Thriller Review: Missing Persons | A Private Novel | James Patterson and Adam Hamdy | Private #16

Whenever I have an in between moment where I am not sure what book to pick up that will grab me instantly, I have a few go-to authors and series that always seem to deliver exactly what I need to escape into a book.

The Private Novels always deliver! In Missing Persons by James Patterson and Adam Hamdy, Jack Morgan is back again, taking on a terrifying new challenge.

About the Book | Missing Persons

In Afghanistan, US Special Forces pilot Joshua Floyd is the only survivor in a brutal and unexpected attack. He flees on foot, trying to find safety and unsure who the enemy was who killed his whole team.

Across the globe in New York, Beth Singer is signaled to pull over by police in what appears to be a routine traffic screening. But soon it becomes clear that these are not policemen and nothing about this is routine. Fleeing with her two children, Danny and Maria, Beth goes to the secret cabin she purchased years ago for a scenario like this…

When Jack Morgan is approached by a wealthy businessman named Donald Singer to assist with locating his missing daughter and grandchildren, he initially declines to personally take the case. Private is a global organization led by Jack, and he has a talented team located in NYC who can surely take on the case.

But soon after speaking to Singer, Jack can’t help but feel pulled to tackle the case himself. After doing his background research and checking with his girlfriend Justine, Jack agrees to take the case. Jack flies to NYC to begin the hunt for the missing family, but when he finds them he is caught by a twist he didn’t anticipate—there is something much bigger going on with the missing mother and children.

Jack soon finds himself embroiled in a survival mission that takes him across the globe as he seeks to protect the Singer family, escape high-level foreign operatives trying to capture them, and find out what is really going on.

Review | Missing Persons

This is a high octane thriller that kept me gripped from start to finish. James Patterson is the master of the short, tight chapters that keep the reader hooked, racing through the book without realizing it.

The structure moves around in terms of which story the reader is following in any given chapter. It opens with the US Special Forces pilot Joshua Floyd and the unexpected massacre that leaves him the sole survivor. With US intelligence being told her is dead, Joshua is on his own to try to survive. But it soon becomes clear there are still foreign operatives trailing him. What could they want with a green beret pilot? Joshua has a high level of clearance given the nature of the work he does, but he isn’t necessarily a valuable asset that would inspire this much effort to capture him. Fleeing across a frozen countryside, Joshua efforts to find safety won’t come easily.

The story also follows Beth Singer, who we quickly learn isn’t the typical suburban mother she appears to be. Beth not only detects the fake police officers and flees with her children, but she soon discovers they have tracked her to their secret cabin and shoots down a drone, taking her children on the run again before more follow. As Beth and her two kids race to find safety, she knows that this must have something to do with the kids’ father and her secret husband. The only questions is, what?

The third storyline follows the people from Private as they take on the case to locate Beth and the children. While most of this is narrated from Jack’s perspective, we also see chapters from Justine (who does not want Jack to take this case), Jesse, and a few others who work for Private as they try to understand the bigger picture of this case.

Because what becomes apparent quicky is that this is no ordinary missing persons case… Not only are Beth and the children being tracked, the people tracking them are highly sophisticated and clearly working for a foreign government. The mission soon changes and is no longer just about locating them (Jack is able to track them down fairly quickly), it turns to protecting them at all costs.

If you’ve read any of the Private novels before, you’ll know that Jack Morgan is not someone who takes kindly to being lied to, manipulated, or misled. Jack soon becomes invested in the case, personally and professionally. It’s no longer about the money, Jack is focused on uncovering who is behind the mission to take Beth and her children. And even more importantly, why?

Heart-pounding, gripping, and tense—this thriller will have you on the edge of your seat until the final page!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

About the Series | Private Novels

When the police can’t help you and the press will destroy you, when you need maximum force and maximum discretion, there’s only one place to go—Private, the detective agency that will get the job done, even if they have to break a few rules to do it.

The agency is led by Jack Morgan. Jack served in the Marines, where he saw action in Afghanistan and was involved in a helicopter crash that killed most of his squadron. After returning from duty, he took over and rebuilt Private, the agency founded by his father, Tom. Jack restored the first-class reputation Private lost after Tom’s Incarceration and death, opening up offices all around the world.

Jack has a twin brother, Tommy, who takes after his father and with whom he has an intense rivalry. Tommy enjoys tormenting Jack and even has gone as far as to threaten to kill him. With his cool demeanor and good looks, Jack is a ladies’ man who has trouble settling down due to his inability to share his innermost thoughts and feelings with others.

Goodreads Summary | Missing Persons

In Afghanistan, a US Special Forces pilot is shot down during a covert mission.

In New York, a mother is forced to flee with her two young children.

A wealthy businessman approaches Jack Morgan, head of Private – the world’s largest investigation agency – with a desperate plea to track down his daughter and grandchildren, who have disappeared without a trace.

What at first seems to be a simple missing persons case soon escalates into something much more deadly, when Jack discovers the daughter is being pursued by highly trained operatives.

As Jack uncovers more of the woman’s backstory, the trail leads towards Afghanistan – where Jack’s career as a US Marine ended in catastrophe . . .

Jack will need to face the trauma of his past to save a family’s future. (Synopsis from Goodreads)