One could be forgiven for momentarily thinking that a book titled THE SUMMER HOUSE involves bodies passionately bouncing off of each other over the course of a week or two in June. James Patterson and Brendan DuBois’ novel is anything but that. Yes, there are bodies bouncing throughout the book, but not in the carnal sense. What we have here is a thriller from beginning to end, wrapped around the nugget of an intriguing and puzzling mystery.
 
The Summer House was originally conceived, constructed and utilized as a seasonal retreat in rural Georgia for a wealthy family. However, over the decades, it passed outside of the family and gradually devolved into a by-the-month rental property, which, in the novel’s present, has fallen into disrepair and disrepute. Indeed, as the book opens, it is little more than a local hub for some small-time drug trade.

"Patterson and DuBois have collaborated on a number of occasions, but this is arguably the best of the works that their partnership has produced thus far... Full of twists, turns and action, THE SUMMER HOUSE makes for terrific reading this summer and beyond."

Within the first few pages, it also becomes the scene of a horrific mass murder. The whodunit element of the story seems resolved almost immediately. Eyewitnesses, forensics and security footage from nearby businesses all demonstrate conclusively that an elite team of Army Rangers known as the Night Ninjas are the doers. Recently returned from Afghanistan, they are noteworthy and notorious for quickly and quietly attacking home bases and leaving carnage in their wake, which is exactly what occurred at the Summer House.

The Army sends Major Jeremiah Cook and his team to investigate and make sure that all the t’s are crossed. Cook is an Army veteran and former NYPD detective. He bears scars and secondary limitations from combat action, but steadfastly refuses to let either prevent him from getting the job done. His squad, each of whom possesses a certain investigative skill set, accompanies him to look at what appears to be an open-and-shut case.

Interestingly enough, no one, from the local sheriff to officers on the nearby military base, seems to want Cook and his men around. The Night Ninjas are not particularly well-liked, and the evidence seems incontrovertible. But Cook is determined to work the case by the numbers, even when the head of the Night Ninjas strikes a deal to plead guilty on the condition that the remaining members of his team are exonerated and released.

Yet Cook can’t let things go, and when parts of the evidence begin to unravel, he follows a slender thread of truth back to a place where he had vowed never to return. His team, meanwhile, is experiencing life-threatening danger from an unexpected source. Truth and lives are at stake, and there is a significant question as to whether either or both will survive to the end of the book.
 
Patterson and DuBois have collaborated on a number of occasions, but this is arguably the best of the works that their partnership has produced thus far, which is saying something. DuBois has been prolific on his own, and the considerable writing chops he brings to the table will keep you reading well into the night. Full of twists, turns and action, THE SUMMER HOUSE makes for terrific reading this summer and beyond.