DON'T TELL ME HOW TO DIE

5 stars out of 5

I first became acquainted with this talented author by way of his collaborations with prolific and best-selling author James Patterson (specifically, in the NYPD Red series). But I've also read and enjoyed another in which he flew solo, so I didn't hesitate to grab this one. And I certainly wasn't disappointed.

In part, that's because I can relate. Like Maggie Dunn, who watched mostly unattached widows try to catch her still-hunky father after her mother died, I watched the same thing happen when my tall, white-haired father moved into an assisted living community shortly after my own mother passed away. "He's good looking and still walks upright," I told my husband at the time. "He'll get swooped on at the first breakfast he eats in the dining room."

My story had a great ending in the form of a sweet stepmother, who said yes when Dad was 86 years old. Maggie's, alas, did not; the vixen who set her sights on her father was a con artist extraordinaire. So when Maggie learned she'd inherited the same terminal disease as her mother, she vowed to find an appropriate candidate to become her soon-to-be-widowed husband's wife Sub 2 and the stepmother of their two kids.

The story is told through a ton of reminiscing, with chapters flipping through various time frames. And each time that happens, more background is revealed - almost always adding some kind of twist - right up to the end, when the roof blows off. Details, of course, I won't provide, but I will say I'm glad I got within an hour of the finish line in time to get it done right before bedtime - otherwise, it would have accompanied me because at that point, no way would I have put it down.

Nothing left to say, then, except I loved it - and I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to dive into a pre-release copy.

Don't Tell Me How to Die by Marshall Karp (Blackstone Publishing Inc., March 2025); 320 pp.

NYPD RED 7

5 stars out of 5

This, the seventh book in the series co-written by James Patterson and Marshall Karp, marks Karp's first solo effort. And I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope to read many more. For those not familiar with the series, the books focus on the elite New York group of detectives known as NYPD Red and specifically on detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald.

Two in-your-face assassinations happen in fairly rapid succession - one man killed by a long-range sniper and the other done in by a killer obviously well versed on where a knife should slice to do the damage quickly and efficiently. As the investigation picks up steam, Zach and Kylie learn about an old guy who brags about a "sorority" called Kappa Omega Delta (Killers On Demand) that's actually a group of elderly military-trained male assassins who apparently have been plying their trade for years. Finding them, however, doesn't come easy; they may be good at killing, but they're even better at eluding identification and capture.

Tracking them down is only part of the story, though; both Kylie, has a serious boyfriend who develops a serious issue, and Zach has a current main squeeze and at least one in his past who comes back to haunt him - though not necessarily in a bad way. All in all, there's plenty of action that kept me turning pages, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

NYPD Red 7 by Marshall Karp (Blackstone Publishing, November 2022); 350 pp.

SNOWSTORM IN AUGUST

5 stars out of 5

Of the myriad of co-authors of books with the prolific James Patterson, Marshall Karp is a favorite of mine (the two co-created and co-write the NYPD Red series, on which, as I understand it, Karp will go solo with the upcoming Book 7). So when I had the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this book - which seems to be the first in a series - I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I was not disappointed; in fact, it's one of the best books of this kind I've read in a while.

More specifically, it's got a unique, intriguing story that launches with a white-out in Central Park. Snow? Not in August. Try cocaine. It lands on unsuspecting people and animals, killing them almost instantly. Say what? Beyond that, it's got a unique, intriguing main character in former NYPD captain Danny Corcoran, who heads up a special clandestine team of specialists formed by the police commissioner.

Danny lost his wife to an accident years earlier, but he's still close to her sister and their father, a soon-to-retire judge. His last day on the bench turns into a nightmare, triggering a war between powerful drug lord Joaquin Alboroto and the city of New York. When an unexpected disaster results in the police commissioner and his special team getting decommissioned, so to speak, Danny is asked to join a team of retired officers - if possible, an even more clandestine bunch funded by a handful of billionaires. Their primary mission? Thwarting Alboroto's plans to bring the city and a list of targets to their knees with no regard for human collateral damage.

But finding Alboroto and learning what deadly tricks he's got up his sleeves isn't going to be a walk in Central Park even after it's been deemed safe once again. It's not likely he's working in a vacuum, either - but there are plenty of bad guys and gals out there, some known and some not, so ferreting out who's allied with whom is a challenge in and of itself (not to mention exceedingly dangerous). The rest of the book is packed with action - some crossing over into "you've got to be kidding me" territory but edge-of-seat exciting nonetheless.

The bottom line? If you've got room in your summer vacation bag for just one more killer/thriller, consider this one. It's a winner in my book!

Snowstorm in August by Marshall Karp (Blackstone Publishing, June 2022); 348 pp.

RED ALERT

4.5 stars out of 5



I've gone on record at least two other times with the opinion that this may be the best of the many series by James Patterson and his co-author du jour (in this case, Marshall Karp). And nothing in this one made me change my mind. It moves along quickly, serves up a few surprises all the way to the end and enough humor to hold my attention throughout.

NYPD Red is an elite task force that caters to the rich, famous, and those who are both but prefer no one else to know about it. Sometimes - as it does here - that means detective-partners Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald often have to suck it up to placate stratospheric egos and play down what's really happening. Such is the case here, when a big explosion hits a hoity-toity benefit gathering at a fancy hotel that leaves a big-wig dead (and narrowly misses New York's mayor). Then comes the next body - a female who's heavily into the sadomasochistic sex scene - is a little less high priority to the Red team (and most certainly to their boss) until they identify some of her high-profile partners.

As faithful readers of the series already know, Zach and Kylie once had a fling, but now they're content, or so it seems, with new loves: Zach with a beautiful psychiatrist and Kylie with a guy Zach isn't so sure about. Since Zach's torch for Kylie hasn't been fully extinguished, he's determined to make sure Kylie hasn't picked a pig in a poke.

So we have three totally different cases, all requiring a ton of the kind of investigating that have made Zach's and Kylie's reputations as a top-notch, go-to team. All get resolved in one way or another by the end; the only issue I had (and the reason for knocking my rating down half a star) is that there are so many characters that it was a bit of a challenge for my aging brain to remember which ones belonged to which case and why. Still, I survived the experience with a smile on my face - ready and waiting for the next installment.

Red Alert by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., March 2018); 368 pp.

NYPD Red 4

4.5 stars out of 5

Red is, for those who don't know, an elite NYPD task force that caters to the exceptionally well-heeled. When the crime is of a sensitive nature (meaning, often, that the political powers-that-be want it wrapped up in plain brown paper and buried under City Hall before the press gets wind of it), the team - notably Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald - is called in to do their thing. As the title suggests, this is the fourth book in the series, all co-written by Marshall Karp. I hope that writing team sticks together for the future, because so far, the series has been a winner in my book.

This one continues that streak; it's interesting, with several easy-to-follow story lines and kooky characters (one described as a person who "couldn't sell a five-dollar cure for the clap if it came with a four-dollar coupon") and just plain fun to read.

The various scenarios emerge early on, starting with the murder of a beautiful star on her way to a fancy schmancy movie premiere in Manhattan. She's shot while in her limo, and a multi-million dollar necklace is yanked off her neck - a one-of-a-kind piece designed by an egotistical, self-centered (to put it mildly) jeweler to the stars who loaned her the piece for the gala.

Just as Zach and Kylie begin to sink their teeth in the case (and Zach wrestles with issues involving his live-in love, an NYPD psychologist), they're summoned to the mayor's office. Expensive, highly specialized medical equipment is disappearing from the borough's hospitals; hospital officials, concerned that news of the thefts would scare away patients (especially since it appears to be an inside job) want the thieves corralled quickly and on the QT.

As if that weren't enough to keep the team occupied, Kylie's husband - a talented scriptwriter with a serious drug abuse problem - has left rehab for the umpteenth time and is missing. With the two NYPD cases taking almost every second of their free time, will she and Zach be able to find him in time to save him (again)? Will Zach be able to save his relationship with the woman he loves?

Short chapters (and, at 332 pages, a relatively short book) make it easy to put it down when life intervenes and the whole thing go quickly, so readers will get the answers in short order- and all in good fun. 

NYPD Red 4 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., January 2016); 332 pp.

NYPD RED 3

4 stars out of 5

James Patterson's NYPD Red series - this is the third, as you cleverly might deduce from the title - has been a good one so far, and this one holds up its end of the tradition quite well. At the center of the action are Detective Zach Jordan and his partner (and one-time love interest) Kylie MacDonald, who are part of the elite task force that is charged with protecting the rich and famous. And it's hard to believe they come any richer than the billionaire Hunter Alden Jr.

Alden's chauffeur, who also served as a father figure to Alden's son Tripp, is murdered, putting the Alden family in a spotlight they don't want. Tripp then turns up missing, but his richer-than-God father refuses to even consider that he might have been kidnapped and tries to thwart any police investigation by throwing around his political and financial clout. Zach and Kylie, however, aren't buying it, and the chase is on to find out what happened to the kid without ruffling the family's gilded feathers (or getting themselves killed).

Throughout it all, Zach has to juggle his feelings for Kylie, who's married to a drug addict who keeps backsliding, and Cheryl, a psychologist who took Kylie's place after Zach lost her while they were training at the police academy. Yeah, that part is pretty sappy, but I'm sure the idea of keeping two beautiful women on the string will appeal to a lot of guys.

There are lots of twists and turns (both right and wrong), and I'm delighted to say one of them actually caused me to gasp and say to myself, "Wow - I didn't see that coming!" And that, my friends, doesn't happen very often. All in all, another good read. Keep 'em coming!

NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., March 2015); 359 pp.

NYPD RED 2

5 stars out of 5

After I finished the first book in this series, NYPD Red, I said this is the best of Patterson's works of late (and since he relies heavily on co-authors, I gave the lion's share of the credit to his co-writer on this one, Marshall Karp). I'm delighted to say this one's even better than the first - so my hat's off once again to Mr. Karp.

Almost all of Patterson's books are very easy reads, and this one is no exception; within a couple of hours, I was surprised to find I'd polished off half of it. I was even more surprised to realize I didn't want to put it away so I could get some sleep. Sure enough, a couple more hours the next day did the trick. The best part, though, was that I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

This one follows the elite NYPD Red team of Detective Zach Jordan and his detective partner Kylie MacDonald (the two once were a couple) as they do their thing protecting the rich and famous and try to solve New York City's highest profile crimes. To start, a wealthy woman is murdered, dressed in a Hazmat suit and dumped on a carousel. She's the fourth in a string of similar murders, but since she qualifies for assignment to the Red team, they're called in. 

The case means crossing state lines and offending not a few other police officers as they try to identify and arrest the Hazmat killer - before the city's election in the hope that the current mayor will keep his job. Meantime, Jordan has found a new love, although he continues to struggle with his feelings for MacDonald. The plot takes a couple of relatively unexpected twists and turns, ending with...oh wait, you really didn't expect me to tell all, did you?

NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson and Marshall Karp (Little, Brown and Co., March 2014); 417 pp.