Lion & Lamb, a gripping crime thriller co-authored by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski, takes readers on a thrilling journey with two investigators who are also fierce rivals. Set against the backdrop of a perplexing crime, the novel delves into the intricacies of the investigative process, the complexities of human nature, and the relentless pursuit of justice.
This compelling tale unfolds as two seasoned investigators, each with their own distinct methods and ideologies, are compelled to collaborate in solving a chilling crime. As they navigate through a labyrinth of clues, red herrings, and unexpected revelations, the tension between them escalates, heightening the suspense and intrigue of the narrative.
Patterson and Swierczynski masterfully weave together a narrative that is replete with unexpected twists, palpable suspense, and multifaceted characters. The enthralling plot and the authors’ adept storytelling make Lion & Lamb a compelling read that will captivate and enthrall students, providing them with a riveting literary experience.

This was such a fun read. You get a fun thriller and two perspectives. Overall, a great new book from James Patterson.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of this book.

My Thoughts

Lion and Lamb is written by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski. I enjoyed the partnership of these two authors. James Patterson was the first mystery/suspense authors that I read. He’s always had a soft spot in my heart.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Archie Hughes is gunned down in his fancy car a day before a big game that could advance the Eagles to the playoffs. Archie’s wife becomes the prime suspect, so her defense attorney hires PI Cooper Lamb. He makes it clear that he will not stop until he finds the truth out.

The prosecution hires rival PI Veena Lion. Veena wears shades all the time. Lion and Lamb do not like each other and agree to work together to try and unravel the case.

What they find is family drama, auditory, gambling debts and so much more. I thought the third party narrative with the transcription and memos. I listened to this book and the audio narrators did a great job with their pitch.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I smell a new James Patterson series...PI's Lion & Lamb, who currently operate apart from each other with their own expert "Gal/Guy Friday's", team up...sort of....to solve the murder of the Philadelphia Eagles "GOAT" QB. This book definitely had the twists and turns, very much in accordance with most of Patterson's books. Was it the wife? The nanny? Team owner? Car jacker? Who could it possibly be? I liked this book, but I can honestly say that it was not as suspenseful as many of his books are. I wasn't on the edge of my seat, tearing through it, short chapter after short chapter. Hopefully if this is a series, they become more thrilling. I do like the "Lion & Lamb" team.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Wow, what a action packed book as Lion and Lamb - Veena Lion and Cooper Lamb are separately hired to find out who murdered Archie Hughes. Instead of being rivals, they join forces along with their trusty sidekick assistants and start digging and do they find dirt - lots and lots of dirt.

Archie Hughes maybe a great football hero but he was not a great father or husband. Throw in some shady team owners, a mysterious nanny, and a dirty cop and you cannot put the book down!

Without giving any spoilers - I will say that I did not figure out who killed Archie and that was a shocker to me. The part about the Quiet One, I had to reread as I was a bit confused there but again - another shocking reveal!

The book had a mix of normality and drama so you did not feel overwhelmed with the bad parts. And loved the team of Lion and Lamb - they were great! Hope this is the start of a series because I would love to read more with them.

You absolutely can't go wrong with a James Patterson book. His books are iconic and so easy to read. I love that he partners with so many different authors. He has several series going with different authors and I love that it allows me to find new authors to read. I have found some great new authors this way. This book draws you in from the beginning and doesn't let go.

When a carjacking goes wrong and a major NFL player of the Eagles is murdered Cooper and Veena are private detectives that will do anything to solve the case. Veena Lyon is hired by the DA to solve the case and Cooper Lamb is hired by a swanky law firm that is representing Francine, the grieving widow that is a suspect in the case And also happens to be married to Archie Hughes the murder victim.
This was a great mystery and it was so exciting to see Cooper and Veena do everything they could to solve this murder.. Both of them had a little snarky and a lot of humor and I laughed out loud a bunch of times. This one was definitely different than the normal James Patterson novel but I still loved it just the same. In my opinion the writer can do no wrong.

I could'nt wait to read this newest James Patterson book!

It centers around the investigation of two rival investigators both looking into the murder of the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback. It also talks about his wife Francine, who is a famous singer.

Patterson continues to do what he does best, which is to weave more than one story line through out the main story. I always think that I have everything figured out, until I get to the end, which makes it an even better book in my opinion when I am wrong!!

You won't be disappointed.

I was quiet surprised with the book. I will say I was a little thrown by the time line that it gave but all in all it was a great book. Kind of kept you guessing on what what going o

Published by ‎ Little, Brown and Company on August 14, 2023

Lion & Lamb. Isn’t that a little too cute? More troublesome is that it’s a little too obvious. The title, like the novel itself, doesn’t reflect an abundance of effort.

The novel is a murder mystery. The victim, Archie Hughes, is an NFL quarterback. Someone with the stature of a Tom Brady, including the hot celebrity wife (although Brady’s is now an ex-wife). I doubt the novel intends to invite other comparisons, as the novel’s quarterback is more than a little sleazy, not to mention dead. He also played for the Eagles. Perhaps Archie’s sleaziness has something to do with the bullet that found its way into his skull while he was sitting in his Maserati.

Veena Lion and Cooper Lamb are two high profile private investigators in Philadelphia. They compete against each other for business but occasionally sleep together. When Archie is murdered, the DA hires Lamb to help make its case against the prime suspect, Archie’s wife Vanessa. Naturally, Vanessa’s lawyer hires Lion to make a case for her innocence. And naturally, Lion and Lamb both insist they will go wherever the evidence takes them in their quest for the truth. For that reason, they decide to keep no secrets from each other. I’m not sure it’s quite ethical for a defense attorney’s investigator to share information with the prosecution’s investigator, but ethical or not, that’s the story.

The plot builds little suspense but it does offer the traditional elements of a murder mystery, including misdirection and an abundance of suspects. The obvious clues point to Vanessa, apart from the automatic assumption that a murder victim must have been killed by his or her spouse. Most damaging is the murder weapon that a gardener digs up in Vanessa’s yard.

Archie and Vanessa had two kids who are often in the care of their hot nanny. She’s a suspect, as is the police detective who is canoodling with the nanny while investigating the murder. He's also investigating a second murder that might or might not be related. A gambling subplot brings in the team owners as suspects. A tight end might also be a suspect, if only because he often seems to be lurking. Perhaps the killing was a random robbery, as Archie's Superbowl ring is missing.

The solution to the mystery is unconvincing, but farfetched attempts to surprise the reader have become commonplace in modern mysteries. Occasional action scenes, complete with gunplay, are a bit too casual (if not downright silly) to allow the novel to be categorized as a thriller. It’s almost a middle-aged version of a cozy mystery, given its strict avoidance of naughty words and its suggestions of sexual encounters that are far from explicit.

My only serious gripe about Lion & Lamb is the authors’ writing style. Most of the novel consists of dialog, often in transcript form, a style attributed to the habit that both protagonists have adopted a habit of recording all their conversations. Unlike a narrative, dialog is easy to write. Some readers will happily embrace the novel as a “page turner,” but it’s easy to turn pages rapidly when there is so little content on each page.

The dialog doesn’t seem genuine, but placing that concern aside, the novel makes no attempt to establish an atmosphere through the story’s setting. Philadelphia might as well be Kansas City or Phoenix. Nor does it build the story’s background beyond the most basic facts. Characterization is nearly nonexistent. Lamb’s kids and puppy are props; they add no flesh to the cardboard from which the protagonist is constructed.

In a mystery, plots are generally more important than characterization, setting, or atmosphere. Lion & Lamb would have been a better book if the authors had made a greater effort to include all the elements that make a novel memorable. Still, they did enough to earn a guarded recommendation for mystery fans seeking a breezy, PG-rated novel.

RECOMMENDED

Conflicting private eyes Cooper Lamb and Veena Lion investigate the death of a Super Bowl champion. The dynamic between these two characters is electric and as a result, I really like reading Lion & Lamb! 

Lion & Lamb is a must-read for any James Patterson fan thanks to its fast pace, snappy banter, and well-thought-out mystery. With the help of interviews, documents, and other transcripts, Patterson and co-author Duane Swierczynski kept readers interested throughout the book. The book didn't catch my attention immediately and there were times where I thought it was a bit repetitive, but overall, its an energetic, enjoyable read.

I love pretty much anything that has James Patterson's name on it and this one is no exception to that. Although this is unlike any of his other novels I have read, I found it intriguing to follow along with Lion and Lamb on their journey to solve this case.

There has been a discovery of a body in a car and not your normal car, a Maserati and the body is not just anybody either, It is a well know football player, Archie Hughes. Archie played for the Eagles and has won a Super Bowl before. His Super Bowl ring is one of the items that was taken when he was killed. A day after the murder, the Hughes gardener finds a gun and the prints on the gun lead to none other than Archie's wife, Francine. Was Francine set up or did she actually kill her huband?

PI Cooper Lamb is hired by the defense attorney for Archie Hughes's wife and PI Veena Lamb for the district attorney’s office. when these two start investigating the murder, it is like a cat and mouse game seeing who can outdo the other. I did like the banter between these two, it sort of kept it light while still serious. I know you will enjoy following along with Lion and Lamb as they uncover clues and get to the bottom of this murder. I enjoyed this book and the characters very much.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed it and all opinions are my own.

A great crime, “who done it” mystery that doesn’t disappoint. In Philadelphia during major football season a murder is committed. Multiple PIs are determined to find the killer in this fast paced, suspenseful novel. It’s full of quick wit and likeable characters. As well as unexpected twists and turns in Patterson’s typical style of short chapters that keep you wanting to continue reading. I completely enjoyed the humor and style of writing from these two authors. Highly recommended. I was given an ARC e-book from NetGalley for my honest review. Thanks for the great entertaining read. Keep writing books you two..

I posted a review on Amazon, FB and Goodreads (for some reason it is kicking back the Goodreads link.

Enjoyed the story overall, but didn’t love that there was a lot of transcript. Loved Lion and Lamb together. Found the book very well written, more humorous than expected and a completely enjoyable read.

James Patterson's Lion & Lamb make a great team and use a lot of heart when they solve the big murder.

We meet two of James Patterson's newest characters, Veena Lion and Cooper Lamb, and I hope this isn't the last time we get to see these. two. Lion and Lamb are rival private investigators in Philadelphia. There could be a little more to their relationship than the professional one. Both are working on the Philadelphia Eagles star Archie Hughes murder case. Of course the wife is the prime suspect but there are secrets in that house that could play out in the solving of this case. There is a long list of possible suspects including the wife, the nanny, the Eagles owners, and the mob! Who will it be? Also we meet Lamb's two adorable kids that won't cut him a break and his dog, Lupe that everyone loves.
Please give us more of Lion and Lamb!

A top athlete has been found murdered and two private eye's are hired one for the DA and one for the defense to find out the truth. I really enjoyed these characters and would totally read another book with them in it but alas I think this is a standalone. The mystery keeps you on your toes and the banter keeps you engaged through the whole thing.

For me James Patterson ‘s novels are either a hit or miss . I either devour them ( Women Murder Club ) or struggle to get through them ( The Beach House) . This novel held me front the first page to the lost page .

A Eagle player is murdered , but not just any player . The star Quarterback and the hope of winning The Super Bowl . The prime suspect is his wife , a Grammy Award winner.

Enter Veela Lion for the prosecution and Cooper Lamb for the Defense. These two PIs are determined to find the truth if they don’t kill each other first. .


This was a great book and hopefully the first of a whole new series.

I just reviewed Lion & Lamb by James Patterson; Duane Swierczynski. #LionLamb #NetGalley

Wow! I loved this one! I’m a huge Patterson fan but this one was extra special because it was such a unique storyline and the rapid fire chapters made for a fast and fun read. Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Love this author’s books. This story had great detail and left the readers wanting more.the storyline was also fast paced and kept the reader wanting more.