I’m totally confused and bemused by this book and have no idea as to what I’ve just read! So much so that I’ve had to resort to “spoiler alerts” by other people to see if I can make anymore sense out of it. It was action packed and full of intrigue definitely. But I have no idea of who anyone was, who died, who lived and was relieved when I finally reached the end.

This a complex murder investigation of a serial killer operating from coast to coast where cops Garett and Jessica had to catch him ASAP.

This was a shocking complex tale going well into the rigors of the past of the characters where the cops had to use all their intelligence to get to the root of the motive. The book was long and filled with action. Many suspects and red herrings, I went down a few false trails with my own theories.

Overall, it took me time to finish, but it was quite worth it.

What a ride, this book is over 500 pages with 150 chapters. It didn't feel that long at all, fast paced and brilliant. I love JD Barker, read most of his books. James Patterson was a first for me. This collaboration was awesome. I don't want to give anything away, just know its so worth the read. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC copy.

I normally would not have read a James Patterson book but when I saw J.D. Barker's name, there was no question. This story has Barker stamped all over it. Love the characters, the twists, and everything about it.

Man muss schon ein eifriger Vielleser mit reichlich Freizeit sein, um bei den Werken des amerikanischen Bestsellerautors James Patterson hinterherzukommen – und das klappt selbst dann nur, wenn man andere Autoren größtenteils außer Acht lässt. Alleine im Jahr 2020 werden am Ende über 20 (!) Bücher erschienen sein, die den Namen des Autors auf dem Cover tragen. Das Geheimnis für eine solche Akkordarbeit ist gleich eine ganze Armada an Co-Autoren, mit denen Patterson beim Schreiben seiner Bücher zusammenarbeitet, darunter mitunter selbst so prominente Namen wie der frühere US-Präsident Bill Clinton ("The President is missing"). Das kann man gut finden oder kritisieren, den Fans von James Patterson wird jedenfalls so schnell nicht langweilig...

"The Coast-to-Coast Murders" ist ebenfalls eine solche Co-Produktion, diesmal auch mit einem durchaus prominenten Schreibpartner Pattersons, nämlich J.D. Barker, der in der jüngeren Vergangenheit mit seiner "Fourth Monkey"-Thrillerserie auf sich aufmerksam gemacht hat und sich inzwischen auch selbst "New York Times best-selling author" nennen darf. Keine schlechten Voraussetzungen also für spannende Thriller-Unterhaltung.

Und tatsächlich beginnt der Roman äußerst verheißungsvoll: Truck-Fahrer Michael Fitzgerald ist gerade mal wieder von einer seiner langen Arbeitsreisen zurückgekehrt, als er in seinem Badezimmer die Leiche einer jungen Frau findet. Geschockt bittet er zunächst seine Adoptivschwester Megan um Rat und ruft dann letztlich die Polizei, wie es wohl jeder unschuldige Bürger in seiner Situation tun würde. Was Michael zu dem Zeitpunkt aber noch nicht weiß: schon wenige Stunden später wird die Polizei genug Indizien und Beweise dafür haben, dass Michael selbst in den Mord verwickelt ist – doch er selbst hat das Opfer in seiner Badewanne noch nie zuvor gesehen...

Mit Patterson-typischen kurzen Kapiteln legt "The Coast-to-Coast Murders" so einen packenden Auftakt hin, der den Leser:innen kaum Zeit zum Luftholen lässt. Diverse Perspektivwechsel zwischen Michael, seiner Schwester Megan und verschiedenen Ermittlerfiguren von LAPD und FBI sorgen für Abwechslung und der rätselhafte Fall weckt umgehend Neugier und Interesse. Kaum hat man sich versehen, ist das erste Drittel des Buches auch schon inhaliert.

Mit zunehmender Dauer verliert der Roman jedoch den Esprit der Anfangsphase und tritt dann ein wenig auf der Stelle. Dabei passiert eigentlich auch weiterhin genug, trotzdem wirkt die Geschichte etwas in die Länge gezogen, zudem bedienen sich die beiden Autoren einiger etwas ausgelutschter Thriller-Elemente, um die Spannung hochzuhalten (z.B. immer wieder auftretender Blackouts der Hauptfigur). Ging das erste Drittel noch vorbei wie im Flug, so macht sich der mit fast 600 Seiten überraschend hohe Umfang des Buches immer mehr bemerkbar. Überlange Action-Szenen strecken die Geschichte unnötig, zudem sorgen zum Teil recht unglaubwürdige Wendungen für zunehmendes Desinteresse an der Auflösung. Apropos Auflösung: in den letzten Kapitel wird die Story dann plötzlich nochmal mehrfach auf den Kopf gestellt und verliert so das letzte bisschen Glaubwürdigkeit, das bis dahin noch vorhanden war. Zudem bleiben einige offene Fragen zurück und es beschleicht einen ein wenig das Gefühl, dass die beiden Autoren das Ende derart gestaltet haben, weil ihnen selbst keine plausible und lückenlose Aufklärung mehr eingefallen ist.

Das ist schade, denn "The Coast-to-Coast Murders" hätte nach dem starken Auftakt eigentlich ein wirklich guter Thriller werden können. Was am Ende bleibt ist zwar dennoch weitestgehend unterhaltsam und spannend, sowohl von James Patterson als auch von J.D. Barker ist man aber Besseres gewohnt.

There is a serial killer on loose and all the evidence points towards Michael Fitzgerald, a long-haul truck driver. The only one who believes in his innocence is his adopted sister Megan, a college psychology student.
Thus begins a coast to coast hunt searching for a deranged killer before he finds his other victim.

Coast to Coast Murders is a fast paced non stop action-packed thriller . Moving at breakneck speed with lots of characters to keep track of it had enough twists and turns to make it an entertaining enjoyable read

I would like to thank Little, Brown and Company & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

I am a big fan of J.D. Barker’s work and was so excited to see that he partnered with James Patterson on his latest novel. J.D. has an amazing way with sucking you into the story and not letting you go until the very end. I enjoy James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series and the short chapter formatting. This novel did not disappoint on either side of this coin.

I had no idea what the premise of this story was and it was so twisty. I guessed and guessed and guessed again as to determine what was really happening but BAM, I was hit with a bit of an unexpected ending. The Fitzgerald family is completely messed up and excellently evil. I highly recommend that you pick this up if you want a screwed up family read.

James Patterson is a master storyteller and this story kept me hooked till the end.
It's fast paced, action packed, full of twists and turns.
The tightly knitted plot is excellent and I loved every moment.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

’From coastal California to upstate New York, Dobbs and Gimble race against time and across state lines to stop an ingenious and deeply deranged killer -- one whose dark and twisted appetites put them outside the range of logic or experience.’

THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS by James Patterson and J.D. Barker is a fast-paced, action-packed, psychological thrill ride a minute—with an ending, I’m happy to say I wasn't expecting. Highly Recommend!

I've been a James Patterson fan for years, specifically his Alex Cross series; ALONG CAME A SPIDER is one of my favorites.

SHE HAS A BROKEN HERE HER HEART SHOULD BE, was my first introduction to J.D. Barker's writing this year, and let's just say I am now a huge fan!

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company, for loaning me an eGalley of THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS in exchange for an honest review.

My goodness! I cannot remember the last time it took me a month...that’s right an entire month to read a book! And a James Patterson one at that! I used to be able to fly through his books in a day. Perhaps it was the new pairing with J.D. Barker? Though I have enjoyed his works in the past.🤔

Michael finds the dead body of a woman in his bathtub. He has never seen her before and has no idea who she is or how she got there. Yet the police believe not only did he know her but he had a relationship with her. They can back up their theory with pictures of the two of them together! And they know this isn’t his first victim. Now Michael is on the run for his life with only his adoptive sister Megan to help!

I ended up with very mixed feelings for this book. In my opinion it was MUCH too long! Though having super short chapters ( a James Patterson trademark) did help move the pages along.

So why the month long marathon read?💁🏻‍♀‍

I think overall the storyline failed to capture me till the very end. Once the twists started they never ended and I was left exhausted and tangled in a knot by the end! Lots of mixed reviews for this book. So if its on your list and you are a fan of these authors give it a try! You might love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for an ARC to read and review.

This was not my cup of tea. I find I don’t enjoy Patterson’s writing as I did Years ago, in his earlier Alex Cross books. This one was too long and required a lot of suspension of disbelief.
This is a case of being the wrong reader for this book so I will not be posting a review on social media.

I chose to read this book because I have enjoyed J.D. Barker’s work and was intrigued by what the collaboration with James Patterson might bring. Sadly it did not work for me. While I know that short chapters are a hallmark of Patterson’s work, in this case they felt contrived and got in the way of what is quite a lengthy narrative.
Part of the problem is that the characters are not especially sympathetic. This is a fast paced action driven thriller in which car chases, murders and set piece shoot outs all feature.
The premise is that Michael, a long distance trucker, brought up by his adoptive Psychology Professorial parents has been used as a guinea pig in their experiments. The FBI, hot on his trail, are convinced he is responsible for a series of murders. Only his sister, Meg, believes in his innocence. But when Michael goes on the run, murder and mayhem pursue him at every turn.
So far so good, but I found that the book was quite drawn out and while I did enjoy aspects of it, I just did not find it sufficiently engaging to be wholly drawn in and neither did I care about the characters.
I don’t mind suspending disbelief, and I did almost guess where this one was going to end up, but the end was so twisted that I did slightly scoff at it.
Sorry, this one just isn’t for me

I will be the first to admit I stopped reading James Patterson when he started this co-author thing and started producing quantity over quality. This book however was extremely well written, with a great story line. It was super fast paced and suspenseful and kept me reading way to late. The main characters were well written and very likeable. Literally the only critique I had about this book was there were way to many law enforcement names/characters and I had a hard time keeping them straight.

This is probably one of my favorite books by James Patterson that is not in a series. I kept thinking that I knew who the killer was but I kept hitting twists and turns. I loved how I was able to like and hate some of the characters at the same time. This will surprise you through the whole book. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

When you want to read a twisted, psychological thriller, this book hits the mark! This was a fast-paced, non-stop rollercoaster ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. No way can you figure out how this one will end. Great writing, an intricate plot with an amazing cast of characters. James Patterson is on my list of favorite authors and it looks like I will be adding J.D. Barker to the list as well. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and James Patterson/J.D. Barker for a copy of "The Coast-to-Coast Murders" in exchange of an honest review.

This thriller had my head spinning. Not only from a LOT of action and an extremely fast pace, but also from ridiculously short chapters and a bunch of different characters and names.
I like roller-coaster books, but this was a bit too much of a wild ride for me. I loved the unpredictability but at the same time it was confusing at moments and a bit forced at some points of the book.
The wild ride starts at about 40% of the book and it lasts almost until the last chapter, a lot of things are going on, a lot of car chases, gun pointing (and shooting), explosions, fights and deaths. And that would be super fun to watch in a movie. A little to exhausting to read in a book.
I loved the plot though (and I really didn´t foretell the final twist), the characters are amazingly built and the writing style, of course, is immaculate.
I would say this is a perfect example of a (very) fast-paced thriller, but read it when well-rested and with none distractions whatsoever. And I´m sure you´ll enjoy it.

I generally pride myself on being able to sniff out a red herring, but James Patterson and J.D. Barker have weaved so many great ones into The Coast-to-Coast Murders that you know something is fishy but can’t quite pick what it is.

The Coast-to-Coast Murders is a fast paced and engaging crime thriller that takes its reader on twist and turns aplenty.

I don’t often love collaborative novels, but this is the second collaboration I’ve read featuring J.D. Barker that has defied that trend. You pick up the writing styles of both authors throughout The Coast-to-Coast Murders but neither ever seems to overshadow the other.

There’s not a lot else I can say without giving away major plot points and, if you choose to read this, it’s best to go in with as little known as possible. But it’s definitely worth checking out for fans of Patterson, Barker or crime thrillers.

THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS
James Patterson and J.D. Barker
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 978-0-316-45742-2
Hardcover
Thriller

I have over the past few weeks been encountering a lot of advertising hype about THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS by James Patterson and J.D. Barker. Patterson is of course a household name among fans of genre fiction, while Barker is well known for his imaginative novels --- always with a twist or five --- concerning murderers, serial and otherwise, including the recently published and wonderfully titled SHE HAS A BROKEN THING WHERE HER HEART SHOULD BE. One might expect that the combined talents of these two gentlemen would produce a work more than equal to the advance praise which precedes it. One would be correct.

THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS may have a somewhat ordinary title but certainly is a riveting wild ride from one end of the country to the other. The focus of this story is Michael Kepler, an ordinary if somewhat unlikely long distance truck driver. Michael has returned to his residence in Los Angeles following a delivery with the hope of getting some well-deserved sleep. The fulfillment of that hope is a long time coming, given that he discovers the body of a woman submerged in his bathtub. Michael calls the police and soon finds his life plunged into turmoil. Michael has no recollection of meeting or even seeing the victim before, yet it appears that they have had an ongoing relationship. There are pictures of the two of them together all over her apartment. There’s an intimate video of them together. They each have clothes at the other’s residence. None of it makes sense to Michael at all. Neither does the appearance of an FBI agent Jessica Gimble, who has been investigating a series of murders around the country which she is able to link to Michael. It appears to be a slam dunk. The locations documented by the tracking device on Michael’s truck match the dates and times of various murders committed there. Michael’s background is another complex factor, considering that his mother, a drug addict, died under mysterious circumstances which resulted in Michael being adopted by a husband and wife psychology team. Michael protests his innocence to almost no avail. What occurs is that Gimble, as driven an FBI agent as one is likely to encounter, slowly comes to doubt her own case. As becomes clear during the course of THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS, there are a number of unseen agencies at work that seem to be set either on freeing Michael or killing him. None of them, however, are interested in the truth, as becomes manifestly clear by the time this story reaches its ultimate conclusion.

THE COAST TO COAST MURDERS bounces among a number of points of view --- all of them well-labeled and clearly delineated --- as Michael’s backstory is slowly revealed in order to shine a light on what is occurring in the present. Patterson and Barker provide all manner and sorts of red herrings, plot twists, and corkscrews to the plot while also throwing an occasional hand grenade into the tent just to make sure that the reader is paying attention and not becoming too sure of what will happen next or for that matter what will happen in the present. There is also plenty of mayhem. Don’t get too attached to any particular character as they may not make it to the end of the book. You will without doubt become attached to this well-written, action-packed tale in short order. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2020, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Just wow! This book rocked my socks. I knew that a James Patterson/JD Barker collaboration would be fantastic but didn't know that it would be mind-blowing! This book is dark, thrilling, edge of your seat, and full of expertly crafted twists. It does take on themes that could be triggering like child/sexual abuse and torture. If you love a good thriller, then this is the book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC.

Michael finds a nude, lifeless girl in his bathtub. He calls the police. They arrest him for the crime. He denies ever seeing the girl before. The police show Michael pictures found in her apartment of him with the dead girl. They show him his personal items in the girl’s rooms. Michael continues asserting his innocence. He insists he was framed. But it is going to get much worse for Michael when the FBI gets involved. Agent Jessica Gimble is positive Michael is the perpetrator of Coast-to-Coast Murders.

Seriously, read as little as possible about this superior thriller before you start reading for yourself.

Hopefully, you’re still reading my spoiler-free review. This book has multiple radical twists in its plot. To mention even the first twist is unfair. Trying to solve the mystery before the mind-blowing conclusion is an incredible challenge for armchair detectives. One that I completed failed to meet, which is great! Once I closed my mouth that had dropped open in shock and caught my breath, I felt like applauding the authors. But I didn’t because it was 3 in the morning by then and I didn’t want to wake my husband.

I admit I stopped reading the co-written James Patterson books years ago. However, I was enticed back by J.D. Barker’s name on the cover. He wrote She has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be, which I adored earlier this year. And he adds some great intricate plotting to this book too.

I will go so far in saying that if you are a thriller fan, please don’t miss reading the Coast-to-Coast Murders. It is my favorite serial killer police procedural so far this year. I haven’t been so happy with a thriller since reading Silence of the Lambs. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.