Stuart Woods - Palindrome

Successful photographer Elizabeth Barwick is almost battered to death by her superstar pro-football player husband. To escape his vengeance, she accepts an offer to photograph Cumberland, a beautiful barrier island off the coast of Georgia. The novel's first four chapters are outstanding, describing Elizabeth's relationships with her husband and hotshot divorce lawyer, episodes which reveal her strength of mind and capture the reader's loyalty and interest. With her arrival on Cumberland however, the pace slows, a love interest with his own quirky past appears, and the story changes so radically the book reads like two separate novels. Attempts to fuse these elements with the reappearance of the psychotic husband don't succeed. This novel can't compare with the author's Chiefs ( LJ 5/1/81), but Woods's wide readership will want to make up their own minds.