Meet Peter Brown, a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with an unusual past that is just about to catch up with him. His morning begins with the quick disarming of a would-be mugger, followed by a steamy elevator encounter with a sexy young pharmaceutical rep, topped off by a visit with a new patient--and from there Peter's day is going to get a whole lot worse and a whole lot weirder. Because that patient knows Peter from his other life, when he had a different name and a very different job. The only reason he's a doctor now is thanks to the Witness Protection Program--and even they can't protect him from the long reach of the New Jersey mob. Now he's got to do whatever it takes to keep his patient alive so he can buy some time...and beat the reaper.
I don't usually look at reviews of books before I read them, but I did see Beat the Reaper compared to Quentin Tarantino's films, and have to completely agree! There were quite a few action scenes that reminded me of Kill Bill. I could easily picture the action in slow motion, much like in the movie. Some of the action had a surreal quality to it. I would be reading along and wonder what could possibly go wrong next.
Peter was a complex character, which I wasn't expecting. Sometimes his actions didn't match his words though. There were a few times that Peter seemed to hate his job, but then also seemed sad at the thought of no longer being a doctor. I sometimes had a hard time understanding his motivation for doing certain things.
Beat the Reaper is off-beat, original and often hilarious, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read in the new year. I also hope to see another book featuring Peter Brown, and can't wait to see what Josh Bazell's next book brings! 3.5 stars
Pre-Order Beat the Reaper
I don't usually look at reviews of books before I read them, but I did see Beat the Reaper compared to Quentin Tarantino's films, and have to completely agree! There were quite a few action scenes that reminded me of Kill Bill. I could easily picture the action in slow motion, much like in the movie. Some of the action had a surreal quality to it. I would be reading along and wonder what could possibly go wrong next.
Peter was a complex character, which I wasn't expecting. Sometimes his actions didn't match his words though. There were a few times that Peter seemed to hate his job, but then also seemed sad at the thought of no longer being a doctor. I sometimes had a hard time understanding his motivation for doing certain things.
Beat the Reaper is off-beat, original and often hilarious, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read in the new year. I also hope to see another book featuring Peter Brown, and can't wait to see what Josh Bazell's next book brings! 3.5 stars
Pre-Order Beat the Reaper
5 comments:
I'm reading this now and so far, I'm enjoying it too. It has crossed my mind that it will probably be made into a movie.
This book definitely sounds like movie material. Thank you for the great review!
I thought this one was pretty good, especially for a debut novel. I've got to get my own review done. Your review will be a tough act to follow; great review!
So glad you liked this! Check out the website: http://www.beatthereaper.com.
It was so nice to find another blog about this book. Thanks for making me aware you read it, and for posting a comment on my review.
Happy Reading!
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