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Beat the Reaper (novel)

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2009 crime novel by Josh Bazell
Beat the Reaper
AuthorJosh Bazell
GenreCrime fiction
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Publication dateJanuary 7, 2009
ISBN978-0-316-03222-3

Beat the Reaper is a 2009 crime novel, the debut novel of author/physician Josh Bazell.

Plot

The plot, written in first-person and alternating between present-day scenes and flashbacks, concerns Peter Brown, a medical resident in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

In the flashback chapters Brown narrates how, under his real name of Pietro Brnwa, he fell in with a Mafia family and became a hitman after avenging the deaths of his grandparents who had survived the Nazi death camp Auschwitz. In the present, Brown must help save the life of a mobster who knew him as Brnwa, lest the patient reveal Brnwa/Brown's location to the local crime boss.

Reception

Beat the Reaper received reviews from Bloomberg News, Booklist, The Guardian,Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and The Washington Post.

In 2010, Beat the Reaper was shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best First Novel.

Film adaptation

In 2009, New Regency Productions acquired film rights to the novel with an eye toward Leonardo DiCaprio as co-producer and Sebastian Stan as lead actor.

References

  1. Pressley, James (2009-01-05). "This Mafia Hit Man Swims With Sharks, Kills With Fibula: Books". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  2. "Beat the Reaper". Booklist. 2008-12-01. Archived from the original on 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  3. Wilson, Laura (2009-01-31). "Nowhere to hide". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  4. "Beat the Reaper". Kirkus Reviews. 2008-12-01. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  5. "Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell". Publishers Weekly. 2009-03-02. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. Charles, Ron (2009-01-11). "Diagnosis: Hypertension". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  7. "Barry Awards". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  8. Collinson, Gary (2018-03-29). "Sebastian Stan to star in Beat the Reaper for Gore Verbinski and Leonardo DiCaprio". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on 2024-08-23. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  9. Rappe, Elisabeth (2009-01-08). "Leonardo DiCaprio Aims To 'Beat The Reaper' With Mob Adventure". MTV Movies Blog. Archived from the original on 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  10. Fleming, Michael (2009-01-07). "DiCaprio set to 'Beat the Reaper'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
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