The Exile

by James Patterson

James Patterson’s BookShots. Short, fast-paced, high-impact entertainment.

An exile can never return...

Finn O'Grady, working the night shift as a security guard in London, receives a phone call at dawn. Bridie, a woman he once loved before he left his hometown of Kilmeaden in the west of Ireland, believes she's in terrible danger and needs his help.

Finn has made a new life for himself and can’t go back to the pain and tragedy he left behind in Ireland. But when Bridie's brother is found brutally murdered, Finn has no choice but to return to a life he'd tried to forget.

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

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2017

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
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

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

One advantage to James Patterson’s use of collaborators is that he is able to present stories set all around the world, permitting the reader to experience new authors and locales to pique their interest. In this BookShot, Patterson brings Alison Joseph on board and shifts the focus to rural Ireland. While living in London, Finn O’Grady receives a panicked call from Bridie O’Connor, a friend from back in Galway. She explains that the old tale of the Green Man has merit, as her son saw him the night before. Out of her mind, Bridie will not accept no for an answer, pushing Finn to cross the Irish Sea to offer his assistance. While he wants to help, Finn is hesitant to return to Ireland, having been chased away when he served on the police force. The narrative explores the case that ended Finn’s police career, the rape and murder of Bridie’s teenage sister. Finn sought to crack the case wide open, disbelieving that the man who admitted to the crime was actually guilty. Trying to shake the stigma, Finn turns his attention to Bridie’s concerns around the Green Man. Well aware that the tale is simply folklore, crafted by Bridie’s grandfather many years ago, he seeks to show this to Bridie, who refuses to listen. When members of her family are found murdered, Bridie renews her feeling that the tale holds a degree of truth. Forced to cross paths with old enemies and the police chief who banished him, Finn tried to rectify that lingering case, while dispelling the Green Man tale. A killer is surely on the loose, though no one can quite be sure who it is or why to resurrect the myth. An interesting BookShot for those who enjoy the international experience, though it did not have the punch I sought to find it thoroughly enjoyable.

I am a fan of Ireland and was hoping to envelop myself in this wonderful story when I learned of its setting. There was something within the reading experience that left me less than drawn to the story or its characters, though I cannot put my finger on the specific issue. Patterson and Joseph create a strong character in Finn O’Grady, offering up significant backstory and present character development in this short piece. Finn struggles with trying to find truth in a community where lore and secrets prove a stronger reality. Having struggled with trying to find justice for Bridie and her family, Finn returns and wants to set the record straight. The story offers a number of secondary characters to help to prop-up this flashback-filled piece, though I was left slightly more confused and irritated than pleased with all the names that crossed the page. It was as though Patterson and Joseph wanted to bite off more than they could chew in this short story, forcing the reader to juggle names, places, and crimes in short order. The story was decent, filled with Gaelic phrases and hinting at some of the mystery that Ireland has always given me, though the true cultural sentiment was not as strong as I might have liked. I sought something with fewer threads to tie-off and more small-town feel to it. This story seemed to be all about past grievances and a character stain that Finn O’Grady wants to scrub away, with short chapters that created a jilted narrative. This may be one time that Patterson’s trademark writing style did not work for him. I applaud Patterson and Joseph for trying hard to tap into this fictional experiment and can see some strong foundations for a decent story, though I was just not feeling it. Call it my first let-down in this month of BookShot reading.

Kudos, Mr. Patterson and Madam Joseph, as you sought to push BookShots into the Irish countryside. Alas, I am not sure if a few pints of Guinness and a re-read would make the story any better for me.

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

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Michelle ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Bookshots - I think that's 2 in a row. A bit of a different plot with an interesting twist at the end.

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick to read but a tad predictable.

[Lackof_shelf_control · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review coming soon!

[Dad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an excellent hotshot book written under James Patterson’s oversight. The story was set in Ireland and had all the makings for a great story and suspenseful read. One of the more enjoyable of this genre’s commercial efforts. While the plot was centered on an unbelievable Irish folktale, it made for a fun read particularly on St Patrick day.

[Kelly Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very weird and oddly predictable for me. I finished it though, hence 2 stars.

[Erica Paré · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this bookshot we meet an ex-cop who exiled himself from his hometown after being framed with murdering a friend. They told him if he left he wouldn't be charged with the murder they committed and pinned on him. Finn O'Grady leaves and only comes back after getting a call from his past love, Bridie asking him to come home and protect her and her son from a curse that has been haunting her family for years. We find out lots of bad things have happened in the past and have come back again.
People are dying and Birdie is convinced it is the curse of the green faced man who killed by the elements. While we are learning the history of the curse we find that maybe O'Grady and Bridie are still very much in love. So who is responsible for all the killings? Will they ever find a cure for the green man curse? Will O'Grady end up being cleared of any potential blackmail for the crime he never committed? Now what if there were actually two different groups responsible simultaneously? You will have to read the book to get all these answers and so much more.

[Book_Worm_Jim.83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is th second ‘BookShots’ that I’ve read by Patterson and it didn’t disapoint!!

Synopsis reads…

Finn O'Grady, working the night shift as a security guard in London, receives a phone call at dawn. Bridie, a woman he once loved before he left his hometown of Kilmeaden in the west of Ireland, believes she's in terrible danger and needs his help.

Finn has made a new life for himself and can’t go back to the pain and tragedy he left behind in Ireland. But when Bridie's brother is found brutally murdered, Finn has no choice but to return to a life he'd tried to forget.

It’s hard for any author to write a well balanced short story. The plot needs to be just right, character development and the personalities must be hard to get just right in such few pages but Patterson pulls it off again in this ‘BookShots’.

I loved it and am starting to really enjoy reading Pattersons work and I’ve many more ‘BookShots’ to read over the coming weeks.

‘BookShots’ are like ‘QuickReads’ and ideal to take on holiday as they’re small so you can pack several titles in and they’ll not take up too much of the holiday time to read.

[Helen Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good story for a BookShot. It takes place in Ireland which is unusual with an Irish folklore story being used as the basis for the murder mystery. The lead character which had formerly been a policeman in the town where the murders take place is now working as a security guard in London as the corrupt chief of police forced him out. His former sweetheart calls him and asks for his help. The previous crimes as well as current crimes are resolved. The lead character now has a choice of job options. I wonder if he will end up in a Private novel in the future

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about messed up. Taking an old Irish tale and twisting it to commit murder and cover up old crimes that were horrid. Good story but messed up.

[Karen Shipman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too predictable

[Jayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

Good, short, but entertaining!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Janay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super easy fast read. If you need a short book on a flight or just a quick read this is a good one. Captures your mind with a mystery and a little folk tale.

[Jitendra Mulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written short story about myth of green man, each chapter is so gracefully written with to the point and always leaving with mystery to read next one. A must read.

[Cheryl Turoczy Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Patterson disappointed me for the first time. The climax was weak the ending while opening a door for more, was less than tantalizing. Sorry, old boy. You missed your target with this one.

My second read of this was not as disappointing. Maybe looking forward to a trip to Ireland made a difference.

[John (Just bought an Oculus 2 VR, so less time to read these days!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great James Patterson bookshot

Another great James Patterson bookshot, but too many characters for too few pages. I would appreciated more story and less massive character development. Still a fun read.

[yingying · Rating 1 out of 5]

that was so boring i’m sorry

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a bookshots read. Quick, short read. Finn has been exiled from his home for years but now a woman needs him to protect her and her son. Should he finally return?

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patterson and his co-author give this Bookshot an international flavor by moving their story to London and later Galway Ireland. Finn OGrady is a former policeman now working as a night watchman guarding a storage facility. He received a frantic message from his former lover Bridie O’Connor in Ireland who begged him to come back home. She has been frightened by an old family curse and feels she and her young son Bobby are in imminent danger. Up to this point his attempts to calm her about the curse he knows is simply a folk tale has failed. So O’Grady, given a long vacation by his employer for some exemplary work, reluctantly heads off to help the woman he has not seen for over three years. He does not want to go home having been in a self-imposed exile of his own choosing. He was once the top policeman in Galway but is now doing security work. There are not only painful memories back in his former home, but some unfinished business involving his former employer, Chief Superintendent Brian Hawthorne.

The curse of the Green Man has plagued the Salter family because of the greed of Bridie’s grandfather James Salter. An Englishman who came to Ireland many years ago, he unceremoniously grabbed what he considered to be a scrub bit of land no one wanted and built an enterprising farm complete with a working mill. Although Salter felt he had a right to the land, it did in fact belong to an old Irish family. The locales were furious with Salter’s arrogance but he was a smug bully and ignored their cries of outrage. They called on the curse of the Green Man, a creature believed to protect them from the “English Commers” for help, but James Salter ignored their protests and just continued to expand his farm.

Salter’s son Richard felt differently. He was a gentle, solitary soul who enjoyed history, worked at the university and researched and compiled Irish stories. Unlike his father, Richard carried the guilt that comes from owning something not properly his own. He lived quietly with his wife and two daughters Maura and Bridie. Maura died ten years ago and Richard died shortly thereafter, his heart broken by the tragedy of his daughter’s early death.

Vera Joyce a former school teacher worked with Richard and helped him edit his research. She has been with the Salter family for years and now helps Bridie with the care of her son Bobby.

Bridie once dated Finn, but later married Stuart O’Connor and had a son named Bobby. Stuart died recently from pneumonia and Bridie is now a widow. When her father died Bridie inherited the farm, her father Richard ignoring the usual path of passing his land on to his two sons. There is land next to the Salter property known as the “ghost estate, a dry patch which years ago had been slated for a housing development that never got off the ground. It has recently been sold to a developer who has proposed another project of luxury homes and a golf course. The development company has a complex organizational set up with a number of directors at the helm. Bridie’s brother-in-law Sean and Richard’s son Jason are both involved in the project. Another important man in the organization is Kiley MacAteer, a friend of Brian Hawthorne’s who once dated Maura, Bridie’s sister.

One night the specter of the Green Man appeared to Bobby, a sight which terrified him and Bridie believes his appearance means the Green Man has finally come to seek his revenge for her grandfather’s past deeds. When bodies begin to pile up, each suffering a death described in the curse, Bridie insists her fears are confirmed. As Finn tries to straighten out exactly what is going on, he must face old rivals, a murder from the past and his relationship with Bridie.

Regretfully this was a Bookshot that did not grab my attention. From the onset, I could not become engaged with either the story or the characters. In a Bookshot, there is little time to recapture a reader’s attention once it is lost and although I did finish it, I was disappointed. It is the first Bookshot which did not work for me, but I certainly intend to continue picking up these little treasures when I have a chance. They are great for filling a gap when you are in the mood for something short and satisfying or when the everyday details of life offer you just a short time for a quick read.

[Ed · Rating 2 out of 5]

#0.5 of the Finn O'Grady series. Nowhere does the book state that this is the start of a series, but is the ending is not the setup for a series than this book is even less satisfying than I thought. There is no nuance, the author tells you who the bad guys are and the formula by which the innocents are being attacked. Then after a sufficient number of innocents are disposed of, O'Grady eliminates the bad guys previously identified. Take a cheesy western where the bad guys are attempting to steal the pioneer family's water rights for their cattle and transport it to Ireland where the water is needed for a golf course development. Kill a few hours, but don't expect much.

Ex-cop Finn O'Grady hasn't been home in years. In Kilmeaden, Ireland, his ex-lover-- the woman he swore to protect-- is convinced an ancient curse has put her and her son in deadly danger. O'Grady has seen too much evil on earth to believe in the supernatural. And then the killing starts.

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Patterson's BookShots are fast, enjoyable reads, and The Exile is no exception.

The story is set in Kilmadean in the Republic of Ireland. Former Garda Finn O'Grady has returned home after a close friend is murdered by the mythical Green Man, a pagan figure who has somehow gone from being a symbol of rebirth and reception to a symbol punishment and death. To top things off, O'Grady's former boos, Hawthorne, wants to destroy him personally.

In terms of story, it's the same as any other BookShot: the story is straight to the point, has no filler, and features a good twist at the end. Character development is there, but it's very restrained.

This is the kind of book you would read on a commute or if you wanted something simple to read for a change. It's short, fun, and features a good plot. It's another great addiction to this unique series.

[Andria Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like a Scooby Doo Mystery in novella style. After figuring out who did it the first few chapters of the book, you have to wait until the very end for the mask to come off to reveal that it was really Old Man Withers (Old Man Withers being a Scooby Doo character and not a character of this book, for those confused about my reference.)

The first half of the book was dry and slow. The writing style very choppy with no real flow to it. By chapter 16, the writing style changed and it flowed much better. The story got better and even though it was predictable and I had already known who had done it, those chapters were a much better and a somewhat delightful read.

For a short, quick read it wasn't all that bad. At only 114 pages, it did it's job. It was okay. I didn't like it all that much and definitely didn't love it but I cannot say I hated it.

[Mike Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read quite a few Bookshots now and I must say that I love the concept of them. In particular, I love how James Patterson creates such a graphic and eventful context that you feel like you have had the sort of description and intense-action you would normally get in 300 pages.

The best Bookshots do this perfectly. As I reflect on The Exile (that I only started at 8am today and probably took me 4 hours on and off - having this sort of time is rare for me by the way); I am reminded of so much drama and thrill that was almost non-stop from the start. Also, I love shoot-outs and gunfights and this had a couple with the first being in the first few pages! Literately a 'shot' of adrenaline and action/crime adventure. Perfect for crime book-lovers who rarely get large periods of free time to read.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finn O’Grady hasn’t been home in years, but when Bridie O’Connor calls, he returns to Kilmeaden, Ireland to find out why someone’s killing the members of her family. He's there to put a stop to the killing and to finally find justice for a long-ago crime that tore Bridie’s family apart and changed Finn’s life forever.

This BookShots tale takes the Celtic legend of the Green Man and spins it into a tale of greed, revenge, and redemption. Characterization is sketchy at best, but the strength of the narrative lies in Finn’s efforts to set things right. Readers are likely to find this quick read absorbing despite the early identification of the villains. There is, however, an unexpected twist late in the story that seems a bit disingenuous.

[Vincent Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was listening to the audio version of this book, and I understood nothing about what was really happening. I did not connect with the book, unlike other audiobooks I have listened to. I felt that it is just a collection of words that make no sense to me.

So, here is the summary, for you to decide: Finn O'Grady, working the night shift as a security guard in London, receives a phone call at dawn. Bridie, a woman he once loved before he left his hometown of Kilmeaden in the west of Ireland, believes she's in terrible danger and needs his help.

Finn has made a new life for himself and can’t go back to the pain and tragedy he left behind in Ireland. But when Bridie's brother is found brutally murdered, Finn has no choice but to return to a life he'd tried to forget.

[Elizabeth Graf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finn O'Grady gets a call from an old love, Bridie. she calls claiming that her son has seen the green man...an old Irish curse that is on her family.

Finn promised Bridie that he would always be there to protect her so he flies back home to Ireland to figure out what is going on with this curse. once back in Ireland people. close to Bridie start to die. Finn has his work cut out to figure out what is going on as he use to once be a garda (police) there in town.

can Finn figure out if people are dying because of a curse or if someone is behind it. what about his feelings for Bridie and the love they once shared.

[Tony Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I rated this four stars but that's only because I felt that I couldn't give it a perfect score. I couldn't give it a perfect score because it started out phenomenal, the first 2 chapters were perfect, then it just became a good book. It never got bad, it's a good book, but it definitely dropped a bit after that beginning. But it is a really good, fun, and interesting "detective story".
I really liked that it had almost like a Scooby-Doo vibe to it. That sounds lame, but trust me, it wasn't.
I don't know what to say really. If you're interested in a short Irish detective story with some supernatural elements, check this out.

[Christianna Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really just read this because I'd never read anything by James Patterson and I wanted to understand why he is so beloved. A bookshot was either the exact best or worst way to do that. It's super distilled (took me about 40 min to read) so there's not exactly any room for character development (spoiler alert: there is no character development). It definitely reinforced some weird and slightly uncomfortable stereotypes about Irish people. And don't get me started on the treatment of sexual violence. It kind of reminded me of an episode of Scooby Doo, but worse, with no dog, and more toxic masculinity. That being said, James Patterson definitely knows how to make money, so good for him.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast, easy read - what BookShots are all about! In this novel, Bridie Salter O'Connor and Finn O'Grady were once an item. That was before her sister, Maura, was brutally raped and murdered. When Finn became obsessed with tracking down Maura's murderer, he lost his job and left Ireland for England. Now, Bridie needs his help and calls him, terrified that her family is in danger. Finn returns and finds that there is evil trying to kill Bridie's family.
The ending makes you believe that there will be more adventures starring Finn O'Grady.
#TheExile #JamesPatterson #AlisonJoseph