Beach Road

I applaud James Patterson and Peter de Jonge for trying a different sytle of writing with this book where they tells the story in the first person using different characters per chapter to build the plot.

However like other reviewers Tom Dunleavy does feel like a poor man's Myron Bolitar (see Harlan Coben books) without the wit. Surely JP and PdeJ recognised this - as all three write are thriller writers - and saw that any comparisons wouldn't be in their favour.

My own reading style is that I like to have several books on the go at once and to be able to pick them up and put them down according to my mood. So I'd have to say the narration by different characters sometimes meant that I lost the plot a little and had to retrace my steps a bit which was slightly irritating. If you only read one book at a time then this is probably easier to follow.

Unlike other reviewers I quite enjoyed the twist at the end - OK it may be a little far fetched but at least I had a little bit of a wow moment so I didn't regret reading this book.

Not his best (1/1 people found this helpful)

Having read a number of Patterson's books, I found this effort somewhat bizarre, especially when you reach the last few pages.

Patterson (and co-author Peter de Jonge) use a first-person style of writing throughout, as the handful of main characters tell the story from their own points of view.

Although this took a bit of getting used to, I had no real problems with it and Patterson's famously short chapters are still easy to read in this style.

The central character is Tom Dunleavy, a former professional basketball player who suffered a career-ending injury, before setting up a small law firm in an exceedingly affluent area (Steven Spielberg is a resident - and even makes a ridiculous and pointless appearance in the book, alongside George Clooney and Julianne Moore).

I can only imagine Harlan Coben would have read Dunleavy's background with more than a passing interest, as it is a near-exact copy of his excellent character Myron Bolitar, although Dunleavy, like many of the other characters in this book, are nowhere near as likeable as that creation.

The basic story is that Dunleavy is recruited by young basketball star Dante Halleyville, who is accused of three brutal murders, to act as his defence.

The plot throughout is loose, but the book at least skips along at a reasonable pace.

However, the ending is bordering on ludicrous and makes no sense of much of what has gone before it. Yes, it is an interesting twist, although the list of potential suspects are actually somewhat short. It could have potentially worked well, but it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and smacks of Patterson going for a shock reaction from the reader, rather than building a story that will support his ending.

In the end, the book frustrates far more than it does entertain. It wouldn't put me off Patterson's work, much of which is very good, but I wouldn't recommend this as a first-time dip into what he can offer - read one of his Alex Cross novels instead.

Oh please, don't insult my intelligence! (1/1 people found this helpful)

This is a great novel up until the last hundred pages. It's unusual style of writing in the first person from seven-odd peoples point of view is neat, borrowing from books like Treasure Island etc. However, it skips around alot and you have to keep your head screwed on to not forget who's chapter it is!

You get drawn into the plot, especially the court section but are then let down entirely at the end with a very depressing and bizarre twist! I can't give away details but let's just say the person responsible has no motive and you'd have to be pretty good to have worked out who it was. The Authors take big liberties, and even when you re-read it to make sure you weren't asleep for vast periods, there was no way you could have worked it out!

Summary: Good until the end where you feel cheated and empty.

jusim (1/2 people found this helpful)

Having read all of jp's previous books I was really dissapointed with this one. Took it abroad to read, and left it there, after skipping pages to the end. It only warranted two stars because of the twist in who the killer was. One to avoid!

pretty good (0/1 people found this helpful)

Only read a couple of Patterson books but I thought this one was good. I liked the way it was written using each charachter to tell their story, it was original. Killer twist at the end. Very recommended for a light, easy read.

James Patterson, Peter De Jonge

Reader Reviews:

An OK holiday book (0/0 people found this helpful)

Not his best (1/1 people found this helpful)

Oh please, don't insult my intelligence! (1/1 people found this helpful)

jusim (1/2 people found this helpful)

pretty good (0/1 people found this helpful)

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