Beat the Reaper (novel)

Beat the Reaper

Author	Josh Bazell
Genre	Crime fiction
Publisher	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date	January 7, 2009
ISBN	978-0-316-03222-3

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,[1] Booklist,[2] The Guardian,[3]Kirkus Reviews,[4] Publishers Weekly,[5] and The Washington Post.[6]

In 2010, Beat the Reaper was shortlisted for the Barry Award for Best First Novel.[7]

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.[8][9][10]

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.