I personally am a huge Patterson fan and for me I've yet to read a bad book written by Mr p sadly i did not realise this was a series so I have read them the wrong way round but i now must read the first in the series.

A young girl is one of four people gunned down in a “ very bad” drive-by shooting. The Chicago. Police are under i political pressure to solve the crime. Detective Billy Harney is assigned to the Special Operations Section to put a stop to the gang violence on the West Side. His new partner is Detective Carla Griffin, whom colleagues describe as “sober as an undertaker” and “as fun as a case of hemorrhoids.” And she looks like the last thing he needs, a pill popper. (But is she?) Department muckety-mucks want Harney to fail, and Griffin is supposed to spy on him. The poor guy already has a hell of a backstory: His daughter died and his wife committed suicide (or did she?) four years earlier, he’s been shot in the head, charged with murder (and exonerated), and helped put his own father in prison. (Nothing like a tormented hero!) Now the deaths still haunt him while he and Griffin begin to suspect they’re not looking at a simple turf war starring the Imperial Gangster Nation. Meanwhile, the captain in Internal Affairs is deep in the pocket of some bad guys who run an international human trafficking ring, and he hates Harney. He .is lucky to have Patti, his sister and fellow detective, as his one reliable friend who lets him know he’s being set up. Masterful writing keeps you enthralled and dying to find out if Harney will solve the crime. Not essential but worth reading the black book first.

The red book is the second story in The black book series and another page-turner from a favourite author. 

Over the years I read a lot of his books and I enjoyed finding new authors that he co-wrote so many stories with. 

The red book is no different from his highly praised ones. 

It’s full of action, never a dull moment. There are many interesting characters, ones that I got to like immediately, like detective Billy Harney, others that needed to work their way up for me to have more trust in them and their actions. 

It ticks all the boxes for everything you can expect, from organised crime groups to so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge throughout the book and a few moments that hit me hard because I am an immigrant from Romania and unfortunately all those things that happened here are still true, so it’s not all fiction. 

Another must-read story for all the lovers of the genre.

A most enjoyable and exciting read, with a gung ho detective, nasty crooks and corrupt police officers in high places. A Detective returning to duty after recovering from wounds suffered in in a case that brought corrupt officials to justice is assigned to lead a special squad charged to investigate serious crime. The detective fears that he is being set up by vested interests and is uncertain who he can trust. When a little girl is randomly shot with other bystanders including a young woman during a drug’s related passing gangster shoot up there is public pressure to catch the culprits. In clearing up the case nothing is what it seems, so when the detective decides to identify the other victims, he places himself in danger by delving into matters that others will kill to keep secret. With all the odds against him how he escapes ambush and assignation and bring down a powerful synidicate makes a great story.

Another James Patterson triumph. This book is pacy, gritty and not for the squeamish! It kept me reading into the early hours, even though it was with the light on!
If you’re a fan already, you’ll love this book. If you’ve never read any of his books - it’s time you did.

Loved this book, great thriller with fantastic characters, and lots of twists and turns, which keeps the reader enthralled. James Patterson is a consistently fantastic writer of criminal fiction, and this story doesn’t disappoint.

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. and so felt a bit misled. 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.

Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.

The central character is a cop with trauma in his past and a fresh start in a new department. There are lots of twists and turns in this book with several bad cops thrown in for good measure. Lots of murders and a sex trafficking ring all make for a thrilling page turner that I highly recommend.

This is a great page turner with an exciting plot. The twists keep you guessing but are never confusing. The characters are likeable, especially Billy, who is a complex and interesting character. As with most James Patterson it’s an easy read that you can’t put down. This is a follow up to The Black book which I have yet to read, but that didn’t stop me enjoying this one.

Gritty thriller with lots of twists and turns. Characters take a while to become likeable and the plot is very confusing but it is a good read.

As usual a great read from Patterson, gritty and fast paced. Our leading duo are set from the start to fail, they are characters you will either love or hate. Well written with a storyline that keeps your interests.

A slow burner.

Having enjoyed ‘Along Came A Spider’ I was keen to read another James Patterson novel. However, I found it such a slow burner that it took a while to grab my attention.

I gather that ‘The Red Book’ follows on from ‘The Black Book.’ Maybe it’s best to have read the first book to enhance the enjoyment?

It features Billy Harney who works for the Special Operations Section of the Chicago Police Department. He certainly has had a checked past, where he has been shot in the head, plus I gather that he has experienced huge family trauma and losses.

Many chapters were spent on the gangland violence occurring on the city’s West Side, plus Harney discovers corruption among the Chicago PD. Another of his problems is working under Paul Wisniwsky and even his work partner has been placed to spy on him.

I’m sure that many fans of James Patterson will enjoy the Red Book’ but it wasn’t my favourite read. I suggest again that it may be wise to read its prequel first.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

This is another great book by this prolific Author .... full of twists and turns it kept
me on the edge of my seat throughout .

The book is told over three parts - his memories of his wife and daughter's deaths always on his mind.

Detective Billy Harney is back at work after being shot in the head and has been placed in a new high
profile Unit ............ has he been set up to fail ?
Working a new case with a reluctant partner , a drive by shooting in a drug neighbourhood - all is not
as it seems .
Picking apart the lies and coverups makes for a complicated case , all the characters involved seem
to have a a motive to either help or hinder the case .... just who can be trusted ?

This is an excellent Police thriller that keeps you guessing to the end - a great read .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excellent read. As usual the author had a lot of subtle twists, so at times you were not sure who was playing for which side. Fast paste all the way through and it was only right at the end that all became clear. Would recommend it.

An edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster of a story from the accomplished pen of James Patterson. Following on from The Black Book, we meet Detective Billy Harney again, as he embarks on another crime, or series of crimes, to solve.
The pace is maintained throughout this enjoyable thriller, highly recommended.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Another excellent book by James Patterson, another edge of your seat thriller with great character development. So much so you are hoping for the next in the series.

This book was an exciting one, with many twists and turns to keep you on edge.
A story showing one officer's courage and commitment through a thrilling sequel of events. You'll be biting your lip as you try to piece together the puzzle and unveil secrets and hidden messages.
I highly ecommend this novel to anyone!

It says much for James Patterson’s consummate skills as a writer of crime fiction that he can take the fairly routine and mundane basic elements of this novel and weave a satisfyingly complex story around them. Certainly, the reader is required to skate over the occasional implausibilities and to occasionally tolerate the superhero capabilities of the lead character; overall, though, the reader is borne along on a relentless current as the plot unfolds with an unexpected link between what presented as a routine drug turf war killing and the death of the lead character’s wife some years previously. The writing is strong on descriptive elements and the narrative is fast-paced; the loose ends that seemed at one stage to proliferate wildly are brought neatly into order by the eventual denouement and the reader finally puts the book down with a satisfied sigh.

*** 1/2

When a young girl is killed in a drive by shooting Billy Harney and his team need to solve the crime, and quickly! But is everything as clear cut as it seems?

As you may expect from a James Patterson book, this is fast paced and action all the way.
I must admit I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as I usually do a Patterson book.
It took a while for me to really get into it and it felt a little draw out, but the last part of the book really pulls you in and you want to know the conclusion.
The characters certainly become more likeable as the story continues and you find out more about them and the reasons behind their behaviour.

Thank you to Netgallery, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

A drive by shooting in the streets of Chicago ends up with the death of a young child. Detective Bill Harney and his new partner Carla Griffin are on the case.

Their investigations involve us readers with a story full of guns, drugs, murders, gang violence child trafficking, corruption and did I say shootings? This book had it all!

At times I wasn't enjoying it, but it was addictive in a way. Not an advert for Chicago tourism trade?

A shame I did not read the first book in the series (' Black Book'), but I don't think it stopped me enjoying this second book.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK Cornerstone for the chance to read and review.

Having not read the first book in the series I did struggle to get into this.

It was certainly worth persevering though, with the action coming non stop.

If you want an entertaining read and don't want to take things to seriously this is worth a read.