NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority

Product Information

Things are now taking a change. Starting with the current outing – “NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority” – the baton has been passed from Patterson to Karp as a solo artist, who is taking over the series as a solo writer. The book cover blurb expressing Patterson’s confidence and approval in Karp taking over the writing comes across as the marketing ploy, but I guess that should be expected. So, to answer to my previous question. Actually, not much really… Not much at all… Except for one surprise… I love this series by James Patterson and Marshall Karp. I have given 4 stars to EVERY book from 1-6. Book #7 is a solo work by Marshall Karp! He is also the author of the critically acclaimed Lomax and Biggs Mysteries featuring LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs, who work homicide out of the Hollywood Division. In this installment, a Harvey Weinstein type is unbelievably exonerated of killing a police officer and as he steps up to a microphone on the courthouse steps to gloat, an invisible sniper delivers Wild West justice. And then another assasination simultaneously takes place (the scumbag’s equally scummy brother who also got away with murder). So it seems that there is militarily trained squad of killers for hire (known as Kappa Omega Delta/KOD — Killers on Demand) operating in NYC. The subtitle of the book is “The Murder *Sorority*” and not “Murder *Fraternity.*” A clue for the reader in advance of Kylie and Zach uncovering what’s really going on? Or people who “were gender-fluid before it was cool”? This investigation is further complicated when someone close to the team is shot in a seemingly unrelated incident.

Truth be told, if I had read this book without knowing Patterson’s named was removed, I wouldn’t have noticed any differences. It felt just like their previous six books in the series. I am not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It just is. I am also not sure what this says about Patterson’s involvement in their writing partnership. It’s weird. Patterson steps away and I can’t tell the difference. I am going to stop talking about this now and let you form your own opinion on the matter. MARSHALL KARP co-created and co-authored the first six books in the #1 bestselling NYPD Red series with James Patterson. Starting with NYPD Red 7, Marshall will become the sole author of the series, which features Detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan as members of an elite task force dedicated to solving crimes committed against — and sometimes by — New York City’s rich and famous.The same goes for the plot about Kylie's boyfriend and the shooting (and what that suggests about the ongoing story about her now-missing husband). I think this shooting, the investigation, and the resolution was actually the strongest storyline in the novel and Karp developed it well. Especially in the heightened reality of this series, this came across as pretty grounded. The NYPD Red series is a popular book series of mystery, suspense, thriller, and detective fiction books. The series is penned by author Marshall Karp, and co-authored with James Patterson. Wow, I’m stunned by how much I enjoyed this book! I went into this read with a ho-hum attitude because police procedurals are not my top reading genre and because it was book seven in a series. Author Marshall Karp has taken over writing The NYPD Red series which he was previously ghost writing with James Patterson, and he did a marvelous job of it. Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Always in the NYPD Red series, since lead detective Kylie is a green-eyed blonde.

I really need to find or develop a synonymous phrase for that, because I use it too often in this post. Sorry about that. NYPD Red is one of Patterson’s lesser-known mystery series co-created and co-written with Marshall Karp. It is about two detectives - Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald – who make up a special investigative team focused on serving and protecting the rich and elite of New York city. In typical Patterson style, Zach and Kylie were also former lovers coming out of the police academy years ago and Zach has never stopped loving her, even though Kylie has sworn off ever dating a cop again. Because they work so close together, the sexual tension adds to the aura of their working relationship and is optimistically used as a tool to keep the reader’s interest.

I'm both annoyed and glad that the description of the book tipped its hand so much about the assassins. I prefer to discover that kind of thing in my mystery novels��don't tell me what the characters are going to figure out, let me do it with them. But knowing it was coming did make it easier to buy into. During their investigation, a theory begins to surface about a team of assassins operating under the name of a sorority—Kappa Omega Delta. KOD—Killers On Demand. It sounds farfetched to the partners (and their captain), but they keep running into the idea. And soon, they might start to find some actual evidence pointing to it.

There's part of me that wants to harp on the implausibility of KOD. But I don't know why I would—it's a fun idea and works well in this novel. Karp's version of this thing that we've seen and read about in other books/shows/movies/comics is as successfully conceived and executed as I've seen it. And as I said before, if you accept the world of this series, the outlandish nature of the KOD works well. So, I don't know why I feel like I have to make excuses for it or justify it, but I do feel that way. The KOD is a good challenge for Kylie and Zach and the way they confront it is entertaining. Which is what this book is about. He's not attempting to tell a gritty story like Winslow's The Badge (which has parts that are just as implausible)—this is an action-adventure story. The Murder Sorority involves assassins in NYC, the Kappa Omega Delta or K-O-D "Killers On Demand". Apparently, someone hired the KODs to do the deeds when the rich and untouchables got away with murder. When a fellow detective got shot off duty it becomes personal. Part of this feels like too much to say, but it's right there in the title (also, the publisher's description), so... Moving on… And the surprise that I alluded to in paragraph seven above is this… I actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. It was better than I expected. As a matter of fact, it was my favorite book in the entire series so far. For the first time, I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. That was a big surprise for me. This had been one of Patterson’s lesser series, but Karp somehow made it shine and seem fresh for the first time. The heightened reality of this series works well in the cases these detectives are involved with—Entertainment personalities and the super-rich. I've always liked the idea of a squad like NYPD Red (see also, The Closer's Priority Homicide), and halfway assume something like this actually exists. Given media scrutiny and politics, it makes sense for cases of this profile to be handled differently (as long as no one's ignoring other cases per Bosch's maxim). I enjoy seeing detectives work in this world as much as I do seeing them in more "everyday" settings belonging to the middle and lower class.I'd have to go and look at my posts about the first two books in this series to see if I say anything about it—but I don't want to. I'm pretty sure that at the time I thought the books spent too much time on the personal lives of these two detectives. To an extent, it made sense while establishing the characters, but I still thought the balance was off. Perhaps it's because this is a later book in the series, perhaps it's the shift in authors, maybe it's just the way things worked out here in NYPD Red 7—I'm not sure I care—but that problem is gone. I even paused to note a couple of times how compared favorably to my memories of the first two books. NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority” starts off with two murders. First, a sniper marksman takes the life of Warren Hellman, a high profile movie producer, as he leaves the court following his being found not guilty of intentionally killing a well-respected New York detective. Across town, his brother, Curtis Hellman, is found dead on a jogging pathway along 102nd street. Someone left him with his throat slashed. Meanwhile, in a probably unrelated incident, Kylie's boyfriend is shot. Officially barred from investigating (and she is front-and-center on a case the media and City Hall are focused on), Kylie is mostly watching this from the sidelines—but manages to help the detectives on the case while worried about his recovery. To make matters worse, this band will not only challenge Zach and Kylie professional skills and abilities, but it looks like their personal lives will be horrendously impacted and changed forever…

Marshall Karp takes over sole writing responsibility on the NYPD Red series, after collaborating on the previous novels with James Patterson. With intensity being a key element of the series to date, Karp has large shoes to fill, but does so with ease, keeping things on par with past publications. A gripping set of crimes, great character development, and some humour where it matters most, Karp is sure to impress series fans and has me wanting to explore some of his other solo work. Of all of James Peterson’s various series, I have come to love the NYPD Red ones over the others. Marshall Karp delivers an expected exciting plot, witty camaraderie between Kylie and Zach, and thrilling twists. He’ll do well with continuing this series. 5 stars! I thought these were handled pretty well. There were elements of Zach's story that seemed like pretty large coincidences, but if a reader isn't willing to accept a convenient coincidence here and there, it might be time for a new hobby. I do think that story was handled pretty well. I especially enjoyed the character of Detective Kylie MacDonald. She is a no- nonsense officer with an engaging personality. The camaraderie between her and Detective Zach Jordan is great, and their witty banter is enjoyable. In addition to the case she is working on, she is following another case that involves the shooting of her boyfriend. Since it is not the case featured in the title, we readers don’t get as much information about that case, but it is an interesting secondary story nonetheless. Good writing, a solid plot, and a fun (but improbable) premise made NYPD Red 7 an easy read. A good read for anyone who loves suspense, intrigue and action.Overall, Karp delivered a tight thriller read that provided a very entertaining escape for two or three evenings.