Beach Road

I bought this book two days after it was relased and by now I have read it twice and loaned it to two friends. The is the very best Patterson novel ever and I own and have read all of them. The twist at the end....whoa! No one could have seen that coming!! As soon as you finish reading, you'll want to begin reading all over again now that you have your "new knowledge" that the end of the book brings.

This describes the unabridged audio version. Basic opinions, highly entertaining, great performances from fairly well known readers. The audio book version really enhanced the unexpected twists. The characters are described in first person, and as stated in the book, tell the story from their perspectives, which also stated in the story, can be lies. The extreme duplicity of some characters was a bit over stretched for me. Lawyers with moral dilemmas, thus taking a more righteous path, is rather like a shark deciding to become a vegetarian IMO. As if either really started thinking about their victims pain over time. Lawyers finding redemption seems a common theme in pop literature though. Most importantly, this is typical Patterson, highly entertaining fiction. If you too are a fan, you will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this book. I have been a little disappointed in Patterson's latest books, but this was better. It did start to drag a little toward the end (before the dramatic twist) but that may be because I read it in two sittings and I was getting tired. I would suggest this book to anyone.

James Patterson did it again. As I began reading this book I said I think this is going to be pretty good. As I continued reading I could not put this book down. The plot, the characters are great. I will not give a synopsis of the book but I will tell you I could not believe the end. I took a deep breath and said I would not ever imagine this.....Read it, enjoy it and be surprised....

As usual, James Patterson has given us the perfect summer beach read. His setting is the exclusive Hamptons, more specifically the street of the super-rich known as Beach Road. Tom Dunleavy, a mediocre but seemingly sincere attorney, is plodding along in his lackluster career after a short stint in professional basketball. He still enjoys a pick-up game with the locals at an exclusive estate owned by a black tycoon. It is here that he becomes friends with Dante Halleyville, a high school senior so talented at the game that he is already being pursued by the pros. When a triple murder charged with racial and class overtones occurs and is quickly followed by two seemingly related murders, Dante Halleyville is accused, arrested, and tried. Tom agrees to take the case, although his background has certainly not prepared him to defend Dante in the trial of the century. Knowing he needs help, he turns to his ex-girlfriend, Kate Costello, a high-powered Manhattan attorney. Kate is still reeling from Tom's rejection years ago and has no desire to put herself in a vulnerable position again. But Tom can be charming, and it isn't long before they are both working night and day on a defense for Dante and rebuilding their personal relationship. A dirty cop, a lying witness, and a notorious drug dealer keep the reader riveted until the verdict is read. But it is the events after the trial that makes this one of Patterson's best, in my opinion. Not since watching the movie version of Agatha Christie's "Witness for the Prosecution" have I been so surprised at the after-trial events. The stunning shocker of an ending left this reader feeling quite entertained and eager for the next Patterson novel.