Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U. By the end, fans may start to miss Alex Cross, whose presence could have given this flyaway story some weight.

His brother would never have committed suicide, particularly since the body looks like Peter was beaten to death. Jack and his cohorts are forced to take extreme measures when the official inquest turns up a confirmation that Peter died either by suicide or accident. Heavner isn’t exactly mollified when Tempe, aided by retired police detective Skinny Slidell and a host of experts, puts a name to the dead man. Jack tries to uncover what really happened on the beach that night, only to come up against the shadowy people who protect the privileges of the multi-billionaire summer residents.The backlash creates a determination to punish evil and the investigation continues as the balance swings back and forth between the bad guys and the good guys. Motivated by a hundred forms of grief, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter’s death – no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.

He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother’s last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. I didn’t like it as much as I wanted due to some strenuous plot points, but it still was a satisfying read.The Beach House* is an interesting story about how the court and the rich cornering a man when he'll have no choice but to fight back like a feral animal. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.

Peter was the darling of the townies in the Hamptons and also of the super wealthy summer time residents.I do like the short chapters because you have complete continuity with this story, as you don't have to keep checking back to remind yourself of the various characters within the story. It did not make the book one that I would rather have passed up, but at times, it left me wanting to scream, "All right, already! The second that Columbia law student Jack Mullen steps down from the train at East Hampton, he knows that something is very wrong.