The Thomas Berryman Number

by James Patterson

You are about to begin one of the classic American novels of suspense by one of the world's bestselling authors. It 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.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook

272 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
ReadKiddoRead

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aye...

Now, I'm hopeful that JP fans and James himself, can forgive me for this review, given that he sold like 400 million copies of his books since. BUT, this was slowwwwwww.

This is James's first ever published novel, back in 1976. I'm not surprised, however, that James's first few novels have been lost in history amid the Alex Cross craze. Not many people have even heard of this novel (including myself up until not long ago) called The Thomas Berryman Number.

I'll start with the writing. I know that, since this first novel, James's writing has improved a lot. It's not terrible in this novel, but it's a bit stunted and lacks the sort of paciness that he's become famous for since. I was also a bit distracted by frequent paragraph breaks where they shouldn't have been. It felt a bit jumpy or something, like it lacked fluidity.

I'd also have a hard time calling this book a thriller. Mystery novel, yes. Thriller, debatable. It more so read like a sort of hardboiled fiction. And I couldn't help but imagine this as though it was a black and white film.

Further, I found the plot kind of confusing. I think this was mostly because the plot was slow and not all that interesting, so I became a bit dazed and inattentive while reading it. I lost interest fairly quickly in the story and the characters. But the story jumps back and forth between present and past quite often, and it's easy to miss the timeline switches if you aren't paying close attention.

Okay back to the writing quickly - to James's credit, it is clear that he's always been a very very good writer of first-person narration. Even here, in his first ever novel, it is clear that he's always had a gift at tapping into the first-person. First-person narration is the most difficult style in my opinion, but James does it well when few others can.

Not much else to say. This is a shortish novel, easy to read in a day or two or three. But I'd recommend sticking to James's more popular novels.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. There are two minimum requirements for a story, that you have a plot, and that you write in a method that the reader can follow, and this book failed on both counts. The story jumped around so much that it was hard to follow what was going on and I'm still not quite sure what happened. The story started off well by introducing us to a charcter who claims he can provide evidence that a hit man carried out a murder despite there being video evidence that someone else did the crime. But the story just nose dives after this and it never explains if it was indeed the title character who carried out the assasination how exactly he managed to frame someone else. I'm a big fan of Patterson and have read most of his work. I have been looking forward to reading his first novel for some time and was very dissapointed. If there is one possitive thing to come out of this book it is that James Patterson's story telling has greatly improved since he penned this work

[Lee Kyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Constantly through all my reviews on Patterson books I have continually said that i have yet to find a bomb so to speak. The Thomas Berryman Number was my 21st Patterson novel and how ironic the bomb i would find planted within the Patterson bibliography would be his very first book ever??!! Now everyone sets out in life in their chosen profession on a trial and error basis, given that I am no way at the point where i would say well that's it hands down...no more Patterson however if The Thomas Berryman Number was the very first book i had ever read of Patterson's i would've definatly thought really hard about reading anymore of his work.

This book was so hard to follow i can't even with a clear head come up with a proper review on the synopsis as i usually do. Black Senator has been elected...assassination plot... an author who is writing about Berryman the killer??? So sorry i just can't. This was once again for the record James's first novel, and hell..i have never even attempted writing a book let alone how many he has so whom am i to criticize? In my journey through his books from A-Z I have enjoyed every single one of them up to reading this..he definatly gets a pass this time round! So in short if you are, like me, reading through his works you can either pass this, as i should've, or read it just to say it's done, as i did also, but just be forewarned tis all!

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm being generous giving this book two stars. The writing is excellent, but lacks fluidity, and apart from enjoying parts 3, 4 and 5 a lot more than the other four parts, I found the book mostly boring and very confusing. Luckily it's a short read. Was there some kind of twist at the end? If there was, it went right over my head. I couldn't keep most of the characters straight, so the ending fell completely flat for me and added even more to the confusion I felt throughout the book.

Needless to say I'm not impressed with this one, but at least I know James Patterson is a good writer and I've enjoyed many of his other books in the past.

[Geri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me see. What can I say about this book??
I have had this on my shelf for some time.
I started it and I kept pushing, thinking I have to give
it a chance. After a while I was going to quit but I
felt that I had invested so much of my time I really
should get it done. Maybe there would be something
at the end that would save it.
That didn't happen.

[Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars for Thomas Berryman Number (audiobook) James Patterson read by Will Patton.

Maybe I should have looked at the ratings before I checked out this book. I just noticed a Patterson book was available that I hadn’t read so I gave it a try. I think this is my biggest disappointment by him so far.

[Scott A. Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 Star, and I’m being generous. As a reader, I have two flaws. First, if I like an author I have to try to read all of their books, even if I know some of them aren’t worth the time. This wasn’t worth my time. Second, I have to finish every book I start. No matter how bad it is. I have only ever not finished two books in my life. This should have been number three. Completely boring. Nothing fun at all.

All of that said, Patterson remains one of my all time favorites. I’ll just forget about this one. I guess it was his first so there is an excuse for it’s quality.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was James Patterson's first book. As I was reading it I was so confused about the whole thing. If I had read this before any of his others I dont think I would have read any of his other books! It was very odd!

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read a lot of James Patterson (Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club) and usually enjoy it. I decided to read some of his older books - and this book was an incredible disappointment. It was fragmented and hard to follow. I would not recommend it.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. It was boring and it would never end. I can usually read his stuff in a day but this was not the case. It took forever to finish and I wanted to throw it away half way through the book. It never got better.

[Laura Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has NOT aged well. In a nutshell, it's about a reporter investigating the assassination of a Tennessee politician killed because he's Black. Besides the frequent racial slurs and stereotypes (yes, I realize this was written in the 70s and the subject cannot avoid some of that fr the "bad guys"), this was just... BAD. The storyline was difficult to follow, numerous threads were just abandoned or tied up very sloppily, and the biggest event of the whole book was written so anticlimactic-ly I wasn't even sure what was happening. 2 stars is a HARSH rating from me, but this is firmly 2 stars.

[Johanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

If characters had been more fleshed out it would have made them feel more alive and kept reading more interesting.

This had two timelines and skipping between them distracted reading flow. This still was somehow intriguing read but slow pacing made everything feel less thrilling.

The story itself was good but the way this was written could have been better. I see potential here and still liked this book but you can definitely see how this could have been written so much better.

[Kim Bondy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had heard great things about this author, so I thought that I would read one of his early books and make my way through his works. This book was excruciating to read. I almost quit reading it numerous times. I eventually finished it, but there was nothing satisfying about finishing it. The book jumped around all over the place and was hard to follow at times. Nothing enjoyable about it!

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm really surprised. I've never read a James Patterson book before and having been given this one, and being in between books, I thought I'd give it a go. It must be good, right? I mean he has sold more books than anyone, ever. And this is his first book, presumably the one that gave him his big break. As an author myself, I couldn't wait to see how he had captured an agent or publishers attention with those first, crucial chapters.

And then I started reading. From the start, I struggled to understand what was happening to whom. I found myself reading the same sentences several times, trying to work it out. I found the format difficult too. A space between paragraphs, missing commas (which didn't help my ability to understand what was happening), and really odd observations that were inserted like bullet points and didn't seem to belong.

By page 16 I had decided this book wasn't for me. I have a pile of books to read and was not going to waste any more time on this one.

I am sure Patterson is successful for a reason, though I can only assume it is in spite of this book. It will be a while before I read another of his stories.

[Sophie Houston · Rating 1 out of 5]

A collection of words rather than a novel. Bizarrely awful.

[Rae Lewis-Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a really BIG Fan of James Patterson's Alex Cross series, as is my Godmother Judy. I have read every single one of them! As I mentioned in my last book review on Walter Mosley's Black Betty, Judy and I talk about Alex Cross like he is real. We also try to figure out how James Patterson, who is very white has so much insight into the life of African-Americans. It's an on-going theme to our Patterson book discussions. I would love to have lunch with him one day and get some up close insight.


Well, Judy kept trying to get me to read Patterson's frist book, The Thomas Berryman Number, written in 1976. I finally picked it up last week and loved, loved, loved it! If you are a fan of Patterson's Cross series this is a must read. Again, Judy and I had the same discussion about Patterson when we talked about this book. Is he really a black man, passing for White?" We asked jokingly. Was the love of his life a black woman and so on and so on. You should hear us; we are H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!

The Thomas Berryman Number is a clear indication that Patterson was a mystery writer in the making. It also foreshadows his Alex Cross Series. Not the character, but certainly the African-American themes that flows throughout the series. I find The Thomas Berryman Number interesting because the Cross series didn't emerge until 1993, 17 years after this book and many other books prior to The Cross Series.


In a nut shell, the book was great. It starts off slow, but it certainly picks up. There's tons of suspense and you will want to keep reading until the very end. The mayor of Nashville is a black man and he is assassinated. Thomas Berryman is the assassin and the story is told thought the lenses of a reporter writing a book about the murder. It was a little complicated those frist 15-20 pages but I soon figured out what was going on.

The story line is a good one, and for sure the book picks up. The real beauty of this book, however is that we can see where Patterson's began and for his avid readers, where he ended up.

The book is over 20 years old, but I got my copy from used books off Amazon... Happy Reading until next week! Don't forget to check out todays Tea Review! http://www.raelewisthornton.com

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the first book that published for James Patterson. Thomas Berryman is a gun for hire. He makes his living as a hired assassin, though he is not connected to the mob or any other organization.

Ochs Jones, the narrator, is a reporter for a Nashville paper who is hoping to make it big by investigating the secretive history of Berryman. All of this is in response to the assassination of Jimmie Horne, the first African American mayor of Nashville. The assassination is followed by the killing of the assassin himself by another professional. Jones sees this as a chance to prove how goof of a reporter he is. His trek brings him to New York and throughout the South in the hopes of getting more information about the professional killer. The question is whether or not Jones can get the information he is searching for before Berryman can strike again.

I did find Jones to be an interesting narrator. I enjoyed listening to him talk about his family, everyday life, and his investigation. Sprinkled throughout his professional journal, there by Jones are notes interspersed.

Unfortunately, the book drags a lot because there really is not enough of a plot to support the length of the book. It is surprising to read, since Patterson usually has such wonderfully crafted books. I guess it goes to show that everyone starts off and has stuff to learn.

[Minna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to create a "Hot Mess" shelf specifically for this book.

Despite featuring a fairly atmospheric and true-to-life setting (the Southern-ness of the various settings, including Texas, Tennessee, and Kentucky felt very genuine), this book had no discernible point, gaping plot holes, inconsistent characterization, and a time line that was practically impossible to follow. I'm not all that impressed with James Patterson as a reader, generally, nor as a professional (it's hard not to notice the absolute PARADE of Pattersons appearing on the library shelves every. Single. Month., and the phrase "quality over quantity" comes to mind), nor as a person (those ads on TV really irk me. How egotistical can you get?!) so it's hard to be totally unbiased in my rating, but it's safe to say that Patterson's debut novel does not impress me much.

I read this book for the 2015 PopSugar reading challenge for the category, 1st book by a popular author. Despite my personal distaste for the man, Patterson IS one of the most popular authors out there in the U.S. right now (which says a lot for the general quality of the books being read by the American public).

[Vikas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read a few Patterson books before and have a ton of books by Patterson but I always try to read the books in order and his first book came and I started with this but it wasn't very good and he hadn't started with his usual formula of very short chapters.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Christi M · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm always a HUGE, HUGE James Patterson fan, but this was a travesty of a book. SOOO hard to follow what was going on as it was splintered and fractured all throughout. I just finished it last night, and I honestly am hard-pressed to tell you what happened. I REALLY wanted to DNF this one, but I persevered. This book was NOT for me. Sorry, Mr. Patterson!!

[Ty Hutchinson]

I never finished it. It was very hard to follow. Boring. Lack of interest made it even harder to follow characters or even get into them. I had saw the reviews on Amazon that this book sucked. It did. First Patterson book I have not liked.

[Nicole Dunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been very nice hearing James Patterson's first ever book. I enjoyed it very much. I practically listened to it all in one sitting! I had to pause it here and there so I can't say I listened to it all in one sitting! But it was good!

[Kendall · Rating 1 out of 5]

James Patterson is usually a good writer, so I'm surprised he hasn't pulled this one. Granted, I only got half way through, but still couldn't make heads or tails of it.

[Chris Haughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first James Patterson novel, now I know he is one of the best selling and well known authors, however that does not make all his books good. The Thomas Berryman Number was his first, and I'm not going to judge his whole work of writing on one novel but I will ask "How did this book when the Edgar Award for Best First novel in 1976. This book is boring, on the back they use words like classic, gripping and unforgettable. It is none of those, if I could I would give it a half star, I will be reading more Patterson, but if someone tells me he is phenomenal, I will ask them if they have ever read anything other than Alex Cross and tell them to read The Thomas Berryman Number.

[James Tidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every author has to start somewhere. This is James Patterson's debut novel. The book starts with three murders in the American South. It ends with a relentless manhunt in the North. Sandwiched in between is the gripping story of a ruthless assassin, the woman he loves, and the beloved leader he is hired to kill.

This edition has two extracts at the end of the book. One is from Private Vegas. The other is from Truth or Die.

[Ken Mattes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reading James Patterson’s autobiography “James Patterson” where he mentioned this novel was his first recognized work as an author.
The suspense crime novel is based on the story a southern journalist is doing on a hit man Thomas Berryman and the killing of a black southern politician.
Interesting twists and turns and perspectives on the workflow of both a journalist and a Horman and his paramour.
Reflects experiences recounted by Patterson as a youthful worker in a mental health facility in MA.

[Paris (kerbytejas)]

DNF

[Cindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly BORING. I listened for several hours and I’m still thinking who is Thomas Berryman and why do I care? Not your usual James Patterson book.

[Brown Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know if I've gone off James Patterson (it has been years since I read anything by him), or if that one was different from the ones I read years ago, or if it's just me, but that was neither a good nor pleasant. I didnt like the style of the writing, the rhythm, got lost between the many characters, and the timeline, and a lot of the references made no sense to me (not the author's fault obvs). Anyway, didn't enjoy this, even found it hard to finish and nearly gave up