Helpful Score: 5
Hmmm ... well, I normally love every single thing that Patterson has written but I had mixed feelings on this book ... the first 3/4 was really very good and written in classic Patterson prose ... but it seemed as if all of a sudden, he was tired of the book and so he just quit and wrapped all the loose endings up in the Epilogue. I didn't like that.
This book was very graphic, more so than his others have been, or so I thought. Although, it was a good story line, I am just glad I didn't pay full price for it ... if you are a Patterson fan, you have to read it ... I honestly think you'll just be a wee bit disappointed at the ending ...
This book was very graphic, more so than his others have been, or so I thought. Although, it was a good story line, I am just glad I didn't pay full price for it ... if you are a Patterson fan, you have to read it ... I honestly think you'll just be a wee bit disappointed at the ending ...
Helpful Score: 3
This book was a total disappointment. The first 1/4 of the book was EXCELLENT....After that, it was a stuggle to stay interrested. I am really disappointed with this Patterson book. I hope his others (future releases) are going to be better......
Helpful Score: 3
The first chapter is very gripping. The story is fast-paced, and intriguing. Henri is very skillful at what he does, and is smooth, manipulative and clever. While I enjoyed the book, I think the ending is unfinished. I closed the book feeling very disappointed. I like all loose ends tied up, which was not done here. So one is left wondering, "Where is Henri, and will he ever reappear?"
Helpful Score: 3
This was a book about an extermely horrific serial killer who is being pursued by a crime writer. It dose have some spellbinding moments when you really want to know what is going to happen next. It is a cat and mouse game with some horrific scenes sprinkled into the story that didn't actually help the story line at all - it was very nearly gratuitous at times. If you have a delicate stomach, you may want to skip this book.
This story was written in partnership with Maxine Paetro. It didn't rise to the standards I have seen in Patterson books in the past. It was written in short staccato chapers - 122 chapters in just 383 pages. The short chapters didn't enhance the story. In fact, many chapters didn't occur at natural breaks in action or shifts in point of view. They would actually break into the middle of some scenes.
On the whole, I could have lived quite happily without ever reading this book. I don't recommend it.
This story was written in partnership with Maxine Paetro. It didn't rise to the standards I have seen in Patterson books in the past. It was written in short staccato chapers - 122 chapters in just 383 pages. The short chapters didn't enhance the story. In fact, many chapters didn't occur at natural breaks in action or shifts in point of view. They would actually break into the middle of some scenes.
On the whole, I could have lived quite happily without ever reading this book. I don't recommend it.
Helpful Score: 3
Typical James Patterson. Fast, easy read with interesting twists and turns. In this one a beautiful swimsuit model disappears. Her parents get a mysterious cll that send them to Hawaii to try and find the girl when the local police are at best inept. Reporter and former cop Ben Hawkins is assigned the case and soon finds himself tracking a brutal and very cunning serial killer. The killer continues to stage his killings and Ben finds himself in danger when the killer makes contact with him and wants Ben to write his horrific story.
Helpful Score: 2
Wow! I thought I was finally holding a 5-star book. I was hooked and couldn't read it fast enough. 360+ pages later I was wondering why I even invested the time to get to that point. The ending fell flat, offered no excitement and just put the obvious into black and white. My 5-star read quickly became a 2-star read because I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fast paced book and a shocking ending. The only shock to this ending was how disappointing it was!
Helpful Score: 2
I did NOT like this book. Subject matter was disturbing, very violent, graphic - just distubing with no real reason to it. Ending was lousy. Just disappointing all around. I can honestly say this is the worst James Patterson book I've ever read. I think he should stick to his Cross & Women's club novels. This one sorely lacked.
Helpful Score: 1
3.0 out of 5 stars Murder as entertainment..., September 25, 2009
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
I am kind of laughing while reading these reviews. Hey folks, lighten up. This book isn't that bad -- it was gory, yes, and full of lots of unnecessary violent killing -- but isn't that why you like this genre and why you picked up this Patterson novel? It's exactly the book you've come to associate with him and his team of co-authors. Fast-paced, short chapters, interesting premise with a twist, blood and guts murdering, and a nicely wrapped up ending?! You got what you wanted in this one.
This novel was about Ben Hawkins, an ex cop turned author and reporter, who meets up with a serial killer and ends up as his partner when the killer wants a true crime book written about his life and times. Henri is a snuff film killer who makes movies of the murders he commits and sells them to a group he refers to as the "Peepers". The tale is definitely suspenseful with the reader only wondering who is going to be killed next and assuming the worst. Everybody!
The reader never gets to know the supporting characters (the murdered ones) very well so there isn't a lot of agonizing over the serial deaths, but there is suspense and action -- and as said -- lots of gore as the descriptions of the killings are detailed.
This book was a quick read, definitely in the psycho thriller killer genre. Don't give it a lot of thought except to maybe wonder how many people like Henri are out there in the big bad world.
Get it from the library or borrow it from a friend -- I still think it will sell well!
By Denise "DC" (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews
I am kind of laughing while reading these reviews. Hey folks, lighten up. This book isn't that bad -- it was gory, yes, and full of lots of unnecessary violent killing -- but isn't that why you like this genre and why you picked up this Patterson novel? It's exactly the book you've come to associate with him and his team of co-authors. Fast-paced, short chapters, interesting premise with a twist, blood and guts murdering, and a nicely wrapped up ending?! You got what you wanted in this one.
This novel was about Ben Hawkins, an ex cop turned author and reporter, who meets up with a serial killer and ends up as his partner when the killer wants a true crime book written about his life and times. Henri is a snuff film killer who makes movies of the murders he commits and sells them to a group he refers to as the "Peepers". The tale is definitely suspenseful with the reader only wondering who is going to be killed next and assuming the worst. Everybody!
The reader never gets to know the supporting characters (the murdered ones) very well so there isn't a lot of agonizing over the serial deaths, but there is suspense and action -- and as said -- lots of gore as the descriptions of the killings are detailed.
This book was a quick read, definitely in the psycho thriller killer genre. Don't give it a lot of thought except to maybe wonder how many people like Henri are out there in the big bad world.
Get it from the library or borrow it from a friend -- I still think it will sell well!
Helpful Score: 1
Another page-turner from Patterson, et. al. This one went a little over the top with its graphic descriptions of murders including rape, torture, and decapitations. But that's come to be expected in Patterson's thrillers. This one, as usual, kept me interested and was another quick read. The conclusion, however, was rather abrupt and quickly wrapped up the story in a rather neat package although it left the reader with doubts as to whether the murderer survived. Hopefully, this story was all fiction - the "peepers" (a group that paid for videos of horrific murders) were really the most horrific part of this story.
Helpful Score: 1
I love James Patterson and have been read just about all that he has written. I found the ending of this one a bit anticlimatic. It was good but after so many chapters of the "story" i would have thought the ending would have at least been a few chapters long. None the less still a good read.
Helpful Score: 1
Young model Kim McDaniels vanishes on Maui. Their worried parents Barbara & Levon arrive frantically searching for their girl because someone, the killer, called them.
Meanwhile a secret Alliance enjoyed the suffering and death of Kim on their desktop screens. But the Alliance has money and they want more, they want the ultimate surprise from their contract killer and master in disguise Henri Benoit.
While Henri plans his next stage with Kim's parents as the main attraction, Benjamin Hawkins, novelist, ex-cop gone crime write for the L. A. Times offers his help to this friendly pair just to see their lives slipping away under his fingers.
Sadly he returns to to L. A. but has the strong feeling, the case for him, at least, is not closed yet.
-
The book sort of has two halves with an exceptional first half and an unfortunately not so exciting half which ending was just boring and didn't keep the standard one was expecting.
Sensible readers should be warned that certain killing scenes are violent and shockingly detailed to Patterson readers.
Overall I liked it for the first half but didn't really care for the second part and it's conclusion which missed any excitement and was a huge bore to me. It was readers guilt that made me finish the book.
(One might guess that the first part was mainly written by Paetro, who's been largely involved co-writing the last five novels in the Women's Murder Club series).
Meanwhile a secret Alliance enjoyed the suffering and death of Kim on their desktop screens. But the Alliance has money and they want more, they want the ultimate surprise from their contract killer and master in disguise Henri Benoit.
While Henri plans his next stage with Kim's parents as the main attraction, Benjamin Hawkins, novelist, ex-cop gone crime write for the L. A. Times offers his help to this friendly pair just to see their lives slipping away under his fingers.
Sadly he returns to to L. A. but has the strong feeling, the case for him, at least, is not closed yet.
-
The book sort of has two halves with an exceptional first half and an unfortunately not so exciting half which ending was just boring and didn't keep the standard one was expecting.
Sensible readers should be warned that certain killing scenes are violent and shockingly detailed to Patterson readers.
Overall I liked it for the first half but didn't really care for the second part and it's conclusion which missed any excitement and was a huge bore to me. It was readers guilt that made me finish the book.
(One might guess that the first part was mainly written by Paetro, who's been largely involved co-writing the last five novels in the Women's Murder Club series).
Helpful Score: 1
It all starts when supermodel Kim McDaniels goes missing from a photo shoot in Hawaii. Ex cop, novelist and reporter Ben Hawkins is sent to investigate by the LA Times. One murder flows into the next into the next, etc until the story isn't a story any longer and Ben returns to Los Angeles. The story picks up with the killer contacting Ben and demanding that Ben pens the killers tell-all book. The horrors continue and now Ben's girlfriend is threatened.
This is one brutal book that takes serial killers to a new level. Very, very graphic. Definitely not for the feint of heart.
This is one brutal book that takes serial killers to a new level. Very, very graphic. Definitely not for the feint of heart.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved the premise of the book: serial killer demanding that an author write his life story, threatening him with his life. Unfortunately, the book was far more gory than any of Patterson's books (or at least the ones I've read). I also felt like the story ended unfinished.
This was so good! I couldn't put it down. The only thing i thought needed a little work was the ending. I felt it was a little rushed and needed to have a little more explanation. All in all though it was a very good book.
Good -- but not his best stuff.
I normally enjoy Patterson for a quick read that is far fetched but still a good thriller, this one was a HUGE disappointment. I got 80 pages in and quit, which I don't normally do, but there are too many good books out there to read to waste time with a dud. Maybe it gets better, but I wasn't waiting around to find out. The characters did not jump out, they were under developed in my opinion and I think Patterson wrote less of this one than usual! Must miss.
Most disgusting book I have ever read. I would not recomment this book to anyone. Come on Patterson, you can do better than this.
I liked it but not the best I've read. Maybe I'm getting tired of this type of book
This book started off well twists and turns but the ending felt rushed and left things unanswered...One could only hope they are following it up with book #2....
Very good and an interesting concept. Hard to believe there could be people this way.
Story moved a little slow at the outset but once it picked up, the story moved right along. Quick read.
This is a fast moving book from the start. It does not dissapoint James Patterson fans. I would recommend to friends. I especially liked the ending.
One of the scariest books read. My sister and mother had to read the ending well before they got to it, it scared them so much. Both read about 100+ books a year.
Waited two months to get this book from the library. Could not put it down-read it in less than 24 hours. James Patterson continues to deliver.
I always enjoy the quick read and the mystery.
A fairly typical James Patterson novel that was a bit more gory than some of his other books. With such short chapters, I finished the book in no time, but the way the killer in this book kills, it makes me wonder how authors come up with such awful and violent ideas.
Swimsuit starts out with the disappearance of a young model from a swimsuit shoot for a magazine in Hawaii. The girl's parents pair up with a journalist to help investigate her disappearance, but her disappearance is only the beginning.
Although a very fast read, and not the best of writing, Patterson's book does keep the reader's attention to the very end. I enjoyed reading it.
Swimsuit starts out with the disappearance of a young model from a swimsuit shoot for a magazine in Hawaii. The girl's parents pair up with a journalist to help investigate her disappearance, but her disappearance is only the beginning.
Although a very fast read, and not the best of writing, Patterson's book does keep the reader's attention to the very end. I enjoyed reading it.
Another great Patterson thriller. This one was told very differently than his other books. I thought the ending left some questions unanswered but overall I REALLY enjoyed this book. Read it in less than a day at the beach.
I very distrubing book. Filled with death, and rape. Not a book I enjoyed at all.
If your looking for gorry, this is the murder book for you. The murderer is a psychopath who deceives beautiful young women to their deaths while he records the death sceine for the peepers who he sells the videos to for their entertainment. He threatens a reporter with the death of the reporter and his girlfreind into writing his life story. The book is very descriptive and not for those who don't like to read this type of book.
Not good. A HUGE disappointment for me. There doesn't seem to be any real direction.
While I enjoyed this book - I always feel like I'm only getting 1/2 a book out of Patterson because the chapters are so short. Needless to say, a very quick read ... but I'm glad I read it!
One of Patterson's best. Lots of suspense. 4 star
WOW! I know I say this about alot of James Patterson books but this one takes the cake for sure. I had my nose in the book for hours. I got the book out from the library and I had 7 days to read it. I read it in 5 days. It was outstanding. The book just kept you on your seat. You could visualize everything going on. I don't want to wreck anything for you by reading my review but this is a must read. I thought the ending was perfect and that the book was complete. Extremely well written. I would like to see a sequel to this book but I don't see that happening. I really felt like I was in the story along for the ride! A MUST READ!!!! Now one of my new favorites!
Heather
Heather
This novel is different from what I am use to Patterson writing. Too graphic in places.
The book kept you guessing until the end.
One of Patterson's best. Very good book.
This was the most disgusting book that I have ever read. I tore it up so that no one else would read it...it was that bad in the way of disgusting detail of murder that I found sick!
This book hooked me immediately and then I couldn't put it down. Very satisfying, good storytelling.
My 12 year old brother can write better than this so called novel. If you plan on reading this, don't waste your time. Throw it in the trash where it belongs.
I loved this book. So many twists and turns it had me constantly guessing...even up to the very last page.
Unbelievably great read!
Really good. Surprising ending.
Patterson always writes a great story, but I have to wonder if he can write one without exposing quite so much of the twisted underbelly of society. Not for the squeamish.
Explicit sexual violence by yet another sociopath. There must be interesting stories to write without sinking into the muck up to one's eyeballs. His gift is shown in that I felt slimed, but that is also his undoing because it is getting far too predictable in his books. Wonder what drives the creative mind down a path like htis?
Explicit sexual violence by yet another sociopath. There must be interesting stories to write without sinking into the muck up to one's eyeballs. His gift is shown in that I felt slimed, but that is also his undoing because it is getting far too predictable in his books. Wonder what drives the creative mind down a path like htis?
