The narrative flow of this series has long been one of its strongest attributes. I find the momentum of the writing is dictated by the clipped pace on offer. Karp builds on this throughout, keeping the reader attentive as they make their way through the novel. Strong characters with some decent development help add something for series fans to enjoy, as there are some key aspects discussed in this seventh novel. The plot twists and story arcs presented keep the reader engaged and ready to learn more, stopped only by the limitations of Karp’s ability to publish future pieces. I can only hope there is more to come soon, as this is one series well worth my time! So, what is the result of Karp taking over the series? Did it make much of a difference? Let’s see… NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority” starts off with two murders. First, a sniper marksman takes the life of Warren Hellman, a high profile movie producer, as he leaves the court following his being found not guilty of intentionally killing a well-respected New York detective. Across town, his brother, Curtis Hellman, is found dead on a jogging pathway along 102nd street. Someone left him with his throat slashed.

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.Overall, Karp delivered a tight thriller read that provided a very entertaining escape for two or three evenings. I'm both annoyed and glad that the description of the book tipped its hand so much about the assassins. I prefer to discover that kind of thing in my mystery novels��don't tell me what the characters are going to figure out, let me do it with them. But knowing it was coming did make it easier to buy into. So, to answer to my previous question. Actually, not much really… Not much at all… Except for one surprise… Truth be told, if I had read this book without knowing Patterson’s named was removed, I wouldn’t have noticed any differences. It felt just like their previous six books in the series. I am not sure whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It just is. I am also not sure what this says about Patterson’s involvement in their writing partnership. It’s weird. Patterson steps away and I can’t tell the difference. I am going to stop talking about this now and let you form your own opinion on the matter.

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. Part of this feels like too much to say, but it's right there in the title (also, the publisher's description), so... The NYPD Red series is a popular book series of mystery, suspense, thriller, and detective fiction books. The series is penned by author Marshall Karp, and co-authored with James Patterson.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. 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. It would appear that there is a group of trained assassins on the loose around New York, killing those who are on a secret list. The Kappa Omega Delta (Killers on Demand) troll the city and fulfil needed hits, while secreting themselves away from the eyes of the authorities. While Jordan and Macdonald begin looking into things, they are sidelined when a more personal shooting takes place. Detective MacDonald’s boyfriend is shot and left to bleed out, for no apparent reason. It’s may be a distraction but Red have honed their skills to not allow anything to derail them while on a case. This, the seventh book in the series co-written by James Patterson and Marshall Karp, marks Karp's first solo effort. And I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope to read many more. For those not familiar with the series, the books focus on the elite New York group of detectives known as NYPD Red and specifically on detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald.

After a successful career in advertising, Marshall’s first mid-life crisis transported him from New York to LA, where he wrote and produced numerous TV sitcoms and a feature film, Ju MARSHALL KARP co-created and co-authored the first six books in the #1 bestselling NYPD Red series with James Patterson. Starting with NYPD Red 7, Marshall will become the sole author of the series, which features Detectives Kylie MacDonald and Zach Jordan as members of an elite task force dedicated to solving crimes committed against — and sometimes by — New York City’s rich and famous. 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. 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. To make matters worse, this band will not only challenge Zach and Kylie professional skills and abilities, but it looks like their personal lives will be horrendously impacted and changed forever… We had our yellow barrel, and we were going to follow it…before it [the movie] ends the shark sinks Quint’s boat and eats him alive, but still, a lead is a lead.”

The Murder Sorority involves assassins in NYC, the Kappa Omega Delta or K-O-D "Killers On Demand". Apparently, someone hired the KODs to do the deeds when the rich and untouchables got away with murder. When a fellow detective got shot off duty it becomes personal. I'd have to go and look at my posts about the first two books in this series to see if I say anything about it—but I don't want to. I'm pretty sure that at the time I thought the books spent too much time on the personal lives of these two detectives. To an extent, it made sense while establishing the characters, but I still thought the balance was off. Perhaps it's because this is a later book in the series, perhaps it's the shift in authors, maybe it's just the way things worked out here in NYPD Red 7—I'm not sure I care—but that problem is gone. I even paused to note a couple of times how compared favorably to my memories of the first two books. Of all of James Peterson’s various series, I have come to love the NYPD Red ones over the others. Marshall Karp delivers an expected exciting plot, witty camaraderie between Kylie and Zach, and thrilling twists. He’ll do well with continuing this series. 5 stars!