Allreaders.com

Private L.A. Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Private L.A.


Thomas and Jennifer Harlow, beloved movie stars and philanthropists have disappeared without a trace and Jack Morgan, an ex-military owner of a private investigation company is called in to bring the couple home safely against see,ingly insurmountable odds. Jack Morgan, the owner of Private Investigations, is called by one of his clients to the scene of a crime. Four men were found murdered and tossed into a fire pit on a Los Angeles beach and the only evidence that the killer left behind was a card emblazoned with "No Prisoners". With no leads on the case and no concrete evidence to follow, Morgan's attention is drawn to a newer and even more sensational case: the disappearance of America's sweethearts Jennifer and Thomas Harlow. After a meeting with the couple's management team, Morgan is left with little useful information. The Harlows, who had returned home after months of filming in Vietnam, had disappeared along with their three children, essentially without a trace.
Click here to see the rest of this review...


As the Private team begins to delve further into the mystery of the Harlow disappearances, the "No Prisoners" killings escalate, leaving eleven people dead in two days and a government in an increasing state of panic and unrest. When the killers make contact demanding one million dollars in cash, Jack and his team agree to help the police capture the killers and avoid more bloodshed. However, when the planned capture goes awry leaving six dead and one with a broken back, Jack and government officials are forced to acknowledge that they are dealing with a special breed of criminal. A seemingly luck break on the Harlow case, draws two of Morgan's team to Mexico to follow up on a blog post claiming to have spotted the couple wandering drunkenly through the streets of Guadalajara.

While the team in Mexico comes up with a corpse and a stint in jail, the "No Prisoners" killers make contact once again, this time to release the Harlows' three missing children. Jack Morgan, along with the Harlow management team arrive at the mall that was declared as the drop off point to find the three children, drugged and in wheelchairs with no signs of their kidnappers. While the team scrambles to collect the children, a news reporter appears with cameras in tow to break the previously unaired and unreleased story of the Harlow disappearances. The personal assistant who spilled the beans on the disappearances, was fired and the management team and Private's investigative team removed the children to a secure hospital for thorough examination.

After the release of the Harlow children and an almost two day silence and apparent show of mercy from the "No Prisoners" killers, six people are ruthlessly gunned down by a member of the murderous group. Before claiming the life of his final victim, Johnson, a member of the mercenary team is shot by his intended victim and killed. When prints from the body and dental records turn up nothing, Morgan and his team are forced to examine alternate possibilities regarding the identity of their murderer. After consulting with his best friend whose back was broken during the botched capture, an ex associate from the military arrives with disturbing information regarding the murdered murderer. He was identified as one of a group of men who were expunged from all military and government databases after the commission of numerous atrocities while serving in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the fired personal assistant of the Harlows contacts a member of Jack's team with unnerving information. She discovered through some investigative work of her own, that the Harlows, far from being the perfect and compassionate couple that they appeared to be, had videos of themselves sexually abusing one of their nannies. The nanny was identified as a possible relative of the man who incarcerated Morgan's team during their short lived stay in Mexico. The Private team goes to Mexico to apprehend the man and in hopes of retrieving the Harlows before their deaths. Upon their arrival and apprehension of the aforementioned parties, Morgan and his associates await the contact of the man believed to be in possession of the famous couple. Instead, they find themselves surrounded and at gunpoint, lead through a haunted cemetery where they meet the nanny whom the Harlows videotaped themselves abusing. She refused to take any part in an investigation or a trial regarding the horrendous atrocities inflicted upon her but does turn the Harlows over to Jack and his associate. They return to Los Angeles where they are treated for their injuries.

The "No Prisoners" killers reach out to the government demanding more money and threatening the deaths of more people if said demands are not met. The team at Private partners with computer scientists from a neighboring college to create a bug that can be attached to the electronic wire transfer to track and retrieve the funds after they are sent according to the killers' demands. The transfer is made and bus which was newly developed works perfectly, yet while the team is tracking their funds, the killers hack into the government's account and steals upwards of one hundred and fifty million dollars. Before anyone is able to ascertain how the money was taken, the tracked transfer stops bouncing around in different accounts and lands in one in a bank in Mexico. Tracing this account leads the team to the headquarters of the "No Prisoners" killers, allowing the FBI, SWAT, as well as several police officers to surround the building and capture two of the five killers. The other three were killed by Jack Morgan where they were eating a celebratory meal at a nearby diner.

After settling back into a semblance of normalcy after their harrowing kidnapping experience, Jack Morgan is summoned by the Harlows and their management team for a private meeting. Their along with the fired personal assistant, the Harlows offer Morgan five million dollars for his silence and the incriminating videos. He declines, rather creating terms of his own that the Harlows are forced to comply with, including the replacement of stolen funds from their charitable organization as well as proper care for their illegal staff and a promise for no harm to come to the nanny whom they so heartlessly abused.
Best part of story, including ending: I like the fact that Patterson and Sullivan were able to take so many different story lines and tie some of them together while not confusing the reader. The No Prisoners killing were a separate story line that was thrilling and the Harlow story line, though convoluted, emerged slowly and impressively from the excellent timing and writing of the two authors.

Best scene in story: My favorite scene was towards the end of the book, when the Private Investigators team is sitting around drinking whiskey and celebrating the slow yet increasing recovery of their friend as he begins to regain use of his legs.

Opinion about the main character: I generally like Jack Morgan, however, his failure to have an actual conversation with his ex and team member Justine after her harrowing experience in Mexico was disappointing.

The review of this Book prepared by Danielle Moore a Level 1 Blue Jay scholar

Chapter Analysis of Private L.A.

Click on a plot link to find similar books!

Plot & Themes

Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases 20%Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 40%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 20%How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) 20% Tone of story    -   Dry-cynical Time/era of story:    -   2000+ (Present) Kid or adult book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Crime Thriller    -   Yes Crime plotlets:    -   escape/rescue from kidnappers General Crime (including known murderer)    -   Yes

Main Character

Gender    -   Male Profession/status:    -   private investigator Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Race    -   White/American

Setting

City?    -   Yes City:    -   Los Angeles

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   moderately detailed references to deaths Amount of dialog    -   significantly more dialog than descript

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Private L.A.

James Patterson and Mark Sullivan Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
2 Ways to Search!
Or



Our Chief Librarian