In James Patterson’s new suspense/crime novel Worst Case, a criminal with a twisted sense of social justice abducts a son of a rich New York City family and holds him prisoner. Surprisingly enough, he does not want any ransom in exchange for the boy’s life: he wants to know about his social awareness and responsibility. He ask questions to test him – and when he fails one, he kills him.
Then he kidnaps another teen, this time a girl, coming from another wealthy family. Detective Mike Bennett works on the case, and soon he discovers that the girl’s family has already reached FBI: an FBI Abduction Specialist Agent Emily Parker is sent to supervise his work and prevent the next murder. However, as the young girl answers the kidnapper’s strange questions right, he lets her go unharmed. He expected the girl to fail (and die), thus he did not cover his face and also left a fingerprint on the girl’s skin: as a consequence, Mike Bennett and Agent Parker can identify him as Francis Mooney, a middle-aged lawyer who is dying of lung cancer. By then Mooney hold hostage a whole class of teenagers in his old high school. He manages to escape with two male students, and whilst leaving, he also abducts a teenaged doorman. He heads for New York Stock Exchange, he hires his prisoners to himself and to some explosives: if one tries to shoot him, the hostages will die with him. He is willing to let the kids go in case their fathers replace themselves with them…
Worst Case is the third instalment of Michael Bennett series written by James Patterson (writer of the popular Alex Cross series and founder of James Patterson PageTurner Award) and Michael Lewidge. It is somewhat less violent than latest Alex Cross novels (which I truly miss: gore and graphic scenes are my weakness; and also, a bit too much of Bennett’s ten kids for me), but it definitely makes the reader want to know the ending…
According to Forbes Magazine, James Patterson is the best storyteller of the world. Although his writing manners are somewhat easy, he does know how to build tension and how to get twists and turns and plenty of action into his books.
Patterson’s latest novel Now You See Her, also a brilliant page-turner, was published in 2011.
Description of Worst Case:
Best case: Survival
The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. His parents can't save him, because this kidnapper isn't demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.
Worst case: Death
Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can't begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone's children. As another student disappears, another powerful family uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat on the mayor, the press—anyone who will listen—to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, which sends its top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett's life—and love life—suddenly get even more complicated.
This case: Detective Michael Bennett is on it
Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI's intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most devastating demonstration yet—one that could bring cataclysmic ruin to every inch of New York City…
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