Three stars. Not my usual rating for this line of Michael Bennett stories. First - it's very brief. At just 316 pages, each page contains maybe half the words of a Tom Clancy novel. Almost every other page is a break for a new chapter, which is annoying. Second - it very linear. No twists, turns, surprises. A to B. Third - I don't think it's all that well written. Some of the family time dialogue seems shallow, almost treacly. It's not a bad story, however. It does have some interest and my recommendation is, it's just okay.
This tenth book in the Michael Bennett series was co-written by James Born rather than the usual Michael Ledwidge. Not sure why Patterson made this change but overall, I thought this was a step up from the last Bennett thriller, Bullseye. This novel was basically broken into two parts. The first starts out with Bennett's oldest son Brian being incarcerated for selling drugs at his school. Brian doesn't want to say why he was doing this but it is apparent that he was coerced by the dealer with a probable threat against the large Bennett family. The plot also involves a young hit man for the drug cartel and the dealer who provided the drugs to Brian. The second part of the story has the Bennetts going on a much-needed vacation to Maine. Mike's former partner (of course a good looking female) was able to make a house available for the family for three weeks. But is she only interested in the family's relaxation...of course not. The small town in Maine is also being plagued by the drug epidemic and she needed Mike's help.
This novel included a lot more family time than the last in the series and ends up with a long anticipated surprise. Overall, I gave this one an extra star solely for this ending. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
This novel included a lot more family time than the last in the series and ends up with a long anticipated surprise. Overall, I gave this one an extra star solely for this ending. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Esoecually liked that Bennett's family (10 kids) were an integral part of the story rather than remaining on the periphery. Not too many twists in this one but a good, solid outing for the aeries.
Haunted is once again a hit by Patterson.
great
