About this book
(blurb from Penguin Random House SA)
“A high-stakes stand-alone thriller, with cut-throat family dynamics in a business empire at its core, and power a struggle that turns deadly. Perfect for fans of Succession.
The dynamics are simple in the Wolf family. They eat you if you let them.
Joe Wolf has raised three sons and one daughter using the same cut-throat mentality that built his California business empire: Kill or be killed. So when he is found murdered on his yacht adrift in San Francisco Bay, SFPD detective Ben Cantor knows exactly where to begin his investigation.
As the siblings vie for control of their father’s vast power and assets, the detective pieces together the hierarchy of the ‘pack of wolves’. All four have the means and the motive to commit murder.
Meanwhile, a more sinister player lurks in the shadows, one who knows the Wolfs’ secrets better than Cantor ever will. And who wants them all dead.”
My Thoughts
My ThoughtsIn the ‘book world’ there seems to be a lot of readers (and maybe authors) who seemingly has got a love/hate (or, if you hang around on Reddit for too long – a hate/hate) relationship with James Patterson. Has it got to do with the fact that the speed in which he manages to bring new books to market? Is it the fact that he seems to mostly collaborate with other authors (and, if rumours are to be believed, even ghost writers), instead of writing books “on his own”? Is it a quality issue or a quantity issue?
To be honest, I don’t really care about all that. I’ve been an avid reader of James Patterson’s books since “Along Came a Spider”, the first of his “Alex Cross” series. I have lost track of that specific series since, purely because I had a couple of “absent reading” years.
I still find his books (and those he co-authors with others) to be entertaining, unfussy, and pure escapism – taking it into “guilty pleasure” territory.
So, with that in mind, I saw that “House of Wolves” is the first book in a new series that he is co-authoring with Mike Lupica. Judging a book 100% on its cover (as I do with most books I read – I prefer to go in “blind”), I didn’t realise that this will be so “sports” heavy. Afterwards I did find out that Mike Lupica is a veteran sportswriter, so that may have been a tip off. BUT even though the plot revolves around an American football team (two, actually), I still enjoyed this.
The men in the Wolf family are ruthless, conniving, and disjointed. When the family matriarch is murdered (no spoilers here, it happens within the first couple of pages in the book), the greed, distrust, and mayhem just amps up to the next level.
Including the themes of sibling rivalry (with one sibling having a strong resemblance to Don Jr for me), control of the media, NFL behind-the-scenes, women in sports and influence.
If you like sport, family drama, nasty succession battles, a bad-ass female protagonist and criminal intrigue – and an effortless read, you should enjoy this one!
With thanks to Penguin Random House SA for the opportunity to read this book.
The Details
ISBN 9781529136524
Format Trade Paperback
Recommended Price R340.00
Published February 2023
Penguin Random House SA / Random House UK
About The Author
James Patterson https://www.jamespatterson.com/
