Lifeguard
by Andrew Gross, James Patterson
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Book Reviews of Lifeguard
Book Review: Great Book With Many Twists
Summary: 4 Stars
I had mixed feelings about LIFEGUARD before I read it, as a few of James Patterson's recent books were duds. Not so with this one, it definitely fell on the very good side of reading material.
Ned Kelly is a part time lifeguard, pool cleaner/ gopher for a wealthy man in Palm Beach, Sollie, who just happens to be his landlord. While on the beach, he meets Tess McAuliffe, the girl of his dreams, or so he thinks. As he leaves her suite at a local ritzy hotel, he vows his life will change upon his return. Little does he know that the change will not be for the good.
Seems Ned and his childhood buddies plan an art heist that pays a million dollars each. Easy stuff, just break in and take three paintings. Ned's job is to rush around Palm Beach setting off alarms so the cops are running around chasing false alarms while the real burglary is going on. All goes well until upon entering the house they realize the paintings aren't there - they've been double crossed by someone else. By the time Ned gets back to the house, all of his friends have been executed. He has a bad feeling, so he goes to see Tess and she also has been killed. Ned takes off to try to save himself while trying to find their killer(s). Hot on Ned's trail is an FBI agent, Ellie Shurtleff, who specializes in stolen art. She's cute, spunky and definitely overlooked as an agent.
In a bizarre turn of events, Ned takes Ellie hostage. He explains that he didn't commit the killings or the art theft, and she believes him. A bit far-fetched, but hey, anything can happen in Patterson's world! Ellie is released and she begins her crusade to get the FBI to find the real killer and leave poor Ned alone. Hmmm...
The characters are very well developed and we have a wide assortment to enjoy. Ned is the Bostonian transplanted to Florida where he enjoys menial jobs, while longing for a life of something different. Ellie is the underestimated agent who shows more gumption than her colleagues by doing her own investigations into the crimes. Sollie, a rich old man, who had hired Ned to take care of his pool and play gin with him, is eccentric and lovable. Champ is one of my favorites. The orange-haired has-been motorcycle-racing champion is loyal to his friends. He's up for anything that is a challenge (jumping his motorcycle over the bridge as it was rising was just another day in his life), and he's the "cup is half full" type. Stratton, an egotistical jerk is so well developed that the reader actually hates the man. Liz, Stratton's wife, is confusing, but then we figure out that was exactly the reaction Patterson wanted to achieve with her character.
Plot development was also excellent. There are more twists and turns in this story than in a Spirograph drawing. You never know which way the story will take you, but my advice it to hold on and enjoy. I had the ending partially figure out but Patterson did throw a couple of wrenches into my ideas. It was wonderful!
Book Review: Not the absolute best of Patterson but still very enjoyable!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ned Kelly has a family in Boston that is in crime except for his younger brother, Dave, who is going to law school. His dad has been in prison many times. Ned had some juvenile brushes with the law but went to college, graduated with a major in government and even taught school for awhile until a problem - not his fault, of course-arose that caused Ned to lose his job. He has lived in Florida a couple of years waiting tables, lifeguarding and running errands for the very rich, Sollie Roth, and living on his estate.
Ned meets on the beach a woman named Tess from Australia who seems to be the girl of his dreams. She wears fancy clothes, has an expensive suite at the hotel and is gorgeous. He begins an affair with her and "falls in love/lust". Four of Ned's childhood friends including his cousin Mickey contact Ned to help them out on one last big "score." This will be a heist of 3 specific paintings from the mansion of Palm Beach mover/shaker, Dennis Stratton. All they need Ned to do is be a distraction be going around to several other mansions and tripping their alarms to keep the police busy. For this job, each of them will earn one million dollars! Ned figures this is his way to be able to marry Tess and keep her in style. He makes love with her and tells her he will be back in a couple of days.
At the beginning of the heist all proceeds as expected with Ned setting off the alarms with almost no problems/witnesses and his four friends easily gaining access to the Stratton estate as they have the security code for the alarm. However, as they go from room to room for the three paintings they discover that they have already been stolen!! They have been setup!! His friends scramble back to their small house on the beach and call Ned to let him know what has happened. Ned hurries over but as he comes down their street he sees EMS trucks and police cars and the street getting blocked off. He joins the crowd outside and finds out that all four of his friends have been shot dead! He heads to Tess' hotel and sees them carrying HER out in a body bag!! Ned now gets the feeling that he is about to be framed for all that has happened and he is scared. He knows his cousin Mickey would never have come up with the contacts for this big of a heist without help from up North so he heads on the run to Boston.
It is in Boston where he will meet up with FBI Agent Ellie Shurtleff of the Art Theft and Fraud division and he will find someone who believes in his innocence even as he unwittingly involves his younger brother Dave as well.
The tragedies, chases, excitements and many "reveals" about some of the characters keep this book fast-paced and a lot of fun despite some sadness. Enjoyable read!
Book Review: Perfect Book for Beach Reading!
Summary: 4 Stars
There are few authors I immediately read as soon as they publish a new book, James Patterson is one of them. And while some of his books of late have been rather uneven, his latest written with Andrew Gross is a perfect summer and beach read.
Ned Kelly was raised on the wrong side of the Boston Streets. With a father imprisoned and a brother killed during a robbery, Ned has also had his fair share of scraps with the law. But after a spots scholarship to Boston College and a treating degree, he may have found his way to a normal life. But as always something stands in his way and this time its a female student who accuses him of a sexual liaison and so once again Ned is without a job and looking for a life. Moving to Florida, he works as a lifeguard and then is hired by a wealthy man to help out on his estate.
Then one day he meets a beautiful woman who appears to be used to the good life. When his cousin and friends who are also living in Florid propose a fail safe heist and Ned sees a million dollars in the future for him, he sees his way out of an ordinary job and a good life with Theresa the woman he just met. But something goes terribly wrong during the robbery leaving 5 people dead and Ned on the run from Florida to Boston. And what Ned doesn't know is that this planned robbery was meant to fail and now Ned is left to find himself accused not only of the robbery but murder. Furthermore Ned finds himself surrounded by a cast of characters which include an obnoxious millionaire, his log suffering wife, an enticing FBI agent, his father a former convict and Dr. Gatchet, a classic painting by Vincent Van Gogh. And wherever Ned goes, he is followed by more murders, double crossing, deceit, lies among the rich and famous, some unbelievable twists and turns as only James Patterson can write.
Lifeguard was a good and fast read as is usually the case for me when I read a James Patterson book. Whether I am reading an Alex Cross mystery, one of the Women's Murder Club books, a heart wrenching romance or even a stand alone, this author usually satisfies my reading interest. And Lifeguard, in my opinion, is the perfect book to grab for a lazy beach day or summer's day. And finishing a Paterson book always makes me look forward to the next one too. Read this book and see if the world of this Lifeguard doesn't find you turning the pages quickly to the end.
Book Review: High tenstion suspense
Summary: 4 Stars
LIFEGUARD - James Patterson & Andrew Gross
Little Brown (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0-316-05785-1
July 2005
Suspense/Thriller
Florida & Massachusetts, Present Day
Ned Kelly, a lifeguard at a resort in Florida, isn't doing much with his life; he's merely drifting through it. Oh, he made it out of the criminal life he was born into, and for a short time was even a schoolteacher. But now he spends his time on the beach working as a lifeguard. He meets a beautiful woman named Tess, and it seems that his life is suddenly going to change -- he's finally going to get his one shot at money. So he'll have to pull a little job with his cousins -- it's illegal, and risky, but the payoff is $5 million dollars. But things quickly go very wrong, and suddenly Ned's life as he knew it is over. He's now a fugitive on the run for his life. The only way to save himself is to find out who the guilty party really is.
Every turn Ned takes leads him deeper and deeper into trouble. How will he avoid the FBI, the police, and the criminals after him? With nowhere to go and no one to trust, the lifeguard finds himself going down for the third time with no life preserver in sight.
LIFEGUARD is a thrilling roller coaster of a ride as Ned runs from the police, friends, and family. He's out of his element and way over his head -- his one shot at justice is one FBI agent whose specialty is art. The fast pace and dynamic characters make LIFEGUARD a stellar read. Ned is a likable guy just looking for a break. He's resourceful, smart, and determined to find out who set his cousins and him up. Secondary characters are well developed and play integral roles in the story. From the bad guys to those who are Ned's friends, each has an important role.
I've been hearing the name James Patterson attached to a multitude of bestsellers, but have to admit this is the first time I've read one of his novels. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters and will definitely add James Patterson and Andrew Gross to my list of must read authors. High tension suspense, superb characterization, and an action packed plot make LIFEGUARD a must read for those who enjoy a well told story with a high entertainment factor.
Terrie Figueroa
Book Review: Sandy beaches, crooked cops, and expensive art
Summary: 3 Stars
The job was supposed to be air-tight: Enter the mansion, steal three particularly expensive pieces of art (valued at $60 million), and find a cool $5 million in their bank accounts tomorrow. For lifeguard Ned Kelly and his four friends, it's just the break they've been waiting for. For Ned, who has just bedded the beautiful and rich Tess McAuliffe, the heist means a total life change; he daydreams of spending his days on exotic islands, drinking orange martinis with his new love by his side. But something goes terribly wrong the night of the heist. When Ned's friends arrive at the mansion, the paintings are already gone--and when they return to their rendezvous point, they are brutally massacred, executioner's style. Ned, who has been driving around setting of burglar alarms to divert the cops, arrives late enough to escape unscathed. But when he goes back to the hotel where Tess is staying, he discovers that she, too, has been murdered--only an hour before his friends were killed. Ned knows the cops will be after him soon enough, and he is desperate to discover who murdered his friends and his new love. So, he runs--to Brockton, south of Boston, his hometown. Along the way he runs into FBI Special Agent Ellie Shurtleff, a member of the Bureau's Art Theft and Fraud Department. He takes her hostage and manages to convince her that he is innocent, and together they try to solve the murders, doing their own detective work and following dangerous leads. Are the murders of Tess McAuliffe and Ned's friends related? How is Ned's father involved? Who is Dr. Gachet, the mastermind behind the heist? And if Ned's friends didn't steal the paintings...who did?
The writing is nothing to write home about and the plot is improbable in some places (especially at the end), but Patterson's new novel, LIFEGUARD, is still an entertaining read. It's funny in spots and punctuated by short chapters which make reading go quickly. LIFEGUARD is full of unexpected twists, and the characters are surprisingly nuanced and well-developed. I enjoyed the interesting art history, so much so that I was inspired to look up van Gogh's 'Dr. Gachet' online. LIFEGUARD, while not nearly Patterson's best, is good enough to read on the beach and exciting enough for the pages to fly by.