Review: Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

I have had a bit of a James Patterson readathon the last week, since I was staying with my sister and she has LOADS of them.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A strikingly attractive swimsuit model, Kim McDaniels, goes missing at a photoshoot with the backdrop of an upscale hotel in Hawaii. Shortly after she vanishes, her distressed parents receive a shocking phone call – one that forces them to take the next available flight to Hawaii in a frantic effort to find their missing daughter. LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is assigned to the case, and finds himself drawing on his experience as an ex-cop – particularly as the futile efforts of the local police are proving distinctly underwhelming. Ben may have his biggest scoop – but will it be at the expense of a young woman's life?

My review:
At the time I read this, I had only read one other non-Alex Cross book by James Patterson, and I felt that that book was a bit flat. However, this really did not dissapoint. It gripped me from the start, I started reading it at about 4pm on New Years day and finished that night, The short, punchy chapters make it easy to read, and easy to catch up if you need to leave it for a bit. That is if you can bear to leave it. He builds up the suspense slowly from the start of the book, and there are so many little clues throughout the book.. I liked the hero, Ben Hawkins, since I felt he was a normal sort of guy, that one could relate to. Although he had been a cop, he didnt have access to loads of fancy gadgets and backup, was just him on his own trying to solve the mystery.  Although he is a reporter and obviously out to get a story, you do get the impression that he really cares about the victims and the outcome of the case. One thing that surprised me though, is that the story is told, in a round about way, from the killers perspective, which makes for a different read. There are so many twists and turns in this book, with lots of violence and action.

The only thing I didn't really like, and it may sound a bit strange considering the rest of my review, is that sometimes I felt the book lost its direction a  bit. There was some unnecessary killing, and sometimes it seemed to go a bit in circles. However, overall it was an awesome read and perfect for a holiday or a long lazy day at the pool.

Rating: I gave it 5/5 on Goodreads