I hope you notice my subtle attempts at sarcasm because there is more to come. Oh, and did I mention that she is also coaching a high school football team? Nothing is beyond her abilities in this one. Jenny, who is the family outcast, has been put in charge of both the football team and the newspaper with her brothers reporting to her.Īs with any Patterson novel, the family conflict and drama are unbelievably high as Jenny tries to save her team from a forced takeover, fight off her brothers attempts to undermine her and find her father’s killer. The result hits his fighting selfish children, 3 sons – Danny, Joe, and Thomas and 1 daughter – Jenny, with a shocking surprise.

Or did he? It is very apparent from page 5 that he was murdered. That is until he was found drowned in the bay, somehow falling overboard off his boat. The father Joe was the patriarchal owner of the San Francisco Wolves NFL franchise and the San Francisco Tribune newspaper. “The House of Wolves” is the story of the dangerously disjointed, rich, and powerful Wolf family. Parker’s classic series Jesse Stone, Spenser (taking over from Ace Atkins), and Sunny Randall (handing off to Alison Gaylin). In this outing Patterson has teamed up for a second time with Mike Lupica, a veteran sports writer, novelist, and current caretaker of Robert B. I have really enjoyed some, liked some, and didn’t really care for others. Some might ask why and that’s another whole discussion best saved for another day. I read most of his books and have for several years. Agent: Robert Barnett, Williams & Connolly.Let’s start this off with my usual upfront James Patterson disclosure. Those expecting the nuances and depth of family business dramas such as HBO's Succession will be disappointed. Readers should be prepared for predictable plot twists and superficial characters. More deaths follow as Jenny falls for someone she shouldn't, wrestles with fulfilling her father's wishes, and tries to find his killer while still coaching a high school football team. That rankles her two brothers, who've been running the team and the paper, respectively, and vow to resist her takeover by fighting dirty if necessary. Joe's will leaves her in charge of his chief assets: the Wolves, an NFL franchise (whose aging star quarterback is Jenny's ex-husband), and the Tribune newspaper. Her pursuit of that possibility comes as her life undergoes a dramatic shift. Given the number and power of Joe's many enemies, his daughter, Jenny, suspects her father was murdered. The autopsy reveals both an elevated blood alcohol level and that Joe suffered a heart attack after entering the water. Bestseller Patterson and Lupica's fast-paced if faltering sequel to 2021's The Horsewoman centers on the Wolf family, whose dominance of San Francisco is imperiled after patriarch Joe falls off his boat in San Francisco Bay and apparently drowns.

The House of Wolves by James Patterson