When one of Yale psychology professor Dylan Reinhart’s students goes missing and is believed to have committed suicide, the young man’s multibillionaire father approaches Dylan with a different story and a request for help. Mathias von Oehson believes his son has been kidnapped and left clues to this in his “suicide” message on social media and in the house where he was last seen alive. It seems that a priceless painting, a long-missing Monet, has also disappeared. But as the painting has a very shady provenance, Mathias can’t go to the police. When Dylan turns Oehson down, the powerful man won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. He’s ready with an alternate offer Dylan cannot refuse.
Steal is the latest book in the Patterson-Roughan co-written series, Instinct, and it may be the best one yet. Although it is the third in the series, new readers won’t have any trouble slipping right into the story.
I absolutely adore Dylan Reinhart and his wonderful family: husband Tracy, and tiny daughter Annabelle. I was glad he teams up again with his old partner, Elizabeth Needham, who is now on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and finding success in this latest endeavor. Julien Byrd is the talented techno-wizard that makes much of the magic happen. The dialogue is witty, and Dylan’s narrative delighted me with several well-placed “I should have knowns.” Readers are served good guys, awful bad guys, and guys that represent several shades of gray in the form of Dylan’s previous coworkers and contacts in the intelligence field.
The plot kept me completely and totally engaged from start to finish. There were twists on top of twists! I was surprised and delighted by the turns of events, especially because I never saw coming. Just when I thought I knew where the story was going it would whip past that point to reveal more! STEAL is one of those books I didn’t want to put down for any reason.
Along with wonderful characters, delicious dialogue, and great plot, the story moves along at a breakneck pace in a New York City setting. In addition, it is sprinkled with literary quotes that will surprise and amuse many readers. STEAL is perfect entertainment for readers of mystery fiction and those who have enjoyed Patterson and Roughan’s previous collaborations.
Imagine everyone’s surprise when Carter von Oehson, a sophomore in Dr. Dylan Reinhart’s Abnormal Psychology class, posts on Instagram that he plans to kill himself. 24 hours later and still no one has seen him.
Release the hounds. A massive search ensues. But when Carter’s sailboat rolls in with the tide without him or anyone else on it, the worst seems to be confirmed. He really did it . . . Or did he?
The one person convinced he’s still alive is his father, Mathias von Oehson, founder and CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund. But what Mathias knows and how he knows it would ultimately reveal a secret so damaging that it would be as if he were committing suicide himself. There’s no way he can go to the police. But there’s still someone he can turn to.
Dylan now finds himself wrapped up in multi-million-dollar secrets and danger and it’s going to take every bit of his wit, and the brilliant and headstrong NYPD Detective, Elizabeth Needham, to stay ahead of both his enemy . . . and his employer.
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