Murder Games (Instinct, 1) by James Patterson (Epub)

Description

A criminal behavior expert teams up with an NYPD detective to track down a criminal in the novel that inspired the hit CBS TV series starring Alan Cumming.

Dr. Dylan Reinhart wrote the book on criminal behavior. Literally: he’s a renowned, bestselling Ivy League expert on the subject. When a copy of his book turns up at a gruesome murder scene-along with a threatening message from the killer-it looks like someone has been taking notes.

Elizabeth Needham is the headstrong and brilliant NYPD Detective in charge of the case who recruits Dylan to help investigate another souvenir left at the scene: a playing card. Another murder, another card. . . and now Dylan suspects that the cards aren’t a signature; they’re a deadly hint pointing directly toward the next victim.

As tabloid headlines about the killer known as “The Dealer” scream from newsstands, New York City descends into panic. With the cops at a loss, it’s up to Dylan to hunt down a serial killer unlike any the city has ever seen. Only someone with Dylan’s expertise can hope to go inside the mind of a criminal and convince The Dealer to lay down his cards. But after thinking like a criminal, could Dylan become one?

A heart-pounding novel of suspense more shocking than any tabloid true crime story, Instinct introduces the next unforgettable character from the imagination of James Patterson, the world’s #1 bestselling author.

User’s Reviews

Review Praise for Murder Games:An instant New York Times bestseller!A USA Today bestseller!

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ For a long, long time I have waited for a great suspense, a great thriller from Patterson. Lately, I have been disappointed. I was not so impressed with the Black Book, Humans Bow Down, Dolls, Never never, etc. that he has lately coauthored, but this book is different. It is really fast pace thriller. It might be one of his best books in a decade. ** some spoilers *** It describes a chase of a serial killer. The basic theme is the same: killer leaves clues and the detectives try to solve it. The twist in this book is the professors assisting the chase and the character development with more detailed background.I have to admit that I postponed reading this book because I was disappointed with the previous books, and I was reluctant to read any other Patterson coauthored books, but I am relieved and happy that this book was a great choice, a great story.

⭐ Brilliant! Alot of twists and turns to hold your interest. Writing style was different from the past Patterson books. But a great story. Loved the way the Detective and the Professor worked together to catch a serial killer who leaves a playing card as a clue to his next victim. Throw in a mayor who’s trying to get reelected, and a police chief that wants this solved yesterday. A really good read.

⭐ Dylan is my new favorite Patterson character, second only to Alex Cross. He is hilarious, smart and so wee-developed I expect him to walk right off the pages into my living room. I also fell in love with Elizabeth. She and Dylan work together peefectly. The plot was amazing, fast-paced and kept me turning pages into the early morning hours. LOVE this book and I hope this is the first in a series.

⭐ I am not a big James Patterson fan, but I like how he spends his money, supporting literacy programs and providing opportunities for children to read…that’s wonderful…so I buy his books. Instinct surprised me. I haven’t watched the television series, so was unprepared for the story which I liked, as much as I get tired of reading about violence. However, I loved the main character and his significant other. The story was secondary to the characterizations which were brilliant. I read the book far too fast – it is well written and I like to slow down and savor the way a writer will choose his/her words. I got so caught up, however, that I read much faster than I meant to. It’s a very good read: time well spent…!

⭐ There are elements here that approach the contrived melodrama of the damsel in distress tied to the railroad tracks as the train gets closer and closer. There are no trains in this story, but there is a damsel in distress. She’s Elizabeth Needham, NYPD detective. She works with the central character, Dylan Reinhart, Yale psychology professor, as they attempt to thwart a serial killer.It seems the killer likes to leave a playing card on or near each victim. The card is a hint about the next target. This has a very familiar ring; I’ve seen something similar in diverse books and films.The authors, James Patterson and Howard Roughan, certainly have a sharp wit. The book is (over)loaded with clever word plays and punch lines. At times it feels more like a Broadway comedy than a murder mystery.There are touching bits, like the story of Dylan’s mother, near death from cancer, who gets Dylan, 13, to help her prepare a meal so that Dylan can know that he did something real to help her. Very profound.But the cartoonish melodrama and a couple of unbelievable scenarios knock it down to a three.

⭐ I definitely did enjoy this book for multiple reasons, including the fact it stars an LGBT lead who isn’t the subject of some psychologically gruesome coming out story and-or tawdry relationship crisis, which is still the usual ‘gay fiction narrative’ found in mainstream genre and literary fiction. Dylan is a gay guy doing action hero stuff with professional partner Elizabeth, which is just wonderful for me.On saying that, I found the story to be almost TOO fast-paced. It was slick to the point of being slippery, with very little room for anything meaningful. I found the murderer’s motives to be too obscure to relate to – the average serial killer taps a primal need, but this felt a bit too intellectualized and contrived. The stakes didn’t have that much of an impact.This book also does what I think of as a cheap thriller trick: opening a question that isn’t significant to the story and dangling the answer in another chapter. While this does keep the book moving along, the only time I want that as a reader is when the question is something of significance to the story. The big reveals’ of the characters was often not meaningfully related to what was happening in the plot, and so they made me roll my eyes for the most part (except the first one, because awwww. See? I just did it.).Suspense is all about questions and answers, so it could have benefited from more relevant questions, as well as slowing down just a touch to explore the responses of the characters to the various events.Also, for goodness sake, have the happy couple kiss now and then, would you?

⭐ The writing is very poor. In the first part of the book the authors, editors, and proofreaders all offer conclusive proof that none of them know anything about guns, hunting, or hunters. In the second part we’re given equally solid evidence about their knowledge of motorcycles and the people who ride them. In the conclusion, the protagonist wins and doesn’t deserve his victory, the villain is dispatched via suicide so as to alleviate any possible blame, and the final showdown is just bad writing, no more, no less.This is the last book by Patterson I’ll ever waste my money on.

⭐ There were elements of this novel that I enjoyed. The chapters are short, which is standard for the James Patterson novels I’ve read. However, though I usually enjoy short chapters, I felt like in this case it was too choppy. Chapters would stop in the middle of conversations; seemingly for effect or intrigue, but many times it broke up the flow and became annoying. It also didn’t seem necessary for this book to be broken up into parts because nothing big was ever revealed leading into the next part.Another thing that you’ll either love or hate is Dylan Reinhart’s knowledge base. He has tons of factoids and references for comparison (ranging from movies or pop culture to more intellectual sources). So you have to keep up with him in a sense to make sure you catch his viewpoint or stance on various scenarios or people.I think the problem for me with this one was that the story felt muddled. It felt like, “ping! Ping! Ping!” Each ping being a random trivia point, or a shrouded clue to something in Reinhart’s past, or a eureka moment that Reinhart has but doesn’t share with the reader immediately. I’m a keen reader, but there were times when I had trouble following along; I wouldn’t know if it was because I missed something, because something hadn’t been revealed yet, or because Reinhart was confused and so the reader had to be, too. By the second half of the book, the rhythm was a little smoother (though not much), mostly because it felt like Elizabeth and Dylan had found their groove with each other.It took me awhile to get through this novel. Clearly I’m in the minority with this one based on all the good reviews and the fact that there’s now a show inspired by the book, but I never felt like I was on the edge of my seat or invested. I don’t regret reading it, but I was glad when it was over because it felt like a to-do item to be finished, rather than feeling like an enjoyable pastime.

⭐ Another thriller from James Patterson. The twists and turns in the story line were what kept me reading for a day and a half to finish the book. Excellent book

⭐ I don’t generally leave customer reviews but with this book I felt the need to. James Patterson is, and has been, one of my favorite authors. There are a few surprises with character dynamics and the finale keeps you on the edge of your seat. I stayed up past midnight to finish because I had to know who done it. I highly recommend this whether you are a Patterson fan or new to his books. Mr. Patterson, please write more books with these characters.

Keywords

Free Download Murder Games (Instinct, 1) in Epub format
Murder Games (Instinct, 1) Epub Free Download
Download Murder Games (Instinct, 1) 2017 Epub Free
Murder Games (Instinct, 1) 2017 Epub Free Download
Download Murder Games (Instinct, 1) Epub
Free Download Ebook Murder Games (Instinct, 1)