James Patterson Throws the Book at the ‘Filthy Rich’ [REVIEW]

James Patterson’s Filthy Rich examines the shocking account of the appalling scandal that surrounded billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. (Photo courtesy Palm Beach Sheriff’s Department)

In a country now run by some of the nation’s wealthiest citizens, a growing number of Americans want justice. They believe that everyone should be held to the same standard. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that the rich get to live by a whole different set of rules. That is why James Patterson’s Filthy Rich is one of the most timely books in stores today.

Unfathomably rich and well connected, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein seemed to have it all. An influential financier and philanthropist, he ran in powerful circles and surrounded himself with the likes of Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Stephen Hawking. He owned countless automobiles as well as stunning homes in places like Palm Beach and New Mexico, and even owns a private island in the Caribbean. But there was one thing that he seemed to crave most, an appetite he had to satisfy no matter the cost, and it proved to be his undoing.

Little, Brown and Company

Filthy Rich, written with John Connolly and Tim Malloy, examines the shocking case of a serial pedophile and sex offender. Beyond reasonable doubt, the book pulls back the curtain and exposes the unseemly life of Jeffrey Epstein, the underage girls he hired to satisfy his carnal needs by giving him inappropriate massages complete with “happy endings.”

What’s more, Patterson proves that the rich run in very small circles, and that money and power can definitely get the right people to turn a blind eye to even the most atrocious of crimes. Although that might not come as a shock  on its own, the people who surrounded and befriended Epstein is long, surprising, and more than a little upsetting.

A Palm Beach resident himself, it is easy to see why this story would captivate Patterson’s interest. Not only did it take place in his own back yard, but it has all the juicy details he has used in his novels like The Beach House and Beach Road. And although he could have been much more salacious in relaying the story to the masses, he shows remarkable restraint here. Instead, he relies heavily on firsthand interviews with police, lawyers, friends and colleagues who worked on, and in some cases, were implicated in the case.

Reminiscent of investigative journalist and novelist Dominick Dunne’s  A Season in Purgatory and The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, Patterson’s Filthy Rich reminds us that although wealth may buy privilege, it all too frequently fails to buy morals, or a conscience. As a result, people like Epstein brazenly get away with heinous conduct, and sometimes they continue to get away with it over and over again. So now I’m left wondering the same thing as Patterson: with all the carnage Epstein left in his wake and all the lives he’s destroyed, just how well does he sleep at night?

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

James Patterson

James Patterson is the bestselling author of the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, and NYPD Red series, as well as numerous stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction, children’s, middle-grade, and young-adult titles. He has sold more than 350 million books worldwide and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most number one New York Times bestsellers.

He is the recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 2015 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, the Edgar Award, the International Thriller of the Year Award, and the Children’s Choice Book Award for Author of the Year.

His novels Along Came A Spider and Kiss the Girls were turned into major motion pictures starring Morgan Freeman. In 2012, Tyler Perry starred in Alex Cross, the film adaptation of the novel Cross. Movies have also been made of his young-adult titles, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life and Maximum Ride in 2016.

Mr. Patterson lives in Palm Beach with his wife, Sue, and his son, Jack. Visit his home on the Web, like him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.

John Connolly

John Connolly is a former New York City detective and stock broker turned journalist. He has worked as an investigative reporter for 25 years, spending the last 12 of those working as a contributing editor for Vanity Fair.

He has also written scores of non-fiction pieces for national publications including LV Woman, Radar and Time Magazine, as well as online outlets like the Daily Beast and Gawker.

He is currently putting the finishing touches on The Sin Eater, a book about the disgraced and imprisoned Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano.

Tim Malloy

Tim Malloy is a 33-year veteran of television news, has won five Emmy Awards for local news coverage and Associated Press Awards for breaking news coverage. His career includes work at WPIX-TV in New York, KCOP in Los Angeles and WPTV in West Palm Beach.

As a five-time embedded journalist in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mallow often shot his own footage. He also has extensive experience in political reporting and has covered presidential campaigns, reporting live from eight conventions.

He is currently the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, and has extensive political and wartime reporting experience. He provides analysis of national polls and polls in Pennsylvania and Colorado. He has a BA in English from Hamilton College.

FILTHY RICH
By James Patterson, John Connolly with Tim Malloy
320 pgs. Little, Brown and Company. $28.