NYPD Red, as conceived and executed by James Patterson and Marshall Karp, is a special unit of the NYPD that deals with crimes perpetrated upon the citizens of New York who are wealthy and well-known. The series is narrated primarily by Detective Zach Jordan, who, with his partner, Kylie MacDonald, are tasked with the unit’s most difficult cases. Patterson and Karp have injected an interesting bit of tension into the mix, given that Zach and Kylie had a short-lived personal relationship from which they have both moved on, though all the embers aren’t completely extinguished.

That brings us to NYPD RED 6, in which passion plays a very important part in at least one of the cases. The story begins with the wedding of Erin Easton, a singer and reality star whose career is entering its third stage (“get me someone like Erin Easton”). A self-important media mogul has arranged for the wedding to be telecast as a reality special billed as “The Wedding of the Century.” Jamie Gibbs is the lucky fellow who is marrying Erin. He has a reputation as a man about town, but most people’s ultimate reaction is to wonder what Erin sees in him. They answer their own question by noting that Jamie is the son of Veronica Gibbs, who runs one of the leading talent agencies in the city and has a boatload of money that he will inherit one day.

"...a terrific police procedural novel...full of twists and turns --- you will be surprised even if you figure it all out ahead of time..."

Veronica cannot stand Erin and is not at the wedding. She misses out on all the fun. The “I do’s” have barely faded into the ether before Erin goes missing, leaving only her blood-splattered wedding dress behind. Kylie happens to be in attendance and quickly becomes involved in the investigation. She and Zach learn that Erin has been removed from the post-nuptial festivities by Bobby Dodd, a longtime stalker of hers who has taken his obsession a step further. It isn’t long before he demands an exorbitant ransom amount for her return, but Jamie has no real money of his own, and requesting it from Veronica is a non-starter.

Zach and Kylie are racing against time to locate Bobby and Erin, but they are playing catch-up. Things take on a new urgency when a murder is committed practically in front of the police, who seem to be getting played at every turn. Meanwhile, a very crafty team of thieves is masquerading as ambulance attendants in order to get into the highly secured high-rise residences of wealthy elderly women. The victims are unconnected, aside from their status, but the perpetrators appear to have inside information and are unstoppable, at least until one of them makes a seemingly minor mistake that might blow the entire case wide open.

One of the above cases is solved after a high-speed car chase that results in a bit of destruction and a nail-biting apprehension. The other has its denouement in a police interrogation room. Both are excellent parts of a terrific police procedural novel, which is full of twists and turns --- you will be surprised even if you figure it all out ahead of time --- and just enough interpersonal overarching sparks to mark this already outstanding series as a must-read.