Category: Michael Bennett

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Michael Bennett, Mini Review, P, RATING, Read in 2018, SERIES

Mini Review: Bullseye by James Patterson

Tara

Bullseye
by James Patterson

Bullseye

Copyright: 2016

Pages: 327

Read: Dec. 2-5, 2018

Rating: 3/5

Source: Grandmother

 

Blurb: Caught in the crosshairs of a deadly standoff, Detective Michael Bennett must kill … or be killed. Tension between America and Russia is high as the UN convenes in New York City. Snow blankets the avenues of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper West Side. The storm is the perfect cover for a fashionable, highly trained team of lethal assassins as they prowl the streets. Their first hit is target practice. Their next hit could turn the Cold War red-hot once again – because they’re aiming for the president of the United States.

Pulled away from his family and pressed into service, Detective Michael Bennett must trace the source of a threat that could rip America apart – and ignite a war with the likes of which the world has never seen. With allegiances constantly in doubt and no one above suspicion, only Bennett can save the president – and the country – before the assassins’ deadly kill shot hits its mark.

Review: This is the 9th book in the Michael Bennett series. Unfortunately, I read this one quite a few weeks ago and ultimately have very little memory of it. 😦

I do remember reading it quite quickly and that it felt quite relevant. But other than that my memory of this one is quite lacking. I do enjoy the Michael Bennett series and am looking forward to reading the 10th book sooner rather than later!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2018, SERIES

Review: Alert by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Alert
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Alert

 

Copyright: 2015

Pages: 368

Read: Oct. 1-6, 2018

Rating: 4/5

Source: Grandmother

 

 

 

Blurb: New Yorkers aren’t easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly. Why? After two crippling high-tech attacks, the entire city is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett, along with his old pal, the FBI’s Emily Parker, has to catch the shadowy criminals who claim responsibility – but they’re as good at concealing their identities as they are at wreaking havoc.

When a shocking murder in broad daylight points to killers both skilled and cold-blooded, Bennett begins to suspect that these mysterious events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Soon he’s racing against the clock, and against the most destructive enemy he’s faced yet, to save his beloved New York – before it’s lights-out for the city that never sleeps.

Review: I can always count on James Patterson for a quick and easy read. This particular book is the 8th installment in the Michael Bennett series. Last month I read the seventh book and enjoyed it well enough, but this book was much better!

I found this one to be fast paced and quite frighteningly believable. It was quite scary to think just how something like what happened could actually happen in real life. Good thing this was fiction 🙂

Overall a good story that I enjoyed. It was a quick, easy, enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend to thriller lovers.

2.5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2018, SERIES

Review: Burn by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Burn
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Burn

 

Copyright: 2014

Pages: 385

Read: Aug 28 – 31, 2018

Rating: 2.5/5

Source: Grandmother

 

Blurb: At last, Detective Michael Bennett and his family are coming home to New York City. Thanks to Bennett, the ruthless crime lord whose vengeful mission forced the Bennett family into hiding has been brought down for good.

Back in the city that never sleeps, Bennett takes over a chaotic Outreach Squad in Harlem, where he receives an unusual call: a man claims to have seen a group of well-dressed men holding a bizarre party in a condemned building. With no clear crime or evidence, Bennett dismisses the report. But when a charred body is found in that very same building, the detective is forced to take the demented caller seriously – and becomes drawn into an underground criminal world of terrifying depravity.

Review: I can always rely on Mr. Patterson for a fun and easy read. It had been quite some time since I had visited with Michael Bennett and his family, so I was looking forward to jumping back in with the Bennett’s.

Overall, this was a good book. I really enjoyed Bennett’s new squad, they added some good new characters for the series. I seriously hope that he continues with that new squad and we get to see more of them in future books.

This particular installment had some interesting storylines, with the diamond heists as well as cannibalism. Very strange, but for whatever reason, it made for interesting reading.

My one and only complaint was the ending … or lack, thereof. It was frustrating the way it ended. I was looking for a few more answers and a nice little wrap up in the epilogue, but that never happened. It just ended. It almost felt as if something was left out. It was a little disappointing.

But overall, the book was enjoyable and definitely left me wanting more of the Bennett family and looking forward to reading on in this series.

3/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2017, SERIES

Review: Gone by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Gone
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Gone

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 386

Read: June 23 – 29, 2017

Rating: 3/5

Source: Paperbackswap

 

Blurb: Mexican strongman Manuel Perrine slaughters rivals as effortlessly as he wears his trademark white linen suits. Detective Michael Bennett is the only U.S. official ever to succeed in putting him behind bars. But now Perrine is out and vows to kill Bennett and everyone dear to him.

Bennett and his ten adopted children are on a secluded California farm, guarded by the FBI’s witness protection program. When Perrine begins a campaign of assassinations across the country, the FBI asks Bennett to risk it all – his careers, his family, his own life – to fight Perrine’s war on America.

Review: This is the sixth book in the Michael Bennett series. I read the fifth installment, I Michael Bennett, back in April and was left with this huge cliffhanger – the Bennett’s being placed into the witness protection program. So I was anxious to get to this book sooner rather than later. I immediately ordered it off of Paperbackswap. So I was glad that it fit a recent callout for a Goodreads challenge I’m doing. It gave me a reason to pick it up.

And while this book wasn’t necessarily a bad book, it just could have been better. I think it’s mainly because Michael Bennett was out of his element. I wanted him on a case, working a homicide. And the parts where the farm and whatnot was described, just didn’t feel right for this series. It definitely picked up once Bennett was called into the thick of things with the investigation to find Perrine.

So I’m glad I finally got the resolution I was looking for after the fifth book. I’m not entirely convinced that it needed an entire book in and of itself, but hey, I’ll continue to read the Michael Bennett series, I still like his character a lot. And I’m anxious to see if him and Mary Catherine will finally stop denying the inevitable and just get together already!!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2017, SERIES

Review: I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

I, Michael Bennett
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

I, Michael Bennett

Copyright: 2012

Pages: 375

Read: April 18-23, 2017

Rating: 4/5

Source: Purchased new

 

 

Blurb: Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous crime lord who vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City – and to get revenge on Michael Bennett. To escape the chaos, Bennett takes his ten kids and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine, on a vacation to his family’s cabin near Newburgh in upstate New York. But instead of finding the happy town he remembers from his youth, Bennett steps into an urban nightmare of warring gangs. Now Bennett is torn between protecting his hometown and saving New York City. And when beautiful prosecutor Tara McLellan comes to Bennett’s aid, she endangers his relationship with Mary Catherine – even as a cunning, cold-blooded killer closes in on him…

Review: This is the 5th in the Michael Bennett series. It had been forever since I read the fourth book, so I went into this with not a lot of recollection of the characters. But that didn’t really matter, I fell right back into step with the Bennett and his gang.

As typical Patterson books go, this one is filled with short, easy chapters and multiple storylines (only two this time, thank goodness). My one complaint is that there’s really a big cliffhanger at the end. There’s no true resolution to the story (guess I’ve got to read book #6 now!).

As usual, this was a fun and fast read. Mr. Patterson doesn’t write the most literary works, but there usually a good time. This one doesn’t disappoint in that regard. And I am looking forward to revisiting Bennett in the near future… to figure out if he can get out of the mess he’s gotten himself into!

4/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2012, READING CHALLENGES 2012, SERIES

2012.13 REVIEW – Tick Tock by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Tick Tock
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Copyright: 2011
Pages: 387
Rating: 4/5
Read: May 25 – May 27, 2012
Challenge: Mystery & Suspense 2012; Off the Shelf 2012
Yearly Count: 13
Format: Print
Source: Personal Copy

Blurb: A bomb set in one of New York’s busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside vacation with his ten adopted children and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine – leaving his entire family open to attack.

Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Beth Peters. His affection for Beth grows into attraction and then something stronger, and his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. Another horrifying crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer’s pattern — and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

Review: I can always count on a James Patterson book for a great escape. For whatever reason, I always seem to fly through his books. And luckily, this one was no different. I had actually picked this book up last year and tried to read it but never got very far into it. So I decided to give it another shot and the pages just flew by.

I’m a sucker for Mr. Patterson’s books. I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t like him or his work. I have to admit that when you put out a gazillion books a year with your name on it, it is a little hard to make them feel authentic. And while a lot of people have issues with how he uses so many different co-authors, I don’t seem to mind at all. I just like the fun that usually comes with a Patterson book.

For me, while I like the Michael Bennett series, it’s not my favorite. However, there was something about this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I like where Mike and Mary Catherine might be going. I like how the kids (yes, all 10 of them) each manage to have a small role in the book. And, as usual with Mr. Patterson’s books, it was a fun roller coaster ride of a story.

While these books will never win any great literary awards, I would definitely recommend this series, but definitely start with the first one (Step on a Crack).

5/5, AUTHOR, Book Review, Fiction, L, Michael Bennett, P, RATING, Read in 2010, READING CHALLENGES 2010, SERIES

REVIEW: Worst Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Tara

Worst Case
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

Copyright: 2010
Pages: 356
Rang: 5/5
Read: Dec. 4-6, 2010
Challenge: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 63
Format: Print

First Line: The stocky man with the salt-and-pepper hair felt light-headed as he crossed beneath the marble arch into Washington Square Park.

The son of one of New York’s wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. But this kidnapper isn’t demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury … and wrong answers are fatal. Detective Michael Bennett heads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can’t understand what could lead someone to target anyone’s children. When another student from a powerful family disappears, the FBI sends in its top abduction specialist: Agent Emily Parker. Bennett’s job and love life suddenly get even more complicated. Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI’s intrusion on his case, the killer mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet – one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City.

This is the third in the Michael Bennett series, and it is the most current one until the fourth is due to release in 2011. Personally, I felt like this was the best book in the series so far. I had been a little unsure about Bennett’s character (partly because he simply isn’t Alex Cross, my all-time favorite series character), but in this book I really started to like him. I enjoyed the storyline of the book, the villain was original. There’s starting to be a little bit of romance in Bennett’s life for the first time since his wife’s death in the first book. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this series to anyone.