The danger isn't in the water. As a lifeguard in Florida resort, Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dreams. It feels perfect except that she prefers caviar and Manolo Blahniks, and he is used to burgers and flip flops.

So when Ned's cousin offers him a rich deal, Ned can't turn him down. It is just a fast break and enter. The risk is high, and the reward even greater - $5 million.

I listened to LIFEGUARD & THE BEACH HOUSE back-to-back. I think if you like one, you will feel the same about the other.

Both had motorcycles, but where "The Beach House" was serious, even a little dark, "Lifeguard" had funny moments. One thing they both had in common was that John Wayne feel to them. Although not picture perfect, the good guys win and the bad guys get theirs in the end.

This narrator was Billy Campbell - excellent! Another thing this had, more so than "The Beach House" was sound effects. Normally I don't care for this, but in this case it worked well together. The sound enhanced the story.

This is not a James Patterson book, it is James Patterson with someone else and I had not read one of these before.

The first few pages had me thinking that I had made a mistake, I was pretty unhappy with the initial set up of Ned and his friend. The scene just felt very awkwardly written.

But I decided to continue anyway and pleased that I did because after the initial lull the book started rolling from the moment the heist goes bad and bodies start appearing. Not quite up to Patterson's other books and sometimes the characters seemed a bit TOO much, such as the rich art owner and the female agent sometimes seemed a bit unreal, but in the context of the story some of that is to be expected.

It ultimately winds up being an overall fun read. If you have not read any of his books before you probably would also like to look at ones such as Along Came A Spider to get a better sense of Patterson.

I am a fan of Patterson's books, BUT this one was a disappointment. I felt it was too predictable, too unbelievable, too boring and too drawn out. This book could have removed 100 pages and you would still get the premise. What happened to you Patterson? I would be hestitant on reading any more books with his co-author Andrew Gross. Suggestion: Beach House was a much better read!

Anyone interested in a tightly plotted and well-written thriller needs to look elsewhere. This book is ridiculous, and I don't think I'll finish it. During the first chapters, the heroes we're supposed to be involved with and rooting for are an ineffectual drop-out beach bum and the unbelievably hot woman he meets, who turns out to have no skills, education, or strength of character, except for her remarkable boobs and nice hair. Then it gets worse. It turns out that she's just the dumb, pliable sex toy of a rich man and she's cheating with the beach bum because she thinks that some day maybe she'll make an effort to work toward a better life. Then she's brutally murdered by a mysterious killer, as are the beach bum's low-life, thieving friends, and the chase is on, except that I couldn't care less about these sad idiots. There is a plucky young female FBI agent who comes into the story next, and she was smart and interesting at first, but of course she instantly develops a minor crush on the beach bum on the run even though he kidnaps her at gunpoint, even helping him steal a new car from a soccer mom to evade the law. Yeah, FBI agents do that.

This book reads like it was churned out in a hurry by a brand name with zero interest in his craft. Thumbs-down.

Like all books James Patterson writes, I cannot put it down until I've finished the book. The characters, the plot and up until the last twist it pure reading enjoyment. A must read for all Patterson fans. S.L. Chessor author of Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers and My Tongue Fell Out.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry Collection