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Loading... Beat the Reaper (2009)by Josh Bazell
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. this was one of those books i accidentally read, and i don't ENTIRELY regret it. there were a lot of interesting facts about anatomy thrown into what was, to me, a kind of annoying mafia tale. sure, the whole episode where all poles are painted as suspicious, anti-semitic assholes really rubbed me the wrong way. the medical stuff was neat and there were actually a couple moments where his writing left me a bit in awe. as for the rest ... well, at least it went by quick.
This may be the most imaginative, albeit the most violent and profanity-laden, debuts of the new year. Beat the Reaper is definitely not a book to pick
up if you happen to be recuperating in a hospital,
but if you're stuck in an airport with a long flight delay, it's just what the doctor ordered. Beat the Reaper is a skillful performance, and the proof lies in our willingness to swallow it whole. If at first we allow Mr. Bazell to hoodwink us because he’s so good, the true test comes later—when we forget we’ve been had. And Bazell is really funny, mostly in a fast-flying, smart-alecky way, but with enough rim-shot silliness - as when Peter explains mobster Joey Camaro's nickname, "supposedly because he was constantly bitching." Peter is the crazy-looking guy at the back of the bus whom you kind of want to buy a beer. He's the person you both do and don't want on your side, kept around. He's the pigeon trying to beat the rat. And so is his story. Bazell has sutured together Alan Alda's Capt. Hawkeye and James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano, and so long as he keeps everything operating fast enough, it's too much fun and too much gore to take your eyes off the page. Belongs to SeriesPietro Brnwa (1) Belongs to Publisher SeriesL'eclèctica (169) Stile libero [Einaudi] (Big) AwardsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Thriller.
HTML:Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan's worst hospital, with a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he'd prefer to keep hidden. Whether it's a blocked circumflex artery or a plan to land a massive malpractice suit, he knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. Pietro "Bearclaw" Brnwna is a hitman for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Relocation Program. More likely to leave a trail of dead gangsters than a molecule of evidence, he's the last person you want to see in your hospital room. Nicholas LoBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante, is Dr. Brown's new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might-just might-be the same person ... Now, with the mob, the government, and death itself descending on the hospital, Peter has to buy time and do whatever it takes to keep his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption alive. To get through the next eight hours-and somehow beat the reaper. Spattered in adrenaline-fueled action and bone-saw-sharp dialogue, BEAT THE REAPER is a debut thriller so utterly original you won't be able to guess what happens next, and so shockingly entertaining you won't be able to put it down. No library descriptions found.
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LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumJosh Bazell's book Beat the Reaper was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. Hachette Book Group5 editions of this book were published by Hachette Book Group. Editions: 1600244327, 0316032220, 0316037559, 0316032212, 1600248195 |
If you're a fan of thrillers, read it. Even if, like me, you usually can't stand thrillers because of crappy writing. This writing isn't crappy. It's the best kind of writing for a thriller: it stays out of the way of the story.
Now: READ IT! ( )