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A string of gripping standalone mysteries followed, but it was the 1992 release of Along Came a Spider that elevated Patterson to superstar status. Introducing Alex Cross, a brilliant black police detective/forensic psychologist, the novel was the first installment in a series of bestselling thrillers that has proved to be a cash cow for the author and his publisher.
Examining Patterson's track record, it's obvious that he believes one good series deserves another…maybe even a third! In 2001, he debuted the Women's Murder Club with 1st to Die, a fast-paced thriller featuring four female crime fighters living in San Francisco—a homicide detective, a medical examiner, an assistant D.A., and a cub reporter. The successful series has continued with other numerically titled installments. Then, spinning off a set of characters from a previous novel (1998's When the Wind Blows), in 2005 he published Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. Featuring a "flock" of genetically engineered flying children, the novel was a huge hit, especially with teen readers, and spawned a series of vastly popular fantasy adventures.
In addition to continuing his bestselling literary franchises, Patterson has also found time to co-author thrillers with other writers—including Peter de Jonge, Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro, and Howard Roughan—and has even ventured into romance (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas, Sam's Letters to Jennifer) and children's literature (santaKid). Writing at an astonishing pace, this prolific author has turned himself into a one-man publishing juggernaut, fulfilling his clearly stated ambition to become "the king of the page-turners."
Two of Patterson's Alex Cross mysteries (Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) have been turned into films starring Morgan Freeman; in 2007, a weekly television series premiered, based on the bestselling Women's Murder Club novels.
SEVENTEEN AND CRIMINALLY CUTE, Nikki Robinson sulks through the sultry afternoon trying to keep from staring at her useless shocking-pink cell phone. She hasn't heard from Feifer in three days and is getting the awful feeling she's already been dumped and just hasn't been told yet.
So when Nikki's cell rings while she's waiting in line to pay for her drink at Kwik Mart, her heart goes off with it. She grabs for the phone so fast her best friend, Rowena, behind the counter flashes her a disapproving look that says, "Chill, girl."
Rowena is all about maintaining dignity under romantic duress, and as usual, she's right. It's only Maidstone Interiors calling about a cleaning job for Nikki out in Montauk.
Nikki has been working for Maidstone all summer and likes it okay, but the thing about Maidstone is that she never knows where they're going to send her.
It takes Nikki forty minutes to drive from Kings Highway in Bridgehampton to Montauk, and another five to find the hilly neighborhood perched just above Route 27 where all the streets are named for dead presidents-and not the recent ones, the ones who have been dead awhile.
Forty-one Monroe is neither a mansion nor a dump, but somewhere in between, and as soon as she gets through the door,she sees it's nothing catastrophic and was probably rented by a couple, maybe a small family.
Besides the steady money, what Nikki likes best about this job is that she's alone. She may be cleaning white folks' houses, but at least they aren't standing over her shoulder, watching and supervising her every move. Plus she can dress how she wants, and so she pulls off her jeans and T-shirt, revealing a skimpy two-piece bathing suit underneath. She puts on her headphones and some R. Kelly, and gets busy.
Nikki starts with the ground-floor bedroom. She gathers the dirty towels and strips the sheets, balls them up in a giant damp pile, and wrestles it down the steep basement staircase. She quickly gets the first load of wash running, then races all the way up to the second floor, and by now her dark skin, which she sometimes loves and sometimes hates, is shimmering.
When she reaches the landing, there's a funky smell in the air, as if someone's been burning incense or, now that she gets a better whiff, smoking reefer.
That's nothing too out of the ordinary. Renters can be stoners too.
But when Nikki swings open the door to the master bedroom, her heart jumps into her mouth, and yet somehow she manages to scream and to think, The white devil.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Beach Road by James Patterson Peter de Jonge Copyright © 2006 by James Patterson . Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Anonymous
Posted May 25, 2012
Have become a fast fan of James Patterson
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I've been a fan of James Patterson for some time. I guess my favorite novels by Mr. Patterson give or take a few others are "Along Came a Spider" and "Kiss the Girls". Now, "Beach Road" was in my opinion not up to par for Mr. Patterson & co. I would say that this novel was somewhere in the middle if I was to find a slot to fit this novel in. The only problem I had with the story was the ending. James or Peter, really need to talk to each other because the ending was loose and for me didn't really make sense. Other than the ending the story moved along at the beginning, at a excellent pace, and it kept interest although there were some awkward dalogue here and there. After all that I would still recommend Beach Road.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CTK
Posted January 14, 2011
The ending was a shock, but I agree with a lot of the other customer reviews in which it did not fit the rest of the story. The ending felt rushed like the author needed to wrap it up. A slow read. Not too impressed.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 14, 2013
I loved this book! Read it one rainy day and was shocked with the ending. READ it worth your time you will enjoy one of JPs best.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2013
Couldn't put it down.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 12, 2012
It was a good book. It rolls along like a normal book when a twist comes and blows your mind.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 2, 2012
All of his books are very intertainjmg but this one had a twist that made me go back and reread parts to see where i .missed out on what had happened. MY FAVORITE OF ALL HIS GREAT BOOKS!!!!!!! I GIVE IT FIVE STARS PLUS ONE.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 30, 2012
Great read! Highly interesting story! Must read
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CD/Legal Thriller-less/Stinker: What a piece of craptaular writing. Not only do the characters have the depth of a ten page short story, everything at chapter 105 and after, counters any character development with the rest of the book.
Spoiler: I'll admit right now that I saw a review that pretty much gave away who the murderer was. So I spent the whole time trying to figure out which of the few obvious suspects it was. I was a plot twist all right, but not in a good way. There were no real red herrings that made you think one person or persons, only to be completely fooled. It was more like you were given nothing and then there was a murderer. The book was supposed to be about redemption, but the murderer was a sociopath.
Another big problem: the name dropping. I'm sick of it in Patterson books. It's too contrived and is just plain stupid. All's you think is, "Yeah, right." If he would use fictional names, it would work better for me. Spielberg and Clooney aren't going to do a movie about this case. It was pointless and really took away from the book because then, he uses fictional characters for O.J. and Cochran.
Anonymous
Posted April 5, 2012
Go to the third result of beach
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sherri_Hunter
Posted March 6, 2012
When I pick up a James Patterson novel, I am guaranteed to be entertained, sometimes shocked, but always entertained. In Patterson’s novels, I almost always find stories filled with very interesting characters; even the villains are intriguing. I can’t ignore the fact that they reel me in, regardless of whether I love or hate the character. Patterson’s ability to make these characters come to life and leap off the page is very impressive. In Beach Road, he does it again.
Tom Dunleavy is a likeable guy. He’s a guy you could be buddies with. After his career with the NBA is sidelined, he becomes a lawyer, though he’s not a very prominent lawyer.
Kate Costello is tough as nails. If you are the underdog, you will want her in your corner. She demonstrates a dogged determination to do the right thing; she even walks away from her law firm rather than defend a man she knows is guilty. She is one of those people that will walk through fire for the people she cares for. She used to care for Tom Dunleavy until he broke her heart and she hasn’t forgiven him yet.
Dante Halleyville is a young man that bad luck seems to follow. Raised by his grandmother, he struggles to overcome the adversity that has plagued his life and rise above the tragedy that has followed him. He is talented and intelligent and is on his way to a superstar career in the NBA. When he is accused of murder, his life hangs in the balance.
This book is narrated by several points of view. Tom, Kate, Dante and Loco, a local drug dealer, who has a keen sense of what is going on, offer their perceptions on the events surrounding them. Tom and Kate agreed to defend Dante and are convinced he’s being set up. Convincing a jury of enough reasonable doubt leaves Tom and Kate with their work cut out for them.
This story was a little slow to get going in the beginning, but it changes direction without warning and takes off at high speed. Suddenly, I am caught in the story watching the events unfold, unable to look away. With every visit Tom and Kate make to Dante in jail, the tension mounts. If Dante is innocent, then the killer is still out there and loose ends will need to be tied up. I found myself worrying about the safety of Dante, Tom and Kate. Defending Dante doesn’t sit well with the community and Tom and Kate aren’t highly experienced lawyers.
This isn’t one of James Patterson’s best stories, but Beach Road is a story that will pull you in and rip the rug out from under you. When everything is revealed, I felt like I had been hit by a bus. I was shocked and surprised and that is what Patterson is good at. Fans of James Patterson will enjoy this story knowing they are in for a great ride and readers new to his books will enjoy the suspense and intense twists.
Anonymous
Posted November 4, 2011
Book name Beach Road written by James Patterson and Peter De Jong. I will give this book a four out of five. This book was written by favorite author James Patterson so I thought I would like the book. I read this book over and over because I like the book do much. The plot is so well laid out that from the first chapter you are hooked. This story is a thrilling page turner about murder. From the first time I read this book I loved it. Every time I read the book again I catch something I didn't notice the first time I read the book. People that I have talked to didn't like the ending, but I did. I think you should read this book. Especially if you love to read about murder and mystery.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I have read and enjoyed many James Patterson novels in the past but I have found that lately the books not involved with his two biggest franchises (Alex Cross & Women's Murder Club) have been so uninspired and really bad. I mean like brand new to writing should have never been published bad. Here Patterson, along with his coauthor (whatever that means) gives us a tale tell in the Hamptons but sounds stolen from John Grisham's Ford County. It goes from trivial and predictable to strange with the addition of real celebrities for no other reason than to name drop. Then the twist is bizarre, implausible, and mostly ridiculous. I'm racking my brain to figure out how I could have disliked this more but I did finish it so that has to count for something right? Anyway, this should be avoided.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.7099520
Posted July 9, 2011
If this is how James Patterson writes all of his books then this will be my first and last! Truly awful ending!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 17, 2011
If you love James Patterson, you'll love this book! It will just blow you away! You won't want to put it down til you finish it.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 5, 2010
Great read. Great plot and unassuming twist! You will definitely enjoy this one. It's even better in audio version.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 17, 2010
This book has been in my closet for over a year and I finally grabbed it last week and took it to the beach. I should have taken a second choice because I finished this one in record time! A wonderful quick read that was hard to put down. This story has a twist at the end that I never saw coming. Pick it up and go for it!
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I actually listened to the audio version of this novel and I admit it took awhile to get into. I felt that some of the characters were stock, and stereotypical--but perhaps that was the point.
The ending will blew me away and in fact, made the novel for me.
There is some good courtroom drama, relationship development and suspense in this work and so I recommend it!
Sloe_butt_Thoreau
Posted April 15, 2010
The ending to this book negated the entire effort of reading it. I was incensed that JP had wasted so much of my time. That the narrator of this story knew all along and yet gave not one hint of it throughout the book until the very end was enough for me to cover the POS in ronsonol and light it in my backyard. This effort gave me far more satisfaction than actually reading it. Don't get me wrong, I like JPs books alot, mainly because 3 page chapters match my attention span. But for the pablum that they are, most of them are engaging and interesting, and even well researched. This one though, for the sheer insult to his readers, ought to be recalled and every penny paid refunded. It is an embarrassment and most offensive... the trees that died to print this book would have provided far more value if they'd been allowed to live. Do I sound like I've got a little energy around this topic? I am not a fast reader so it wasted more of my time than the average bear. Okay, I'll stop my rant. But if you've got 10 bucks and are thinking of buying this book do yourself a favor... give the ten spot to the next guy you see on a street corner with a sign saying he needs money for beer and just read the headlines on the tabloids in the supermarket. It would be 10 bucks and all of your time better spent. Plus, some schmoe will be able to get his drunk on one more night because of your philanthropy.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Conway1937
Posted September 6, 2009
The plot, the twists, and the ending all give credit to a truly great writer. Sit back, allow enough time so you don't have to put this book down and enjoy! The characters are real, the motives real, and a reflection of the world we live in.
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