This is the first book of the Private series, though I read it after reading many others from the series, which I loved thoroughly and hence started this book with probably a high expectation. This didn’t meet my expectation of providing wholesome entertainment. This book lacked the nail-biting adventure and suspense that I had come to associate with other novels of the series. It was a page turner, but a slow one at that.
The concept is nothing new here, story begins with Jack Morgan taking control of the Private Investigation Agency and soon after receiving a call that his ex-lover and now his best friend’s wife is murdered in her own apartment. Before he can find the killer, he is pulled into solving a gambling scam by his uncle and all this in midst of a serial murderer out in the open, killing school girls. Isn’t that the theme always? Multiple cases being handled by the Private team, one surely being a serial murder case.
The story was okay, well written with the usual twists and turns in the plot but still lacked the thrill somehow. There wasn’t enough grip on the story, nor was their much of a suspense. Story begins with a murder of Jack’s best friend’s wife, where in obviously the husband is the first suspect. Jack calls the police and arranges for his friend to live in a hotel for the time-being. His friend is dazed and has no clue as to why anyone would want to kill his new wife. As Jack himself knew the girl, she was the sweetest of all.
Justine on the other hand, who is the next in command at Private, is busy with helping the Police department solve the serial killings going on in the city of the school girls. Till now eighteen have been killed and they need to stop the killings soon. The only problem being, there are multiple killers, not just one and they are smart, they don’t leave behind any evidence. Justine is going crazy with these killings and wants to stop them as soon as possible, and hence is super stressed and unavailable.
Jack is himself having trouble in his life with some mystery caller threatening for his life, him not being able to commit to his girlfriend and being unable to forget and get over the past. Jack’s uncle shows up one day in his office to take his help uncover a gambling scam going on in the NFL. Jack has a brilliant team, who are all dedicated and never seem to get tired. The story unfolds slowly soon, showing the real culprits, the mysteries are solved and the story reaches its end.