Book Review: Beach Road

Beach Road, a road peppered with mansions in East Hampton, is the epitome of the haves and have nots. The wealthy who travel to the Hamptons on weekends and holidays, and those that take care of the homes and properties throughout the year. One such home, owned by the movie star, T. Smitty Wilson, had a brand-new basketball court which the local kids were invited to use. One kid, Dante Halleyville, who had been drafted to the NBA, played on that court with his friends and neighbors, including Tom Dunleavy, a resident of East Hampton and small-town defense attorney.

One day, after a heated game of basketball someone grabs a gun. No one is hurt, but later that evening 3 of the players are found dead on the beach and Dante is the prime suspect. During the investigation, two other key witnesses are found shot and a crooked cop is pulling the strings. Dante’s family wants Tom to represent Dante and Tom enlists the help of his ex-girlfriend and NYC attorney, Katherine.

Twists and turns as are typical of Patterson’s stories run throughout the investigation, trial, and post-trial story in this book. The end was completely unexpected – thus why Patterson has been so successful in his writing!

Each chapter in the book is written from the perspective of an individual character, Tom, Dante, Katherine, etc. At the outset, the format of the narrative is a bit confusing. I had to force myself to keep reading after the first few chapters in hopes that it would all come together – which it did. As I read further and understood the story and the characters it was easier to read and worth the time.

Beach Road would be a good book to bring on vacation with you this summer. Nothing like reading about a murder investigation in the Hamptons while you dig your toes into the Jersey Shore – or wherever you may be.

Until next time – happy reading and don’t forget your sunscreen!