The Beach House

Rating:
Summary: Unrealistically dramatic outcome
Review: A young man dies while working a party at a millionaires house in the Hamptons, and his brother knows it was murder, rather than the suicide the police rush to judge. But why? It takes a while for the reader to discover the motive behind the crime. Meanwhile, some Mafia hitman type thug is running around scarring the old gang of friends of the deceased. The last 100 pages of this books enters bizarre drama, which could never occur in real life. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to an extent.

Rating:
Summary: Are 2 authors better than 1?
Review: I admit that I am an avid and often satisfied reader of James Patterson's books. Long before he became famous for his Alex Cross series I read and enjoyed Patterson's earliest titles such as The Midnight Club and Season of the Machete. In recent years, in addition to loving the Alex Cross books I have also enjoyed some of this author's stand alone books like Cradle Will Fall. Now that I've read The Beach House by James Patterson and Alex DeJonge (the co-author of the previous Patterson title, Miracle on the 17th Green), I do wonder why Patterson wrote this book, why it required two authors and what went wrong.

The Beach House tells the story of the "accidental" drowning of a young part time waiter during a gala party in the Hamptons. While many of the residents are "summer people," this young man is a high school dropout and what we call a townie. To Peter's family it seems unlikely he would be at the beach at this hour let alone drown since he was a strong swimmer. And despite the police's initial investigation his law school brother Jack and father decide to do a little investigating on their own. They both feel that Peter was lured to the beach on some pretext but they can't figure out why. Their first attempts meet with icy glares and then threats as it becomes apparent that the ultra wealthy couple, the Campions had something to do with it. And it doesn't help matters that this couple's daughter is Jack's former girlfriend. What follows next is a roller coaster ride of a book, which includes drugs, pornography, large sums of manner in unknown bank accounts, a bit of romance and surprising facts about the lifestyles of some of the characters.

Sounds like it would make a good book, right? But it didn't. The book becomes mired in same old, same old and while it only takes a few hours to read, Patterson does favor short paragraphs, it really has no pleasant after taste. And the writing is so simplistic that one wonders why Patterson wrote this book. One would think with his fame and fortune Patterson might slow down a bit and take more time to pen a well-written book. Either that or people are left to wonder why two authors aren't better than one.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping Story
Review: I had actually started reading this book but found that I couldn't seem to get into it. Then I mistakenly picked it up on CD at the library and I was hooked right away. At times, I'd catch myself driving around aimlessly just so I could hear more of the story. The story is fantastic! Peter Mullen is barely introduced before he's found dead outside the posh home of billionaire media tyrant Barry Neubauer during a celebrity-packed Memorial Day blowout. Peter's brother Jack doesn't believe that Peter killed himself, and he enlists the help of his friends to find out what really happened. Standing between Peter and the truth is a crooked police department, Jack's girlfriend (who also happens to be Neubauer's daughter) and a goon called The Fixer. If you can't get into the book... try the CD.

Rating:
Summary: A 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5-A Beach Book
Review: I like James Patterson. I would give him 5 stars, even if the book wasn't war and peace (and I don't think that's likely at this point in his career), if I felt he deserved it based on his other work. And I would have given the first few chapters of this book 5 stars-you're hooked quickly.
However, while the book starts fast-a glittery party in the Hamptons, a murder, a good brother law school student and a bad brother-it slows down quickly. I thought -perhaps Patterson wrote this book as fast as we read his work?
Whatever. This is a beach book. It is still fun. You still get some sharp dialogue, some scenes of the rich at play, some gore, and an ok mystery. I found the ending a cop out and I was disappointed in Patterson.
I would recommend this book to individuals who like Patterson and similar authors, though I would caution them that it is not as good as some of his other work. I also would recommend this book to those individuals looking for a quick and easy read on a plane or at the beach.

Rating:
Summary: A good suspensful thriller!
Review: The Beach House, a summer thriller written by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge. This is an unstoppable story of love and vengeance among superrich and super ruthless. This is one of those books that are great to read at the beach.

Jack Mullen, the main character in this thriller is the law student in New York City, and grandson of a County Clare emigrant. Jack's grandfather moved to the east coast of America to find a better life. The story begins with the drowning of Jack's younger brother, Peter in the ocean off of East Hampton. Not convinced that his brother died due to a drowning accident, because he pretty much grew up in the water. Jack sets out to prove his fears and face the fact that someone wanted his brother dead. This turns out to be the toughest job of his young life. With the police saying that this is a suicide not a murder. This throws Jack for even more of a twist.

This story is wound very firmly with crime and corruption. The rich and the powerful in this novel will do anything to stop Jack from finding out the truth. In the process of discovering the murder, he discovers Peter's secret life and exposes some of the most powerful social groups in the Hamptons as the ruthless killers they are.

This novel is filled with many short chapters to keep your curiosity stirring. For a great summer read and a book that you can't put down The Beach House is the book for you.