Suspense

Synopsis: 'This novel goes back and forth between present events involving Chicago detective Billy Harney and past events involving him. The novel starts with three people being found dead in an apartment (Billy, Billy's partner Detective Kate Fenton and Assistant District Attorney Amy Lentini). Billy's father, the chief of detectives, and his sister, Patty (also a detective), are ushered into this horrific crime scene. As they are leaving it is discovered Billy is barely hanging onto life.
It appears that Billy killed Amy and Kate burst into the apartment and Billy and Kate simultaneously shot each other. When Billy recovers enough to become conscious and coherent, he cannot remember this or the time leading up to this event at all. Prior to the time leading up to Billy's memory loss he and a team of officers waited outside a brownstone where prostitution was taking place. Billy hoped to find a suspected murderer inside. While the team waited, the mayor and other elite in the city entered. Billy pondered what to do and decided to go forward with the raid, knowing his career could be on the line. Once inside and everyone inside was arrested, Kate was with the group that searched for the black book of addresses of clients.
The rest of the novel deals with the intrigue concerning the black book. Various persons suspect each other of taking it and some suspect Billy of having it. Once Billy recovers from his wounds enough to leave the hospital, another two murders take place and Billy is suspected of these. The book is a thriller novel where various persons accuse each other of the theft of the black book and of the murders.

Review: Interesting method of telling the story - flipping from present to past and back again. I thought I had 'who done it' figured out early on, but I didn't. In fact, I didn't know until the last couple of chapters. The book was a good read. However, I don't particularly want to read any more books with these characters. ( )

this was a good audiobook ( )

I heard the first chapter of "The Black Book" at the end of another James Patterson book I had finished. While the police were rushing to the murder scene we, the readers, are being introduced the characters, and the chapter ended with, "I hear a heartbeat!" The bastard!

I quickly added, "The Black Book" to my book list. Then I rushed to the end of my list. Was it available? Yes! Now I rushed it to the #1 spot on my 600 books. Fortunately, I think I only waited a week or two before the book was in my CD player and I got to hear what happened next.

What a ride it was. I couldn't stop listening. I could not tell where this story was going to go next. I cried through the last CD. This is a good book. ( )

Billy Harney was born to be a cop. The son of Chicago's chief of detectives, whose twin sister is also on the force, Billy plays it by the book. Alongside Detective Kate Fenton, Billy's tempestuous, adrenaline-junkie partner, there's nothing he wouldn't sacrifice for his job. Enter Amy Lentini, a hard-charging assistant state's attorney hell-bent on making a name for herself - who suspects Billy isn't the cop he claims to be. They're about to be linked by more than their careers.

One missing black book.

A horrifying murder leads investigators to an unexpected address - an exclusive brothel that caters to Chicago's most powerful citizens. There's plenty of incriminating evidence on the scene - but what matters most is what's missing: the madam's black book. Now shock waves are rippling through the city's elite, and everyone's desperate to find it.

Chicago has never been more dangerous.

As everyone who's anyone in Chicago scrambles to get their hands on the elusive black book, no one's motives can be trusted. An ingenious, inventive thriller about power, corruption, and the power of secrets to scandalize a city - and possibly destroy a family