Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (ARC)


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Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports readers to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors (From Amazon)

While doing a photo shoot in Hawaii for swimsuits, stunning model Kim McDaniels goes missing. In the middle of the night her parents get a sinister phone call from the person who has her. He lets them know in a cold, detached voice that their daughter "has fallen into bad hands". Her parents quickly head to Hawaii to search for their daughter. Hoping with all they have that they will find her in time. Only to be completely frustrated by the lack of help they are receiving from the local police (they have "office hours" posted on the door).

Ben Hawkins is a now a reporter for the L.A. Times and semi-famous author of mystery books. He also used to be a detective. His editor sends him to Hawaii to cover the Kim McDaniels story. While his primary reason for going is to cover the story, Ben hopes to get a "story" out of it for his next book. Befriending Kim's parents, Ben realizes that not only must he write the story of his career he must also do whatever he can to find Kim and hopefully bring her home safely. But does Ben just write the story or become a part of it?

Henri Benoit is insane! Not only is he a master of names and disguises, he's also a cold blooded killer. He takes pleasure in his kills. But he doesn't kill just for pleasure - he kills for money too. Henri has been hired by a group called the "Alliance" headed by a man named Horst. A collection of sick and twisted people who take great pleasure in watching the videos Henri has made of his killings.

Once again James Patterson has created a masterful tale of cat and mouse. The book has a unique twist as it is written as a book (with a forward and afterward from author Ben Hawkins). The reader won't waste time trying to figure out "who done it" since we're told that from the attention grabbing first page. What we need to figure out is why Henri kills the way he does, will he be caught, and just who are these people that make up the Alliance??? And let's not forget Ben. He's presented with an opportunity, one he really can't decline, that is no different that making a deal with the devil. Will his accepting of the deal prevent more deaths? Or will he do the "right" thing? A pulse pounding, exhilarating story that travels from Hawaii to LA to Paris and Sweden. A tale of a man determined to do whatever it takes to keep his loved ones safe while trying to end the killing spree of a mad man and the desire of those that like to watch.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVE James patterson books! Thanks for sharing!

LuAnn said...

I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers and this book might fit that category!

Becky W. said...

I'm looking forward to your review! I just added this to my wish list last week!

Kristie said...

I love Patterson's stand alones, though I never buy them. I read the books way too quick and my budget just won't allow it right now, especially since I will be unemployed for the summer. You have definitely got my interested raised though and I am going to see if I can place this on hold through my library right now!