This book was completely satisfactory in terms of FBI agent on the hunt in a serial murder book fashion. Would recommend if you’re looking for that, but it’s nothing groundbreaking.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I like Mike's growth as a single dad.

Typical James Patterson book. Middle-aged, recently-widowed, family-man cop with a conscious meets female can-do-it-all single mother FBI agent on the hunt for the typical serial murderer. Sound familiar? That's because it's the same plot with all of his books.

This is the first book that I have read in the Michael Bennett series. Like every other James Patterson book, this too can be treated as a stand-alone novel even though it is in a series. I am sure that Michael Bennet’s character has grown over the three books; however, I did not feel as if I have ‘missed’ something by reading the third book first.

A lunatic is on the loose and he is kidnapping rich kids in order to test them. You pass the test and you go free. But if you fail the test the results are drastic. You do not get grounded for failing his test but you pay for it with your life. Michael Bennet is put in charge of the case and he notices certain irregularities in the pattern. Things heat up for Bennet, both at home and at work, with the entry of Emily Parker, a FBI Agent. With the rich parents using their resources and influence to pressurize the high-ups, and the criminal calling and taunting, the pressure builds on Bennet & Parker to solve the case before another body turns up.

My first impression of Michael Bennet is that he is a ‘BRAVE’ man. Well, obviously he has to be in order to be in the law enforcement. But not only that, Bennet has ten, yes that’s right, t-e-n children. A person has to be beyond brave to take on that amount of challenge and responsibility. In his professional life he is organized only to an extent and has a record to back up his reputation. I like the way he works. Emily Parker is a thorough professional at first glance. But then as the plot progresses, we see a completely different side of her. I am not sure whether I like or not like her yet. I am hoping she will turn up in a future installment and give me a chance to make up my mind completely. Francis Mooney is, in one word, a psycho. Not in ‘Hannibal’ category, but a psycho nonetheless. Like many other Patterson novels, ‘Worst Case’ too has chapters written in the POV of the criminal. The insight was illuminating even though I felt as if the characters lacked complexity in order to bring up the plot.

This book has a lot of action and even some romance. As usual, it turned out to be yet another page turner. A good book worth investing your time in.

Another book in the Michael Bennett series in which he chases a man who is kidnapping children of the wealthy. Bennett also has developments in his love life.

This was a great murder mystery and so far, my favorite in the Michael Bennett series. I like when the author lets the reader know who the killer is and gives insight into his life and routine, such is the case in this book. The story surrounds the kidnapping of children of wealthy parents and held for ransom. The killer objects to the wealth of the families and wants vengeance for those in third world countries where clean water is a daily fight. I also like the family dynamic of the Bennett family, that include Michael, the NYPD detective, his 10 children and his pastor father, Seamus. Looking forward to the next one,

The thrills were there and the story was a good one. I'm not sure how I feel about the romance crap with the nanny. A little too predictable and just ew.

Patterson's and Ledwidge's Worst Case tells a tale of Michael Bennett, a veteran cop, as he pursues a serial kidnapper/murderer who targets the children of the super-rich.

And to be perfectly honest I the best way to describe Worst Case: Along Came a Spider, without the good bits. The plotline of Worst Case is effectively a string of kidnappings which all follow the same format. 1. Child disapears 2. Phone call 3. Find child dead.

There are the occasional deviations but nothing to get excited about, the most extreme twist being someone organising a fake kidnapping to get some cash and put the blame on the killer (sound familiar?)

I don't know whether this counts as a spoiler but there really is nothing to this story: The good guys pursue the bad-guy until they catch him, there isn't even the uber cheesy "Now it's personal" moment that usually pops up mid novel to amp up the tension.

And don't even get me started on the characters. I never thought I would prefer things more conformist, but the lack of any grit in Bennett's character is gag-worthy. He's an ultra-polite and well behaved cop, who uses lines like "Totally uncalled for and innapropriate" For a moment I thought Super-Nanny was the main character.
Although Bennett does come out with this bad-ass line "No, you're more like an insult to handicapped people." When speaking to a student in a wheelchair.
Bennett also has more adopted children than Maddonna and Brad n Angie combined, is a widower (leaving him free for all the ladies) which all leaves me with the feeling that the authors forgot to give this guy that 'one flaw' that readers crave.

Considering the protaginist, obviously the antagonist is going to have to be a literary mess also. Our bad guy real barrel of problems: Ultra left-wing rich hating, intelligent, mentally unstable and terminally ill. One feels like instead of giving the bad-guy one overarching well-developed motivation for their actions the authors just threw together a bunch of issues and hoped it would work. The only thing missing was Mummy issues.

There is little else to redeem this novel, there is illogical science (Upon an ash cross placed on a victims forehead the lab finds: cigarette ash, cancer medicine and traces of C4 explosive) Now maybe I get the cigarette ash mixing with medicine, that might happen right? BUT HOW THE HECK DID EXPLOSIVES GET INTO HIS CIGARETTES?

Ok breath in, breath out. Inbetween the questionable racial stereotypes thrown throughout the investiagtion there are a few decent jokes, (if you like Dad-humour) and a little bit of flirting, but really, one of those things wasn't good and the other only half good, so just two stars for this one.