Got The Look

Jack Swyteck #5

by James Grippando

From bestselling author James Grippando comes the newest Jack Swyteck thriller, in a series that critics have called "riveting," "a winner," and "lapel grabbing." In Got the Look, Swyteck is up against a killer who's so fiendishly clever and diabolical that even Jack may have at last met his match.

FBI agent Andie Henning is tracking a ruthless kidnapper plaguing south Florida, one who's out to prove that all human life can be valued in dollars and cents. But at every turn, he has slipped through her net. This time he's taken the wife of one of the state's richest horse breeders and is asking a ransom of $1 million. The stakes go up when Andie finds the woman -- dead.

Enter Jack Swyteck. He has a new girlfriend, Mia, and life is good -- until she goes missing. Then Jack gets a one-two punch: he discovers that his lover is married, and her rich husband receives a ransom demand that pegs Mia as the kidnapper's latest victim. Worst of all, her husband knows all about the affair with Jack, and he decides to pay the kidnapper exactly what his cheating wife is worth: nothing. Feeling deceived, Jack at first resists getting involved. But as secrets unfold about Mia's strange marriage and mysterious past, Jack is in for a twisty ride that may bring him face-to-face with a madman.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Crime, Legal Thriller, Suspense

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2006

About the author

The first thing you should know about bestselling author James Grippando is that he is no longer clueless—or so they say, after “A James Grippando Novel” was a clue for #38 Across in the New York Times crossword puzzle. James is the winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction and a New York Times bestselling author with more than 30 novels to his credit, including the popular series featuring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. His latest, "Goodbye Girl" (HarperCollins 2024), is the 18th in the Swyteck series. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in 28 languages. As an adjunct professor he teaches "The Law & Lawyers in Modern Literature" at the University of Miami School of Law. He is also counsel at one of the nation’s leading law firms, where he specializes in entertainment and intellectual property law, representing clients who have won more than 40 Tony Awards. He writes in south Florida with Atlas at his side, a faithful golden retriever who has no idea he’s a dog.
Series:
* Jack Swyteck

Reviews

[ElaineY · Rating 3 out of 5]

REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK; JANUARY 17, 2016
Narrator: Nick Sullivan

3.5 stars. The half star added because I stuck around long enough to confirm my suspicions about whodunit. Why didn't I like this installment as much? I get antsy whenever the protagonist of a thriller gets serious about a woman (I haven't read any non-romance thrillers written by a female author so I can't say if they're the same) because 1) the guy never gets the girl for long; 2) she dies; 3) she's the bad guy. Does this happen here? No spoilers so read for yourself.

And this installment was all about Jack and his relationship with Mia. If Jack wasn't so besotted with her I wouldn't have minded but he was head-over-heels, poor sucker. There were tense moments when I wondered if Mia would be the latest victim of the abductor whose MO is to ask for a ransom based on what the victim's family thought their loved one's value was. The "wrong number" meant death for said victim. Interesting enough except that I did not like Mia in the least.

It was Theo who made this book bearable for me. I hope the next installment sees Jack back in the courtroom. Much as I enjoy spending time with him chasing down bad guys, I do like my legal thrillers to be legal thrillers rather than a lawyer acting more like a P.I.

Nevertheless, Grippando has given me a series I can count on as a respite from Arab terrorists and the like.

[Mary JL · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in James Grippando's Jack Swyteck series. But the series can be read out of order; each stands alone.

The pace of this novel is fast; the characters well-drawn. And the twists and turns are clever. It really sets up a great conflict between a merciless kidnapper and his adversaries.

I liked it and kept me reading. The descriptions of the abuse of the women is quite violent. This is a bit more violent than some of the others novels in this series. I feel it was still definitely worth reading.

Reccomended for fans of action, thrillers, mysteries and legal dramas.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting diversion for Grippando and his character, Jack Swyteck. For a legal thriller this one had no courtroom action. Instead, Jack tries desperately to save his girlfriend (Mia) from the Wrong Number Kidnapper. It is all the more complicated because Jack only finds out Mia is married just before she is kidnapped. So the kidnapper is dealing with the husband and with Jack, and they are both dealing with the FBI. In this book Jack's friend, Theo, plays a big part in helping Jack.

As the action ramps up and Jack closes in on the kidnapper while the danger to Mia escalates and Jack discovers Mia is not the person Jack thought she was. It leads him, the lawyer, to a moral dilemma. A good but not great read.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

this one wasn't that great.
there was no courtroom drama or real investigation for this story.
it's the introduction of the Andie character. it gives some details on her background which i didn't have before since i'm listening to these out of order.
it was something to listen to at work to help the day go by faster. I like Jack & theo.
but the story was too long & boring. i was able to figure some of it out as well. there's still Grippando's signature surprise at the end which i like about his books.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of mysteries and this was a good one! It is a light, easy read that kept me turning the pages. Of course I always try to solve the crime before the investigator does and they stumped me with this one- I was on the right track but didn't ID the actual person before it was revealed. To me, that's what makes a good mystery!

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisty and twisted tale. Well narrated and recommended

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a thriller novel, I really enjoyed this one. It wasn't really a legal thriller since Jack didn't really act like a lawyer. I was a little surprised to have it start out with him in a few month relationship. You needed it for the story, but it was just a weird start. I love Theo's methods for getting stuff done. He is a great sidekick and makes me laugh often. I did guess the kidnapper at one point. Also, some of the ending stuff was easy to figure out as we went along. All in all, this was an enjoyable easy read. Can't wait to see what they get into next!

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is #5!

Jack is BACK and in this book, he has a new girlfriend. A woman so beautiful that it stops traffic, and Jack is on the edge of "I love you".... but there is a problem with Mia.

Mia isn't who she says she is, and her husband is more than Jack bargained for. Yes, I said HUSBAND...

Here it seems that to have the LOOK, may not be the best thing... "The Look" will or could get you sexually assaulted or killed. This fits nicely into understanding Mia's kidnapping and the ransom demand of paying what Mia is worth to the husband... the one that Jack just cuckolded.

4 stars

Happy Reading!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF, but I’m calling this read. Usually I enjoy this series, but not this one. It moves slowly, and could do with some editing. Just didn’t even care to find out the culprit. But I’ll go on with the next one in hopes that it will be better.

[Jackaline Rutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me a bit to get into but it was a good read with lots f twist and turns.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be a more intense read. It was a little light hearted. Fast read.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book and it was a compelling story, although the reader wasn’t especially good with the female characters.

As I was listening, I kept thinking what a good movie this would make.

I liked the ending, except wonder what happened to the husband.

[Pisces51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOT THE LOOK [2006] By James Grippando
My Review 4.5 Stars****

I finished reading this fifth installment of the author’s popular Jack Swytek series the middle of last month and really liked it. The genre designation is not “Legal Thriller” but more aptly “Kidnapping Thriller”. I’ve been a fan of Grippando’s novels for a long time now, and he never disappoints. It’s pretty obvious that I am only gradually working my way through his earlier Swytek stories.

GOT THE LOOK was a riveting tale featuring Jack, his entertaining best buddy Theo Knight, and other characters from the colorful backdrop and big city lights of downtown Miami. The story line pulled me in from the first page and I finished the book in record time. The fairy tale beginning of the saga has Swytek “head over heels” for a new love interest (“Mia”) and the pair are still in the “honeymoon” phase of the relationship when Theo gets to meet the drop-dead gorgeous Mia at the two-month mark of hers and Jack’s wild and wonderful adventure in each other’s arms. Fans of the handsome and honorable Jack Swytek know that he doesn’t have much difficulty turning a pretty girl’s head, but then he has seemed at times to be a magnet for beautiful women with “crazy” for a middle name.

The story line launches itself like an intergalactic missile when two pivotal occurrences happen in rapid fire succession. First, Jack is blind-sided by the fact that the new love of his life is married to a real estate tycoon with more money than God, and second, she is reported missing. Her rich husband subsequently receives a ransom demand that identifies Mia as the latest woman abducted by a unique and diabolical serial kidnapper/murderer operating in south Florida.

The FBI has been tracking this ruthless kidnapper, and federal agent Andie Henning is on location to work with the pawns who are left to deal with the fallout in the wake of Mia’s disappearance at the hands of a madman. The kidnapper added “cold blooded murderer” to his curriculum vitae following the sadistic and senseless murder of his last abductee after receiving a ransom of a million dollars. His signature is chilling and suggests that he is out to prove that a human life can be reduced to a specific numerical amount measured in dollars and cents. The ransom demand? “Pay me what she’s worth.”

This is quite the conundrum since the filthy rich serial philanderer husband of Mia’s knows that while he was out of the country for the past two months, she has been carrying on a torrid affair with the handsome young attorney Jack Swytek. It requires little imagination to divine Mia’s “worth” to her husband. The kidnapper finds himself stiffed by the wealthy spouse Salazar when he is presented with the ransom demand totaling a single dollar bill hot off the press. He adjusts his sights and moves to blackmail Jack with the same cryptic demand for Swytek to pay him what she is “worth”. Soon FBI Agent Andie Henning and Swytek find themselves working together to find Mia Salazar before it is too late.

The author excels when he turns the terror quotient dial all the way up to “high” and depicts many of the book’s most claustrophobic, chilling, and sadistic scenes amidst choreography of some of Florida's most stunningly beautiful settings. The inclusion of the enormous aquifer, an underwater limestone labyrinth of interconnecting caves was as utterly captivating as it was creepy. The narrative shift to incorporate Mia's terrifying ordeal within the confines of her soon to be underwater grave was a masterful touch and served to increase the tempo of the tidal wave of a climax that morphed into a tsunami before the pressure valve finally popped to leech out some of the tension. The chase scene at the end felt like it was injected with rocket fuel.

Grippando skillfully seduces the reader with the pressured timeline imposed by the merciless sadistic kidnapper, and the action sequences are well written and are breathtaking enough to earn an Action/Adventure genre designation. Swytek’s intellect, physicality, and sheer heart are all on full display. He is such a likeable and sympathetic lead character that you are already feeling bad for him before the other shoe drops. The budding relationship that is left still standing at the conclusion was patently predictable.

74% of Amazon Customer Reviews saw fit to allot a whopping Five Stars to this one, and the entertainment factor and intensity was certainly there in spades. I did whack off just a smidgen because of the overly complex plot line and the implausible identity of the kidnapper. I couldn’t buy it, and similarly as the layers of mystery surrounding Mia’s marriage and sinister secrets are peeled away and lie exposed to tie up the ambitious plot’s loose ends, I found myself scratching my head.

GOT THE LOOK [Title] was derived from a favorite catch phrase used by a lecherous narcissistic creep the reader learns about in connection with the FBI investigation into the identity of the serial kidnapper/killer. The phrase was deployed as an assessment (or a designation) of a woman who would sell herself for the right price. This selection from the Swytek book series has a lot to unpack. Let it suffice to say that it is an adrenaline rush and a genuinely entertaining read. Highly recommended thriller.

[John Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

ebook Library (Story outline to remind me) Firstly Jack Swytech is dated by a married woman whose millionaire husband, Ernesto Salazar, has strong arm connections and an imagine to uphold thus it is dangerous for his wife Mia Salazar to have an affair. So she has the hots for Jack and secretly snaggs him. Jack is totally unaware that Mia is even married. At the same time Ernesto Salazar is courting jack for joining his firm whcih Jack sho is normally allergic to prestigious l law firms in need of serious money is sorely tempted to cave in. But now he is found out in the affair he was unaware of is down the plug hole. No job offer any longer.
FBI agent Andie Henning is tracking a ruthless kidnapper plaguing south Florida, one who's out to prove that all human life can be valued in dollars and cents. He has as his MO "you pay what you think she is worth" But at every turn, he has slipped through her net. This time he's taken the wife of one of the state's richest horse breeders and is asking a ransom of $1 million. The stakes go up when Andie finds the woman, Ashley Thornton -- dead. The mechanic paid £19,000 and got his wife back and the multimillionaire paid one million and he murdered her. But this was a ruse a misdirection from his real victim to put the FBI to his real identity

Enter Jack Swyteck. He has a new girlfriend, Mia, and life is good -- until she goes missing. Then Jack gets a one-two punch: he discovers that his lover is married, and her rich husband receives a ransom demand that pegs Mia as the kidnapper's latest victim. Worst of all, her husband knows all about the affair with Jack, and he decides to pay the kidnapper exactly what his cheating wife is worth: nothing. That is initially. But it turns out a couple of story variations later about the no sex for two years that Mia refused to have sex while he continued to have his various affairs. So he did pay half million, the kidnapper said $20 although I missed final confirmation in the story the real amount paid except in his telling of the story part that he did fill the suitcase packed with money. He felt concerned when he saw the torture video. Feeling deceived, Jack at first resists getting involved. But as secrets unfold about Mia's strange marriage and mysterious past, Jack is in for a twisty ride that may bring him face-to-face with a madman. The real story about who Mia is and what really happened takes many turns. It turns out her sister, Cassandra was at the time still an illegal immigrant was raped by Gerard Montalvo. So Mia, then called Teresa cut herself and claimed she was raped as she was a legal immigrant. She was lying so failed a polygraph test. But she felt justified as she was pursuing the rape as the substitute for her sister. as such she was been threatened by Gerard and his whole wealthy family. The real story comes out at the end that when he cornered them on the road Teresa now armed with a gun for protection because of the threats shot him in self defense but could not take her only witness her sister through the courts as she was illegal. So she runs buries Gerard in Florida everglades and then marries having plastic surgery and changing identities. Ritchie the councer and Gerard's co-conspirator in the "She Got the Look" that is an amount she will have sex for "look". Ritchie the scuba diver and friend knows that Teresa now Mia must of killed Gerard as they go missing exactly the same time. So he discovers her new identity kidnaps her and eventually forces to give the location of Gerard's body. Then it's a race and fight etc to the finish when Jack and partner Theo Knight get most of their ransom money back. Mis/Teresa is now up on a murder charfe so the story finihes with Jack losing his new girlfriend as she runs again to seek a new identity. I think clever her. Lots of twists and guessing games here.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Swyteck’s new Latina girlfriend is someone he may really be in love with. The problem is, Mia Salazar s already married, and no, Jack didn’t know it.

He’s a criminal defense lawyer, and his dad is a fictional former Florida governor. Someone kidnaps Mia, and the kidnapper demands a ransom. He leaves it up to Mia’s husband to figure out what the amount should be. The husband insists since Mia cheated on him, she is worth nothing, and that’s what he will pay the kidnappers. Knowing this to be the wrong number, Swyteck steps in and decides he’ll pay some kind of ransom for her.

This is an excellent installment in the series, and you most decidedly can read it as a stand-alone if you wish. The suspense is real, and the author makes sure he has all kinds of ways he can take the series in the future. Case in point, keep an eye on Andie Henning, an FBI agent who interacts with Swyteck on the Mia Salazar case.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Jack is in trouble once again. He falls in love with Mia and they are hot for 3weeks. Then he goes to a high end party and meets Salazar and finds that she is his wife. The following week she is kidnapped and the ransom is what ever she is worth. ***SPOILER STOP***So her husband said she is worth nothing to ask Jack Swyteck. Jack puts up $50k and Theo puts up$200k. But then the money is lost in the caves. The kidnapper wants Mia because 8 years earlier she accused mr x of raping her. Mr x really rapped her sister who was an illegal alien and could not press charges so Mia did. Then the case was going t be dropped and Mia shot him. The kidnapper wanted to get Mia. Mia was saved by jack and then ran away again. She was afraid to face murder charges. Poor jack. He did get his $ back.

[Lyn Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first James Grippando novel I have read. It was full of suspense right from the beginning with the discovery of a body underneath the water in the first few pages. The dead woman was abducted and murdered by a kidnapper who demanded the husband of the woman “pay me what she's worth”.

The author then introduces Miami attorney Jack Swyteck in his fifth novel involving Jack. Jack has a new girlfriend who has not been honest with him. She becomes the next kidnapped victim. Mystery and intrigue about her past confounds Jack and the FBI when Jack discovers what he believes to be her true background.

Grippando's plot is a very clever one and I was kept guessing right until the end. A very good read.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This takes place all over Florida, and not just in Miami. Jack has been seeing a new woman by the name of Mia and finds out she is married. Someone kidnaps her and the kidnapper wants as ransom what the husband thinks she is worth. If he gives the amount she is worth, then he will release her unharmed.

The husband says he is not paying any ransom because she cheated on him, so the kidnapper asks Jack for what she is worth. Henning of the FBI and Jack race against the clock to get Mia back and not give up any money.

I liked the ending except for one part and I will not say what that was, I did however like the exchange between the FBI agent and Jack at the end.

I am giving this 5 out of 5 stars.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 5 and poor Jack Swyteck is still on his own, no wife, maybe a girlfriend, and working as an independent lawyer. He would love to hobnob with wealthier clients, but deep down he knows it is not who he is. In this book he gets involved with a kidnapping and working with the FBI. As always, the author gives out information on a need to know basis and thankfully sums everything up at the end. It was an OK read, only because one person should not have to have all these adventures if he is really just an average guy and not a high powdered super spy, yet I will continue to read the rest of the books in this series.

[Huda Sarkowi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late to review, but this book only get interesting when Jack took the wheel. The first 100 pages of it was quite a bore, and probably because they were no real investigation made by Jack and Theo, they were stuck following orders and running around like errand boys. And the ending too, let just say, bromance over romance. Frankly I think it was quite disappointing when after all that Jack and Theo have done and risking it all, Mia just sail away to the sunset because she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of her own lies.

Jack better be not running back to Mia when she show up again like this is a bad teen love movie.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3 1/2 stars...
Jack finds himself once again in a bit of a bind. Theo to the rescue. As Jack puts himself in the middle of an FBI kidnapping case and butts heads with the lead investigator, Agent Henning who we find out has several deep secrets of her own. Too many agency's swirling around each other, bits and pieces of information filter in and Jack, being Jack takes on the role of savior. I do indeed like Agent Henning and hope to see her in future books.
One issue I have with this one, is the location takes place in rivers, lakes, swampy areas and yet... no threat from alligators or venomous snakes?

[Sabro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boże drogi.
To naprawdę zdarza się rzadko, żebym ja dała czemuś jedną gwiazdkę.

Przeczytałam tę książkę (w sumie bez ostatnich jakichś 30 stron, ale nie robi mi to dużej różnicy) tylko i wyłącznie ze względu na to, że bliska mi osoba ją uwielbiała.

Przez pierwsze parę stron zapowiadało się fajnie i pomyślałam sobie: "hej, to może być dobre".
Jak bardzo byłam w błędzie.

Książka, która ma bardzo ałtoreczkowy styl i klimat, po skręcający wnętrzności humor (główny bohater zwalił konia szampanowi (:), kompletnie nijakie postacie, a sama główna zagadka jest nudna i płytka, nawet pomimo interesującego motywu.

[Becky Schulman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ruthless kidnapper/murderer asks the family of his victims to "pay what they are worth" as a ransom. How do you put a monetary value on the life of a loved one, or in this case, your new girlfriend who happens to have kept her marriage and her former life a secret? That is the dilemma that attorney, Jack Swyteck, faces. FBI agent, Andie Henning, is there to help answer that question and catch the kidnapper she has been tracking all over south Florida. Lots of twists and turns that kept my attention and kept me guessing.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

abridges audio book

People are getting kidnapped and ransomed for the amount the family feels is the person's worth.

If the kidnapper is insulted by the payoff they don't see the victim again.

Jack's girlfriend is kidnapped and he finds she is married, and her husband feels she is now worth nothing and he pays the kidnapper only $20.

Jack starts to deal with the kidnapper and acts as the bag man and must try to get her back to repay his friend who mortgages his bar to get enough cash for the $1 million ransom.

Twist ending.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in the Jack Swyteck series and as with most series there are reoccurring characters. Jack has a new girlfriend, Mia Salazar. Everything is going nice and smoothly until Mia goes missing. Jack finds out that Mia is also a married women to a very rich man that is aware of their affair. The ransom for Mia is "Pay what she is worth" Jack is also aware that agent Andie Henning of the FBI is looking for a serial kidnapper/killer and the two intertwine. The plot was incredibly well developed, a cast of interesting characters, and there is never a dull moment.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Audio book narrated by Nick Sullivan. He was the only thing good about this book! Jack is dating a woman named Mia, who unbeknownst to him, his married to some rich guy. She gets kidnapped and Jack is pulled into the investigation because he "looooves" her. What a sap he is in this novel. I want to see him doing court room stuff, not taking orders from the FBI and the kidnapper. Anyway, I believe this novel was written to bring Andi and Jack together.

[Tom Maseth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Jack Swyteck book. Jack's new girlfriend, Mia, is keeping secrets from the love-struck Miami attorney, not the least of which is a wealthy and powerful husband. Then Miais kidnapped by a manipulative abductor who makes a chilling ransom request, “Pay me what she’s worth.” Now Jack’s the one under the gun, since Mia’s spouse has decided his unfaithful wife is worth nothing. Time is of the essence, and if Jack picks the wrong number, Mia could end up like the kidnapper’s other victims: dead.

[Elizabeth Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Most Incredible Plot

I am in awe of this author and his ability to develop and weave a plot that takes the reader on such a journey, that you cannot put it down, irregardless of the time, you should be cleaning or preparing your family’s meal, but you just cannot put this book down.

If you enjoy reading a good mystery, begin with book one and continue each installment. It only gets better.

[John Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books in this series by Jim Grippando. They never disappoint. They are filled with twists, and the pacing is superb. In this one the protagonist, defense lawyer Jack Swyteck, has an affair with Mia Salazaar, who is kidnapped. Swyteck had no idea Mia was married, and Mia's husband was not interested in paying the ransom. The plot thickens from there and takes some nice turns. I heartily recommend this book and this series to anyone who likes engaging, taut thrillers.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I've really enjoyed other Grippando novels, this one seemed a bit far fetched. It's not a bad story, and doesn't ruin the author for me, I just don't think this is one of his best works...

I think Grippando does a good job of creating conflict with Swyteck's ethics. And it certainly adds to the story.