The Thomas Berryman Number (1996) - Plot & Excerpts
2.5/5 StarsThe gripping story of a ruthless assassin,the woman he loves,and the beloved leader he is hired to kill...Conflicted and surprised, the two foremost emotions I feel right now...2.5/5 Stars is, I think, the lowest I've ever rated a book, especially one by James Patterson. But, this is not his best, and I'm glad I've been an avid fan before picking up his first ever published piece. My rating could change, once the initial disappointment passes it might bump up to 3/5 Stars.The Thomas Berryman Number exudes mountains of potential that the author has proved time and time again he has, but this entry in his collection can't hold a candle to his future works. I think my two main grievances are the pace and overall cohesion, with the latter being my biggest drawback.In a small summary, the novel has an okay story, polarising characters and good writing; however, the disjointed narratives and scenes, strange structure and overall difficulty compared to Mr Patterson's later works makes it difficult to read through. Synopsis (Not a copy from the book, but I always keep my interpretations close.)Ochs Jones is a dog with a bone, or, well, a reporter with a story.It starts with the murder of a prominent black mayor.A beloved man with a mind centred on progression.Ochs then descends into a narrative of conspiracy, of assassins, of residual racism.But as the story thickens, and the pieces try to slot together, Ochs questions his sanity.Is he on to the biggest assassination plot he's witnessed, or are the people in question dragging him down a jagged path of deceit... Plot - 3/5 StarsPushing past the disorientating start, the premise of The Thomas Berryman Number is interesting. I was excited to dive into the story of an illusive assassin. And for the most part, the plot remains intriguing. The commentary of the time, the 70s, also helps, with racial bias still strong in society. It adds weight to Berryman's target, Jimmie Horn, a black mayor with a divisive following. There's also a nice dash of conspiracy to it all, adding different levels of tension and suspense. Unfortunately, it just doesn't come together.The plot jumps around a lot, and leaves everything jumbled. I'd hoped it would pass, but the switching narratives and character viewpoints continued throughout the novel's entirety. One minute we're one character in one month, the next we're several different characters in different months. It's too sudden, with very little explanation that you're ripped from any immersive qualities the novel has.The overall lack of cohesion makes things difficult to follow; the story's effectiveness is dulled and at some points I'd no idea what exactly was happening. The ending is also abrupt in its execution, leaving a few questions up for grabs. Pace - 2/5 StarsMy second biggest problem after cohesion. The pace of the novel is almost non-existent. It rarely picks up, and frequently slows down.I think, predominantly, this is caused by a lack of action or twists. From the beginning we know everything that's happened, there's no real surprise. It's just a monotonous telling of how something we've already been told of, happened. The frequent changes in cast and scenery also sets everything back. Just as a scene is fully forming in your mind, you're dropped into another, then another, then another, without warning. Characters - 2.5/5 StarsI said up top that they're polarising, and they are. The cast isn't very engaging. The Thomas Berryman Number is essentially a book within a book. Our 'main' character is Ochs Jones, who's recounting the story of his own investigation into the mysterious assassin Thomas Berryman. There's not much to say about Jones. There are a few nice moments of him being in supposed danger - it's not capitalised on - and the book's immediacy picks up. But, overall, and as simply as I can put it, he's boring.The one good thing that comes from the style and structure, the book within the book, is the way it emphasises the titular character. We're watching from afar, unable to get a real feel for Mr Thomas Berryman, and that works wonders on the character's mystery. He's charming, intelligent, tough, but disarmingly trustworthy; he's good at his job. We also get the feeling he isn't as sadistic as you would assume an assassin to be. In fact, he's quite methodical, calm. The rest of the expansive cast are just as divided in terms of characterisation. Apart from the main two, there isn't much to focus on. Writing - 3/5 StarsComparing this novel to his later ones, James Patterson's writing has improved immeasurably. While overall it's not so bad in The Thomas Berryman Number, the structure leaves a little to be desired. There's also a lot of off-topic descriptions within scenes that can, and likely will, catch you off guard and distract you. Overall - 2.5/5 StarsReading this, and knowing the works that follow, James Patterson has grabbed his potential and perfected it. I urge you, if you're starting out with this author with this book, to not give up. Mr Patterson isn't one of the bestselling authors of this era for no reason, and the quality of the majority outweigh this single novel.It also leads me to a question for you guys: Are you the type of reader who, if you read a bad book - taking into account subjective opinions - by an author, is that the last time you try that author?For me I rarely ever give up on a writer, even if I don't fancy a couple of their works, but I'm interested in what you guys have to say.
I was excited when I got my hands on this one. I am a fan of Alex Cross and Michael Bennet, and mostly love reading James Patterson for what it usually has to offer. But to get my hands on his debut novel was a different kind of excitement.The book starts with a bang. Three murders – one after another has the officials in a frenzy… Everyone seems to be running in circles or in the wrong direction, except for a reporter called Ochs Jones. Jimmie Horn is a big name around town and even though his killer is shot on the spot making it an open and shut case, Jones is not convinced. Following a hunch, he interviews a patient at a mental hospital who has been raving about the assassination plot and a hitman named Thomas Berryman since before the assassination of Jimmie Horn. Does Thomas Berryman really exist? What role did Bert have in all this? Frankly, this book was a bit of a letdown. James Patterson has obviously matured and improved over the time, but his debut novel is nothing close to any of his other books. The plot had some good potential and I did like the overall idea. But the pace lagged, and the narration felt jumpy. Also, there’s nearly not enough action in the book – at least nearly not as much as we have come to expect from a James Patterson novel. There were some twists incorporated into the story that kept me going. I do think that the climax was just not what the story had been building up to.I do not think I would recommend this particular book to anyone, but I would not stop any one from picking it up either.
What do You think about The Thomas Berryman Number (1996)?
I found this one very hard to rate. This was James Patterson's first published book. I can see why he got an award for best first novel for it, and I can see where he evolved to from here. Nevertheless, I struggled with it. - Possibly because it jumps around a lot. I thought this book needed a good focus to follow it. The dates, the point of view, all jumped around.Having said all that, it was an interesting story - not your typical murder, but more like a Stephen King one, where it's about the journey of the journalist trying to find out who Thomas Berryman was, and the character of Thomas Berryman (and others) as they are revealed to the journalist. But it is not your standard story of someone working to unravel the who-dunnit. It is about the journalist's understanding of the people involved and how that understanding evolves through the story. It is an experimental book, a very courageous one for a first novel, and I think it even succeeds. It shows the calibre of James Patterson and where he starts from. And having said all that, I'm still looking forward to reading the next one he published - Season of the Machete.
—Sally
Popsugar reading challenge - a popular author's first book.Written in 1976. The dialogue includes language about race and homosexuality that was jarring. I tried to keep in mind that it was written in 1976 and the way the characters speak tells us more about who they are, and several of the characters are southern white men. I had the same problem I've had with 2 other Patterson books I attempted to read where I have a hard time figuring out which character he's talking about. The part I thought
—Karen
1.5 stars? Maybe even 2 stars if I didn't expect more since it was by James Patterson. James Patterson fans, you might want to skip over this book. This doesn't have the normal feel of a James Patterson novel with short chapters and lots of action. On Disk 4 of 5 and no one has died yet, we are still investigating the Thomas Berryman Murders, but I don't even know how many he killed and why I should be interested, except the narrator keeps telling me what a great story it was and how he's going to win awards once he writes the book. I was bored with the story and there were lots of in depth, but unnecessary descriptions and lots of down time, I often wished that I hadn't started the story or that I could just quit. Unfortunately, I looked at other reviews and I don't think it's going to get any better. I just need to finish listening to it and not look back.The reader's Southern accent was difficult for me to listen to, but it might just have been the story and not his voice or his reading. I am not a fan of reporters playing detective. The character development was 2nd hand as the reporter, Ochs Jones, relayed to us what each of his interviewees did and said. Since I am drawn in by the characters, this was not my type of story. Each interview uses a flashback to the interviewees interaction with Thomas Berryman and this was overused. The narrator didn't transition between the interviews by telling us why he went to speak to the next person. It has the feel of an actual novel researcher, but it jumps around too much to captivate me. It was very dry and could not hold my attention.How could this book win any awards?! I am reminded of mothers who wanted to ban the Harry Potter series, but had never read a page. Did this book win awards because James Patterson wrote it or did the critics actually read and like it?With-reservations:language, murder, prejudiceSynopsis by Carol MacInnis: (view spoiler)[Ochs Jones is a newspaperman who is writing about the killings of Bertram Poole, Lt. M. Weesner and a personal friend, Jimmie Lee Horn. A crazed lunatic locked up and at times speaking jibberish but has crucial information about an assassin, Thomas Berryman and his girlfriend Oona Quinn and how this all ties into an exciting suspensful (sic) thriller. (hide spoiler)]
— Marla
