Humans, Bow Down

By James Patterson, Emily Raymond and Jill Dembowski

So the robots have taken over and most humans are dead, defeated in the war between the humans and robots. The remaining humans work as humbled servants to their robot masters and those who wouldn't are held in enclaves, living in squalor and poverty.
Two misguided kids from the Reserve, as the enclave in this story is called, make their way into the former city of Denver, now under robot control, looking for fun and mischief. One of them chances upon an unlocked sports car and he steals it and talks the other, the girl, called Six, into taking it back to the Reserve. As it turns out, not unsurprisingly, this is a really dumb idea and before much longer the robot cops are at the Reserve led by one young detective, a robot "woman" known as MikkyBo. Mikky is an idealist and is shocked when her fellow cops open fire on a group of teen kids, killing several. Turns out they were just doing what their boss & Mikky's ordered. Although Mikky doesn't know it yet, the robot leaders have decided on a final solution for the "human" problem: extermination.
So, in its innocence, Mikky thinks it can track down the two car thief teens and bring them to justice, and that will defuse the situation. But Mikky ends up in the hands of a secret band of humans being led by the man who was the creator of the robots. And he is planning on using Mikky as a secret weapon against the robot overlords.

Despite its rather silly premise and that it seems to be aimed at Hollywood moguls looking for another teen flick similar to the Hunger Games to produce, I found this book surprisingly readable and quite enjoyable.

Sunday's at Tiffany's

By James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Jane is a rich little girl living in New York City with her Broadway-show-producer mother. Jane's parents are divorced and very busy so Jane is pretty lonely. To comfort herself she has an imaginary friend, a hunky man named Michael. Michael is always there with a good word, a friendly hug, a hand clasp; ready to laugh, joke, play and just be a real buddy to Jane. He is about the only friend she has. But guess what, when Jane turns nine, Michael tells her she is growing up and that it is time for the imaginary friend to go. He tells her that she will not remember him and so will not miss him.
But she does remember him and she does miss him and she never forgets him. In fact, she writes a hit play about their relationship and is approached to do a movie based on the play. Her boyfriend at the time is an actor who is doing his best to talk her into using him as the lead character based on Michael and her mother is heavily promoting him for the part too. So Jane is under a lot of pressure to knuckle under to their demands, but she just doesn't feel that he is right for the part.
Meanwhile, Michael has returned to New York City, apparently to be the imaginary friend for some lonely little kid. But instead he spies Jane, all grown up, and finds himself fascinated by her. Inevitably they met and Jane discovers her imaginary friend all over again. Michael brings sorely needed love and acceptance back into Jane's lonely life and it is true love from the first moment. But how can a adult woman find happiness in the arms of an imaginary friend?

This is the opening sentence of the book: "Michael was running as fast as he could, racing down thickly congested streets toward New York Hospital——Jane was dying there——when suddenly a scene from the past came back to him, a dizzying rush of overpowering memories that nearly knocked him out of his sneakers." So right off the bat, the reader is being led down the primrose path, told that the Jane character is dying in a hospital. This turns out to be a huge lie. Not only doesn't Jane die, she never even gets sick beyond a little food poisoning, which is presented in the story as a possible symptom of her impending health crisis which never materializes. I don't know, some readers may find this sort of misdirection charming and exciting but I didn't. I don't like being set up and I don't like being lied to. Also, I just could never buy into the whole imaginary friend plot. It just didn't appeal and seemed too silly.

Lifeguard

By James Patterson and Andrew Gross

Ned Kelly is sure that his luck has just turned from bad to good. He is in love with a lovely woman, Tess, and she loves him too. Plus Ned's friends have come to him for his help in pulling off a sweetheart of a heist that will net them each a million dollars. What could go wrong? Everything.
The million dollar deal turns out to be a setup and the only thing Ned's friends get is dead. Ned escapes their fate but learns that someone has murdered Tess. Now Ned finds himself the chief suspect in the failed heist, and the murders of his friends and of Tess. The cops are sure they are on the right track and that Ned Kelly is their man. However FBI agent Ellie Shurtleff thinks the heist was an inside job and that Ned and his gang were just patsies. Together Ellie and Ned work to figure out who was the brains behind the heist and why his friends were killed and if or how the murder of Tess figures into it all. And who is Dr. Gachet?

I read the condensed version of this novel and I think it must have left some important details out because I found the story confusing and hard to follow at times, especially towards the end as Kelly's search for the truth zeros in on the elusive Dr. Gachet. Other than that, it was an interesting story. Ned Kelly isn't really a criminal, but when his friends come to him with a million dollar sure thing, it is easy to see how he couldn't resist.

Review from Publishers Weekly.

2nd Chance

By James Patterson and Andrew Gross

Lindsay Boxer made her first appearance in Patterson’s 1st to Die. Now she has to investigate what appears at first glance to be a hate crime: a young black girl is gunned down in front of a church. As the body count mounts, the signs point to a mysterious character, the Chimera. With the help of her friends in the Women’s Murder Club and also with the help of her estranged father, Lieutenant Boxer will do her best to solve the case despite the obstruction of those who should be helping her, her fellow police.

An interesting read for fans of Patterson.

Review from Publishers Weekly:  https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-69320-2.