Worst Case (Michael Bennett Series #3)

by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge Narrated by Bobby Cannavale, John Glover, Orlagh Cassidy

Overview

One by one, children of New York's wealthiest are taken hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money or power--he only wants to ask the elite if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. And, if they don't, he corrects their ignorance--by killing them.

To Detective Michael Bennett, it becomes clear that these murders are linked and must be part of a greater, more public demonstration. With the city thrown into chaos, he is forced to team up with FBI agent Emily Parker, and the two set out to capture the killer before he begins his most public lesson yet--a deadly message for the entire city to witness.

From the bestselling author who brought you the Alex Cross novels comes James Patterson's most action-packed series yet. With the heart-pounding suspense that only Patterson delivers, WORST CASE will leave you gasping for breath until the very end.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Thrilling . . . white-knuckle suspense . . . a standout crime thriller that no Patterson or adrenaline junkie should miss."—NightsandWeekends.com on Run For Your Life

"At a furious pace, this novel runs with the wolves. Action, intelligence, social and political issues galore, with a fantastic plot and great writing-what's not to like?"—TheReviewBroads.com

"Patterson and Ledwidge more than deliver . . . each book just gets better . . . The tension and suspense leap off the pages . . . definitely must-read material for Patterson fans . . . This Michael Bennett guy? I think he's the real deal."—FictionAddict.com

"Packed with action . . . The Bennett series has hit its stride with this entry, as it is even more fast-paced and even more exciting than Run for Your Life . . . Score another win for Patterson and Ledwidge. I eagerly await the next installment of the saga."—MrControversy.blogspot.com

"Tension, suspense, and thrills on virtually every page. WORST CASE delivers."—Squidoo.com

"A one-sit read with a villain who is as current as today's headlines . . . Bennett is very likable."—BookReporter.com

"This top-notch mystery with a first-class cast will rivet readers and whet their appetites for the next in the Bennett series."—RT Book Reviews

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173527585
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Series:	Michael Bennett Series
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Worst Case

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By Patterson, James

Little, Brown and Company

Copyright © 2010 Patterson, James
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780316036221

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Prologue

GIVE PEACE A CHANCE… OR ELSE

One

THE STOCKY MAN with the salt-and-pepper hair felt light-headed as he crossed beneath the marble arch into Washington Square Park. He dropped his backpack, took off his circular glasses, and blotted the sudden tears in his eyes with the sleeve of his ancient jeans jacket.

He hadn’t planned on breaking down, but My God, he thought, wiping at his rugged, lined face. Now he knew how Vietnam veterans felt when they visited their Wall down in Washington, DC. If veterans of the antiwar movement had a monument—a Wall of Tears—it was here, where it all began, Washington Square Park.

Staring out over the windy park, he remembered all the incredible things that had occurred here. The antiwar demonstrations. Bob Dylan in the 4th Street basement clubs, singing about which way the wind was blowing. The candlelit faces of his old friends as they passed bottles and smoke. The whispered promises they had made to one another to change things, to make things better.

He looked out over the Friday-afternoon crowd by the center fountain, the people hovering over the chess tables, as if he might find a familiar face. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? he thought with a shrug. They’d all moved on, like he had. Grown up. Sold out. Or were underground. Figuratively. Literally.

That time, his time, was almost completely faded now, just about dead and gone.

Just about, he thought as he knelt and removed the box of flyers from his knapsack.

But not quite.

On each of the five hundred sheets was a three-paragraph message entitled LOVE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.

Who says you can’t go home? he thought. A quote from Keith Richards popped into his head as he stacked the sheets.

“I got news for you. We’re still a bunch of tough bastards. String us up and we still won’t die.”

You said it, Keith, he thought, giggling to himself. Right on, brother. You and me both.

More and more over the last year, his thoughts kept coming back to his youth. It was the only time in his entire life when he’d felt like he meant something, when he’d felt he was making a positive difference.

Was coming back now after all this time a midlife crisis? Maybe. He didn’t care. He’d decided he wanted that feeling again. Especially in light of recent events. The world now was in even more dire straits than the one he and his friends had fought to affect. It was time to do it again. Wake people up before it was too late.

That’s why he was here. It had worked once. They had, after all, stopped a war. Maybe it could happen again. Even if he was a lot older, he wasn’t dead yet. Not by any means.

He licked his thumb and took the first sheet from the stack. He smiled, remembering the countless flyers he’d handed out in Berkeley and Seattle, and in Chicago in ’68. After all this time, here he was. Unbelievable. What a crazy life. Back in the saddle again.

Continues...

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Excerpted from Worst Case by Patterson, James Copyright © 2010 by Patterson, James. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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