jsmorris's Full Review: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - Swimsuit
Have you ever read a book and a couple of weeks after you finish reading it you are still wondering if you liked it or not? Well that’s how I feel about Swimsuit. I loved the book until the ending. I loved the plot, I loved the characters, I enjoyed the fast pace. And then the authors seemed to hit a speed bump and lose momentum.
Ben Hawkins, a former Los Angeles cop who is now a reporter, is assigned to go to Hawaii to follow a story about a missing swimsuit model, Kim McDaniels. Ben thinks it will be a short assignment in paradise but it is the beginning of his nightmare. He meets Kim’s parents and begins his assignment on her disappearance while helping the parents try to find out what has happened to their daughter. While on the trail more women turn up dead and they soon realize a serial killer is on the loose. Little does everyone know that this killer is more diabolical and prolific than they can imagine. Henri Benoit, the killer, gets in touch with Ben and decides that Ben is the perfect person to write his biography. Ben is threatened into the deal and his nightmare takes on a personal touch with threats being made towards Ben as well as his girlfriend.
The plot has numerous twists and turns and at times I’m left wondering which way the book is headed. When Henri is telling Ben his life story I often wondered how much was fabricated and how much was fact. Could this person be that horrendous? He is one of Patterson’s most gruesome villains to date. The murders and torture are told in very graphic detail – so much so that this book should come with a warning that it is not for the squeamish. My biggest complaint was not in the vivid information but in the ending. I did not like the way the book ended. <Partial Spoiler Alert> It was almost as if Patterson and Paetro did not want a traditional ending and went out of their way to find a bizarre way to end Swimsuit and I felt it left a lot to be desired. It was as if the authors wanted to hurry up and finish the book so they tied it all up and ended it. The coincidences and chance opportunities were ridiculous and Henri should have bought several lottery tickets with as much luck as he had. It was a joke! <End Partial Spoiler Alert>
Character development was very good as I’ve come to expect from Patterson and Paetro. I felt the angst that Ben felt as he was trying to save his life as well as that of his girlfriend. I had my skin crawl whenever Henri spoke about his exploits and described various parts of his life and his accomplishments. I felt the panic and sadness that Kim’s parent’s felt. The development was to the point that the reader actually felt they were part of the story.
Overall the book was enjoyable but not as good as others that this writing duo has produced. It’s an average book but one that is better than a lot of what is on the market. It’s gruesome but moves quickly. It’s a great book until the last fifty or so pages and then it becomes fair. If it had a different ending, it would be up there with some of their best work.
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