Genres
Publication
Century (2015)
Description
"No. 7 Ocean Drive is a gorgeous, multimillion-dollar beachfront estate in the Hamptons, where money and privilege know no bounds. But its beautiful gothic exterior hides a horrific past: it was the scene of a series of depraved killings that have never been solved. Neglected, empty, and rumored to be cursed, it's known as the Murder House, and locals keep their distance. Detective Jenna Murphy used to consider herself a local, but she hasn't been back since she was a girl. Trying to escape her troubled past and rehabilitate a career on the rocks, the former New York City cop hardly expects her lush and wealthy surroundings to be a hotbed of grisly depravity. But when a Hollywood power broker and his mistress are found dead in the abandoned Murder House, the gruesome crime scene rivals anything Jenna experienced in Manhattan. And what at first seems like an open and shut case turns out to have as many shocking secrets as the Murder House itself, as Jenna quickly realizes that the mansion's history is much darker than even the town's most salacious gossips could have imagined. As more bodies surface, and the secret that Jenna has tried desperately to escape closes in on her, she must risk her own life to expose the truth--before the Murder House claims another victim"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member seasonsoflove
Recommended If You Like: houses that might as well be haunted, secrets from the past, repressed memories, characters that may be good or may be bad, twists that keep you on your toes
The Book:
Jenna Murphy is a detective in the Hamptons, having left Manhattan under less than ideal circumstances. Now
Number 7 Ocean Drive is a mansion with a murderous past. Now the murders have begun again, conceding with an onset of terrible nightmares that shock Jenna awake every time she falls asleep. Could her repressed memories have some connection to the murders at Ocean Drive?
What I Liked:
This is a suspenseful read! Something is always happening, and twists and turns are always appearing to surprise the reader. This is something that Patterson is truly a master at.
The Murder House is a book that is never boring. I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next.
Anything I Didn't Like?
The romance felt forced, and like it came out of nowhere. It also always tends to bug me a little when the main character has what seems like everyone they come into contact with wanting them and falling in love with them.
So...?
I would definitely say to pick this one up. It has its flaws, but this is a book full of suspense that will keep you guessing.
The Book:
Jenna Murphy is a detective in the Hamptons, having left Manhattan under less than ideal circumstances. Now
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she has returned to the place where she used to spend her summers with her family, until one year when they never returned.Number 7 Ocean Drive is a mansion with a murderous past. Now the murders have begun again, conceding with an onset of terrible nightmares that shock Jenna awake every time she falls asleep. Could her repressed memories have some connection to the murders at Ocean Drive?
What I Liked:
This is a suspenseful read! Something is always happening, and twists and turns are always appearing to surprise the reader. This is something that Patterson is truly a master at.
The Murder House is a book that is never boring. I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next.
Anything I Didn't Like?
The romance felt forced, and like it came out of nowhere. It also always tends to bug me a little when the main character has what seems like everyone they come into contact with wanting them and falling in love with them.
So...?
I would definitely say to pick this one up. It has its flaws, but this is a book full of suspense that will keep you guessing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member she_climber
I avoid James Patterson at (almost) all costs since he went totally fast food. However, I LOVE David Ellis. And therefore their partnership has brought me back to reading books with JP's name on them and leaves me shaking my head as to why such a fantastic writer Ellis is in his own right would
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agree to such a thing. But anyway.... I read this book and it was okay. I didn't get that great David Ellis feel off of it like I have from previous books. The history was kind of a cool concept but it all fell kind of flat for me. I couldn't get excited about any of the characters or the plot in general. For this I choose to place all my blame on Patterson, because as I said before, because I'm not a fan. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Murder House by James Patterson, David Ellis, authors; Therese Plummer and Jay Snyder, narrators.
Patterson may not be the most eloquent writer of classics, but when it comes to murder mysteries, he has hit this one out of the park. You will be on the edge of your seat in spite of the trite
In that same year, that the latest gruesome murder took place, Jenna Murphy, a detective in New York City, discovers corruption on the police force and reports it to her boss. She is then framed and is forced to resign or face an investigation on trumped up charges that she cannot refute or disprove. She committed the cardinal sin of disgracing the force. Her uncle, Langdon James, the police chief in Bridgehampton, offers her a job to get her out from under the mess she found herself. If she resigns, there will be no investigation of the false charges; no battle, that she would surely lose; the fix was in, working against her. Absent her uncle’s opportunity, she would probably never work in law enforcement again, so she accepts his offer. When she arrives back in Bridgehampton, a place she had not been to since she was a child, she begins to have visions and nightmares about something she cannot identify, especially when she passes or enters the murder house at 7 Ocean Drive. Her dreams terrify her.
7 Ocean Drive was a mansion that was originally owned by Malcolm Dahlquist. His descendants, for six succeeding generations, were all afflicted with a sadistic madness that they could not control. It was thought that the Dahlquist ancestry ended with the murder of the sixth Dahlquist in the line, but when the bodies of two brutally murdered townspeople turn up in an upstairs bedroom, new suspicions are aroused as the investigation proceeds.
The circumstantial evidence soon points to Noah Walker, a handyman, since the murder victim, Melanie, had recently broken off her relationship with Noah in order to date the man with whom she was found murdered. Witnesses had observed Noah angrily arguing with her. He had also worked on the mansion’s upkeep and had access to “the murder house” property. Jenna Murphy, the new detective on the force is in charge of the arrest which takes him down, but is then ordered to stay out of any further investigation. Her uncle tells her that Noah is guilty, that he has confessed, and therefore, there is no further need to look anywhere else; he is their man. Will Noah be the serial killer that they eventually uncover? Who is Holden?
The murder mystery in Bridgehampton twists and turns, often confounding the reader. It is hard to figure out who the real killer or killers might be. There is so much sleight of hand and trompe-l’oeil that I am quite certain most readers will bounce around from character to character as each new clue is provided, first accusing one and than another, but I would be surprised if anyone guessed the entire story.
Jenna’s New York City frame-up, for a crime she denied, foreshadowed other corruption that occurs as the story moves forward. It is hard not to get the feeling that the justice system is flawed and the cops are sometimes corrupt. For the person in charge, it is easy to make false accusations and back them up with planted evidence. The person with wealth can make things happen, impact promotions and elections. There are always those, for a price, that are eager to do the bidding of someone who wishes to influence the outcome of events in some way. Arrests and even trials can become nothing more than staged events with which to influence a jury. It is difficult to disprove invented scenarios and false accusations. The trial portion of the book is interesting as it points out how easy it is to corrupt the system with lies, bribes and payoffs, how easy it is to frame someone with circumstantial evidence and false witnesses.
Jenna Murphy seemed to me to be the weakest link in the book because she was simply not credible as a seasoned detective. She often behaved impulsively, like a rookie, and her deductions were often very naive. In spite of the hackneyed dialogue, though, the story is an exciting, nail-biting experience, and any reader that enjoys a good mystery will not be disappointed. Take this book with you to someplace you go to relax, on vacation, to the beach, to the hammock on the back porch, and lose yourself in a tense, well designed mystery that will hold you fast.
Patterson may not be the most eloquent writer of classics, but when it comes to murder mysteries, he has hit this one out of the park. You will be on the edge of your seat in spite of the trite
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dialogue and often shallow characters, from the first page until the last, as this diabolical murderer is pursued. The story begins in Bridgehampton in 1995, with a 12-year old shooter at a school. It then fast forwards into 2011 when two bodies are found in a mansion that is known as the murder house, “the house that no one ever leaves alive, the house at 7 Ocean Drive”. As the narrative proceeds, several unsolved murders involving the mansion are revealed.In that same year, that the latest gruesome murder took place, Jenna Murphy, a detective in New York City, discovers corruption on the police force and reports it to her boss. She is then framed and is forced to resign or face an investigation on trumped up charges that she cannot refute or disprove. She committed the cardinal sin of disgracing the force. Her uncle, Langdon James, the police chief in Bridgehampton, offers her a job to get her out from under the mess she found herself. If she resigns, there will be no investigation of the false charges; no battle, that she would surely lose; the fix was in, working against her. Absent her uncle’s opportunity, she would probably never work in law enforcement again, so she accepts his offer. When she arrives back in Bridgehampton, a place she had not been to since she was a child, she begins to have visions and nightmares about something she cannot identify, especially when she passes or enters the murder house at 7 Ocean Drive. Her dreams terrify her.
7 Ocean Drive was a mansion that was originally owned by Malcolm Dahlquist. His descendants, for six succeeding generations, were all afflicted with a sadistic madness that they could not control. It was thought that the Dahlquist ancestry ended with the murder of the sixth Dahlquist in the line, but when the bodies of two brutally murdered townspeople turn up in an upstairs bedroom, new suspicions are aroused as the investigation proceeds.
The circumstantial evidence soon points to Noah Walker, a handyman, since the murder victim, Melanie, had recently broken off her relationship with Noah in order to date the man with whom she was found murdered. Witnesses had observed Noah angrily arguing with her. He had also worked on the mansion’s upkeep and had access to “the murder house” property. Jenna Murphy, the new detective on the force is in charge of the arrest which takes him down, but is then ordered to stay out of any further investigation. Her uncle tells her that Noah is guilty, that he has confessed, and therefore, there is no further need to look anywhere else; he is their man. Will Noah be the serial killer that they eventually uncover? Who is Holden?
The murder mystery in Bridgehampton twists and turns, often confounding the reader. It is hard to figure out who the real killer or killers might be. There is so much sleight of hand and trompe-l’oeil that I am quite certain most readers will bounce around from character to character as each new clue is provided, first accusing one and than another, but I would be surprised if anyone guessed the entire story.
Jenna’s New York City frame-up, for a crime she denied, foreshadowed other corruption that occurs as the story moves forward. It is hard not to get the feeling that the justice system is flawed and the cops are sometimes corrupt. For the person in charge, it is easy to make false accusations and back them up with planted evidence. The person with wealth can make things happen, impact promotions and elections. There are always those, for a price, that are eager to do the bidding of someone who wishes to influence the outcome of events in some way. Arrests and even trials can become nothing more than staged events with which to influence a jury. It is difficult to disprove invented scenarios and false accusations. The trial portion of the book is interesting as it points out how easy it is to corrupt the system with lies, bribes and payoffs, how easy it is to frame someone with circumstantial evidence and false witnesses.
Jenna Murphy seemed to me to be the weakest link in the book because she was simply not credible as a seasoned detective. She often behaved impulsively, like a rookie, and her deductions were often very naive. In spite of the hackneyed dialogue, though, the story is an exciting, nail-biting experience, and any reader that enjoys a good mystery will not be disappointed. Take this book with you to someplace you go to relax, on vacation, to the beach, to the hammock on the back porch, and lose yourself in a tense, well designed mystery that will hold you fast.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MarlaAMadison
Wasn't sure in the beginning, but this story moved along quickly and became an exciting read. Definitely one of Patterson's best. My only complaint? The house on the cover did not match the house described in the book! Highly recommend this one for suspense lovers.
LibraryThing member DYanishevsky
While the book itself is great I have a hard time accepting the price set for the ebook. I borrowed the book from my local library so avoided paying way too much. I have read plenty of books in recent months that are just as good or better that were less than $5 for the ebook. The only difference
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is they didn't say James Patterson on the cover. I'm deeply disappointed that Mr. Patterson feels it's ok to charge $15 for an ebook. Show Less
LibraryThing member Virginia51
I think this was one of my favorite stand alone novels by James Patterson. I was kept guessing through this whole story. I really enjoyed this one.
LibraryThing member gail616
Very good book. Had me guessing right up to the end. And when I guessed I was wrong!! Interesting characters and plot.
LibraryThing member joannemonck
Have not read a James Patterson in ages. Usually I don't care for books that bring in another author but this book was an exception. The story of a disgraced NYC cop who returns to the Hamptons and is hired by her uncle as a LI police officer and is having flashbacks but doesn't remember to what.
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There are murders, wrongful convictions, good guys who are bad and bad guys who are good. You could figure out some of the end but not all of it. Keeps you guesssing until the last chapter. Show Less
LibraryThing member alsparks
Detective Jenna Murphy returns to the Hamptons to work for her uncle after being let go by the NYC police department. She used to visit the Hamptons with her family when she was young but that suddenly ended after she briefly "disappeared" for several hours when she was seven or eight. Now after
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returning she gets involved with trying to solve grisly murders at 7 Ocean Drive or the murder house. Through the years multiple murders have occurred there with no resolution. As Jenna digs in she battles haunting feelings that something happened to her when she was young. Her uncle, the police chief, is brutally murdered and the killer goes to trial. He is convicted but Jenna has to bend the truth to help the prosecutor get the conviction. After coming across further evidence, Jenna comes back and helps overturn the conviction freeing her uncle's killer. Through many twists and turns Jenna digs deeper, not knowing who she can trust. In a surprising turn at the end a family relation to the original owners is revealed as the killer. Suspenseful and fast paced. Really enjoyed it. I love Patterson's style of mystery and drama. Show Less
LibraryThing member Nataliec7
As everyone knows, I am a big James Patterson fan. Any book he writes, I will pick up to read with ease. This was a good thriller which I did enjoy but again not the best JP that I have read. I figured out the murderer and child involved well before it was revealed and this pleased me immensely.
It
It
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wasn't a book that I couldn't put down and although it kept me interested, I wasn't blown away. Show Less
LibraryThing member BingeReader87
this one had a great story with plenty of twists and turns.
LibraryThing member finallycj
This is one of the best James Patterson books I have ever read; and I have read a lot, if not, most of his books. It keeps you guessing right until the end. It was one of those books that you want to find out who did it, yet at the same time, you don't want the book to end.
I would very highly
I would very highly
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recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member lewilliams
This is a slow read with uninteresting characters.
LibraryThing member Jadedog13
This one started out kind of slow. The first 1/4 of the book seemed like background setup and character development (which is ok, but not what I usually expect from Patterson). Once new murders started and the flashback scenes began, the pace picked up. I wasn't sure who the killer was - I knew who
If you like twisty serial killer stories, this is a good one.
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they wanted me to think was the killer and who I wanted to be the killer, but I didn't know the truth until the very end. That part was kind of fun. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming, and some I saw way before Detective Jenna Murphy did, but I guess I actually did have more information to work with.If you like twisty serial killer stories, this is a good one.
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LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian
I loved this new Patterson book. I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not read it, but suffice it to say there are several murders, rather gruesome too. A young attractive policewoman trying to solve what really happened because she does not believe they arrested the right guy. She pokes
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around where she is not supposed to be so gets suspended and eventually fired. The ending was a surprise to me. Some people said they figured it out early, I guess I am not that smart, because I did not figure it out until almost the end. I had a tough time putting it down until I finished. Another great book. Show Less
LibraryThing member jfe16
Former New York City police officer Jenna Murphy has joined the Southampton Town Police Force where her uncle, Langdon James, serves as the chief of police. When she was a child, Jenna and her family came here regularly to visit Langdon and his wife, Chloe. But the visits abruptly stopped, and this
As she investigates a double homicide in the mansion at Number 7 Ocean Drive, Jenna finds that the open-and-shut case may be anything but. Bridgehampton handyman Noah Walker professes his innocence but is convicted and sent to prison for a double murder. However, Jenna finds evidence to the contrary and vows to find the killer, but bodies begin to pile up.
As Jenna races to stop the murders, she discovers that the answers she seeks may unlock the secrets of the mansion known by the townspeople as The Murder House . . . and her own past.
Told in Patterson’s trademark short chapters and slipping between past and present, the story of the Murder House slowly unfolds. While the plot twists may keep readers guessing, many of the not-too-fully-developed characters are annoying and unlikable. But the ever-present tension and the building suspense surrounding the long-ago event in Jenna’s life will keep the pages turning.
Recommended.
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is the first time Jenna’s been back in years.As she investigates a double homicide in the mansion at Number 7 Ocean Drive, Jenna finds that the open-and-shut case may be anything but. Bridgehampton handyman Noah Walker professes his innocence but is convicted and sent to prison for a double murder. However, Jenna finds evidence to the contrary and vows to find the killer, but bodies begin to pile up.
As Jenna races to stop the murders, she discovers that the answers she seeks may unlock the secrets of the mansion known by the townspeople as The Murder House . . . and her own past.
Told in Patterson’s trademark short chapters and slipping between past and present, the story of the Murder House slowly unfolds. While the plot twists may keep readers guessing, many of the not-too-fully-developed characters are annoying and unlikable. But the ever-present tension and the building suspense surrounding the long-ago event in Jenna’s life will keep the pages turning.
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member HenriMoreaux
This is a stand alone Patterson/Ellis book not forming part of a series, and it's definitely the better for it, without having any baggage from prior novels this story introduces us to a police officer railroaded for not taking part in corruption on the big city who moves east from Manhattan to
It is here a series of grisly murders have taken place and with the murder of a high profile local couple the story commences.
The narrative is well woven between the past and present, the events unfolding in a linked chain, however until some novels where it's blatantly obvious who the serial killer is, here the writers teeter around the edge of giving it away giving hints it could be that person or this person never quite giving it away and dropping a new hint just when you start suspecting one particular character.
It's not until the final pages it becomes clear whose responsible, but even then it's not until the very end everything is cleared up and tied off in a nice knot. Was a hard one to put down and I look forward to seeing more Ellis/Patterson collaborations.
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become a town police officer in the Hamptons. It is here a series of grisly murders have taken place and with the murder of a high profile local couple the story commences.
The narrative is well woven between the past and present, the events unfolding in a linked chain, however until some novels where it's blatantly obvious who the serial killer is, here the writers teeter around the edge of giving it away giving hints it could be that person or this person never quite giving it away and dropping a new hint just when you start suspecting one particular character.
It's not until the final pages it becomes clear whose responsible, but even then it's not until the very end everything is cleared up and tied off in a nice knot. Was a hard one to put down and I look forward to seeing more Ellis/Patterson collaborations.
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LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
This is an excellent case of who's the bad guy. When you have a firm answer in your mind, it never fails to have something happen to make you second guess yourself. I loved the story, but I had trouble connecting with the characters.
LibraryThing member ToniFGMAMTC
This is an excellent case of who's the bad guy. When you have a firm answer in your mind, it never fails to have something happen to make you second guess yourself. I loved the story, but I had trouble connecting with the characters.
LibraryThing member rmarcin
Story of a house along the Atlantic coastline where many murders have been committed.
LibraryThing member Baochuan
Good thriller with good path and keeps your attention. James Patterson is a good writer.
LibraryThing member JudyGibson
A fast read, a somewhat creepy standalone story. Had a bit of trouble understanding the twisty story but I got through okay.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
ISBN
1780893035 / 9781780893037
Other editions
Murder House by J. Patterson (Paperback)
Murder House by J. Patterson (Paperback)