NYPD Red rocks. With each installment, this somewhat unusual police procedural series by James Patterson and Marshall Karp seems to be increasingly grooming itself for a television series. The twist here is that the “Red” unit handles cases involving the rich and famous of New York --- whether residing or visiting --- giving readers a glimpse into a world rarely seen by most of us. Toss in a bit of romantic frisson (Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald, who head Red, are former lovers who are now committed to others), and you have almost constant tension --- sometimes heavy, sometimes light --- from page to page. Consider that Patterson has a penchant for featuring at least two mysteries per book in each of his offerings, whether solo or co-written, and there is simply no reason to say “no.” This is particularly true of the newly dropped NYPD RED 4, the best in the series to date.

"NYPD RED 4 has lots of twists and turns, violence, grim humor and memorable characters. It is equal parts police procedural and caper novel, one that seems tailor-made for feature film status in the right directorial hands."

Patterson and Karp waste no time bringing the wondrous ingredients of NYPD Red to a quick boil. It begins with the excitement of the world premiere of a new movie. Elena Travers, an A-list celebrity actress who is the featured star of the film, is making a high-profile, red-carpet appearance at its opening. In order to multiply its “wow” factor, Travers is wearing millions of dollars worth of on-loan jewelry displayed in a necklace designed by Maxwell Bassett, known as the jeweler to the stars.

The event goes from celebratory to chaotic when an attempt to relieve the starlet of her jewels goes very wrong. By the time the dust settles and the smoke clears, Travers is dead in her limousine, and the jewel-encrusted necklace that had encircled her neck is gone. Zach and Kylie are called in, due to the high profile of the victim. Zach, it must be said, has some very interesting contacts in the underbelly of the Big Apple, and soon the investigation is headed in a few unexpected directions.

However, Red soon finds itself assigned to a second case. A series of well-executed heists are being carried out at a number of hospitals throughout the New York area. The thieves are stealing high-end medical equipment, cherry picking a unit here and a machine there from the facilities. All that Red has to figure out is who would do such a thing, and why. The answers to both questions are surprising. Zach illustrates his aha moment when he uses a metaphor to at least partially answer the second question. As to the first...well, it’s a surprise all the way around, as is the ultimate resolution.

Meanwhile, things are in a bit of turmoil on the home fronts of Zach and Kylie. Zach and his significant other have turned their relationship up a notch or two, but it’s difficult to build momentum when Zach is 1) always working, and 2) with Kylie. The solution to at least part of the problem appears to be somewhat obvious; one of the lighter aspects of the book’s suspense is seeing if the pair will figure it out. Kylie’s situation is a bit more grim. Her husband, a recovering drug addict, has relapsed and is busily reestablishing contacts in the dregs of the drug community. Kylie, understandably, is bent on saving him from himself. It is obvious, though, that he doesn’t want to be saved. Something has to give, and before the last page is turned, it does.

NYPD RED 4 has lots of twists and turns, violence, grim humor and memorable characters. It is equal parts police procedural and caper novel, one that seems tailor-made for feature film status in the right directorial hands. There is a cinematic flow to the narrative that permits the story to unfold, frame by frame. Both loyal and casual readers of this fine series will not want to miss this installment.