Customer Reviews

Got the Look (Sound Library)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jack Swyteck hasn't been really interested in any woman since his divorce. Mia Salazar changed all that. Jack actually may be falling in love with the stunning Florida woman.

But there's a problem in paradise. Mia neglected to tell attorney Swyteck that she is married to a wealthy and powerful man.

When Mia is kidnapped by a ruthless fiend, his ransom demand is simple: "Pay me what she's worth." Mia's husband found out she was having an affair with Swyteck and doesn't think she's worth anything. If Mia is to live, Swyteck will have to step in and save her.

Money's a problem though. Swyteck doesn't have any. But if he doesn't do something, Mia will die, just like another of the kidnapper's victims.

Grippando writes a fast-paced and scintillating read. The characters are interesting and the plot is a generally a winner. The only issue I had with the book was I found it difficult to believe that the kidnapper acted the way he did for the reason given. It didn't seem plausible.

Armchair Interviews says: You'll enjoy Got the Look and you'll want to read more of Grippando's titles.

I love the Jack Styweck series. I haven't read any other books by James Grippando, but I've read all in this series: THE PARDON, BEYOND SUSPICION, LAST TO DIE, HEAR NO EVIL and the latest, GOT THE LOOK. My favorite part of each book is Jack's friendship with Theo, an ex-con he represented and got released from death row years before. The banter between these two characters is always enjoyable and it provides a bit of comic relief to otherwise serious, dark stories. In GOT THE LOOK, there were a few parts that I felt dragged a little, but nothing that tempted me to put the book down. I've read all of John Grisham's books and if I have to choose between the two, I'll pick a Grippando book every time.

Having read all books in the Jack Swyteck series I am a bit surprised at some of the negative comments about this latest one.

Some readers complain that the identity of the perpetrator was a bit far-fetched. But what do you want from a thriller? Do you want to out-guess the author or do you want to enjoy the story? I found the story extremely satisfying at various levels.

Other readers say that they find the relationship between Theo and Jack unbelievable. But have they even read the previous books in the series? The relationship is firmly grounded in the past and thus connects two very different people in a wonderful relationship. For me, the relationship between Theo and Jack is not just a nice plot device but a central part of the atmosphere in the story. For instance, I really laughed out loud reading about their discussion over whether or not pancakes were macho enough to eat during a meeting with a local bonds man.

Just like all previous Jack Swyteck books, I enjoyed this one immensely because of the interesting story, the uncomfortable position Jack found himself in once again (poor guy), the way he manages to get out of the situation, the wonderful description of Miami and the Everglades that provide a lot of local color to the story and of course the hilarious humor of Theo. I've definitely become a Grippando fan because of these books and while impatiently waiting for the next Swyteck book I'm thankful that I still have Grippando's stand-alone thrillers to enjoy!

In my opinion, Grippando shows with Got The Look once more that he is one of the top legal thriller authors!

Over the New Year's weekend I had James Grippando's latest Jack Swyteck thriller, GOT THE LOOK, velcroed to my hands and eyes. Grippando is a fine storyteller, a skill he has displayed over the course of what is now ten novels --- and he has reached, as per usual, a new pinnacle with this latest installment.

In GOT THE LOOK Swyteck falls in love with the woman of his dreams: a beautiful, classy lady named Mia Salazar who, he abruptly discovers, is married to someone else. Being the class act that he is, he terminates the relationship, tales of abuse and lovelessness notwithstanding. When Mia is kidnapped a few weeks later, however, Swyteck is abruptly and reluctantly drawn back into the investigation by Mia's husband and, more significantly, by FBI agent Andie Henning. The kidnapper's modus operandi is to take someone and then send to the spouse a note stating "Pay me what she's worth." If the husband gets the dollar amount right, then his wife is released unharmed; get it wrong and she becomes a murder victim.

What complicates matters is that the FBI believes that Mia may have a remote tie to her kidnapper. Swyteck is torn between following the FBI's plan and making up one of his own along the way. Theo Knight, Swyteck's former client and permanent best friend, is there to assist him. Between Theo, Mia, the Wrong Number Kidnapper, and a complex, intriguing and original plot with more than the expected number of twists and turns, one tends to forget about Swyteck even when he is front and center. Someone else more interesting is always around.

Swyteck's somewhat diminished standing should not prevent or deter you from reading GOT THE LOOK from cover to cover in one sitting. As always Grippando's descriptive skills are first-rate. Case in point: near the end of the book I became so claustrophobic that I actually had to stop reading for a moment and go outside to escape the feeling of trapped confinement that had crept in and settled under my skin. I won't divulge any more details about that; if you have any functioning nerve endings left in your body, you'll know what I'm talking about when you read it.

Even during lulls in the action, where the setting is a greasy spoon diner or Swyteck's office, Grippando's ability to describe the scene and set the mood is equaled by few. Given that his abilities seem to multiply from book to book, GOT THE LOOK undoubtedly will increase Grippando's core readership, regardless of readers' fondness for Swyteck. Recommended.


--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

It's a diabolical premise: the wife of a person is kidnapped, and the ransom demand reads "Pay me what she's worth." If you come up with what the kidnapper decides is the correct amount, your wife comes back unharmed; if not, she comes back dead. The laborer in Georgia who hocks everything he owns and pays $20K gets his wife back; the multimillionaire who pays $1 million does not. Jack Swyteck finds out that the woman he has fallen hard for is married and hadn't told him about it; several days later she becomes the latest victim of the kidnapper. The suspense of this set up is the best part of the book: who will pay and how? The betrayed and furious husband or the betrayed and furious (and much less wealthy) lover? The kidnapper plays off both of them, plus the FBI and the media with great success, and this kept me turning the pages.

However, I sort of lost interest in the actual outcome as it became more clear that there was a second underlying plot in which Mia (the wife/lover) was not a random victim and that there was a lot more going on, and a lot more personal vendettas involved than first appeared. This part of the plot was much less realistic to me, and the payoff for all the suspense seemed somehow anticlimactic and muted, as was the ultimate outcome of the plot for me.

However, I did like Jack Swyteck and his sidekick Theo and this book did succeed in whetting my appetite for others of Grippando's thrillers. Up til now he's been a name I recognized but couldn't distinguish from the host of other legal thriller writers splashing around in John Grisham's wake. Now he's not just another face in the crowd for me; I will go out of my way to read more of his books and hope that the chracters are just as compelling, with a plot more worthy of them.

Grippando is a skilled craftsman at writing; I've enjoyed his work in the past, particularly the Swytek novels. I find Jack and Theo to be engaging, fleshed-out characters who successfully capture the "buddy-movie" chemistry. In this book, Mia is a winning Mistress in Distress. Though slow in places, the book does move along and kept me involved. The opening setting of the Devil's Ear, an underwater aquifer system in which people scuba dive and in which a couple of key scenes take place, is very well-captured and quite novel.

So why only two stars?

One reason only: when I found out who the bad guy was, my reaction was "whaaat?!"

To me it was absolutely unbelievable, with no groundwork properly laid, and no motivation established for this character to have done what he did. Even once it was revealed that the person you're originally led to believe is the kidnapper couldn't be the perp, and I took a break to mentally review everything I'd read to try to figure it out, this character still never crossed my mind. It was totally out of left field.

Hopefully, Grippando will do a little better than that next time. Anyway, if you're a Grippando fan (and putting aside the climax) you'll enjoy this book.

I have read all of James Grippando's ten books and I have to say this one was far from average. From the beginning I was hooked and read it probably faster than the author would like. After all, it takes an author weeks/months to research, write, edit, etc. to publish a book. I find Jack and Theo very believable and enjoy the banter between them immensely. I felt the premise was unique from other thrillers and this alone keep my interest. The ending was indeed a surprise and far from being disappointed, I was glad not to be able to guess who the perp was. It seems that it's usually easy to figure out "who done it" way before the end.As far as lack of action, I don't think any additional action would have added much, in fact, it might have been too much. I simply can't wait until the next book/books that this author writes.

Hot shot Miami attorney, Jack Swyteck, is stunned when he discovers that his latest girlfriend, Mia, has not been honest with him. Not only has she been vague about her past, but she is also married. And when she is kidnapped and her wealthy husband decides that his unfaithful wife is worth nothing the kidnapper requests Jack to pay the ransom. Jack is not one to sit still and take orders from the FBI, and so he takes matters into his own hands as Mia's fate rests on his head. In a race against time and the kidnapper's demand to pay what she is worth, Jack uncovers Mia's secret past as he tries to negotiate with a kidnapper who killed his previous victim when he was not paid what she was worth.

***** Awesome read with nonstop action and suspense from the first page to the last! James Grippando has created a cast of interesting characters in this book and there is never a dull moment. Got the Look has got me hooked. I cannot wait to read the rest of Grippando's Jack Swyteck stories. *****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

I had never read any books by James Grippando,but I saw that GOT THE LOOK was a Top Pick in the ROMANTIC TIMES, which gave it a 4.5 star rating and said "Never-ending suspense, romance and deceit form the backbone of this expertly plotted novel." I thought it seemed odd that a thriller writer whose lead serial character is a man would get that kind of praise from Romantic Times, but when I read Got the Look, I understood. Yes, it's scarey, edgy, and suspenseful--everything you would expect from a "thriller" writer. But the characters are so well drawn, and you care so much about the relationships, that I have to say Got the Look is more than just a great thriller with a great mystery. It is simply a great book that will keep you turning the pages, and that will keep you thinking about the characters and the intriguing premise long after you put it down.

Got the Look was the first I've read of Grippando and I loved it! If you are a fan of Harlan Coben you will love this book. I laughed out loud for 5 minutes at one line. The cave diving parts were excellent and the whole thing would make an awesome movie. I can't wait for the next one and am going to go back now and read all of his others. If you are looking for a new author to check out you won't be disappointed. Thanks James for the great read and please write faster!