Run For Your Life [Paperback]

James; Ledwidge, Michael Patterson (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st Trade. edition (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446540889
• ISBN-13: 978-0446540889
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,363,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

From my publisher:

James Patterson...


* James Patterson holds the New York Times bestsellers list record with 63 New York Times bestselling titles.

* JP has sold more than 220 million books worldwide. And considering pass-along and libraries, it's safe to say many more people than that have read a Patterson!

* In 2010, JP was named by kids everywhere the Children's Book Councils' Children's Choice Book Awards "Author of the Year" in 2010. More than 15,000 kid and teen readers voted for JP in a category he shared with Suzanne Collins, Carl Hiaasen, Jeff Kinney, and Rick Riordan. His Witch and Wizard series saw the biggest launch of a series for young readers ever, surpassing sales of first installments of Twilight, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, and Percy Jackson & The Olympians.

* JP has grossed over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. This is larger than the worldwide theatrical gross of Avatar, the highest grossing film of all time.

* JP has had 43 New York Times hardcover #1 bestselling novels, also a publishing industry record.

* Last year, JP has sold more books than John Grisham, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King combined (source: Nielsen BookScan).

* JP properties are gaining wide interest amongst film and TV producers. JP's award-winning series for young readers, Maximum Ride, is currently with Avi Arad (Spiderman, Iron Man) and Universal Pictures. Lloyd Levin (Green Zone, Watchmen) is attached to produce a feature film adaptation of JP's newest young readers series, Witch and Wizard, and James Patterson Entertainment is set to produce the next Alex Cross film, I, Alex Cross which will feature Idris Elba (The Wire, The Losers) as Alex Cross. And, a television adaptation of JP's 2007 love story Sundays At Tiffanys aired in December 2010 starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter.

* JP's books are licensed in 43 countries worldwide, and are in print and actively sold in 100 countries.

* According to a 2010 Bowker Sisters in Crime Survey, JP is the favorite mystery writer amongst readers under 50...AND over 50! Survey respondents comprised American men, women and teens who bought at least one mystery fiction title in 2009 and/or 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite series so far..., December 2, 2009

By 

365andMe - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett) (Audio CD)

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.

48 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No Apple For This Teacher, February 2, 2009

By 

Phyllis Rhodes (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett) (Hardcover)

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

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wanted it to be good, but it just wasn't, April 7, 2009

By 

Carl Kotheimer (Savannah, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett) (Kindle Edition)

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.