Jenn's Review: The Private School Murders

Author: James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
Series: Confessions #2
Publication Date: October 7, 2013
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Pages: 448
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA Crime
Rating: 4.0
Bottom Line: Not as riveting as the first, but still captivating
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab.

Blurb:  In the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Confessions of a Murder Suspect, James Patterson keeps the confessions coming breathlessly as Tandy Angel delves deeper into her own tumultuous history-and proves that she can rise above the sordid Angel legacy.

Wealthy young women are being murdered on Manhattan's exclusive Upper West Side, and the police aren't looking for answers in the right places. Enter Tandy Angel. The first case she cracked was the mystery of her parents' deaths. Now, while she's working to exonerate her brother of his glamorous girlfriend's homicide, she's driven to get involved in the West Side murder spree. 

One of the recent victims was a student at Tandy's own elite school. She has a hunch it may be the work of a serial killer, but the NYPD isn't listening to her...and Tandy can't ignore the disturbing fact that she perfectly fits the profile of the killer's targets. Can she untangle the mysteries in time? Or will she be the next victim?

Review:  I knew going into this novel that it would be hard to replicate the intensity of the first novel.  Tandy is no longer considering herself a suspect in a murder investigation so the heat is off, so to speak.  The anomalism of her siblings is also no longer under the microscope.  This novel focuses much more on Tandy.

While her detective business is not going as well as she hoped --oddly few people want to hire someone her age to investigate regardless of her abilities-- Tandy does have a few cases to work on:  her older brother is on trial for murder, she still doesn't know the whereabouts of the boy she fell in love with, and someone has murdered a classmate.  I was a little surprised how little interest Tandy took in investigating her brother's case.  She seems quite content just being there to support Matt which is certainly new for her.

More of Tandy's memory is returning to her slowly and James is ever on her mind.  Her investigation into the disappearance of the boy she is beginning to remember is hitting road blocks she never imagined.  There is also the mysterious appearance of a new guardian and a rash of near death encounters in the luxury apartment complex to deal with.

Poking around in an ongoing police investigations never wins you popularity with the NYPD, but luckily Tandy knows a detective or two following the investigation of her parent's death and has earned some respect.  They might look into her serial killer theory, but they would be more likely to follow up on it if she could just find a little proof.

Of course the ending is full of new discoveries and once again nothing is quite what it seems.  It is quite the hook into The Paris Mysteries.  I enjoyed the focus on Tandy in this novel but I must admit that I did miss her siblings a little as they have shifted from the forefront.  Their family dynamic is so unique. I am hoping they are more present in the next book but I know one way or another it will be fascinating.  Actually, I can't wait to find out...


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