NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority

Product Information

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.

Lower Manhattan: A sniper’s bullet ends the life of a high-profile New Yorker. Five miles uptown, a second prominent victim has his throat slashed. The first sign of trouble was when the bride, Erin Easton, didn’t return to the reception. Her dressing room was empty, even though the cop guarding the door said she’d gone inside, but her bloodied wedding dress was on the floor. Detective Kylie MacDonald was already on the scene as a guest and called her partner, Detective Zach Jordan, both of NYPD Red and the investigation was immediate. The kidnapper was smart – but could the cops be smarter? Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Karp, for another great addition to the series. I hope to see more in the series soon, which seemed to take a hiatus for a while. 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. NYPD Red detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan are called in to hunt them down, but these mercenaries are as gifted in the art of escape as they are in snuffing out lives.

Publication Order of NYPD Red Books

Lower Manhattan: A sniper's bullet ends the life of a high-profile New Yorker. Five miles uptown, a second prominent victim has his throat slashed. This was structured like most of Patterson collaborations where there is a lot of fast-paced action where the leads spend most of their time running around following the clues and distractions left by the bad guys. This one had a lot of twists and turns, most of which you could see coming and a few well-placed ones that you don’t. It also includes some very coincidental, but well-delivered, character development for Zach that was a surprisingly beneficial element that strengthened the storylines. Kudos to Karp for that creative thinking. NYPD Detective Kylie MacDonald is pulled into work mode immediately, having been invited to attend. When she brings her partner, Detective Zach Jordan, in to join her, they begin an intense hunt for Erin and whoever might be behind her abduction. With few leads to follow, it’s a waiting game, at least until videos begin emerging, with demands that they be broadcast live.

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.James Patterson churns out so many books throughout the year that sometimes it's hard to keep up. So far I've not managed to read any of the NYPD Red series. With a television crew documenting every moment of “the wedding of the century,” reality star/bride Erin Easton is indeed the star of the show. But when she disappears from her dressing room, a blood-spattered wedding gown is all that remains. As if that weren’t enough for the two detectives, they are drawn into a robbery at a high-stakes, private poker game. Could one of the players be involved in the heist? And are Zach’s suspicions about one of the players valid? At the same time, as the body count rises, can Zach and Kylie find the answers they need to capture the murderer and put an end to the killings? One thing that has always been prominent in this series is the political element to NYPD Red. Here in NYPD Red 5 we see Zach questioning just what their role is in protecting the elite and also the everyday public of the city. Do their superiors want justice or do they just want the crimes solved in any way possible? It makes for an uncomfortable read in places and features some hateful characters who make you sit and think about whether that justice should be served or not. It’s easy to see why they were targeted and why somebody would want revenge against them and it leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the two detectives who must work alongside these people to find out who was responsible. The characters, setting, and action are all excellent in this book…The action is exciting, and as the story comes to a close, there are twists and turns that are unbelievably satisfying for any fan of crime thrillers. Karp does an excellent job of carrying on the NYPD Red series.” San Francisco Book Review (5 stars)

Now, 3 stars is good for me in my rating system which is an "okay" but still enjoyable enough. the storyline just wasn't perfectly as executed as I would have liked it to be, but it was still a fun read. There were a few things I thought were kind of random, and felt like one of the stories with the second case Zach and Kylie had to take on was unnecessary and the story of Zach looking up a particular person without a friends consent (only to protect them) was an okay add on, but three separate stories, plus having to go out of the country for 5-6 chapters or so... it felt like Patterson and Karpp didn't know what to do with this story, but it's a good thing they've created great and fun detectives: Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald. I seriously freaking LOVE these two! so they pretty much saved this story for me. Overall, Karp delivered a tight thriller read that provided a very entertaining escape for two or three evenings. 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!

James Patterson’s NYPD Red books in order:

So, to answer to my previous question. Actually, not much really… Not much at all… Except for one surprise… 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.

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. I'm late to the party for this series of books from James Patterson, but that doesn't mean I was disappointed in not having know about them. I just need to keep my eyes open better for future books in the series. Join the NYPD Red team in their most explosive case ever. The series from James Patterson and Marshall Karp has always been a must-read. But Karp’s latest, NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority, tops them all, making it a must-read-now! Again, Ballerini is an incredibly talented narrator, I don’t know if I would be enjoying this series as much as I have been if I was reading myself, he has an engaging voice that also demands to be heard, it’s fantastic!There are a number of strong secondary characters throughout the piece, including the central victim, Erin Easton. Each plays their role well to keep the story on point and moving forward. The reader is able to see, albeit superficially, how the rich live and what their lifestyles mean to them. There is also an interesting perspective from the abductor’s point of view, as his flights of fancy and long-standing obsession spill into a form of reality that is only truly understood in the latter part of the novel. 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. 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. 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. 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.