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Dead Man Running
The doctor is in...deadly danger. Dr. Randall Beck is an eccentric psychiatrist with a terminal disease. This makes him fearless, which comes in handy when a patient is murdered before his eyes--a patient with an unspeakable secret.
BookShots
LIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JAMES PATTERSON
Novels you can devour in a few hours
Impossible to stop reading
All original content from James Patterson
BookShots
LIGHTNING-FAST STORIES BY JAMES PATTERSON
Novels you can devour in a few hours
Impossible to stop reading
All original content from James Patterson
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2017
576 people are currently reading
1310 people want to read
About the author
James Patterson
954 books356k followersOfficial 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
January 13, 2018
In this political thriller, James Patterson and Christopher Farnsworth team up to create a high-impact BookShot story to entertain the reader for a few hours. Dr. Randall Beck enjoys his work as a psychiatrist, helping some of the most stressed out people who are keen to save the world. When a new client enters his office, Beck senses that there is something especially troubling going on. As the client departs, he is gunned down on the sidewalk, uttering a single word to Beck before he expires. Beck, uncertain what he ought to do, is soon approached by the Secret Service, though will not reveal anything passed along during patient-doctor exchanges. Beck finds himself placed under arrest for reasons that remain unclear to him, though he gets the feeling there is something he’s not being told. After he is able to escape, he tells his story to a friend and colleague, before trying to communicate with his client’s wife. Things become a massive game of cat and mouse, before Beck is accused of trying to kill the president at an upcoming debate. Now on the run for his life and unsure who he can trust, Beck must hope that the terminal tumour in his brain kills him before a bullet to the back of the head. Explosive in its delivery and quick-paced to keep the reader hooked from the early going, BookShot fans and thriller junkies alike will love this piece.
These are the types of stories I feel BookShots were made to depict. There is so much going on that only the rapid succession of short chapters and cliffhanger moments can truly give the story the justice it deserves. Patterson and Farnsworth pack so much into a short piece that the reader has no time to breathe or even blink. Randall Beck is an interesting character, plucked from his day job and placed in the centre of an assassination plot that has parts of the Secret Service turning on one another. The pace permits the reader to learn nothing of Beck’s backstory, but a little development as he faces death on a few occasions. The secondary characters keep the story moving and pave the way for the explosive finish that is to pass by the final few chapters. The story, by no means unique, is told in a wonderful way to keep things moving and leaving little to the imagination. The reader will love the quick turns, though the bodies pile up as the plot takes unexpected turns. Still, I can only hope there are more BookShots out there that tell of something equally as exciting.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Farsworth, for such a wonderful piece. It buoys my spirits and has me hoping you’ll come back soon to work on another project.
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/...
These are the types of stories I feel BookShots were made to depict. There is so much going on that only the rapid succession of short chapters and cliffhanger moments can truly give the story the justice it deserves. Patterson and Farnsworth pack so much into a short piece that the reader has no time to breathe or even blink. Randall Beck is an interesting character, plucked from his day job and placed in the centre of an assassination plot that has parts of the Secret Service turning on one another. The pace permits the reader to learn nothing of Beck’s backstory, but a little development as he faces death on a few occasions. The secondary characters keep the story moving and pave the way for the explosive finish that is to pass by the final few chapters. The story, by no means unique, is told in a wonderful way to keep things moving and leaving little to the imagination. The reader will love the quick turns, though the bodies pile up as the plot takes unexpected turns. Still, I can only hope there are more BookShots out there that tell of something equally as exciting.
Kudos, Messrs. Patterson and Farsworth, for such a wonderful piece. It buoys my spirits and has me hoping you’ll come back soon to work on another project.
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/...
September 25, 2021
প্লটটা ইন্টারেস্টিং। এক্সিকিউশান ও ভালো। তবে, অতিরঞ্জিত্ত চিত্রনাট্য... অতিরিক্ত কাকতাল... নাটকীয়তা... অসামাঞ্জস্যতা চোখে লাগার মতো হবার দরুণ বেশ বিরক্ত হয়েছি...
January 15, 2018
This was one of the best Bookshots I’ve read so far. Cool storyline & very exciting with lots of action!
March 4, 2021
বুকশট হিসাবে ভালোই। অন্তত প্যাটারসনের অন্যান্য বুকশট থেকে। টুইস্ট ভালো ছিল। কিছুটা ড্রামাটিক। টাইম পাস।
January 6, 2020
Another great read by James Patterson. A fast paced thriller with lots of action!
August 29, 2018
Terrible. I bought this book because I’m a fan of Christopher Farnsworth, not James Patterson. I had hoped Patterson’s name was on it just as a selling point. To be honest, I’m still not sure what his involvement is. I just hope it was a lot and that Farnsworth is the one who didn’t have much to do with it.
The story lost me pretty quickly. The psychiatrist scene at the beginning, the damaged yet brilliant doctor who takes “last resort” patients and who is answerable only to the beautiful and brilliant colleague who knew him in med school. That threw me off as I’ve been watching old episodes of HOUSE lately and that is so hilariously the exact nature of the simmering romance between House and Cuddy, the beautiful yet brilliant head of the hospital who knew House in med school and tries in vain to guide him to do more good than harm, if not leash him.
haha.
It’s exactly the kind of familiar scenario rehashed and served up luke warm that I expect of these kinds of authors who could really sell anything as long as their names are on it.
*LIGHT SPOILERS*
I could have forgiven that. I’m not a snob and I don’t demand originality every time out. It’s instead the silly moment the psychiatrist confronts a suicidal man with a gun that turned me off. The suicidal guy protests the idea of being shot, and the doctor actually gloats like the man is cured of his depression. I’m not expert myself, but I’m pretty sure even a suicidal person will rather not let some douche blow their face off. The point is it’s in their hands or at least making their choice.
That Patterson makes this kind of play and believes it is somehow in any way informed by what people with depression feel was a bit too much for me.
It’s this old world idea that you cure fat people by ridiculing them. Or with people in physical therapy, you have to insult their manhood or whatever to get them to want to walk, haha. (I’m disabled and had to deal with that.)
Maybe I’m making all of this too personal, but Patterson lost me either way. Beyond that I was taken so out side disbelief that a psychiatrist taking on drug dealers (or whatever it turned out to be) just sounded too dumb to waste my time on.
I’m just hoping Farnsworth didn’t really have that much to do with this awful story and that he’s well paid for whatever he did.
The story lost me pretty quickly. The psychiatrist scene at the beginning, the damaged yet brilliant doctor who takes “last resort” patients and who is answerable only to the beautiful and brilliant colleague who knew him in med school. That threw me off as I’ve been watching old episodes of HOUSE lately and that is so hilariously the exact nature of the simmering romance between House and Cuddy, the beautiful yet brilliant head of the hospital who knew House in med school and tries in vain to guide him to do more good than harm, if not leash him.
haha.
It’s exactly the kind of familiar scenario rehashed and served up luke warm that I expect of these kinds of authors who could really sell anything as long as their names are on it.
*LIGHT SPOILERS*
I could have forgiven that. I’m not a snob and I don’t demand originality every time out. It’s instead the silly moment the psychiatrist confronts a suicidal man with a gun that turned me off. The suicidal guy protests the idea of being shot, and the doctor actually gloats like the man is cured of his depression. I’m not expert myself, but I’m pretty sure even a suicidal person will rather not let some douche blow their face off. The point is it’s in their hands or at least making their choice.
That Patterson makes this kind of play and believes it is somehow in any way informed by what people with depression feel was a bit too much for me.
It’s this old world idea that you cure fat people by ridiculing them. Or with people in physical therapy, you have to insult their manhood or whatever to get them to want to walk, haha. (I’m disabled and had to deal with that.)
Maybe I’m making all of this too personal, but Patterson lost me either way. Beyond that I was taken so out side disbelief that a psychiatrist taking on drug dealers (or whatever it turned out to be) just sounded too dumb to waste my time on.
I’m just hoping Farnsworth didn’t really have that much to do with this awful story and that he’s well paid for whatever he did.
February 4, 2020
Apparently i was tracking this book in the series - The 13-Minute Murder, but since i have no desire of reading the other 2 stories there, i've told myself that i will mark this as done.
The book didn't tell me much.
Just that it is ridiculous! I don't know why James is so well known. The action is ridiculous, it doesn't have any substance, it just is!
Adding here the original status.
January 8, 2020 – 24.0% "Much ado about nothing"
December 5, 2019 – 11.0% "This book is ridiculous! The whole action. James you did it again."
December 5, 2019 – 10.0% ""He wanted to see why someone would have want him dead."
Like really? It's clear!!
You are an eye witness to a murder."
December 3, 2019 – 7.0%
November 30, 2019 – Shelved
November 30, 2019 – Started Reading
The book didn't tell me much.
Just that it is ridiculous! I don't know why James is so well known. The action is ridiculous, it doesn't have any substance, it just is!
Adding here the original status.
January 8, 2020 – 24.0% "Much ado about nothing"
December 5, 2019 – 11.0% "This book is ridiculous! The whole action. James you did it again."
December 5, 2019 – 10.0% ""He wanted to see why someone would have want him dead."
Like really? It's clear!!
You are an eye witness to a murder."
December 3, 2019 – 7.0%
November 30, 2019 – Shelved
November 30, 2019 – Started Reading
October 15, 2018
What a story! A terminal man trying to uncover a plot to kill the pres. Corruption at every turn and you don't know who to trust. So good
June 30, 2023
i have never written a review but this book was so utterly horrible i just had to get my hands on the keyboard. The characters are so bland and badly written, there is 0 to no character development and it falls into all of the cliches. The storyline is the basic storyline in where the main character has to rescue the president and everyone seems to care about him because he is oh so magnificent. I need to stop writing because otherwise i will engage in ferocious activities of terrorism. In conclusion, your book sucks, stop writing. ttyl xox
p.s. i dont even care about spell checking since you didnt really care about writing a good book, gnight.
p.s. i dont even care about spell checking since you didnt really care about writing a good book, gnight.
May 2, 2019
I have been a fan of Christopher Farnsworth for years. I love his "President's Vampire" series. When I saw he had teamed up with James Patterson for "Dead Man Running," I knew it would be an exhilarating read.
The action and intrigue starts almost immediately, and never lets up. Dr. Randall Beck, a psychiatrist, is considered 'the counselor of last resort for people suffering from severe post-traumatic stress and burnout.' He's also suffering from an untreatable brain tumor. Dr. Susan Carpenter is a friend and advisor. When Kevin Scott, a former Army Ranger, walks in his office, Beck and Carpenter suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives with no one they can count on except each other. A well-written 'edge of your seat' read.
The action and intrigue starts almost immediately, and never lets up. Dr. Randall Beck, a psychiatrist, is considered 'the counselor of last resort for people suffering from severe post-traumatic stress and burnout.' He's also suffering from an untreatable brain tumor. Dr. Susan Carpenter is a friend and advisor. When Kevin Scott, a former Army Ranger, walks in his office, Beck and Carpenter suddenly find themselves fighting for their lives with no one they can count on except each other. A well-written 'edge of your seat' read.
April 6, 2021
A remarkably good book considering that it is so short. Lots and lots of action. It starts off with a doctor and his PSTD patient, and then explodes into a complicated secret service plot with traitors at every turn. Wow!
September 4, 2018
Such a great read, I finished it in a few hours
Such a great read, I finished it in a few hours. I loved the constant twists and the final few chapters kept you at the edge of your seat.
Such a great read, I finished it in a few hours. I loved the constant twists and the final few chapters kept you at the edge of your seat.
May 10, 2019
Fast and action packed read. Nothing like going out on your own terms.
April 15, 2018
I'm giving it a 5 for a purely enjoyable read on a snowy day!
July 6, 2019
This short bookshots novel finds a therapist on the run and accused of plotting to murder the president after one of his patients is killed in front of him. Can he survive?
February 5, 2020
Not his best work. I was glad when it was over.
June 23, 2020
Quick read, but not very memorable or realistic.
Towards the end, I just wanted to be done with it.
Towards the end, I just wanted to be done with it.
February 12, 2021
Too much happening in too short of a book. I like the chase but it doesn’t work for me in this bookshots.
July 9, 2021
2.5. It served the purpose of entertaining my family and I on our recent road trip. But the plot wasn't great and I didn't love the ending.
June 12, 2018
Can't say how much i love this book! I might be exeggerating but when i read this book, action-packed, it feels like im watching a movie. There's no need so much lines to explain what's happening but short descriptions of the characters's actions makes me understand what they're doing. I love how Beck and Susan, despite being doctors, they know what to do when they're stuck in a conspiracy. Beck knows what to do and how to fight and he learns them from his patients stories/experiences. He is the definition of some of us.
Not to forget Howard and Morrison. When i write, it is hard to create a character that is so hateful. And James Patterson and Christopher Farnsworth made me hate Howard and Morrison and that takes a great author to write such characters! And because this is a bookshot, means the book is written in a very simple way to make readers understand, I love how they don't use complicated word and didnt describe a situation that is hard to understand. I can see clearly what the authors are imagining while writing this book.
Ah! I'm officially obsessed with James Patterson!
Not to forget Howard and Morrison. When i write, it is hard to create a character that is so hateful. And James Patterson and Christopher Farnsworth made me hate Howard and Morrison and that takes a great author to write such characters! And because this is a bookshot, means the book is written in a very simple way to make readers understand, I love how they don't use complicated word and didnt describe a situation that is hard to understand. I can see clearly what the authors are imagining while writing this book.
Ah! I'm officially obsessed with James Patterson!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2018
A 2017 thriller novella written by authors James Patterson and Christopher Farnsworth. A patient suddenly decides he doesn't want to talk to psychiatrist Randall Beck and runs from the office. Beck follows in time to see a masked occupant of an SUV gun down his patient. As the patient dies, he utters the single word "Damocles". A pair of unlikely Secret Service agents question Beck, but he cites patient confidentiality and refuses to say anything. Taken into custody, he is being taken to an unknown location when he realizes the agents are the killers. He causes the SUV to crash and escapes, calling Sue his therapist/girlfriend for help. The agents track her phone number and now the two of them are on the run - but why? An intriguing read with puzzles within puzzles.
Dr. Randall Beck is an eccentric psychiatrist with a terminal disease. This makes him fearless, which comes in handy when a patient is murdered before his eyes--a patient with an unspeakable secret.
Dr. Randall Beck is an eccentric psychiatrist with a terminal disease. This makes him fearless, which comes in handy when a patient is murdered before his eyes--a patient with an unspeakable secret.
January 19, 2019
In the introduction, James Patterson describes Bookshots books as "100 percent story-driven, no fluff." By "no fluff," I'm assuming he means he won't be wasting time on stupid things like character development. His hero, Randall Beck, is a solid stereotype: a workaholic rebel who has no patience for the rules. The text actually describes him as a "loose cannon."
This novella was also very simplistically written: very short chapters (3 pages on average), short sentences, and easy vocabulary. There should have been illustrations. I felt like I was reading a children's book.
I didn't rate lower than three stars because it was a pretty quick (if unchallenging) read, and Christopher Farnsworth can still write a mean action scene even given the limitations imposed by Bookshots.
This novella was also very simplistically written: very short chapters (3 pages on average), short sentences, and easy vocabulary. There should have been illustrations. I felt like I was reading a children's book.
I didn't rate lower than three stars because it was a pretty quick (if unchallenging) read, and Christopher Farnsworth can still write a mean action scene even given the limitations imposed by Bookshots.
February 4, 2025
The doctor is in...deadly danger. Dr. Randall Beck is an eccentric psychiatrist with a terminal disease. This makes him fearless, which comes in handy when a patient is murdered before his eyes--a patient with an unspeakable secret.
Heather's Notes
I am not sure why this book had so many chapters, but I did enjoy the story. There were a few times when things got a little confusing (especially in the car crash). How were the both shooting at him, when they had just said that one guys are was pinned and the other guy had been knocked out? However, overall the story was interesting and engaging.
Heather's Notes
I am not sure why this book had so many chapters, but I did enjoy the story. There were a few times when things got a little confusing (especially in the car crash). How were the both shooting at him, when they had just said that one guys are was pinned and the other guy had been knocked out? However, overall the story was interesting and engaging.
February 25, 2018
This was likely the best Bookshot I’ve read. It had a good storyline with suspense, action and romance. All in all, well worth the three hours invested in this short story. It was clever to start the novel with a doctor suffering from a fatal brain tumor and build a very interesting story around the doctor’s patient who ultimately gets shot outside the doctor’s office. While small parts and characters suffered from the rush of a short story, this one largely maintained a good blend of current events and fiction. Bravo!
May 21, 2019
I thought this was a very well crafted book. Beck is a doctor who has high clearance so he can work with those in law enforecment, military and governement mostly. These are people who need help but might not acknowledge it and/or are having trouble with regular therapy. He works very well with these people though he has been diagnosed with a tumor which is going to kill him. He has a friend and fellow therapist in Susan who checks on him everyday. Beck has a new patient and from there everything goes haywire in a big way. Great read.
August 14, 2019
Dead Man Running by Patterson and Christopher Farnsworth is about a psychiatrist with a non-operative brain tumor who learns that a senator running for president is to be assassinated. He finally gets to her to warn her only to find out how wrong he was. Randall Beck did not know who he could trust. Certainly not the DC police nor the bogus Secret Service agents who cuffed him and threw him into their car. He calls his friend Susan and tells her what he has found out. Together they have to fight for their lives.
March 4, 2024
Well done! I would like more writings by Christopher Farnsworth. Dr. Randall Beck is a talented psychiatrist treating a new patient with something huge on his mind. This patient is then gunned down in the middle of the street outside Dr. Beck's office. The Secret Service want to know what the now deceased patient told Dr. Beck, and the thriller begins. The twist is Dr. Beck really has nothing to lose in this political game as he is a fatal brain tumor growing. His limited time on this earth lends a lot of fearlessness on his part. Great read!
December 29, 2017
Nothing like cheating death!
When your the psychiatrist to the elite in the government, you expect to hear it all. When Kevin Scott comes to Dr. Beck for his first session, he didn't expect that he would become public enemy number one.
When your dealing with a person who has nothing to lose it doesn't make a threat viable. Unless you threaten someone they love. Randall and Susan are out of their element and must do what is needed to survive. Or die trying to save as many lives as possible.
When your the psychiatrist to the elite in the government, you expect to hear it all. When Kevin Scott comes to Dr. Beck for his first session, he didn't expect that he would become public enemy number one.
When your dealing with a person who has nothing to lose it doesn't make a threat viable. Unless you threaten someone they love. Randall and Susan are out of their element and must do what is needed to survive. Or die trying to save as many lives as possible.
March 27, 2021
w/ Christopher Farnsworth This very typical James Patters on (someone or anyone) Not very believable. But a could COVID distraction. From cover: Psychiatrist Randall Beck specializes in extreme PTSD cases. But Beck’s patients do not know he is working against a ticking clock himself; he has an inoperable brain tumor. When Beck uncovers a plot to kill a presidential candidate, he decides to use his remaining time to save as many lives as he can.
March 30, 2021
ডেড ম্যান রানিং
--জেমস & ক্রিস্টোফার
-- Anwar Hossain অনুবাদিত
একেবারে টান টান উত্তেজনা যাকে বলে :3
একেবারে তা এইটা।।
এয়ারপোর্ট নভেল মনে হল আমার কাছে আর এয়ারপোর্ট নোভেল হলে এর চেয়ে ভাল এয়ারপোর্ট নোভেল আমি পড়িনি এখন ও।।।
যদি মূল টুইস্ট টা বলিউডের একটা মুভিতে দেখেছিলাম(শাহরুখ খানের একটা মুভি)
প্লট মিলতেই পারে অস্বাভাবিক না ♥
যাইহোক অসাধারণ একটা থ্রিলার পড়লাম।
না পড়লে পড়ে ফেলেন আর ধার নিতে এক্সাম ♥
--জেমস & ক্রিস্টোফার
-- Anwar Hossain অনুবাদিত
একেবারে টান টান উত্তেজনা যাকে বলে :3
একেবারে তা এইটা।।
এয়ারপোর্ট নভেল মনে হল আমার কাছে আর এয়ারপোর্ট নোভেল হলে এর চেয়ে ভাল এয়ারপোর্ট নোভেল আমি পড়িনি এখন ও।।।
যদি মূল টুইস্ট টা বলিউডের একটা মুভিতে দেখেছিলাম(শাহরুখ খানের একটা মুভি)
প্লট মিলতেই পারে অস্বাভাবিক না ♥
যাইহোক অসাধারণ একটা থ্রিলার পড়লাম।
না পড়লে পড়ে ফেলেন আর ধার নিতে এক্সাম ♥
Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews