Customer Reviews

Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett)

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

I became a fan of the movies made from James Patterson's books long before I became fan of his actual writing. I stayed away mostly because of the negative reviews and well, the movies were so good. Three years ago, if memory serves, a friend talked me into getting one of his books. Since then, I haven't looked back. I've mostly read his standalones. The Mike Bennett series consists of this one and the first book, STEP ON A CRACK. If you haven't yet, start with the first.

In RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, Bennett, a recent widow struggles to raise his ten adopted children with the help of Seamus, his grandfather, and the young and pretty Mary Catherine, who we met in the first book. One by one, the kids are coming down with the flu. All the while, he's still dealing with the loss of his beloved wife, Maeve.

A new killer is on the loose who calls himself the Teacher. He's a chameleon of sorts as he changes his looks between each of his killings. His targets seem to be people who are rude, but he has a much more sinister agenda that doesn't become clear until towards the end. Until then, his killings were a bit random until the Teacher and Bennett meet on the phone. That's when the killings turn personal. Bennett soon finds himself the next target of a madman.

Like most of the Patterson books, I prefer the audio format. If you are into audio books, this was probably one of the best. Dallas Roberts makes a chilling voice of a killer and Bobby Cannavale captures the essence of Mike Bennett perfectly. The transition between cop and killer is so smooth. I absolutely loved the combination.

The latest Patterson/Ledwidge collaboration is set in New York City focusing on the life and times of one of its finest, Detective Michael Bennett, a recently widowed Irish cop with a lovable, flu-infested brood. When a series of brazen murders occur during broad daylight in posh uptown establishments, Det. Bennett is promoted as lead investigator with pressure from the brass to solve the case quickly. It is a politically savvy move by his superiors to distract Michael, a trained hostage negotiator, from an ongoing investigation into the shooting death of a bungled hostage situation days earlier.

The trail is initially ice cold but Michael uses his instinct (combined with a lot of luck) to identify and pursue the self-named "Teacher," an egotistical psychopath, on a mission to teach manners to those condescending and rude people who have seemingly wronged him. Michael follows a series of clues which lead to an ultimate showdown with the killer. In an unusual and totally unexpected twist of fate, Michael finds himself and a beloved loved one as hostages. He then must use reverse psychology, recall every trick he learned in hostage negotiation training, and every ounce of strength he can muster to save himself, his child, and New York City from the evil clutches of the Teacher.

This novel is a light, engaging, easy suspense/thriller that reads like a made-for-TV movie. The characters are familiar (tough, loving, nice guy Irish cop who misses and loves his deceased wife; adorable kids; feisty Irish nanny; a cocky fatherly priest; a pushy, sexy reporter, etc.) and there is the evenly paced plot with short cliffhanger chapters that keeps the reader turning pages. Enjoyable and recommended for die-hard Patterson and Ledwidge fans.

Reviewed by Phyllis
January 13, 2009
APOOO BookClub

I have read other Patterson books and enjoyed them, but Run For Your Life just wasn't very good. Poorly written, with oddly stilted diagog and a very strange obsession with vomitting, there really wasn't much to like here. I haven't heard a racing bicycle referred to as a "10-speed" since the 80's and with all that corny dialog I knew I needed to get through this one quickly.

The book has one "twist" which you, the reader, will figure out WAY before the protagonist or the cops do, and the book does build to the usual WAY over the top climax but it's all too little too late.

Happily, I read this on the new Kindle II which was great because the book was cheaper than I might have spent on the hardcover and I didn't have to lug around all that weight. Unfortunatley, the Kindle can't make the writing any better.

I'd stay away.

James Patterson in not going to win any literary awards for Run For Your Life, but he does give the public what it wants. In this case a fun easy to read book that is almost impossible to put down. I somethings think of myself as a Patterson addict as I purchase his new releases on the day they are released.

In Run For Your Life, I see many similarites between his Dective Cross series. I wonder if this means we are nearing the end for Cross? The plot has a few twists and turns and some surprises you did not see coming. The character development is strong which suggests future books!
I dont want to give away the plot and the other reviewers have done a good job setting the table. I would only like to say that I stronly recommend this book and promise you will not be disappointed.

For all of the hype about this book, it was a BIG disappointment. Almost as if it was written by a high school kid. Very weak, predictable and choppy. Not worth the time or $'s.

After Cross Country, I almost gave up. I am glad I read this one. Mike Bennett and his 10 children make wonderful characters and their au pair is wonderful. The teacher was an antagonist to make the Patterson to whom I became addicted proud. Definitely a good read.

wonderful sequel to step on a crack. patterson at his best and a new lead character to met and grow to love.

The second book in this new urban series has been fun and entertaining; I especially liked the New York feel to it. Many books take place somewhere but they don't feel attached to the ground the characters walk on, here the places and situations feel realistic enough and since I live in New York it was nice to see it at the story's core.

Even though this novel has a co-author, Patterson still sticks to his favorite formula, the good noble cop on the case after a mastermind with a plan and even a name, sometimes his stories have a movie feel to them since they are so out of the ordinary. This time the nemesis is a classy guy (or so it seems) who wants to teach those who have wronged him a harsh lesson, he's not your typical bum with a gun, he's someone who has money and skills but serious problems in his unraveling noggin. The avalanche of deaths shock anyone who sets foot in Manhattan, as random as they seem a trail appears- it's a tread that Mike Bennett will try to hang onto in order to solve the crime. Hot on pursuit he gets closer to the killer than he would have liked and suddenly his own future has a grim cast to it. The bad guy knows who he is and he wants to include Mike in his sick little game. The action is pretty fast and the clues interesting enough to keep the reader interested. I enjoyed discovering the crimes and tracking the bad guy, he was one of those war/tactic obsessed people that made the thriller even more thrilling. His skill was blending in and to top it off he made it a very psychological battle, appearing somewhere else than was suspected, playing tricks, and giving the reader a nice twist in the end, nothing jaw dropping but still not too bad. I also liked how the bad guy was relentless, he was impossible to get rid of, which is good, I can't stand 2 page endings where the build up magically resolves in a paragraph.

- Kasia S.

This is a "real" James Patterson thriller. A truly evil villain, with freudian psychoses. a smart cop with lovable kids and deceased adored spouse. a wise nanny. and terrifying close calls with death. what else do you want from this author?

I'm such a James Patterson Fan I own every hard cover novel he has written, and I'm so sorry to say things are going down hill. I use to wait in anticipation for his new releases but I just cross my fingers and hope it's not a waste of hard earn money! "Boring" is the word for this novel... This is really painful if your a true blue fan. If you got to read this .. Go to the Library it's cheaper! Jo