The Beach House: Summary and book reviews of The Beach House by James Patterson, plus links to an excerpt from The Beach House and a biography of James Patterson.

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 grief, 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.

Media Reviews

Amazon - Barrie Trinkle There are no big surprises in The Beach House, but it's vintage Patterson, with plenty of action, villains with hearts blacker than obsidian, and a working-class hero who pulls himself up by the bootstraps.   Publishers Weekly Smooth as a vanilla milk shake and no more sophisticated, written in 113 short chapters that won't tax anyone's attention span, this is smart, market-savvy, populist entertainment.   Booklist - Kristine Huntley .... the novel races along to a somewhat implausible climax. But if Patterson fails to completely convince, he certainly doesn't fail to thrill, and readers will be turning the pages until the end.   Book Magazine - Chris Barsanti Much of the book is breezy and lighthearted, devoid of the sadism that characterizes Patterson's thrillers. By the end, fans may start to miss Alex Cross, whose presence could have given this flyaway story some weight.   Kirkus Reviews Not to fear Just because megaselling Patterson has teamed up once more with journalist collaborator de Jonge (Miracle on the 17th Green) doesn't make the pace of this slick, ludicrous thriller any slower, the puppets any more complex, or the sentences any longer.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by Franziska
shocker
I was shocked when I finished the book! It was not what I expected. I waited for something special to happen but James Patterson just tells me what I already know since the first chapters. I am for sure a James Patterson lover but this book does...   Read More

Rated of 5 by jc
How incredibly hackneyed and trite!

Rated of 5 by Karen
I was interested enough in this book fo finish it and find out whodunit, but if it had not been a book on tape I might have just flipped to the end to find out. The morals of these characters - even the good ones, were pretty awful. The book...   Read More

Rated of 5 by jmcdaniel
This is one of Pattersons best. This is a superbly writtten story of mystery and intrigue, with a touch of romance. The Beach House is one of those books that you just cannot put down. The flow from one chapter to the next is very smooth, and...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Sheree
I thought that The Beach House was wonderfully written, and that it proved that James Patterson is one of our centurie's greatest writers. This book made me feel that I was right in the setting and that I was a part of the character's lives....   Read More

Rated of 5 by auri
it was a good book for those who like twists and turns

...4 More Reader Reviews

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