Review: The Beach House by James Patterson

First line: It’s like dancing sitting down.

From the inside cover: Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn’t be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead.

But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother’s last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. Motivated by a hundred forms of grieve, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter’s death – no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way.

Jack’s relentless crusade puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York, a man who wipes out resistance with a snap of his fingers. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America – in ways Jack never imagined – his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother.

The Beach House is a breathtaking legal thriller of deceit and revenge – with a finale so shocking, it could only have come from the mind of James Patterson.

My thoughts: As most of you know, I love reading James Patterson books and have devoured most of what he’s written, so I was quite surprised to realize I had not read a few of his earlier books, The Beach House being one.Typical of reading a James Patterson book, this one was a fast-paced thriller that kept me hooked right from the beginning and the short, usually 2-3 page chapters just add to the hustle of the pace. While The Beach House focuses more on greed and the law, it still has what one expects from James Patterson – mystery, a little romance, tragedy, deceit, mayhem and suspense. After finding out his brother died under suspicious circumstances and not the suicide that the police were reporting it to be, Jack and his grandfather Mack are determined to get justice, going so far as to take matters into their own hands to get at the truth. Along the way they learn some disturbing things and discover that not everyone they thought were their friends really were so. Having grown up on Long Island, I was familiar with many of the landmarks/towns mentioned in this book, which always makes it more fun! The characters, both main and supporting, were well rounded and seemed as if they could be ‘real’ people you would meet on the street. They pull you into the story and you never know what is going to come next. I’m off now to find and read the other books I’ve missed by James Patterson.

(I purchased this book.)