| Worst Case |  | Authors: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $27.99
Buy New: $10.75
as of 3/10/2010 09:20 CST details
New (58) Used (43) Collectible (1) from $9.99
Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 176
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 368
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0316036226
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780316036221
Publication Date: February 1, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780316036221 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
Best case: survival
The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.
Worst case: death
Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn the heat up on the mayor, the press--anyone who will listen--to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life--and love life--suddenly get even more complicated.
This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it
Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet--one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York. From the shocking first page to the last exhilarating scene, Worst Case is a non-stop thriller from "America's #1 storyteller" (Forbes).
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 39
 Couldn't Put This One Down! March 9, 2010
Kathleen Penles
Once again we catch up with Michael Bennett, a detective with the NYPD, who is also the widowed single parent of 10 children. In this book, Francis X. Mooney is an aging 1960's activist trying to rid the world of social injustice. When passing out literature doesn't work, he becomes a serial killer by kidnapping sons and daughters of New York's wealthiest residents. After kidnapping them, Mooney gives each victim a "quiz" and how they answer the questions determines whether they live or die. Then there is the kidnapping of the wheelchair bound son of a wealthy businessman that on the surface appears to be identical to the other kidnappings, but turns out to be a very different situation.
Michael is asked to investigate the string of kidnappings and is teamed up with FBI Agent, Emily Parker, an attractive divorced, single mother, whose specialty is abductions. A romantic attraction soon develops between them.
We also get a glimpse into Michael's relationship with his 10 children, as well as their nanny, Mary Catherine. In Worst Case, Mary Catherine's romantic feelings towards Michael are apparent, as she displays her jealousy when Michael brings Emily Parker home for dinner. It takes a while, but Michael eventually figures out what is bothering Mary Catherine. On Mary Catherine's birthday, Michael attempts to wish her happy birthday by kissing her on the cheek, but Mary Catherine has other ideas. It looks like Michael is going to skip Mary Catherine's birthday party for a romantic encounter with Emily, but he has second thoughts, and an angry Emily makes Michael realize that he has romantic feeling for the nanny. Michael leaves Emily and goes home to the party where he presents Mary Catherine with a piece of jewelry for her birthday. At this point, the reader is left wondering what happens next, but I'm sure we will find out in later books.
This book is a fast read with the right blend of suspense and romance. I like the Michael Bennett character because he comes across as the real deal.
 Struggled to finish March 7, 2010
C. D. Dewald (Muncy, PA USA)
This is not James Patterson's best work by a long shot! I finished it, but unlike the majority of his other books, it did not keep my attention and I kept putting it down. It was like a chore to finish it. Normally, his books keep my attention and I read them cover to cover as quickly as I can. I think James Patterson is just adding his name to other authors' works because his latest works are just not up to par.
I've read better escapism. March 6, 2010
Alayne (Boston, MA)
This is the third novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge involving NYPD Detective Michael Bennett. Bennett is a single father, with ten adopted children, an attractive live-in nanny, an abrasive humorous Irish priest for a grandfather, and a cat. He's got his hands full, to say the least. So when a killer with a pseudo-enviornmental/societal message starts kidnapping the children of uber-wealthy men and women in New York, and FBI Special Agent-with-a-great-figure Emily Parker flies into town to assist, Bennett is fairly overwhelmed with all the drama. And that's pretty much what this book, 355 pages with a size fourteen font and large margins, is all about. It took me less than eight hours to read over the course of two days.
Character-wise, this book was fairly formulaic: good cop with baggage; damaged attractive FBI agent single-mother; sympathetic but murderous villain always staying two steps ahead. We've all read and heard this storyline a million times before. And since the killer had kidnapped three people all before page 150, there was little time to become invested in the story before it was already over. Like many of Patterson's books, this would be a good movie; but it left little for the reader to be committed to. Sure it was a semi-decent page turner, but part of that's because the font was so big that it took half as long to read one page as most other books. I already knew Bennett was going to get the bad guy, but where I would normally be very interested to see how he would do it, I was drifting in and out of the storyline and not feeling as though I was missing much.
According to the blurb in the back of the book, Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever. I'm sorry to all you die-hard-Pattersonians out there, but I'm not convinced his books are good enough to have the distinction of being in the Guinness Book of World Records. I've only read five of them, but I speculate that it may have something to do with the fact that many of his books are written with co-writers. You see, according to the back of the book, Patterson has written 64 novels, and 31 of them have had co-authors. Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but at some point quality over quantity needs to come into play. Patterson released five novels in 2009 and one manga. In 2008 he released seven novels, and in 2007 he released six. Where does the man find time to write his own books? I just don't get it, and since what I've read hasn't exactly blown me away, I simply do not understand the appeal.
Patterson's first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number from 1976 won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Novel. I think I would rather read that than any more of his co-authored multi-releases-per-year. That's not to say that Worst Case is total garbage, but I've read far better escapism thrillers. For those of you that are Patterson fans I think you'll enjoy Worst Case. For those of you that are not, I wouldn't recommend giving Patterson another shot with this particular novel; though I have heard good things about the Alex Cross series, perhaps one of the other eight novels slated for 2010 release would be a better choice.
2 stars
(I received this book from the publisher for review)
 Another entertaining Patterson book March 6, 2010
Elena Ball (United States)
This is yet another entertaining and, at times funny, book by James Patterson & E. Michael Ledwidge. The characters are totally believeable and keep you interested. There are several story lines going on at the same time which keeps the reader interested all the time. I LOVE Bobby Carnavale reading for the police detective on the CD. He brings humor and reality to the book. I would recommend this book.
 A solid read March 5, 2010
Shon
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. 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.
3.5 Stars
Showing reviews 1-5 of 39
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