A super-model disappears from the beach. Ex-cop Bill Hawkins wins over the parents trust to help assist with the case. He is now a an investigative reporter for the CA Times. ( )

Not for the faint of heart, but as a long time James Patterson fan I really enjoyed this read. As promised, it is his scariest since Kiss the Girls. The villain was truly scary, seemingly unstoppable. While violent, it was heart pounding as Ben Hawkins struggled with his demons as a human truly would. If you're a James Patterson fan, you'll like this book. ( )

I can say Patterson stepped right from suspense thriller to creepy on this one. Yes, I could not put it down, he gripped me by the heart at the beginning and as the Killer brings in the family I could barely stand my own skin crawling. That's why we read this stuff though isn't it? ( )

I've just started reading Patterson, and absolutely love the Women's Murder Club series. However, once I got partway into this one, I wondered if it was the same author. While Swimsuit wasn't bad, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

I actually really liked the main character in this story. He's a journalist following a story, but since he used to be a cop, he gets himself caught up in the investigation for the missing and murdered girls.

With all the hype about this book coming out, I expected much more. It's an okay story, but a forgettable one. ( )

I heart James Patterson. He is one of my favorite authors and Alex Cross is one of my favorite series. When I hear about upcoming releases by Mr. Patterson, they immediately are added to my TBR list. So, I eagerly anticipated the release of Swimsuit.

Granted, I knew very little about the synopsis. A swimsuit model goes missing in Hawaii and her parents head there to learn more about her disappearance. A former cop turned author (also a crime reported for the LA Times) is also on the case. I thought it would be a classic JP style: missing person, lunatic killer and fast-paced plot. Actually, to me, Swimsuit wasn’t liked that at all. It was much, much more.

Ben Hawkins meets Levon and Barbara McDaniels, the parents of the missing model Kim, while covering the story for the LA Times. He gains their trust and soon he is privy to meetings and discussions between the police and the McDaniels. He introduces them to Eddie Keloa, a private investigator, who takes on Kim’s case.

Meanwhile two more murder victims are found and the police pondered if these crimes are linked to Kim’s disappearance. The plot gets scarier when the McDaniels disappear without a trace.

Ben is a likable character. He’s a good guy trying to make an honest living. He doesn’t know how significant his role will be when he meets the McDaniels. The killer has targeted Ben to write a masterpiece: a book about the killer’s murderous spree.

When Henri approaches (okay, threatens) Ben with writing the book, Ben has two choices: write the book or be killed (along with his girlfriend, Amanda). So, I ask you. . .what would your response be if you were Ben? Fearing for both his and Amanda’s life, Ben agrees and spends several days interviewing Henri about his violent (and yes, psychopathic past).

What I didn’t see coming was Swimsuit being a novel about the killer, not a novel about the missing person. That was a great twist for me. The killer is extremely violent (the scene with the ceiling fan was the worst and that’s all I say about that), deep and twisted. The scenes are very graphic and being a visual reader, made it hard to read at times.

As Ben discovered more and more about Henri’s relationship with the “Peepers”, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see how this would end. Unfortunately, when the book ended, it ended. I had to read the last few pages several times because I didn’t think it could be over. But it was. The ending didn’t feel right to me as it was so abrupt. Now looking back, I wonder if it was done intentionally. Maybe Mr. Patterson has plans for Ben in future novels. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. ( )