THE BIG PICTURE

THE BIG PICTURE Douglas Kennedy (Hyperion, $23.95) Ben Bradford set out to become a photographer but ended up a Wall Street lawyer. Wife Beth, meanwhile, gave up writing novels to turn their suburban colonial into an antique showplace, complete with designer kids. Their trouble starts when Ben discovers that Beth is having an affair. After a confrontation with Beth's lover turns violent, Ben flees and invents a new life for himself. Alas, having set in motion an ingenious plot, Kennedy can't seem to find a way to end it. Instead, he offers a series of preposterous coincidences and contrivances, all the more annoying given the novel's early promise. C