The Coast-to-Coast Murders is an exciting psychological thriller from J.D. Barker and James Patterson. It begins with Michael Fitzgerald as he discovers a body in his bathtub. After calling the police, he is surprised to be arrested, and discovers a bunch of evidence that points towards him committing the crimes. The novel follows Michael as he escapes police custody, and enlists his sister Megan in an attempt to clear his name. But as he dives deeper, he discovers some uncomfortable truths about his and his sisters past.

This novel is a fast paced thriller from start to finish, seemingly with a cliffhanger on every other chapter to keep the reader hooked. This novel felt very similar in feel to one by Chris Carter. I'm glad I had the opportunity to read this and hope to read more from J.D. Barker and James Patterson soon.

This is a fast paced story. Lots of twists and turns. I love the short chapters. I thought I had worked out what was going to happen but I was surprised right up until the last page.

James Patterson’s books never fail to disappoint, this grips you from the getgo, a fast paced edge of your seat thriller with plenty of twists and turns and an unexpected finale.

I found this to be a real struggle at the start with the storyline being very slow.
It gradually got going and pulled me in with a real twist at the end.
Overall this was really entertaining.

This is a big book with an awful lot going on. Dare I say too big and too much? At times I felt like I had literally lost the plot. The start is typical JP (here writing with JD Barker) when a man finds a woman drowned in his bath tub. He declares his innocence and the police don't believe him and here starts the roller coaster ride through the convoluted investigation with multiple characters and lots of red herrings and potential clues. I did like the book, but at times I was exhausted and struggled to stay with it. I just feel it could have lost 100/150 pages and been a better novel for it.

I’m sure I’ll be in the minority as Mr Patterson is hugely loved and hugely successful but I yearn for the days when he wrote his own books and they were tightly plotted page turners.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The Coast-to-Coast Murders
by James Patterson
Random House UK, Cornerstone Century
Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph UK for this review copy.  This is my unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want plot lines and spoilers, please see the publisher's blurb and other reviewers' reports.
Recently I have been assiduously working my way through the reviews I owe the authors and publishers and I can only offer my sincere apology for being tardy with this excellent book. 
Not that I thought I would like it from the start of the book. I have always disliked the sort of dialogue where someone rattles on ignoring the protestations of others. In real life you’d just say “Shut the fxck up and listen!" So, when the opening chapter was not only full of wittering, but a man who doesn’t automatically see a dead body in the bath I felt like giving up. I mean,  I thought I was to read a thriller and here I was reading a farce. 
But after the preliminaries and the rather hackneyed scenario with the police, the writing settled down in James Patterson’s l safe hands and we went on the rollercoaster ride. 
I suggest anyone in doubt pick up the book and settled down just read and read. The short chapters are sometimes irritating and once or twice I skipped on the find the next chapter when the same character’s point of view was being aired but that just made a complex plot impossible and I had to go back and read in the authors’ sequence.
The beginning and the unsatisfying final chapters mean I have knocked off two stars the book a three-star rating.

Like other reviewers found, this was not one of James Patterson’s better books. A slow storyline, compounded by an ending too complicated, left me a little bored and confused. 

I remain uncertain whether this was a good collaboration for a book and question whether I would read anything by this pairing again?

Thank-you to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
There's a killer travelling around, when a body is found in the bath at Michaels' apartment (one of the main characters) it becomes a race for Micheal and his sister to prove his innocence.

I have never read a James patterson book before so wasn't sure what to expect. I started reading this ages ago but it just seemed to go on and on on I had to have a break! 

At first I thought oh it's another split personality book which seems to be currently all the rage I films and books but it wasn't....... Instead it became even father fetched. There didn't seem to be any ending or any questions answered at the end either. 

There was also A LOT of description in fight scenes and action scenarios and I found it really boring. If you like action you might like it but it just wasn't for me.

The usual Patterson page turner. Edge of the seat thriller with an ending that was unexpected. Recommended.

Absolutely brilliant book. Fast paced. Full of twists and turns that keep you guessing til the very last page. I was totally hooked.

When Michael Fitzgerald arrives home from his job as a long-haul truck driver he never expected to find a dead woman in his apartment. He soon becomes Number One suspect and, after being arrested, he is broken out of custody with catastrophic consequences. Michael turns to the only person he trusts - his sister Megan.
The authorities soon realise this is not the only murder like this and there seems to be a trail of dead bodies from one side of the country to the other all along the route Michael drives.
A manhunt is on to stop the killer. The race is on, but can the killer be stopped? Especially as it is ramped up with false leads and twists that leaves law enforcement baffled.
James Patterson has again shown why he is the best selling author around. This is the ultimate rollercoaster story and with so many twists and turns, the reader will be dizzy with delight when they finish this quite brilliant book. I loved it.

Violent whodunit. 

Michael Kepler rushes back to his flat when his neighbour calls him. Water from his flat is pouring down the stairs and into her apartment. Far worse than water damage that he must contend with is the body of a woman in his bath – dead. The police refuse to believe that he didn’t kill her. 

Megan Fitzgerald is Michael sister. Both she and Michael were adopted by Dr Bart and Dr Rose Fitzgerald, he a psychiatrist and she a psychologist. Both doctors are highly respected in their fields, both tenured at Cornell University. When Michael phones Megan to tell him about the body, he asks her to get into Dr Bart’s rooms to search through his files to see if the woman he’s supposedly murdered was one of his patients. Megan discovers that there are several patient files with strange markings. On closer examination, she discovers that several have been murdered. 

With the LAPD and the FBI searching for Michael, Megan must leave her comfort zone to help.

If you’re interested in how psychology can alter human behaviour, then this is a perfect read for you. Usually, I’m fascinated by the subject, but this was so far fetched – but then what is far fetched nowadays? 

Rony 

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

It's been over a month since I last read a Patterson book and I've been meaning to read one of Barker's books for a while now so this seemed like a good choice!

This was a really solid thriller that had my head spinning! You get the impression early on that nothing is what it seems and it keeps you guessing till the end.

It's more than just a typical cat and mouse style serial killer novel. Here we have a main suspect who appears to be innocent but evidence strongly suggests otherwise. His sister is supporting him but even her trust is shaken - considering his past psychological problems you can't blame her for having doubts!

Some of the scenes in here are much darker than I'd expect from Patterson and I suspect this was Barker's doing - There was one particular event that made me gasp, stop reading and proclaim "No way!" out loud!

The characters are well written and the story has depth without becoming over complicated. The cinematic action is relentless, and the twists are plentiful - it's a wild ride!

Gripping read, every time I thought I knew the main instigator the story took another direction.  An  intriguing insight  to the mind and a vert frightening possibility of what could happen in the wrong hands

In LA, a detective and FBI agent join forces to try to catch the killer. But what seems an easy to solve case changes as more bodies are discovered across the country. 

Adopted siblings Michael and Megan Fitzgerald, have a very disturbing past and strange upbringing by their adoptive parents, both highly intellectual people, one is a phycologist and one a psychiatrist. Because of this strange and often brutal and terrifying childhood they trust only each other and are really close. When Michael is the main suspect in the killings, Megan does everything she can to help him but the killings keep on finished it happening.

The book is fast paced but I felt not an easy read as it kept switching from present day to what happened in their childhood, and then another person becomes part of the story. Could this person be the killer and letting Michael take the can?

Not my favourite James Patterson book; I finished it but still am not sure "Who Did It", hence 3 stars.

I've read many of James Patterson's books and am a great fan of his work. I haven't read anything by J.D. Barker who is co-writer of this book but the collaboration is a good one. This is a gripping and edge of the seat story that races along at a frantic pace and the short chapters help make it even speedier. I did at times find it confusing and the plot a little complex - definitely a book that demands your full attention. Pick it up and you can't/won't want to put it down. There are so many twists and turns that I couldn't have predicted where it was going but the journey was so enjoyable that the destination was worth the wait. A great read for all James Patterson fans and highly recommended. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When Michael Kepler finds the body of a young woman drowned in his bath, he finds himself chief suspect in a series of murders across the country. A solicitor appears and helps him escape from custody and Michael is suddenly on the run from the FBI and police, with only his sister Megan for help. All the events seem to lead back to his adoptive parents and the children’s home he came from, but is Michael hiding a darker side?

James Patterson books always have twists in the plot, just as you think you’ve worked out what’s going on and the Coast-toCoast Murders is no exception. It keeps the pages turning and the brain working as the story pans out. The only real problem I had was the different personalities involved and trying to keep track of who was who and where they fitted in. I think it all worked out in the end, although it took some doing.

Who is on the mark - James Patterson, but possibly not one of his greatest works.

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

OMG what a fantastic book that was to read!  So many twists and turns, right through the book that it had you doubting what you were reading!  Some very good characters and a fantastic plot line that makes you want to keep on reading to find out what happens next - the sign of a great book!

I have just finished reading the coast to coast murders and found it an interesting and intriguing read.  The story focuses upon Michael, a man adopted by two Drs when he is a small child.  Michael is accused of multiple murders, yet he claims he is innocent. All the evidence points to Michael being the killer, despite his claims that it isn’t him. Michael’s sister Megan wants to prove her brothers innocence and becomes embroiled in the pursuit with dramatic consequences following on from this. Following true Patterson style the book contains short chapters, which for me is great, shorter chapters keep me reading for longer. The story is full of twists and turns, and I thought I had figured out the identity of the murderer early on, but was pleasantly surprised when I was wrong.  Overall a fantastic read.