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BEACH HOUSE, THE, Audio
by James Patterson and Peter DeJonge
TimeWarner Audio Books, June 2002
Unabridge Audio pages
$36.98
ISBN: 1586212877


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Columbia law student Jack Mullin refuses to believe his brother Peter drowned during a Memorial Day party in the Hamptons. Jack saw Peter's battered body on the beach and read the pathologist's report. Peter's neck was broken, as were many of his bones. Disregarding the report, the police call it a closed case when the Montauk town coroner rules the death either an accident or suicide.

Jack's father is so disturbed by the ruling that he suffers a fatal heart attack only days after Peter's funeral. Jack and his grandfather, Macklin, swear to avenge the two deaths. They're convinced Barry Neubauer was behind Peter's murder. Peter was parking cars at the millionaire's beach house on the night of his death. Only a man with Barry's money and influence could possibly buy off both the police and the coroner while at the same time assuring that Jack is fired from his job at a prestigious New York law firm.

Jack is aided in his quest for the truth by several of his Montauk buddies and a savvy P.I. named Pauline. Working against this group is The Fixer, a hired thug whose intimidating methods place Jack and his friends in grave danger. The young law student finally learns why Peter had to die when he finds a box of pornographic pictures hidden in the home of Peter's friend Sammy. In a chilling conclusion to the story, Jack and Macklin take the law into their own hands by conducting an unorthodox trial of Barry Neubauer.

Depending on individual levels of cynicism, listeners will find the subornation of justice described in this audio version of The Beach House either plausible or implausible. Regardless of degree of believability, the detailed plotting and fast-paced writing of Patterson and De Jong makes this a hard to put down thriller. Gil Bellows proves himself to be an adept reader with an ability to shift voice, inflection, and accent to match the characters' varied personalities. The 100+ chapters are short and crisp with cliffhanger endings, and the background music that begins each chapter adds an eerie quality to the story. Like other Patterson books, The Beach House is a sure winner.

Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, February 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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