Judge and Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
East Coast. Mafioso. A troubled family boss about to be called out- at a wedding- for a life of misdeeds. And then Agnes- oh wait, that was the OTHER book about the Mafia, weddings, and crazy hit men that I read this week.
In THIS book, James Patterson and Andrew Gross do a fantastic job portraying the perspectives of multiple people- the federal agent trying to balance his professional career versus his personal feelings for the Mob boss who takes out two of his friends, the single mom who winds up a juror on the trial and, later, is the sole survivor of a bombing that kills the rest of the jury as well as her son, and the hired killer that orchestrates that bombing, as well as other acts, on behalf of the mob boss on trial. Following me?
Inevitably, Nick -the hottie federal agent- and Andie -the sexy single mom- bond (and let’s just say, it was some well-written…um… “bonding” when they finally did….) and take on the role of vigilantes as they track down the man responsible for countless deaths to exact their own kind of justice.
A book club book? Probably not, although there are some interesting questions raised after Andie and Nick finish getting together and get on with tracking down the Mafia don, violating multiple laws and probably some global treaties along the way.
Beach reading? Definitely.
I initially picked up Judge and Jury because I had finished a couple of the other books I had brought on vacation with me, and I wasn’t thrilled about starting a couple of the others. After reading this one, I picked up the other two James Pattersons on the shelf in my rented vacation unit, and now I can’t imagine leaving all three of them behind!
Roses are Red, by James Patterson, is one of the Alex Cross books. APPARENTLY, there is an entire Alex Cross series that I have somehow missed in my pursuit for crime novels. Dear readers, no longer. I will need to acquire more of the Alex Cross books and I will need them soon. Next, Step On A Crack by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. If I thought Alex Cross was a great lead character, Detective Michael Bennett may have stolen my heart away. Be on the lookout for more reviews about this series in the future!
Just Can't Stop Reading 