Black Market

'Black Market' (also known as Black Friday) is one of the first of James Patterson's many novels, originally published back in 1986. The story begins in the early hours of a cold December day in New York City where several of the biggest banks and investment and financial buildings on Wall Street are blown up by a terrorist organisation called The Green Band, a highly skilled group of Vietnam veterans who have a personal vendetta against the United States and plan to attack in one of the worst ways possible, by causing a complete financial crash where literally billions of dollars will be lost. FBI agent Archer Carroll and Wall Street lawyer Caitlin Dillon are on the case to find out the identities and the motive behind Green Band's terrorist acts.

Out of all of the pre-Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club novels, this is definitely the best (with Hide & Seek at a very close second). The action is fast and exciting and the usual short chapters kept me flying through the pages until I got to the end. There's the usual Patterson twist in the last few pages that was a real shock in the story when I read it. The bombings of the Wall Street buildings is scarily like the 9/11 events, with America being in a total crisis as they hadn't had a terrorist attack on them before. Being written in the mid-80's some of the facts about Wall Street are now a bit out of date, but this aside it is a great read from the master of the thriller genre and one that anyone who has read and enjoyed any of Patterson's more recent novels should enjoy.

AMAZING AUTHOR..... (2/8 people found this helpful)

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE JAMES PATTERSON BOOKS, THE FIRST I READ WAS 'ALONG CAME A SPIDER' (WHICH I BORROWED FROM A FRIEND) AND I HAVE NEVER LOOKED BACK. I'D LIKE TO WRITE A REVIEW FOR ALL OF HIS BOOKS I HAVE READ BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY SO I WILL WRITE A GENERAL REVIEW. JAMES PATTERSON WRITES IN SUCH A WAY THAT KEEPS THE WRITER GRIPPED FROM START TO FINISH, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S COMING NEXT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL HIS BOOKS, MANY OF WHICH I SELL AT A LOW PRICE, CHECK THEM OUT. THANK YOU.

slow slog - 2 and a half stars! (16/17 people found this helpful)

I know I'm not the fastest reader in the world but considering I've been on holiday for the past week with nothing to do but read and this book has taken up a large portion of it. Therefore, I'm going to apologise now for my rant and hope you still find some useful information in this review.

What most authors would have had as a climax somewhere in the middle happens virtually on page three - the bombing of multiple buildings in the finincial district of New York. A warning was given in order to allow for an evacuation but there were no demands, no reasons why and therefore no way to stop it happening.
Out of nowhere a terrorist organisation (Green Band) no one has ever heard of threatens to cause a market crash that will make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park.
The race is on the prevent the complete collapse of the Western Economy. It revolves around finding and neutralising Green Band swiftly but they somehow manage to stay one step ahead of the cops.

The ensuing cat and mouse sounds great in theory. In reality the book is long and tedious to get through.
Somehow a cop with 4 kids whos turning into an alcoholic following the death of his wife has everything fall into place for him. Archer Carroll finds a woman, survives a shoot-out, running into a burning building, being hit over the head a few times and a helicopter crash! How he finally makes the connection as to who is behind Green Band is glossed over. One moment he's thinking 'let me review my case notes' and the next page he's practically found his man.
Shockingly bad writing as it failed to keep me on my toes. I only finished this book out of sheer stubborness and a desire to know if I'd figured out the final twist.

A final piece of information - it's a little complicated to understand in parts! The financial world is central to the story and i must admit there were bits that just went over my head. I imagine people with a background knowledge in economics may enjoy the book more than me.

Paceful, Prime Patterson (15/15 people found this helpful)

Black market is a truly fast, paced thriller that engages one from the very start and does this continously throughout the book.
An unexpected twist is beckoned upon the reader at the end and it is a truly delightful read, a pleasure to read.

Different from the others (32/32 people found this helpful)

As an avid fan of James Patterson's detective charcter Alex Cross I looked forward to reading one of his earlier works without mr Cross, I wasn't disappointed! The plot was great following the possibilty of what would happen if there was a stock market crash, a very scary prospect! The main character Arch Carroll, a police man, was a very likeable police man who tries to figureout the mystery surrounding 'Green Band'. However the plot may confuse some people in places who may not follow stocks and shares and the economy as they are several complictaed parts in the plot concerning this, stick with it though you dont need to be a mastermind on it to enjoy the plot! a great novel, one of Patterons best! A must read for JP's fans!

James Patterson

Reader Reviews:

A fantastic pre-Alex Cross/WMC novel from Patterson (3/3 people found this helpful)

AMAZING AUTHOR..... (2/8 people found this helpful)

slow slog - 2 and a half stars! (16/17 people found this helpful)

Paceful, Prime Patterson (15/15 people found this helpful)

Different from the others (32/32 people found this helpful)

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