green leaf.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Beach House - James Patterson/Peter de Jonge

I can't remember the last time I finished a book in three hours flat. I could've been done in a shorter time but, this book was too good to speed read. Two words - utterly clever. Actually, I can also throw in riveting, smooth, unpretentious and skillful. This book has 113 chapters - each no longer than three pages. Genius concept by Patterson in keeping his readers hooked on the plot as it unfolds.

This is not a new book. I remember contemplating buying it ... two years ago. Hey, the cost of new books burn a hole straight into our wallets! So, I did the smart thing by getting it at the Pay Less Books sale weeks ago.

Anyway, the book tells the story of Jack Mullen who is in law school in New York City when he hears that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother loved 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. (The heartwarming part was how his friends put their necks on the lines to help Jack.)

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.

My jaw was gaping upon discovering the big revelation of the accomplices involved. Although some might find the plot predictable, Patterson makes it up with a masterful thriller story that will have you turning the pages till the end. I seriously loved the concept of the short chapters - for us who have short attention spans.

green leaf ;

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