The House Husband (Kindle Single)

by James Patterson

Harry Posehn is the best dad and the best husband . . . or is he? Detective Teaghan Beaumont isn't sure.Detective Teaghan Beaumont is getting closer and closer to discovering the truth about Harry Posehn. But there's a twist that she-and you-will never see coming.BookShotsLightning-fast stories by James PattersonNovels you can devour in a few hoursImpossible to stop readingAll original content from James Patterson

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

144 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 26, 2017

About the author

Official US Site
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JIMMY Patterson Books
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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

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best Bookshot I have read to date. As fast as I was flipping pages I knew it was bound to come to a quick end. Frustrating… this would have been a great full length book!

Homicide detective Teaghan Beaumont is an extremely strong female lead. A homicide detective returning from maternity leave, she’s finding it difficult to leave her new son at home with her husband. Her first case back involves a string of murders in which entire families are found dead in their homes. Will she find the murderer before it becomes personal?

This was so good. I was deep in the story immediately and wanted more. Even included a great twist! What more can one ask for? Other than more, oh I don’t know…pages, chapters...sequel!?

Enjoy a gripping, albeit far too short a ride!

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patterson, plus! Slightly more sinister, completely compelling, alongside spine-chilling-creepy, The House Husband is particularly fine fiction.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good little BookShots story. I admit, I'm becoming obsessed with BookShots. They're just such a great idea!

This one pulled out a helluva surprise in the middle, which I didn't expect. That was refreshing. And I enjoyed the rest of it; it was a good plot that kept me curious as to what the heck was going to happen/whodunit.

Onward!

[Matt]

With a new author pairing, Patterson brings Duane Swierczynski into the BookShot mix to show off his abilities, and what a debut venture this has become. There is a killer about, targeting families whose strains outweigh the connection they have together. What makes it all the more mysterious is that said killer by night is a house husband, most bland, during the day. When Teaghan Beaumont returns to the Homicide Squad after having her first child, everything seems out of whack; her partner is acting off and her fellow detectives handle her with kid gloves. However, when Beaumont and her partner respond to the scene of a potential familicide, she cannot help feel chilled to the bone. While trying to juggle her job and a six-week old baby, Beaumont's mind is always racing, yet tired as ever. Doing a little work on her own, Beaumont soon realises that there have been other such crimes while she's been away, all chalked up to strain within a family unit. But, when another such event occurs, Beaumont is sure there is a killer on the loose, setting the scene and trying to deter the authorities. What she discovers next will not only blow the case wide open, but no one will see it coming, even the reader. A wonderful story to appeal to those BookShot fans who seek a gem and have toughed it out with less than stellar pieces in the past.

As I have mentioned many times before, BookShots are truly a gamble to the avid reader. Short enough that anything disappointing has not wasted too long of the reader's time, but fast-paced at times that the reader can devour a few in one afternoon. Patterson's introduction of Swierczynski into the family proves to be a wonderful addition and has offered new hope for fans of this short story grouping. With little time to waste, Patterson and Swierczynski develop strong characters and a story that is second to none. Short chapters force the reader to grab on and get hooked or drop everything as the plot moves at an alarming pace. A few key twists within the story act as major pivot points and the reader is left to wonder what's just happened, hopefully in a good way. I do hope to see Swierczynski again soon in either BookShot or full novel format, as he surely has a mind for this sort of piece.

Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Swierczynski on a wonderful piece. I can only hope there are more BookShots to come from this entertaining duo.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

This short read (Book Shot) was great and easy to finish in a afternoon. I really enjoyed it and didn't have to wait on the twist! I think this is one of the reasons I picked it up and it appealed to me.

The pace was good and I never felt like putting it down or moving on to another book. I will definitely pick out another book shot in the future.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House Husband is a standalone detective thriller/mystery written under James Patterson's BOOKSHOTS imprint (fast reads for fast times). At 144 pages/2 hours, 30 minutes via audio, this is a quick and easy read, as the BOOKSHOTS selections are intended to be.

This story reminded me of Dexter but without the intense attention to character-building surely only because of the brief length. I usually don't like detective thrillers but I liked this one a great deal. It was a fun and engaging read in my opinion. If you are making your way through the BOOKSHOTS collection, make sure to add this one in the mix!

My favorite quote:
"You never know what secret wars people are fighting."

[Keri Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a good thing this is short, because it’s hard to put down. Harry is a great dad, looking after the kids while his wife works. But Harry has a secret.

Teaghan is a detective who has just returned to work after her maternity leave. Life is chaotic with a new baby, and things aren’t quite right with her work partner.

Hold on! The audiobook is well narrated and makes for a fun listen.

[gwen_is_ reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
           Detective Teagan Beaumont has come back from maternity leave into a mess.  Her partner is hiding something, her husband is having issues adapting and, let's face it, she just doesn't want to leave her baby every day.  Then there are the murders.  Several families have come up murdered.  A mother that killed her children, husband and herself.  A well off family where the mother poisoned her family, then overdosed on pain killers.  The one that shakes her, though, is when it is another police  man's family.  It looked like the mother took a gun to her family and then herself.  But she knows this mother.  Nothing would have possessed her to do this.  Where do you loo for clues when nothing is as it seems?
         At the same time W. Harold Poshen has the perfect life not far away.  He is the perfect father and house husband and loves his life.  Sometimes though, you just have to blow off a little steam.  And, really, can he help it when it makes him angry to see failing families?  All he wants is the perfect family. 
My thoughts:
             This was a good, fast read; though fairly predictable.  I did like Teagan, but it was harder to like the other characters as they were a bit underdeveloped for me.  I would be interested to see if Detective Teagan becomes a series, but as of yet this is a standalone novella.  The story line was interesting and engaging, and I found myself wrapped up in the mayhem.  I give it a three. 

           On the Adult Content Scale, I give it a six.  The violence gets pretty gruesome.

[Melenia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bookshots are all over the place for me. I was really enjoying this one until the main character went off the deep end and it all stopped making any sense. Then it lost me. If they guy was truly on a psychotic break as they suggest the killings wouldn't have been nearly as organized as they were. I wanted them to find the perfect guy who had his life together and had fooled everyone. Instead we find some psycho who some how managed to live a life for six weeks killing people without being detected... Where was he living? Anyone in his old neighborhood would have recognized him, even if he had "let himself go". The police would have had the house as a crime scene for weeks probably and no way would he have access to the family minivan... nothing at the end of the book makes any sense. I felt majorly let down by the last 3rd of this book, which is very disappointing because I was enjoying the first part. It's a pretty interesting premise the "perfect" guy/dad being a killer instead of the jacked up lawyer who was never home and didn't even know his kids...

[Fanny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The House Husband de James Patterson tenia el potencial de ser un thriller mas que aceptable pero lamentablemente debido a su corta longitud solo quedo en una lectura entretenida para pasar la tarde.

Esta es mi segunda lectura del autor y respecto a la primera mejoro ligeramente, sigue teniendo un desarrollo demasiado rapido y brusco pero al menos la trama no es tan predecible como la de Bloody Valentine.

A pesar de tener tan pocas paginas es una novela que te mantiene atrapada y que en determinado momento te sorprende con un giro que al menos yo no vi venir pero realmente me parece exagerado darle tres estrellas, si Goodreads a fin pusiera las medias estrellas le daria 2.5 pero hasta ese momento puntuo a lo bajo.

En conclusion, un libro aceptable, ideal para iniciarte con el genero o para leer cuando no tienes demasiado tiempo y quieres leer un thriller sin demasiadas paginas.

2.5 Estrellas!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story and I think it would make a really good series. I hope to see more stories like this from James Patterson in the future. Bookshots books were great idea by James Patterson.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This bookshot was pretty clever & slightly creepy

[Michelle Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

It is a fun read that holds your attention. It goes by quickly. I'm a James Patterson fan, which is why I chose this book. I think the "book shot" format hurts the story telling and character development. These are facets of James Patterson stories that I appreciate the most. However, I knew it was the shorter, quick read format and within the limitations, it was a great read. Enjoy!

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audiobook grabbed my attention, but soon faltered as the storyline moved along.

[Keri · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I just didn’t feel very invested in this one for some reason. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters and the twist and suspect seemed like it came out of nowhere and was very easy to get to for the protagonist. I’m not sure if the story just didn’t hook me, or if it would have done better with more pages for a more in depth story...whatever it was this one just wasn’t for me.

[Marleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The House Husband is just another book-shot (100 pages quick sell) by James Patterson with too much of violence and little depth. I would recommend that readers, who like a bit of background and content, to not give this book a try, because it lacks all the elements to make a good read.
I was horrified by the idea that killing families is even plot to consider – and then without context – it felt so gratuitous. I hate these types of reads, where all the focus is on a psychopath and his distorted thoughts and monstrous actions.
I was expecting more from this author, in all honesty.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, friends, I gave a James Patterson book four stars. Why? Since it had a co-author's name attached to it, I'm assuming James probably didn't have much to do with the writing, but if he constructed the plot, it was pretty well done. The main character was appealing (although I wanted to shake her husband) and the killer was sufficiently creepy to keep me reading and was perfect for a hot afternoon on the deck.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great quick read!

[Bethany C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up because I was looking for something short to take on vacation and figured since Patterson was so famous the writing must be pretty good. The writing is laughably terrible. I only finished it because it was short and I was assured there was a twist. I guess I know what the twist was supposed to be but it was also pretty lame.
The parts that were supposed to be written from the female detective's point of view seemed like they were written by a 14 year old boy. I get that she was a new mother, but did we need another update about her aching breasts on every other page? For this brief a story, the author could have used all the words he spent on breast references and thrown in a scooch of character development. Like something other than 'I'm a ladycop but all I care about is how my husband and boobs feel.'
If this is available in audiobook, I imagine it has to be read in the cheesiest, faux suspense building voice, like a cross between someone narrating a B horror movie and doing a Batman impersonation.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked all aspects of this (the creepiness, the detective, the twist), just wish it were longer. Probably the best Bookshot I've read thus far.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Teaghan Beaumont returns to work after 6 months of maternity leave. She and her partner Diaz are called to the scene where an entire family has been killed by gas. Teaghan doesn't believe this is an accident. She soon learns that while she was out on maternity leave, two other families have been killed under suspicious circumstances.

I liked the murder mystery but due to the length of this book, there was no time for character development. I think Teaghan has the potential for a great series. I realize the book needed to end with the twist for the shock value, but the ending was abrupt. I was left with the sense that the book was simply too short. Some of these Bookshots work for me with this length, some don't.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[jennyreadit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa... It's like the old JP is BACK! Or it's this new collaborator? In any case, this is reminiscent of the earlier JP plotlines.
Teaghan Beaumont is a cop returning from a 6 week maternity leave. Her first day back, she and her partner investigate a murder-suicide of an entire family. But then, when researching, she discovers three other cases in her town of Philadelphia--all while she was out on leave. A short, quick page turner will have you trying to solve the murders as well...until the twist at the end.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had almost given up on Bookshots, but this was pretty good. Plenty of suspense and a more developed plot than in some of the others.

[Buzzkill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this was a really good thriller. ACAB but it was an interesting choice having the main protagonist be a cop who just got back to work from maternity leave.

[William Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story. Patterson does it again. Great plot, interesting characters and many twist.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 a very quick and easy thriller ( not my usual) read. Kept my attention !!

[Christie Guillory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little twisted domestic thriller of a short read.

[Denisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los “bookshots” son unos libros cortos creados para devorar rápidamente. En esta ocasión “el buen marido” cumplió su objetivo. Un thriller que no desperdicia las páginas y entretiene completamente.

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good and funny actually because the killer talks in first person and we really see the crime from his eyes as well as the detectives. He has a quirky, weird personality. About 75% through the book I realized what was really going on. Definitely a page turner.