Judge and Jury: a novel by James Patterson and Andrew Gross

The Verdict's In**** January 14,2007

James Patterson continues to churn out 3 to 4 books a year, using the factory farm method whereby he does outlines and a co-author writes the book. His patented two-page chapters and fast-paced prose are characteristic of all his recent "fast-food" novels.

This is the story of FBI Senior Agent Nick Pellisante who for years has been on the trail of a powerful Mafia don, Dominic Cavello, with murders galore to answer for. Cavello is apprehended at the beginning of the novel and sent to trial. Unfortunately the trial is rudely interupted when the jurors are killed in a bus explosion orchestrated by a shadowy assassin for hire. One juror survives, Andie,a single mom and an out-of-work actress whose son is killed in the explosion.

When Cavello is broken out of captivity during a second trial, Nick and Andie set out to track down the assassin and through him Cavello. They become the judge, jury and executioners.

This one is a notch above some of Patterson's recent novels.