using his service pistol。 He had also， briefly， been arrested for murder and had been shot in the head。 Returning to duty he is assigned to a new unit， SOS （Special Operations Section） set up to investigate major crimes throughout the city 。 His new partner has personal problems of her own and they don’t， initially， get on。 A drive by shooting in the suburb known as K-Town kills two drug dealers， the girlfriend of one of them and a baby – hit by a stray round， inside the building。 Because of the latter there is huge pressure to catch those responsible。 Billy’s team appears to solve this in record time， earning him plaudits from the press and his colleagues。 However， he has doubts at how easy it had been and the reader knows that his suspicions are correct because the actual background is known to us。 He sets out to investigate further in his own time， haunted by evidence that these killings may be linked to the case on which his wife had been working when she died。 The story unfolds in a linear fashion and there is very little concealed from the reader， although there are a few surprises and one big reveal。 This places it firmly in the Thriller genre and the pleasure in reading it is in observing Billy’s progress as he overcomes adversities and the occasional injury and bullet wound。 The writing is quite tight and the language sounds authentic， so the story moves at a brisk pace which carries the reader along。 Overall， it is an entertaining but undemanding read。I would like to thank NetGalley， the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review。 。。。more
Cassie Holland
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A typical James Patterson novel。 Fast paced， lots of action。 This book 2 in the series and I hadn’t read The Black Book， book 1。 I do think reading book 1 would have helpedI received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley in return for an honest review。
Mandy White （mandylovestoread）
，
Oh James Patterson has done it again。 He is an author that I can always rely on for an addictive and fantastic read and The Red Book was exactly that。 The long awaited follow up to The Black Book， it was great to have Billy Harney back。 You don 't need to have read the first book but it will help understand the characters and why they do some of the things they do。After the explosive events of Black Book， including being shot in the head， Billy returns to work in the SOS team for Chicago PD。 He Oh James Patterson has done it again。 He is an author that I can always rely on for an addictive and fantastic read and The Red Book was exactly that。 The long awaited follow up to The Black Book， it was great to have Billy Harney back。 You don 't need to have read the first book but it will help understand the characters and why they do some of the things they do。After the explosive events of Black Book， including being shot in the head， Billy returns to work in the SOS team for Chicago PD。 He has a new partner， a woman who is not quite what she seems and he is trying to put his life back together。 Called to the scene of a drive-by shooting that gives even the killers more than they bargained for。 As Billy and the team get to work investigating they discover that the shooting is just the tip of the iceberg。As always there is alot of tangents and characters but it never gets confusing or hard to follow。 I enjoyed every minute of it and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Sue Plant
，
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this booka former disgraced copper managed to get back into favour but he isnt well liked after bringing down corrupt coppers， nobody likes a dobber but he was just doing his joba special unit is formed and harney is transferred into it and assigned a partner nobody wants a gangland shooting goes down but a little innocent bystander is killed and uproar begins on investigating the shooting the body of young girl cant be identifi would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this booka former disgraced copper managed to get back into favour but he isnt well liked after bringing down corrupt coppers， nobody likes a dobber but he was just doing his joba special unit is formed and harney is transferred into it and assigned a partner nobody wants a gangland shooting goes down but a little innocent bystander is killed and uproar begins on investigating the shooting the body of young girl cant be identified right away， could there be trafficking going on in chicago with corrupt cops and killings abound harney and his partner have to build their trust up and find the perps before its to late but can harney trust his partner。。。not a bad storyline kept me hooked right to the end 。。。more
Annie
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A fast moving book about drugs， gangs annd humann trafficking。 Billy， the main detective is a persona non gratia after bringing down crooked collegues， including his own father。 He is still mourning the lost of his wife and child 4 years previously ， and has been paired up with a policewoman， in a new special operations squad。 As he returns to workafter an injury， his senior apologises in advance for his partner。 The story is fairly violent， but hangs together well on the whole。 By the end，， it A fast moving book about drugs， gangs annd humann trafficking。 Billy， the main detective is a persona non gratia after bringing down crooked collegues， including his own father。 He is still mourning the lost of his wife and child 4 years previously ， and has been paired up with a policewoman， in a new special operations squad。 As he returns to workafter an injury， his senior apologises in advance for his partner。 The story is fairly violent， but hangs together well on the whole。 By the end，， it became a real page turner。 Lots of action， blood and gore but also showing the human side of crime and policing。Thank you to Net Galley for the ARc in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Soozee
，
Billy Harney has had a rough deal; his wife and daughter died and he was shot in the head， but he has bounced back to return to his job in the Chicago police force。 However， his last case revealed some serious corruption in the force， which brought down senior officers， including his father， and has not made him at all popular。 He finds himself seconded to an elite force， and partnered with Carla， who has some history of her own in the force。The pair are fighting crime， aided by Billy's twin sis Billy Harney has had a rough deal; his wife and daughter died and he was shot in the head， but he has bounced back to return to his job in the Chicago police force。 However， his last case revealed some serious corruption in the force， which brought down senior officers， including his father， and has not made him at all popular。 He finds himself seconded to an elite force， and partnered with Carla， who has some history of her own in the force。The pair are fighting crime， aided by Billy's twin sister Patti who is also in the force， but behind the scenes Billy is also trying to discover what his wife was working on when she died， uncovering a sex-trafficking operation。 And Carla seems to be working on an agenda of her own。Its an entertaining and pacy read。 Occasionally there seem to be jumps that don't flow well between chapters - possibly because two authors are working on the text？ But overall its a good read， tackling some difficult subjects， particularly the sex-trafficking。Thank you to NetGalley， Random House UK， Cornerstone and Century for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Martha Brindley
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This is a very well written thriller， with a clever plot and multiple characters。 I like Billy， the lead detective and his new partner Carla。 It's a follow up from The Black Book， which I haven't read but it is easily read as a stand alone。 Billy is back at work and immediately gets involved in a drive by shooting。 The plot centres around drugs， gangsters， sex trafficking and organised crime， with police corruption thrown in。 I liked the Chicago setting and the fast pace， although it starts a bi This is a very well written thriller， with a clever plot and multiple characters。 I like Billy， the lead detective and his new partner Carla。 It's a follow up from The Black Book， which I haven't read but it is easily read as a stand alone。 Billy is back at work and immediately gets involved in a drive by shooting。 The plot centres around drugs， gangsters， sex trafficking and organised crime， with police corruption thrown in。 I liked the Chicago setting and the fast pace， although it starts a bit slow。 I would recommend the read and guarantee you won't want to put this down once you start reading。 A good 5* thriller。 Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC。 。。。more
The_Secret_Book_Reader
，
Book Two in the Black Book Series。 The Red Book is everything you expect from a James Patterson Book， fast paced， gripping， twists and turns at every corner。Nothing ever goes smoothly for the main character Detective Bill Harney， who at the beginning of the book is surprisingly assigned to the Special Operations Section （SOS）。 A drive by shooting， possibly gang related results in the shooting of a young child， Harney and his new partner Carla Griffin are on the case。 Their investigations lead th Book Two in the Black Book Series。 The Red Book is everything you expect from a James Patterson Book， fast paced， gripping， twists and turns at every corner。Nothing ever goes smoothly for the main character Detective Bill Harney， who at the beginning of the book is surprisingly assigned to the Special Operations Section （SOS）。 A drive by shooting， possibly gang related results in the shooting of a young child， Harney and his new partner Carla Griffin are on the case。 Their investigations lead them through a mix of crimes that include gang warfare， sex trafficking and corruption！！A definite page turner which I guarantee you won’t want to put down， another gem from PattersonA 5 Star rating from me and I would recommend to anyone who likes a good old American crime novel。Thank you @Netgalley and Random House UK for the advanced copy 。。。more
Jean
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A page turner with a twisty plot and great characters。Detective Billy Harney returned to work in the special operations section after being shot in his last case when he brought down corrupt police officers， he is partnered with Carla who definitively does not want to work with him。Their first case is a drive by shooting which included a child， Billy thinks it`s not a gang war shooting but maybe child abduction and prostitution due to the child having a tattoo。Billy and Carla both have a trouble A page turner with a twisty plot and great characters。Detective Billy Harney returned to work in the special operations section after being shot in his last case when he brought down corrupt police officers， he is partnered with Carla who definitively does not want to work with him。Their first case is a drive by shooting which included a child， Billy thinks it`s not a gang war shooting but maybe child abduction and prostitution due to the child having a tattoo。Billy and Carla both have a troubled past which is revealed throughout the book especially the death of Billy`s wife who was told recently she did not kill herself but was killed。A great storyline with lots of twists that I couldn`t put down and loved Billy。Had read lots of James Patterson years ago but got a bit bored of the stories but will definitively read more especially by David Ellis。Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
Kerry
，
Wow！ A twisty， fast-paced， exciting thriller！ 5 stars！ This is the follow up book to "The Black Book" and although I have not read this I found that this story gave enough background information that I wasn't lost or confused。 I have read a few of James Patterson's books but this is the first one I have read in a while and I was very impressed。 I was addicted to this story from the start and couldn't wait to find out what happened！ The storyline was fabulous and I loved the characters。 So man Wow！ A twisty， fast-paced， exciting thriller！ 5 stars！ This is the follow up book to "The Black Book" and although I have not read this I found that this story gave enough background information that I wasn't lost or confused。 I have read a few of James Patterson's books but this is the first one I have read in a while and I was very impressed。 I was addicted to this story from the start and couldn't wait to find out what happened！ The storyline was fabulous and I loved the characters。 So many twists and turns and everything was tied up at the end。 The only question I had by the end of the story was， "Will there be a third book？！" Thank you to James Patterson， NetGalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Ceecee
，
Detective Billy Harney of Chicago PD gets a surprise posting to Special Operations Section and is assigned a new partner in Detective Carla Griffin。 Their first investigation is a drive by shooting which appears to be gang related。 However， delving deeper reveals links to Harney’s past in more ways than one。 This is a clever multilayered thriller that takes us into the murky world of gangs， drugs， organised crime and sex trafficking。 If that’s no enough throw some corruption ans manipulation int Detective Billy Harney of Chicago PD gets a surprise posting to Special Operations Section and is assigned a new partner in Detective Carla Griffin。 Their first investigation is a drive by shooting which appears to be gang related。 However， delving deeper reveals links to Harney’s past in more ways than one。 This is a clever multilayered thriller that takes us into the murky world of gangs， drugs， organised crime and sex trafficking。 If that’s no enough throw some corruption ans manipulation into the mix。 The characters are really interesting， I like Billy as there’s a lot of depth to him and he makes for a fascinatingly complex central character。 Carla is a puzzle to start with which makes you want to read in to establish where her truth actually lies。 The plot is exciting， the pace speeds up well as the book progresses with plenty of good twists and jaw droppers as we sift through the lies， cover ups， threats and betrayal。 I’ll say nothing about the Red Book of the title as that’s a good twist！ It’s violent in places which you’d expect because the plot deals with organised crime members who are not known for talking things out over a cuppa and things become very dangerous for Billy。 It becomes a compelling page turner and the further you progress you realise nothing is as it seems。 The conclusion is good and it ends on a satisfying note。 Overall， an easy to read and immersive thriller - allow some time as you won’t want to put it down！ With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Random House， Cornerstone， Century for the arc in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Elaine Tomasso
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I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Red Book， the second novel to feature Detective Billy Harney， of the Chicago PD。After uncovering corruption in the police force Billy returns to work in an elite new department with a new partner， Carla Griffin， a woman with her own history。 Their first case seems typical of Chicago， a drive-by shooting that kills a four year old， so the pressure is on for a quick solve。 That comes but Billy soon realises I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK， Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Red Book， the second novel to feature Detective Billy Harney， of the Chicago PD。After uncovering corruption in the police force Billy returns to work in an elite new department with a new partner， Carla Griffin， a woman with her own history。 Their first case seems typical of Chicago， a drive-by shooting that kills a four year old， so the pressure is on for a quick solve。 That comes but Billy soon realises there might be more to it， something that might link back to his own troubled past。I enjoyed The Red Book which is a typical high octane Patterson thriller with a twisty plot and some good one liners， albeit more American than I could get at some points。 The novel is told mostly from Billy Harney’s first person point of view， although the bad guys get a word in from time to time to give the reader an idea of what he is fighting。The plot is exciting， full of guns and double dealing。 I haven’t read the preceding novel， The Black Book， but I think this has the same themes of police corruption and callousness。 I didn’t miss not having read the first book as this one hits the highlights， or if not the highlights， the aftermath， fairly comprehensively and carries some of it forward。 It is a no brainer to trust Billy， but after that all bets are off and most of the reveals caught me by surprise。 Characterisation is never a strong point in this kind of novel and this is no exception， where it comes a slow second to the plot。 It doesn’t really matter， the bad guys are bad， the good guys are good， except when they’ve turned to the bad side and the non stop action and intricate network of sleaze hold the attention sufficiently to keep the reader turning the pages。The Red Book is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending。 。。。more
Clbplym
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Billy is back on the force and investigating a drive by shooting everyone assumes is part of a drug turf war。 This one is different， though， because a child has been accidentally killed so there is a lot of clamour to find someone to blame。 Billy and his partner Carla do but it’s pretty obvious it’s far more complicated。 There are crooked cops， drugs and human trafficking involved。 This was a fast paced story with a satisfying ending but it was about a world that was too violent for me。 Thanks t Billy is back on the force and investigating a drive by shooting everyone assumes is part of a drug turf war。 This one is different， though， because a child has been accidentally killed so there is a lot of clamour to find someone to blame。 Billy and his partner Carla do but it’s pretty obvious it’s far more complicated。 There are crooked cops， drugs and human trafficking involved。 This was a fast paced story with a satisfying ending but it was about a world that was too violent for me。 Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ann
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I used to be a huge James Patterson fan but somehow I’d not read one of his books in a few years。While it took me a while to get into this I enjoyed it in the end。 This is the sequel to The Black Book which I’d not read， but it’s works fine as a standalone as there’s a lot of background information supplied。 That said， it did feel like it tied up lots of plot from the first one。 A good twisty turny read with the ‘short snappy chapter’ feel I like from his books
Diane Plant
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would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this booknot as enjoyable as previous stories from this author
Joanne Mcwilliam
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book。 A usual from James Patterson， entertaining with a good plot and characters but a quick read。 Enjoyable and would recommend。
J。J。
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I gave up on James Patterson books a few years ago， finding them a bit 'quick and slick' with the short chapters and pared down writing。 The Red Book， written with the collaboration of David Ellis， was a pleasurable surprise and has re-affirmed me as a fan of Patterson。 Although the main character， Detective Billy Harney， has the conventional troubled past， it doesn't dominate the story but is interwoven skilfully and completely believably。 His sidekick has her own secrets and the twisty reveal I gave up on James Patterson books a few years ago， finding them a bit 'quick and slick' with the short chapters and pared down writing。 The Red Book， written with the collaboration of David Ellis， was a pleasurable surprise and has re-affirmed me as a fan of Patterson。 Although the main character， Detective Billy Harney， has the conventional troubled past， it doesn't dominate the story but is interwoven skilfully and completely believably。 His sidekick has her own secrets and the twisty reveal is excellently done。 I had not realised that this was the second in the series but will now search out its predecessor， The Black Book。 Highly recommended。I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Carole
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It’s a long time since I read a James Patterson book so I was looking forward to this one and wasn’t disappointed。 I really like Detective Billy Harney， who has been on ‘paid administrative leave’ since he took down some corrupt police officers， and managed to get himself shot in the head in the process。 To some of his colleagues he is a hero， to others he is a villain。 On his return to work he is moved to a new department - Special Operations Section - and given a new partner， Carla Griffin， wh It’s a long time since I read a James Patterson book so I was looking forward to this one and wasn’t disappointed。 I really like Detective Billy Harney， who has been on ‘paid administrative leave’ since he took down some corrupt police officers， and managed to get himself shot in the head in the process。 To some of his colleagues he is a hero， to others he is a villain。 On his return to work he is moved to a new department - Special Operations Section - and given a new partner， Carla Griffin， who has a bad reputation within the force。 Of course， they both have interesting back stories which are revealed throughout the book。 As they investigate a drive-by shooting where three people and a child are killed， Harney realises there is more to this than meets the eye。 No need to tell the story here， it’s enough to know that it’s a great American police thriller with the usual good cops， bad cops， and enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages。 I really enjoyed the way Harney and Griffin’s relationship developed， and would read another book with them in it。 A good read！ 。。。more
Mavis
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I always enjoy James Patterson’s books， he tells such a good story。 I haven’t read the preceding novel， but that didn’t matter。 It is a high octane， well crafted novel with many hooks and side alleys。 The troubled main detective has had a difficult past， which is not helped by his new partner who has a previous harassment charge against her and they get off to a poor start。 However， nothing is as it seems and it is an exciting charge to the conclusion。 Once all the characters are in place it bec I always enjoy James Patterson’s books， he tells such a good story。 I haven’t read the preceding novel， but that didn’t matter。 It is a high octane， well crafted novel with many hooks and side alleys。 The troubled main detective has had a difficult past， which is not helped by his new partner who has a previous harassment charge against her and they get off to a poor start。 However， nothing is as it seems and it is an exciting charge to the conclusion。 Once all the characters are in place it becomes hard to put down and I enjoyed every minute of it。 Definitely recommended。 Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review。。 。。。more
Anne
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Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher and author for this ARC。 I’ve not read The Black Book which was the first book and while there are references to previous events this book can be read on its own。 I thought the book was a real slow burner to begin with。 Yes， I enjoyed it， it just never wowed me initially。 Just under half way in it really began to get interesting and really picked up pace。 Billy Harney returns to work after being shot and bringing down corrupt police officers and moves to a n Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher and author for this ARC。 I’ve not read The Black Book which was the first book and while there are references to previous events this book can be read on its own。 I thought the book was a real slow burner to begin with。 Yes， I enjoyed it， it just never wowed me initially。 Just under half way in it really began to get interesting and really picked up pace。 Billy Harney returns to work after being shot and bringing down corrupt police officers and moves to a new section and gets a new partner with her own history。 He investigates multiple shootings to find all is not as it seems and uncovers information leading back to a traumatic event 4 years before and the case becomes very personal。 I thought the book had mostly likeable characters who slowly grew on me the further I read。 It became a compulsive and thrilling read when it picked up with lots of plot twists that I liked， and quickly raced to a conclusion。 Overall despite its slow start I thought this became a good read with a well thought out plot。 I would read another book with Billy Harney as the main character。 4 stars 。。。more
Catherine
，
The red book is the sequel to The black book， it continues to follow Detective Billy Harney's journey both professionally and personally。 Billy has had a difficult few years to say the least but he keeps on going， or so it seems on the outside。 Whilst trying to solve his cases and battle with demons and emotions from his past he also doesnt know who has his back and who doesnt。 There are many surprises along the way and you just want to keep on reading。 This book was brilliant， i would definatel The red book is the sequel to The black book， it continues to follow Detective Billy Harney's journey both professionally and personally。 Billy has had a difficult few years to say the least but he keeps on going， or so it seems on the outside。 Whilst trying to solve his cases and battle with demons and emotions from his past he also doesnt know who has his back and who doesnt。 There are many surprises along the way and you just want to keep on reading。 This book was brilliant， i would definately recomment it。 。。。more
Helen
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Coming back to the police force a hero but under a cloud。 Partnered with another cop with a bad reputation。 Life is not going to be easy。 Reliving the death of his daughter and suicide of his wife adds more burdens。 But all is not as it seems。 Unpicking the lies， cover ups and downright manipulation from even inside his own family。Keeps your turning the pages in a compulsive manner。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Red Book
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Red Book&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Red Book&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0