James Patterson and Peter de Jonge have written a searing summer thriller — an unstoppable tale of love and vengeance among the superrich and superruthless.

Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the news comes that his brother, Peter, has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. Jack knows his brother practically grew up in the water, and that this couldn't be an accident. Someone must have wanted his brother dead.

But the police say otherwise. As Jack tries to uncover details of his brother's last night, he confronts a maddening barricade of lawyers, police, and paid protectors who separate the wealthy summer residents from local workers like Peter. Motivated by a hundred forms of grief, Jack rallies his hometown friends to help him find the truth of Peter's death — no matter how rich or corrupt the people who stand in their way.

Jack's relentless crusade puts him into a head-on collision with one of the most powerful and ruthless men in New York, a man who wipes out resistance with a snap of his fingers. As it unfolds that his brother was involved with some of the richest women and men in America — in ways Jack never imagined — his dream of justice fades. Only if he can somehow beat the rich at their own game will he be able to avenge his brother.

The Beach House is a breathtaking legal thriller of deceit and revenge — with a finale so shocking, it could only have come from the mind of James Patterson.

"[A] slick, vastly enjoyable yet far-fetched thriller i.e., typical Patterson....Smooth as a vanilla milk shake and no more sophisticated, written in 113 short chapters that won't tax anyone's attention span, this is smart, market-savvy, populist entertainment." Publishers Weekly

"[T]he novel races along to a somewhat implausible climax. But if Patterson fails to completely convince, he certainly doesn't fail to thrill, and readers will be turning the pages until the end." Kristine Huntley, Booklist

"What isn't obvious, though in retrospect it should be, is Jack's scheme for making sure justice is done anyway. A vigilante pipe-dream topped off by toothlessly shocking revelations about characters even less substantial than the celebrity cameos." Kirkus Reviews

"Much of the book is breezy and lighthearted, devoid of the sadism that characterizes Patterson's thrillers. By the end, fans may start to miss Alex Cross, whose presence could have given this flyaway story some weight." Chris Barsanti, Book Magazine

Jack Mullen is in law school in New York City when the shocking news comes that his brother Peter has drowned in the ocean off East Hampton. As Jack tries to uncover the details of his brother's last night, he learns that Peter wasn't just parking cars at the summer parties of the wealthy--he was making serious money satisfying the sexual needs of the richest women and men in town.

James Patterson is the author of many international bestsellers, including the #1 bestseller 1st to Die. He lives in Florida.

Peter de Jonge wrote the bestselling Miracle on the 17th Green with James Patterson, and has written for several national publications. He lives in New York.