Reviews for Private Screening

The average rating for Private Screening based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-11-17 00:00:00 Lester Zimmerman, Jr Another classic Patterson, not to be confused with the other Patterson (James), who, while fun, does not come close to the intricacy and interesting ethical examinations that are typical Richard North Patterson. I had already read his classic Protect and Defend, which features Kerry Kilcannon, as U. S. president. This work takes place earlier. Kerry' brother Senator James Kilcannon is running for president, and is shot by an assassin. The book consists of a series of points-of view and begins with the satellite television broadcast of a kidnapping. Alexis Parnell, wife of a very wealthy communications magnate, is abducted from her tennis court while playing with her husband. The ransom demand is delivered by television to the world. Five million dollars is to be paid by Stacy Tarrant, a popular singer and former girlfriend of the slain Kilcannon, for in return for the lives of John Damone and Alexis Parnell. It turns out that all the major characters are linked, and through a series of flashbacks from different perspectives we are introduced to Tony Lord, attorney for Harry Carson, ex-Vietnam veteran, who was Kilcannon's assassin. Lord had been responsible for getting Carson off despite his obvious guilt. Lord, anxious to do the best he can for his client, begins an investigation into the lives of former Vietnam vets. On the surface, Carson appears to have killed Kilcannon because the senator, as a student, had been resisting the war while Carson was in Vietnam active duty. There was never any question of his guilt; he shot Kilcannon on stage in front of thousands. To complicate things, $400,000 of money being raised for the senator at the concert was stolen, and the prosecutor thinks that Carson was part of a conspiracy to steal the money, and the assassination was just part of the plan. John Damone, Stacy's manager, had also been in Vietnam and had been a friend in Carson's unit. He was responsible for Carson's hiring at Stacy's concert where Kilcannon was killed. Lord thinks Carson was driven insane by his experiences in Vietnam. "The war's like a fault line. . . .Take your pet cat and start lobbing hand grenades all around him -- by nightfall you've got a different cat." Much of the result hinges on the reluctant testimony of John Damone. It seems they both had been part of a CIA special assassination squad. A subplot that appears to have no relation, but ultimately has a terribly crucial part, is the kidnapping of the Parnell's son many years before. Parnell had refused to pay ransom for his estranged son, whom he believed might have had a bizarre relationship with Alexis. In any case, the son disappears and is presumed dead. Most of the book is a long flashback into the trial of Carson and the interpersonal relationships that developed because of the trial. Patterson builds the tension very nicely and the careful reader can begin to suspect who the culprit is, although the end of the book throws a nice curve.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-04-07 00:00:00 Ian Ayres This was a good book, not a great one. The ending was too predictable. The flashbacks from memories back to present time were really confusing and left me rereading paragraphs much too often. Good story line, but overall, not my cup of tea.