Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Michael Ledwidge (Author)
Key Phrases: James Patterson, Mary Catherine, Beth Peters (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror.

Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have come down with virulent flu at once!

Discovering a secret pattern in The Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author comes RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.

About the Author

James Patterson published his first thriller in 1976 and since then has become one of the best-known and bestselling writers of all time, with more than 140 million copies of his books sold worldwide. He is the author of the two most popular detective series of the past decade, featuring Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club, and he has written numerous other #1 bestsellers. He has won an Edgar Award--the mystery world's highest honor--and his novels Kiss the Girls and Along Came aSpider were made into feature films starring Morgan Freeman. His charity, the James Patterson PageTurner Awards, has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to individuals and groups that promote the excitement of books and reading. He lives in Florida.

Michael Ledwidge is the author of The Narrowback, Bad Connection, and most recently,the coauthor, with James Patterson, of The Quickie and Step on a Crack.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (February 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316018740
• ISBN-13: 978-0316018746
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,760 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 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 (REAL NAME)

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

13 of 16 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)

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.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars must read follow up, February 5, 2009

By	Alissa Eckas "lissa80634" (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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