The Lifeguard by James Patterson

Title: Lifeguard

Author: James Patterson

Genre: Mystery

Summary: Ned Kelly's job as a lifeguard is easy, but doesn't bring wealth like the easy heist his cousin has organized for Dr. Gachet. The heist doesn't go as planned and Ned is a wanted man.

The Take-Away: The book starts with Ned's story of the heist, meeting the love interest and the explanation of an easy heist. After everything goes wrong for Ned, including the death of the love interest, the FBI steps in and interprets the crime scene. They get it wrong. When Ned connects with Special Agent Ellie Shurtleff, he's given a chance to tell his side of things.

Ned's never a bad guy. His character warrants empathy from the start. After all, if the money is easy enough and big, who wouldn't consider breaking a few laws? But the FBI is trained to analyze and correctly piece together a crime scene. The resolution of the two "good guys" is the driving force for this novel.

Mr. Patterson always has a great story to tell, whether it's one of his series characters or a random crime.

Recommendation: Consider getting the audio version. Billy Elliot was a great reader.