Private Royals (Private, #12.5) (2024)

This was a very entertaining BookShot. Only takes a couple hours to read but you will be completely amused by the story. A missing royal, an awesome combo in Knight and Morgan, and a crazy twist in the story adds up to a great couple hours.

My quick and simple overall: a fast-paced couple hours of reading that will leave you more entertained than you expect.

Not my favourite of the BookShots; found it hard to follow all the different characters in a story this short.

On to the next!

That book was quiet a good story. I think I like the book shots.

*Riveting*

This was a short story and one that I would definitely revisit again. The book was better because the audio used an American narrator and the British accent was a challenge for him. This time the ingredients were much better and I wished it was longer but it wrapped up nicely.

In this instalment Jack Morgan, the owner of the most successful investigation company in the world, with many bureaus across the globe is in London. He is attending a bash on the eve of the Trooping the Colour Parade, this celebration is for the
Queen’s 90th birthday. All goes well until he receives a call from the Duke of Aldershot regarding a kidnapping. Jack with Peter Knight his London branch leader go to work.

There are twists and turns and it is jam packed, they soon realise all is not what it seems. Jack does not like being hoodwinked. There is a mad dash at the end with crazy stunts but it is satisfying. It could have been longer for me to add more details but as it was a short story I got it.

Is it me or is Jack Morgan turning into Captain Kirk? A different woman every book! 😆

Quick, action packed. A classic James Patterson novel.

Another BookShot pulls readers into the world of Jack Morgan and his Private establishment. Back in London, Morgan is liaising with his London office and its head,Peter Knight. When a call comes from the Duke of Aldershot, Morgan and Knight follow-up, only to learn that the Duke's daughter, Abbie, has been kidnapped. Abbie is a royal wild child, known for her headline-hogging antics, usually tied into alcohol and drugs, after a humble childhood. With a random demand of £30 million by 11 the following morning, Private has little time to act and Abbie's bodyguard is also missing. With a significant amount of blood at the scene, there is a possibility that both are already dead, though Private cannot give up up. When the Duke receives another call from the kidnapper, they vow to kill Abbie and let her head roll during the famed Trooping the Colour parade, should there be any delays. The Duke is panic-stricken and Morgan calls on a potential Private new recruit to show her abilities. Major Jane Cook uses her military abilities to posit who the kidnapper might be, finding clues related to a member of the service. When Private begins piecing things together, there is something about this kidnapping that makes no sense, leaving Morgan to question the entire affair. With Abbie still missing, the hunt heats up and Private is racing against the clock to find Abbie and save the image of the Royal Family. Well worth the invested time, particularly for those who enjoy the Private series.

These BookShots are addictive, as this was the second one I completed in as many days. Patterson works with Rees Jones to spin this tale, using some interesting plo lines and a collection of characters who fit in perfectly. Peppering the narrative with mention of the previous Private novel set in London, the reader does not feel this story is disjointed from what has come before. Its quick chapters and to the point storyline, readers can easily devour this story in a single sitting, and most will want to as the pendulum of guilt keeps swinging. With a plethora of BookShots coming down the pipeline, readers should be able to devour stories of all shapes and sizes, no matter the time restrictions their days present.

Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Jones for an explosive story that fits perfectly within the Private series. A wonderful teaser to lure people into the Private series.

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If you like the PRIVATE novels but wish they were shorter, then I guess this is the "book" for you. Like most Patterson stories, PRIVATE ROYALS reads like the wind but is completely derivative and lazily written. One would be forgiven for thinking it was a hastily novelized script for a forgotten 90's TV show.

Way too violent which is not entertaining.

Boarder-line 4 star book. Good, short, action packed installment of the Private series. Jack Morgan is front and center which is almost a must for a successful Private book. A member of the royal family is kidnapped, and Jack and Private are on the case. Storyline was solid, although the flirting between Morgan and Major Collins didn't really add to the story. The shorter nature of the book (138 pages) allowed the action and pace to move quickly. A good amount of twists and turns, some I figured out, some I did not. Overall another successful Bookshots for James Patterson and crew.

This book was a very easy and quick read. I enjoyed how Patterson added in detail but not too much where the story drags. I also really liked how they added in Cook, a strong female character, who is able to decipher things passed over by the men in the story. Most of these genre of books involve a strong male presence, so it was a nice change. Would recommend this book to anyone looking to fill a couple hours of their day.

Great read. I enjoy the Private series and this book fits right in. I think I enjoyed it better than some others in the series because it didn't have time to get overly complicated as some do. I recommend it even if you're not already familiar with the series as it works as a stand alone.

Very good bookshot. Unsuspected twist.
Nice to hear more of Jack Morgan in the story.

Although this is a BookShot, it was very well written! I have always enjoyed the Private Series, and this is probably one of the best stories! It had plenty of action as well as plot twists. It introduced a new character who will probably be in another Private novel. Once I started reading this I couldn't stop until the end of the story.

Great. fast paced mystery.... short story.

A fun mystery that is action packed!

*Summary from Amazon*
Private is the most elite detective agency in the world. But when kidnappers threaten to execute a Royal Family member in front of the Queen, Jack Morgan and his team have just 24 hours to stop them. Or heads will roll...literally.
That is the best description I could have found for this book. With a lot of action and a blindingly fast pace this was a fantastic addition both to its series and to the collection of bookshots. While there are a dozen books before this one, and they do talk about a past case, I feel like there is enough information here that you could read it alone.
I have had issue with this series in the past- the full length books like to take on several things at once that loosely tie at the end, but they often make me feel like one aspect or another wasn't given enough time. I also have a love/hate relationship with the layout. The premise of the series is that Jack Morgan has bases for Private Investigations in many different countries. In each book we see a different team- all well and good, but I end up falling for this or that character and could wait years (literally) before I see them again. For one that falls deeply for character development, this is a special type of pain. Especially so,since I fell hard for three characters in this book and heaven knows if I will ever see them in other books. I have hope, though, as at least one has been in past books.
I want to judge this book solely on it's own merit, though, and not how I feel about the series in general. On it's own merit, this book is amazing. Fast paced, with some great characters (though I must say that a few important characters weren't very well developed...) I had a great time reading this one. It is everything Patterson wanted when he rolled the bookshots out- lightning fast reads that you just can't put down.Four stars!
On the adult content scale, there is drug use, language, and violence. It's actually a bit graphic in all three cases, so I am going to give it an eight.

Private The Royals was an entertaining, quick read. The story evolved in true Patterson fashion with athletic feats and gory scenes. Some elements were unbelievable in the “Knick of time” execution.

Another good book by James Patterson and this one was just right for me for the private set where Jack comes to London and sets out about finding a girl

Just average.

I really need to learn my lesson with the Bookshots - no more!

Private Royals is best to be read after Private Games since the short story talks about the events in Private Games (saving the 2012 Olympic games). Without reading Private Games I was very confused on who the characters were and who was employed at Private London.

There wasn't much depth in the novel (it is only 100 pages) and I found that numerous characters blogged down the story. However, I was surprised by the ending and who the kidnapper was.

"September 10, 2017 – Finished Reading
September 9, 2017 –
2.0% "Chapter 4

...

After All it's not so bad"
September 9, 2017 – Started Reading"

- Patterson style is very easy pattern which can be detected... he always hooks up the reader in the beginning also Patterson have plenty of short chapters in his books.

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I am longing these short stories by Patterson, they are brilliant

Good book in James Patterson’s Private series. The story was good but a shorter read than his others. His previous Private books have had a couple different mysteries with the characters all working on them. The Royals is only 1 story line.

I love this Private series. It's suspenseful and dynamic. Great murder mysteries.

Gore does not replace a good plot.

3.5

A nice, easy read. Enjoyed the rapid story unfolding and wrapped up nicely. Will be looking more into the series.

Good book. Pretty cool to go back to London I like knight in the first book he was in. Private book 3 which was my favorite. Read this book in no time.

My first BookShots. I liked the novelette. An easy day's read. Inspires to write.

The Royals, a James Patterson co-author with Rees Jones is well written. Great descriptive word choices, interesting sentence structure ... notwithstanding another Patterson page flipper.

Based in London, England, Jack Morgan, ex-Marine and owner of "the world's foremost investigation agency" with his sidekick, Peter Knight, "the wiry Englishman" that heads up the London office are off on a chase to find a kidnapped royal ... not so royal in her behavior. Unless our sleuths find our damsel, her head will roll during the Horse Guards Parade.

I liked Rees Jones writing style with Patterson. Good match.

FOR WRITERS... what caught my eye.

p. 110
1) "Inches away from becoming a bloody smear ..."
2) "The truck slewed..."
3) "Metal screamed ...
4) "... the cab plowed
5) "... lamppost ... bent like a broken toothpick..."

Taken as a whole paragraph very SHOW descriptive reading: "the truck slewed. Metal screamed as the cab plowed into a lamppost that bent like a broken toothpick, the echo of the crash ringing out across the streets." ⎯ can't you just SEE this?

p. 112
1) "...sawed open the throat of ..."

p. 113
1) "...dying on the man's blade..."
2) "...Knight's arm shot out from ... the car like a viper..."
3) "...plowing a ballpoint pen into ___'s neck."
4) "...blood spilled over his fingers,..."
4) "...his body singing ..."
5) "...the wound ... left his neck with a bright red scarf of blood."
6) "... knife plowed into ___ ..."

p. 115
1) "... smashing the bridge of the American's nose." = use of the descriptive American
2) "Some bystanders screamed. Others ran. Some of the younger ones stayed and continued to film." ⎯ great cultural description of today's society.

p.118
1) "She was on her hands and knees, vomit on her chin and in her hair." ⎯ gross. Can't you just SEE this ... even FEEL the physical and emotional state of this character?
2) "... thrown forward like an empty dress, ..."

Taking the paragraph we SEE: "she had been thrown forward like an empty dress, crashing into the hard metal wall, blood running from her nose, her bones aching." ⎯ I can FEEL this and it ain't pleasant! Great descriptive writing.

p. 124
1) "... the Londoner's..." ⎯ the novelette is staged in London. Authors often describe each character according to their citizenship
2) "... the scent of prey thick in his nostrils."

p.126
1) "... fear eat the words inside her."
2) And referencing from note 2 above: "... try then, Yank!"

Using cultural descriptive wording separates the characters by an ocean while showing distain between the good guys and the bad guys.

p. 132
1) "Armed police!" the masked men called ... ⎯ interesting way to describe police helmets
2) "... they flooded into the room."

p. 137
Not to leave out sexual inference ... our British female says ...
1) "I do think I could work well beneath you." ⎯ definitely a double-entendre ... and so I didn't think my mind somewhere beneath good morals ...
2) "... [female character] traced a fingernail along the back of Morgan's neck."
3) merged and blurred ⎯ rhythm & flow of word choices characteristic of Patterson's style

RECOMMENDED reading for an American lazy, rainy, afternoon or fog infested London day.