Review: Beach Road by James Patterson

So I recently read a book called Beach Road by James Patterson & Peter de Jonge. Here's a quick synopsis of the book:
The gripping Beach Road returns to the world of the Hamptons, where Patterson set The Beach House (2002). Tom Dunleavy is a small-time lawyer who lands a big case when three young men he plays basketball with are found shot to death execution-style at a billionaire's basketball court. The evidence points to a rising high-school basketball star, Dante Halleyville, who scuffled with one of the other young men earlier on the day of the murder and who apparently was seen disposing of the gun used to commit the murders. Tom reluctantly takes the case, convincing his ex-girlfriend, Kate Costello, a high-powered lawyer in Manhattan, to help him prove Dante innocent. The novel races toward a conclusion so shocking that even longtime Patterson devotees won't see it coming.

Overall I give the book 2.66 bookmarks and here"s why.

Storyline- 3 bookmarks
The overall plot of the story is a very good one. A smalltime lawyer trying to help a seemingly guilty man not go to jail. The way everything is set up (learning the characters, the crime) was pretty good. It sure helped to understand why the suspect was chosen & why everyone feels the way they do in the book. The storyline is pretty easy to follow but every now & then there are new twists that may seem confusing at first. There are surprises that you won't see coming but it all makes for a good story.

Characters- 3
There are several main characters in the book. In the front there is a list with a quick description of each one. You learn more about each one by the chapter setup. Each chapter is told in the point of view of a specific character so you get to know their individual thoughts & feelings. I like that approach. I must tell you though, everyone is not who they appear to be!

Overall writing- 2
The overall writing of the book got a 2 because I didnt like how the chapters were divided. I told you that each chapter is told in the point of view of a different character but too often in the book consecutive chapters were in the view of the same character. You could have 3 or 4 chapters from the lawyer followed by 2 chapters from the suspect. I wish they would lump it all into one chapter.
I also gave it a 2 because of the chapter lengths. Each chapter is about 2-3 pages long, which makes the multiple single character chapters even worse. You get 4 chapters from the same person all 2 pages long when it could have been a single 8 page chapter.


If you're looking for a good summer read I do suggest this book. It's pretty easy to get through in a few days & it's very entertaining. If you do read be sure to come back and tell us all what you think of it!