Lifeguard

October 3, 2005
Campbell brings a strong presence as narrator to this latest thriller from collaborators Patterson and Gross. Part-time lifeguard/beach bum Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dream—rich and sexy Tess McAuliffe—and thanks to some old childhood friends, he has an opportunity to earn an easy, albeit illegal, $5 million by creating several diversions around town while his friends steal a fortune in art work. When the art disappears and his friends are murdered, Ned finds himself on the run as the FBI's number one suspect in the killings. The authors keep the story moving quickly, providing plenty of twists, turns and close escapes, but little logic or believability. Campbell does a fine job, handling himself with serious aplomb. He shifts easily from third-person narrative to Ned's reflective first-person perspective, and gives each of the supporting characters their own, distinctive voice. His performance rises above the overly melodramatic material. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, May 16).

July 15, 2005
Patterson's latest output, cowritten with Gross, is the quintessential summer read. While the plot rarely ventures out of the shallow end, the story's rapid pace and quick thrills make up for a succession of cursory twists and sometimes frothy characterizations. Sharks and riptides are the least of lifeguard Ned Kelly's worries. He falls in love with a beautiful stranger on the beach, takes part in an attempted multimillion-dollar art heist, and lands atop the FBI's most-wanted list as a serial killer -all in one day. Kelly learns that he's been set up, and attempting to clear his name keeps him on the run from the bad, and good, guys. Readers looking for a good beach novel will soak up Patterson's fourth book of 2005, but hardcore fans of mystery and suspense will be waiting for his next installment in the Alex Cross series. For most popular fiction collections. -Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2005
Don't be fooled by the title of Patterson's latest thrilling yarn--the action goes far beyond the beach. Ned Kelly grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Brockton, but he got out, and now his life seems to be falling into place. He's interested in a beautiful woman named Tess and has decided to chance one last heist with four of his childhood friends. Ned's job is simple--all he has to do is set off several house alarms while his friends hit the real target, the mansion of Dennis Stratton, to steal three valuable paintings. But when Ned's friends enter the house and discover the paintings already gone, they realize they've been double-crossed, and before Ned can reach them, all four are murdered. Then Tess is found dead in her hotel room, and, fearing how bad things are looking for him, Ned goes on the lam, hoping to clear his name. He goes back to Brockton to find his father, a small-time criminal he suspects may have been involved in setting up his friends. He's being pursued by Federal Agent Ellie Shurtleff, an art expert, who becomes an unlikely ally. Packing all the punches readers have come to expect from Patterson's books, this one delivers at every turn.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)