The Beach House

by James Patterson

Other authorsGil Bellows (Reader)

2002

Status

Checked out

Genres

All Topics

Mystery

Fiction

Collection

CD Audiobook

Publication

Grand Central Publishing (2002), Edition: Unabridged

Description

Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:When New York law student Jack Mullen learns that his brother has drowned, he knows it can't be an accident . . . Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the shocking news comes that his brother Peter has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother and knows this couldn't be an accident; someone must have wanted his brother dead. But the powers that be say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brothers last night, he confronts a barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the multibillionaire summer residents from local workers like Peter. Soon he discovers that Peter wasn't just parking cars at the summer parties of the rich. He was making serious money satisfying the sexual needs of the richest women and men in town. The Beach House reveals the secret lives of celebrities in a breathtaking drama of revenge-with a finale so shocking that only James Patterson could have written it.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member onyx95

The death of Montauks own Peter Mullen at Barry Neubauers Hampton beach house party sparks a year of mystery, and the search for justice. The death had been ruled a suicide/accident, but brother Jack, a law student and grandpa Macklin, a paralegal, headed a search with a group of Montauk friends to

find the truth. The search takes them through corrupt lawyers, police, medical examiners, and judges, all bought and paid for. After many of the friends have had death threats, a few of them 'accidents' and almost all of them had unemployment, can this group of friends find the truth, can there be justice, or will they go to far.

This is a fast paced intense thriller with lots of twists and turns, many surprises. Enjoyed the characters and the excellent descriptions. Very interesting ending however. The answers are there, the whys and whos, I did enjoy the ending, I recommend this book, the mystery is solved, the suspense is there, and it is a thrilling adventure.

Show Less

24 more

LibraryThing member kingsportlibrary

Peter Mullen is liked by everyone in the Hamptons town of Montauk, but Peter has a secret life. Peter's body is found on the beach outside the house of Barry Neubauer the morning after the Neubauer's annual Memorial Day party. Peter was working the party as a valet, parking cars of the rich and

famous. Peter's family consists of Jack, a law student; his father, who soon dies of a heart attack; and Macklin, an 87 year-old grandfather who still works as a paralegal. The family soon learns that Peter's death is being treated as an accident or suicide by the police, although they are sure he was murdered. The plot develops as Jack, Macklin and friends try to prove Peter was murdered while contending with police corruption and the power wielded by the rich Neubauer family. The Beach House has a lot of Patterson's usual qualities; great character development, a host of players, and short attention-getting chapters. The plot, however, is degraded when Jack and Macklin resort to kidnapping the bad guys and holding a vigilante trial to force a confession from the murderer - reminiscent of an old western movie. If you want to read an entertaining mystery with an easy-to-follow story, give The Beach House a try.

Show Less

LibraryThing member nickdreamsong

Not in the same league as Patterson's Alex Cross series, but not a bad read for a lazy summer afternoon.

LibraryThing member skinglist

Reading a non-Alex Cross book was interesting. I admit, I kept waiting for he and Sampson to pop up during the inquest into Peter's death. I definitely got sucked into Jack's quest for the truth and couldn't help but thinking if this were a movie and he weren't dead, Jack Lemmon would make a

wonderul Mack.

The evil lawfirm and Neubauer's $10 million dollar deal offer just made me laugh--the number of people who think everyone can be bought just because they can frighten me. One thing I really wish that Patterson had resolved was the question of who the Fixer was. We were left with no idea other than that he was an ally of Volpi due to the attack on Sammy, but I really wonder who he was.

Show Less

LibraryThing member Almadmc

I enjoyed the book. It was not as believable as other Patterson books, but I'd still give it 5 stars. His writing overcomes any plot weakness.

LibraryThing member Ericnwest

A good legal read. Jack Mullen, a recent law grad., and his grandfather Mack are beleivable characters. Well written, well paced.

LibraryThing member jepeters333

Peter Mullins is murdered and his brother Jack tries to prove it wasn't an accident.

LibraryThing member Fernandame

Audiobook - really liked this one - did not expect things ot happen the way they did - took me by surprise and I loved it.

LibraryThing member tipsister

The Beach House, by James Patterson, is one of his stand-alone novels that are not a part of any series. I expected it to be a quick read, like many of his books are, and I was right. It was quick and somewhat pointless.

Honestly? I didn’t love the book at all. I thought the premise was good but

the end was pretty ridiculous. Essentially the story is about a young lawyer trying to find out who killed his younger brother. He goes to some pretty extreme measures to accomplish this task.

I complain a good deal about Patterson’s books and yet I do continue to read them. They are rarely satisfying and yet they keep me occupied when I need something quick to read. If you are a fan, you might as well read it. If you haven’t read his books, I wouldn’t start with this one.

Show Less

LibraryThing member catmommie

I enjoyed reading this book, as I have with all of Patterson's books that I've read. No complaints here! A law student takes on his sleepy Hampton hometown in solving his brother's murder.

LibraryThing member PortiaLong

Per Petruchio - not one of Patterson's better efforts. Only finished reading it because was most of the way through. At one point the author refers to a character buying a car with $1000 bills - we haven't had those in this country for quite some time, certainly not within the timeframe of this

story. What a pointless error to make!

Show Less

LibraryThing member hamiltonpam

This was a very fast read.

LibraryThing member jbemrose

Jack Mullins and his grandfother Macklin tries to prove that his brother Peter "rabbit" Mullins was murdered and not an accident that the millionaire Barry Neubauer. The night of Neubauer party that Peter was parking the cars. I was shocked when I found out why Peter was killed. It was a good book.

LibraryThing member debavp

While Patterson's are almost always an easy read, I found this one to just be too graphic, both with sex and violence. I don't think the plot would have suffered if the shock and awe had been toned down a bit.

LibraryThing member nancyhart

Beach House has James Patterson's usual strong ensemble of characters; the reader instantly gets a picture of what each looks like and what he/she really is about. A legal thriller set in Montauk, East Hampton, and NYC, the story takes various twists and turns until its climatic conclusion. One of

Patterson's best.

Show Less

LibraryThing member JEB5

“The Beach House” is a fast paced trip from murder to investigation and finally, trial.

When Jack’s brother, Peter is found dead on a beach in the Hamptons the police claim that it is a suicide by drowning, however, Jack believes that it is murder. When the police force refuses to investigate

the death in the depth that Jack would like, he takes it into his own hands.

With short, brief chapters this novel is a quick read. Thorough in its details and research it is a well written legal, murder mystery thriller that will keep you wondering what will happen next.

Show Less

LibraryThing member wareagle78

Not Patterson's finest, but still quite interesting story about a law student who returns home to the Hamptons to bury his younger brother killed by ... accident?

LibraryThing member bpascoe

Jack Mullen is a driven student of the law. His brother Peter is a servant of the rich, parking the cars of the Hamptons' elite-and perhaps satisfying their more intimate needs as well. Then Peter's body is found on the beach. Jack knows the drowning was no accident, but someone's unlimited power

and money have bought the cops, the judges, the system. Now Jack is learning a lesson in justice he never got in law school ... and his astonishing plan to beat the billionaires will have you reeling-and cheering-to the very last page.

Show Less

LibraryThing member CarmenMilligan

How does Patterson do it? How does he never let me down?

I needed to read a book set on a beach for my summer reading challenge, and I happened to have this one on the shelf. I started it in the morning and didn't put it down until I had read the last word at almost midnight. I did very little the

rest of the day. I even shooed my husband away when he came to sit next to me on the sofa.

The tale of rich vs working-class hits right on the nose, with feelings of the hit TV series "Revenge" throughout. You can see the smug, self-satisfied looks on the rich faces as they know their sins will not catch up with them; you can feel the defeat and frustration of the blue-collar population who realize the law is NOT on their side.

And when justice finally DOES prevail, it is sweet, indeed. This is a page-turner, very fast-paced and intriguing. Recommended.

Show Less

LibraryThing member LauGal

didn't care for this

LibraryThing member lallycow

What a twist!

LibraryThing member PaperDollLady

Excellent narrator, but overdone plot.

LibraryThing member JenniferRobb

I don't know if it was the writing style or the person chosen to read the audio, but I felt like I was listening to a bored rich person relate a tale of what happened to someone they knew. I never felt like I connected with a character in the novel enough to care what happened or why it happened.

LibraryThing member linda.marsheells

Let me preface this by saying that as exalted an author James Patterson is, his books just are not for me. My husband- yes, and he is the one who suggested i give this one a whirl. Fast paced and full of hold -your-breath moments BEACH HOUSE is an attention grabber! The loyalty of brothers.....the

adoration and acceptance of one another and one hell of a bizarre murder. Proof that the acquisition of money doesn't make any single person better than another. This book is full of suspicions , friendships, loyalties and manipulations! How far would YOU go to delve into the actual truth of a loved ones death?????

Show Less

LibraryThing member stang50logan

This book was truly Awesome!!! I picked this book and knocked it out in just a few short days. Great murder mystery with some very likeable characters. Extremely fast paced. The final 200 pages were go go go. Worth the read.

Fewer