Review by Library Journal Review
The Thomas Berryman Number suffers from a meandering plot and a bewildering cast of characters. Reader Will Patton does his best to keep things in order, skillfully using honeyed Southern accents to tell the story of an ambitious newspaper reporter who investigates the assassination of a beloved African American leader. Those patient enough to wade through the molasses-thick tale will find a rewarding climax awaiting them as the action moves from murders in the South to a riveting manhunt in the North. Patterson has legions of fans; these two books will find an eager audience. The other titles in this series (e.g., Honeymoon, Mary, Mary, and London Bridges) should be well within the budgets of public libraries large and small. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The true story behind the assassination of Nashville's Senate-aspiring black Mayor, Jimmie Lee Horn, as recounted by investigative reporter Ochs Jones. The murder appeared to be the work of a deranged divinity student (seemingly filmed in the act) until the babblings of Ben Toy, Berryman's guilt-ridden accomplice, bring Jones to the scene. Toy paints a picture of Berryman as an imaginative (IQ: 166) Texas-born bag man whose expert contract handling is both clever and foolproof. But not perfect--especially since the journalist manages to piece together the story of his life and reconstruct the events of his last kill. You'll find that all the crisscrossing flashbacks diminish the immediacy; still, this is a neat first number by a promising new author. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
