The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) - James Patterson

Written by James Patterson
Read by Will Patton
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Hachette Audio
Edition: Unabridged
Release date: May 1, 2006
Duration: 06:39:13

The Thomas Berryman Number begins with three terrifying murders in the South. It ends with a relentless and unforgettable manhunt in the North. In between is the riveting story of a chilling assassin, the woman he loves, and the beloved leader he is hired to kill with extreme prejudice.

AudioFile….
“With a steel guitar twanging blues in the background, Will Patton performs this Patterson 1976 debut novel, which won an Edgar Award for best first mystery. The complex plot intertwines a reporter’s relentless pursuit of the killer of Nashville’s first black mayor and the path of the assassin himself as he prepares for the biggest murder since Martin Luther King, Jr. Will Patton uses a bluegrass drawl and the soft sound of a New York drug-world hustler, helping the listener understand the complexity of the characters. Patterson’s observations are masterfully transformed into critical insights with Patton’s skillful pacing.”

Library Journal
“”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.”

Every writer had to start somewhere and, we hope, improve…

There is a copy of this in one collection but much ignored. I like to find first novels….