LIFEGUARD by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
When James Patterson writes his "Alex Cross" mysteries he writes them alone. With some of his other stories he has a co-author. One of his favorite collaborators is Andrew Gross and their new joint effort is LIFEGUARD.
LIFEGAURD centers on Ned Kelly (not the Australian outlaw but an American with the same name). He is working as a lifeguard down in Florida and planning a get rich quick scheme. He is also falling in love or at least in lust with a beautiful woman named Tess McAuliffe. She is rich, he's good looking and it's summertime so the living is easy. But not for long.
Soon everything goes wrong. Ned's get rich quick scheme ends up with his four best friends being murdered. Tess also meets a gruesome end, and all fingers point towards Ned. The FBI is called in and Agent Ellie Shurtleff arrives on the scene. Her area of expertise is art but she also knows how to handle herself in any situation.
Ned flees Florida and heads home to Boston, but soon Agent Shurtleff is on his trail. Through a series of encounters they meet and get to know each other. A relationship of sorts develops and that gives the book a little extra punch.
The writing in this novel is seamless and you can never tell where Patterson's writing ends and Gross' begins. The two men incorporate humor, mystery and sex in equal doses and hold it all together with a style that keeps the reader guessing as to the outcome.
Books like LIFEGUARD are mystery-lite. They hold your attention for the duration of the story and then let you go. Patterson is much more dark and complex in his "Alex Cross" stories but these other books also serve a purpose. They keep his vast legion of fans sated until the next "Cross" book arrives.
You won't tax your brain by reading LIFEGUARD but you will have a few hours of pleasure losing yourself in the plot. Ned and Ellie make an interesting pair who are unlikely allies and even more unlikely murder sleuths.
Take the time to devour LIFEGUARD, you will find that a good time will be had from beginning to end.
LIFEGUARD is published by Little, Brown and Company. It contains 393 pages and sells for $26.95.