Worst Case (Michael Bennett, 3)

An entertaining read. New York Police Detective Michael Bennett and Emily Parker an FBI Abduction Specialist lead an investigation into a high-profile kidnapping case. The kidnapper targets teenage kids from some of NYC's top schools and some of its wealthiest families. The victims are given a test

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the results of which determine whether they live or die.

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There comes a time when an author needs to take a break from writing. Worst Case, which was co-authored by Michael Ledwidge demonstrates to me that James Patterson has reached that point. The book is readable but is rather formulae driven.

What happens when a powerful chain-smoking lawyer gets terminal cancer with six months to live? Well, In James Patterson’s world he returns to his radical activist roots and begins kidnapping rich youngsters and killing them for being morally inadequate.

Enter Inspector Michael Bennet who,

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together with FBI kidnapping expert Emily Parker, is determine to stop the lunatic before more children die. Naturally, agent Emily is soon taken with Mike, his ten adopted children and his grandfather the Catholic priest.

And if you find that unlikely, let me not get into the Ash Wednesday climax at the New York stock exchange… It’s typical Patterson. Enough said.

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Michael Bennett is an interesting character. You have to admire any single father who's raising 10 kids, working a full-time job as detective, dealing with an uncle who's an Irish Catholic priest, and goes about completely clueless about his nanny who would love to play a different role in his

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life.

I have always been an avid Patterson fan--I own and have read all of his 'adult' market books; but I found this book somewhat lacking. The dialogue in some cases was underdeveloped and almost elementary, and listening in to the thoughts of "the killer" was almost like listening in to the thoughts of a young boy--it had no substance.

He just squeezed by with a 4 for this book.

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James Patterson's Alex Cross series used to be my favourite. But I think I'm going to say it's now the Mike Bennett series. The last couple of Alex Cross books have been overly violent in my opinion, going for the shock and awe component.

I find the Bennett series entertaining without being

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offensive.

Children of wealthy New Yorkers are being kidnapped. There is no ransom though - instead the kidnapper gives the children a test. Pass - you live. Fail - lights out. How high is their social awareness of the world's plight?

The 'villain' of the last Bennett book was the Teacher - obsessed with social niceties and politeness. This time around it's social injustices and the state of the world.

I listened to Worst Case in audio format - as I will for all future Bennett books. The character of Mike is read by Bobby Canavale. I can't imagine a more perfect narrator - his voice is all New York, it's quick, rough and expressive. The 6 disc set also features two other readers - Orlagh Cassidy as the female Fibbie who's on the case with Mike and John Glover as the bad guy. Glover was particularly effective - his calm, clipped modulated voice made the kidnapper seem even more menacing. Cassidy was a good reader as well, but I just never warmed up to her character - I'm rooting for M.C. - the Bennett nanny.

True to form, Worst Case is short, snappy chapters, ending with cliffhangers, persuading you to listen to just one more chapter. The plot isn't overly complicated and there's a fun secondary plot involving Mike's love life. A thoroughly entertaining listen

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not the best michael bennnett story by paterson

I was pleasantly surprised by this, based on the last few of the newer Patterson books I’ve read. I enjoyed the first Michael Bennett novel, Step on a Crack, but found the manufactured emotion around his wife’s death to be so horribly schmaltzy that I almost gave up on the series. I didn’t

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read the second book, but you can enjoy this third book without reading either of the other two (though it does help to know why Bennett has 10 kids). Like many of Patterson’s villains, Francis X. Mooney is more than a little crazy, and his unpredictability adds the appropriate amount of suspense to the storyline. I liked the addition of FBI agent Emily Parker, and hope we haven’t seen the last of her. Patterson is still no longer a must-read author for me, but this novel gives me hope.

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Worst Case was the hardest Bennett novels to read. Like all Patterson novels, it was a quick read. However, the plot was hard to swallow at certain times. I also was adulterated with the novel because everything progressed extremely slowly. The main character was not connecting information fast

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enough for me and I felt like he had some wires missing in this novel. He seemed different from the first book, less strategic. All of a sudden he gets smart in the end, but I wish he was smart the whole time. The novel was not anything special and the only redeeming quality of the novel was the serial killers persona. He really pulled things together. If I had to read from Bennetts perspective the whole time I might have had to force myself through the novel. Patterson is loosing his spark. His older works were much better.

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This was a fast paced audiobook that kept me gripping the steering wheel for the most part, but still had a few parts that made me burst into laughter. This is the first book I have read (actually listened to) by Patterson and it was a very enjoyable experience. Although I don't usually read books

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that are from the 'thriller' genre I have been finding that I do enjoy the audioversions.

There is a maniac on the streets of New York City who is kidnapping children of wealthy families for what seems to be his own personal quest for economic justice. He asks his victims a series of questions that have to do with countries that have been attacked by disease or bad economics. Once the victim answers too many incorrect questions he or she is killed.

Detective Mike Bennett is assigned to this case and I have to say that I loved his character. Not only is he a successful detective for the NYPD, but he is also a loving and caring father of oodles of kids that he has at home. I loved getting a glimpse into Bennett's family life because helped me to see what a huge heart he really has.

Bennett gets a break in the case when one of the victims is set free after answering the series of questions correctly. Once they are able to get a description of the murderer/kidnapper, Bennett tries to piece together the motives of his actions before he has the opportunity to strike again.

If you enjoy action packed books with just a touch of romantic interest then I think you will enjoy this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the audioversion and will probably try to listen to the other books in the Bennett series...yes, there are more! The multiple narrators of this book included Bobby Cannavale, John Glover, and Orlagh Cassidy. Cannavale did a great job narrating as Bennett, while the voice of Glover as the villain was definitely unnerving.

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Pretty typical Patterson book. Lots of action and snappy off the cuff dialogue. Reminds me why I do not read his stuff all that often.

This is the 3rd book in the Detective Bennett series. I really liked the humor in the back-and-forth between Bennett & FBI Agent Parker. Don't know if this was added by the co-author or Patterson. I'm sure that there will be further advetures of Detective Bennet but, will Agent Parker reappear?

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There seemed to be a "thing" building between the two.

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Enjoyed! This was an excellent thriller tied around and Irish, Catholic, detective in New York. As always I did the audio as well and I have never jumped out of my seat by being startled before with an audio until now. So entertaining with an interesting closure on why the killer was killing rich

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kids.

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I just love James Patterson. His chapters are short yet filled with so much tension I almost have close my eyes to get through them. He's a great storyteller and this novel doesn't let you down. Although I'm a big fan of Dr. Alex Cross, Det. Michael Bennett comes in a close second. In this chilling

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tale, Francis X. Mooney believes that people can change the world to make it better. But seeing the materialist, rich, spoiled youth around him, he begins to feel the world slipping away to a generation that doesn't deserve it. He no longer believes in a nonviolent solution to the spoiled youth of today -- he believes the only way people will hear him is through violence. And so the twisted spree begins....

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Life isn’t always fair. There are some people who are extremely wealthy, while others have exactly as much as they need. Still there are people living in constant lack. It’s the first and last group that tend to cause the most anger.

A kidnapper is targeting the wealthiest students in Manhattan.

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There's no demanded ransom or clues left behind. There's only one way for these kids to return home safely to their families: they must pass the test.

After the first kidnapped victim is found dead and a second victim is taken, Detective Mike Bennett knows he's facing a sadistic, yet intelligent killer. Parents are frightened and soon New York City is paralyzed by this individual.

Given the nature of the cases, FBI Emily Parker is brought in from DC. She's one of the FBI finest and is determined to find the killer. As Mike and Emily race against the clock, they also try to resist the growing attraction between them. The deeper they dig in the cases, the more they realize the motive behind the kidnapping is larger than the victims. They are just pawns that need to be removed in order to fulfill the mission.

Worst Case is the third book in the Michael Bennett series. Mike is such a likable guy. He's a good detective, a great father and generally tries to do the right thing. He finds it hard to balance his personal life (he's the father of 10 adopted children) and work, makes his fair share of mistakes, but still manages to remain grounded.

True to Mr. Patterson's style, the killer is sick and twisted. The pace is steady and the hint of romance didn't take away from the mystery. Fans of this series will enjoy this book.

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Worst Case is Patterson's strongest novel in his Michael Bennett series so far. From the the first chapter the action is relentless, only punctuated by the story of Michael's potential love interest. The approach to the latter is cleverly composed, almost a humourous tilt, and it in no way impedes

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the main story which follows a prolific kidnapper as he terrorizes the city. Great characters and a compelling villain wrap up Worst Case as an example of Patterson at his best.

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Very easy enjoyable read. I like detective Michael Bennett and his huge family from the previous two books. Listened to this on a playaway and didn't have to pay a lot of attention to follow along.

After the horrible second installment in the series, James Patterson had a lot of making up to do and he didn't let fans down. Back to basics, this is another novel where wealthy children are kidnapped and Michael Bennett must track down the bad guy before time runs out. Although the plot is

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somewhat derivative, the pages will turn to a satisfying ending. This novel definitely warrants a sequel!

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Great action packed story with a lot of twists and turns. Kidnapper is kidnapping high profile kids to send a message to the world. Det Bennet is trying to catch him along with FBI agent Emily Parker, who could possibly be a love interest for Det Bennett. With 10 kids at home a wonderful Nanny and

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helpful father in more ways than one. Det. Bennet gets the job done. Really great addition to the series.

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I read this as a stand alone book and found it a very pleasant read. It made me interested in the rest of the Mike Bennett series.

A New York cop with 10 kids? YGBSM. The mystery was a good one, with a small twist at the end; the romantic context left something. I enjoyed the book and may come back to it's series, later.

This is yet another solid book from author James Patterson. I like his Michael Bennett series as much as, if not more than his Alex Cross series. It was riveting, fast-paced, and engaging. The only thing that seemed to make it less than perfect is the fact that the police officers (and FBI agent)

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only "screamed, cried, or yelled". They didn't seem to do anything else. I found that to be quite annoying. Other than that it was a good read, and one I would definitely tell Patterson fans to pick up. I enjoyed the development of the new character "Emily Parker" but I found because of that, we didn't get to spend as much time with Mary Catherine. She seemed to fade into the background. As always the kids are entertaining, all 10 of them, however they didn't seem to play as large a role in this book either. Regardless, this was a good book, and I do recommend it to those wanting a quick read, or to get their Patterson fix.

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Another satisfying tome from James Patterson + 1. The plot moved along at a steady pace, and there was a semi-credible evil villain. Entertaining.

This book is a fast read. Like all Patterson books, it has short chapters and a flowing style. But like many of his co authored books, it follows a familiar and somewhat tired routine.
If you are a Patterson fan, you will enjoy it.

Love the Michael Bennett series!