Product Description

A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels' parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter. Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the LA Times, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief--Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life. All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best--and they won't be disappointed. Swimsuit is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7190 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Crime Fiction maestro James Patterson’s immensely popular Alex Cross series was perhaps in need of a shot in the arm, as even his aficionados admitted. A new, non-Alex Cross series seemed to recharge the author’s batteries, with Lindsay Boxer, the sole woman homicide inspector in San Francisco, making a mark as a strong new Patterson protagonist. But the real reason for Patterson’s continuing ability to keep himself both inventive and productive has been his impressive marshalling of a cadre of co-writers with whom he works on keeping the army of Patterson admirers happy –by a jaw-dropping output. Swimsuit is the latest such portmanteau outing, with Maxine Paetro melding her own style invisibly with that of her better-known writing companion. The result is one of the most striking novels to bear the Patterson imprimatur.

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?

As always with James Patterson (solo or with co-author), the page-turning expertise is calculated to take the breath away – as is the narrative itself. Fasten your safety belts… --Barry Forshaw

From the Inside Flap
Perfect models, beautifully executed

The beach…

A breathtakingly beautiful supermodel disappears from a swimsuit photo shoot at the most glamorous hotel in Hawaii. Only hours after she goes missing, Kim McDaniels’s parents receive a terrifying phone call. Fearing the worst, they board the first flight to Maui and begin the hunt for their daughter.

…will never be…

Ex-cop Ben Hawkins, now a reporter for the LA Times, gets the McDaniels assignment. The ineptitude of the local police force defies belief—Ben has to start his own investigation for Kim McDaniels to have a prayer. And for Ben to have the story of his life.

…the same for you again.

All the while, the killer sets the stage for his next production. His audience expects the best—and they won’t be disappointed. Swimsuit is a heart-pounding story of fear and desire, transporting you to a place where beauty and murder collide and unspeakable horrors are hidden within paradise.

From the Back Cover
Praise for James Patterson

'[Cross Country] opens with one of the most chilling murder scenes I’ve read in a long time … High-octane stuff' Daily Express

Cross Country: 'You’re just completely engrossed in it from start to finish. Absolutely incredible ... The story is unrelentingly exciting.' BBC Radio 5 Live

Run for Your Life: '… brilliant. It feels just like you’re reading a Bruce Willis film … a great holiday read' News of the World

Run for Your Life: 'Its breakneck pace leaves you gasping for breath. Packed with typical Patterson panache … it won’t disappoint' Daily Mail

Customer Reviews

What a waste of money!!
I do it every time James Patterson brings out a new book, i have to rush and buy it when i could wait and get it from the library. I have never been so bored or glad that a book has come to an end than i did with this one. I think James Patterson needs to start concentrating on the content and quality of his books and not the profit.

I do enjoy the Alex Cross books, but i feel that even they are being rush out to the public.

James Patterson is being overtaken by newer authors.

A perfect Summer read!
'SWIMSUIT' is the latest stand-alone novel from James Patterson, this time teaming up with Maxine Paetro once again. It begins with an author named Ben Hawkins who is an ex-cop turned LA Times writer who has been sent to Hawaii to look into the kidnapping of a famous swimsuit model named Kim McDaniels. What Ben didn't expect though was that this is the work of a serial killer-for-hire who makes murder videos for some very exclusive clients and also happens to be a master of disguise.

Patterson's more recent stand-alones such as SAIL and YOU'VE BEEN WARNED as well as his latest Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club offerings have been nothing more than average reads, being very cliched and predictable, making me feel that Patterson was running out of steam, so when I sat down to start 'SWIMSUIT' I wasn't expecting this to be one of the best thrillers that I had read from the author in a long time so I was very surprised at how good this book was.

From the opening chapters when Ben is teasing the reader with small details about what is going to happen I was hooked. It was just so tense and fast-flowing throughout the whole book, I read this in absolutely no time. One thing I particularly liked about this one was how it changed from the Kim's point of view, then to her parents', then to the killers, then to Ben as the chapters went on, keeping the story very interesting and gave the different fears and emotions that each character was experiencing as the story went on. The characters were also all believeable and likeable. My only one small complaint was the very sudden ending which didn't explain a lot and felt very rushed in comparision to the rest of the book, making me feel like the writers had ran out of time.

Overall this is a highly recommended read that I thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely be lending my friends and family this book for their holidays. Keep up the good work JP!

What a dissapointment!
Swimsuit
Really expected more based on the reviews to date but found it poorly written with a very guessable plot. All woven together by shocking the audience with the manner of killing chosen by the "authors". Obviously fame can sell books regardless of the skill displayed!!! Life's too short to waste any of it reading this book!!