The Beach House [Large Print] [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author), Peter de Jonge (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 474 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Company; BCE edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739426850
• ISBN-13: 978-0739426852
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (395 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,473,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Summer Read, June 11, 2002

By 

JC "JC" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beach House (Hardcover)

I've read all of James Patterson's novels and have come to expect the sort of high quality, high entertainment stories that he is known for writing. That being said, many readers have been disappointed by some of his latest work, most notably 'Violets Are Blue', which received lukewarm reviews. It is important to understand, however, that Patterson is pumping out three books a year and each has made for a worthy read. Not many other novelists can make that claim. As for 'The Beach House,' as long as readers begin knowing what to expect, they should finish feeling satisfied.

Patterson's rapid-fire prose and lightning quick 2 to 3 page chapters are present, which makes the story pass quickly. The main character, Jack, is an admirable protagonist who draws the reader's affection. The surrounding cast helping Jack to find justice for his murdered brother may remind some of the Women's Murder Club of 1st to Die and 2nd Chance. Perhaps the best character is Macklin, Jack's aging but still fiesty grandfather who weighs in with his strong opinions on just about everything.

Basically, this book is typical Patterson. Those looking for a deeply involved plot or courtroom scenes that rival those of Lescroart or early Grisham will surely leave negative reviews here. However, those looking for an entertaining story to pass a day at the beach or by the pool will get their money's worth. The book is even called 'The Beach House' - an apt title for the perfect summer read.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A fast read but completely hokie plot, June 18, 2002

By 

M. Larsen "redneck_joe" (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beach House (Hardcover)

i just finished Patterson's new book, The Beach House. I breezed through it in a couple days and thought I'd post my initial feelings here.
I only recently came across Patterson's books and have only read 1st To Die (which I thought was a little far fetched, but a fast entertaining read), Pop Goes the Weasel, and Roses are Red. I enjoy his short, fast moving chapters and sustained energy.
That said, I was quite eager to be the first on my block to get a sneak peek at his new thriller. Unfortunately, this book is no blood and guts thriller. It*s more of a murder mystery... which isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it didn*t have a completely hoakie plot. I thought this book was a poor representation of what Patterson is capable of. It's still a fast paced read but the plot seemed to me to be completely unrealistic and loosely held together with random afterthoughts. Most of the characters seemed to have multiple personalities, doing things way out in left field with little or no explanation. I found myself scratching my head a lot, thinking "where's the logic in that?" or "what are the chances this would happen like this?" (no one sees a character in 5 months and then suddenly in the middle of nowhere group A stumbles across him/her and 10 minutes later in a different middle of nowhere group B finds him/her).
Many times when reading a good book, you remember peculiarities throughout the story and find them neatly tied together at the end. I didn't have that feeling with this book. As I stated earlier, it seemed to be patched together with afterthoughts.
If you don't care whatsoever about logic or realism, you might like this book. It moved along well enough and wasn't boring or hard to read... but there*s no way I would recommend paying hardcover price for it. I'm a big fan of the other Patterson books I've read but this one frustrated me. Wait for the paperback.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Co-Authoring suits Mr. Patterson, June 10, 2002

By 

Michael T. Rognlien (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Beach House (Hardcover)

Not that he's not a competent writer of great murder mysteries in his own right, of course.

The formula of this book is no different than any other by this author or any in the genre. Someone's murdered, someone's going to investigate it, the person investigating it is going to have an edgy flirtation with the person who comes along to help with the investigation (usually a cop or PI) and using creative and completely illegal means, the original crime will be solved.

In this case, the victim is the brother of the main character, the "bad guy" is richer than words can describe, the love interest a female PI, and, as always, the police are inept and can't see a crime where one exists.

It's all about as formulaic as most of the reviews (seriously - how many book endings have literally "shocked" you?) but it's what Patterson does best. I've found these are great books to read on flights and while waiting in airports - great way to capture your attention, kill a few hours of time, and enjoy a storyteller's ability to draw you into their world where good eventually wins.