it was... i'm not sure how to describe it. it was certainly a good story, a little heavy on the suspense for me. as a swimmer, i was laughing a lot at how much explaining the swimming parts took (swimmers have their own language). it just didn't feel real. otis and meg, while very nice characters, were not whole in the sense that makes them jump off the page. and i don't want to bash this book, because it was a nice read, but it was not the best i've ever read. i did enjoy the part about swimming, though. i'll always love swimming