Whimpulsive: Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge

Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge

Genre: Suspense Fiction
Publisher: Warner Vision
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 362
Source: Purchased Used

The Short Version:
A small time lawyer lands a big time case when a friend is arrested for murder at a Hamptons mansion.

Why I Read It:
I needed a book that was going to be more entertainment than thinking and Patterson usually fits the bill for that.

The Book:
From the publisher

Tom Dunleavy has a one-man law firm in legendary East Hampton. But his job barely keeps him in paper clips. His principal clients make a living serving the rich. The billionaires and megacelebrities swarming the beaches already have lawyers on their payroll.

Then a friend of Tom's is arrested for a triple murder near a movie star's mansion. Tom knows in his gut that Dante Halleyville is innocent. Dante asks him to represent him in what could be the Trial of the Century.

Tom recruits Manhattan superlawyer Kate Costello to help. She's a tough hire, because Kate is his ex-girlfriend-but she agrees. In their search to find who really executed three locals, Tom orchestrates a series of revelations to expose the killer-and what emerges is staggering.

The final scenes of Beach Road unveil a truth that will leave readers gasping in shock

My Thoughts:
Usually when I have a need for some pure entertainment that requires no concentration or thinking I can turn to James Patterson for a book that will fit the limited reading time or effort I’ve got available. Most of the time, it works out just fine and I’m entertained. I never expect a lot from a Patterson book and having enjoyed his earlier collaboration with Peter de Jonge (Beach House) I felt pretty confident. Well, I didn’t expect much and got even less. I can’t even pass this one along to The Hubster and tell him it’s worth reading.

The story was more like three or four unrelated stories that were patched together into this novel and the resulted in a bigger mess than normal for a Patterson book. If I had been any less busy or any better able to concentrate for the past several days I might not have even finished it. Because I only read it in small increments here and there I did finish it. It was OK for treadmill reading time but that’s about it.

The ending felt like the end of a different outline was tacked on to this one because a deadline loomed. I’ll stick with the Alex Cross and Women’s Murder Club series but I think I’m done with the other Patterson books.