Beat the Reaper (novel)
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| 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]
Television series adaptation
In December 2025, Apple TV ordered a series adaptation with Sam Catlin serving as showrunner and executive producer. Will Poulter is set to star as Dr. Peter Brown and executive produce the series.[8]
References
- ↑ Pressley, James (January 5, 2009). "This Mafia Hit Man Swims With Sharks, Kills With Fibula: Books". Bloomberg L.P. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Beat the Reaper". Booklist. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ↑ Wilson, Laura (January 31, 2009). "Nowhere to hide". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ↑ "Beat the Reaper". Kirkus Reviews. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ↑ "Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell". Publishers Weekly. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ↑ Charles, Ron (January 11, 2009). "Diagnosis: Hypertension". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ↑ "Barry Awards". Stop, You're Killing Me!. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ↑ Cordero, Rosy (December 18, 2025). "Beat The Reaper Series From Sam Catlin & Starring Will Poulter Set At Apple TV". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 18, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2026.