READ THIS: GONE by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge Our Coverage Sponsored by Solera Restaurant
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It is almost blizzard-time in Manhattan, and it's a perfect time to curl up with a stack of books. Among those that should be at the top of your stack is Gone by James Patterson! If a release of a Patterson book does not put your sensory literary system in a total thrill, be aware it is high time you jumped on the bandwagon. Co-written with Connecticut star Michael Ledwidge, Gone is a chronicle of a crime lord versus protagonist Detective Michael Bennett. It would be an understatement to say it's a page-turner, and it was universally loved here at Whom You Know by both Peachy and her panel. We can relate to characters that "[can commit] a felony for a real slice of pizza or a bagel" (page 24).
A quote we applaud:
"'It didn't have to come to all this, Emily. How many years was nothing done about the border? About the cartels? We let this fester. Now things are so bad, we have to bring in the military? It's a disgrace. Everybody is god-damn asleep at the switch these days." (p. 133) How will Bennett dig them out of the mess? You'll need to read to find out! Our panelists rave:
James Patterson is the master of the thriller, and his newest novel in the Detective Michael Bennett series, Gone, is another winner. Co-written with Michael Ledwidge, the action starts with Bennett, his ten adopted children, their Irish nanny, Mary Catherine, and Bennett's grandfather, Seamus (an Irish priest), hiding out on a rural farm as part of the witness protection program. Bennett had managed to capture Mexican crime lord Manuel Perrine and put him behind bars, and was the only law enforcement official ever to do so. However, Perrine pulled off an almost-impossible escape and is once again free, vowing to kill Bennett and his family. While Bennett and his family are getting used to life on the farm, and the slower pace that entails, Perrine is ramping things up, pulling off increasingly frequent and brazen murders and assassinations on U.S. soil. Although the killings are at first associated with the drug trade, Perrine declares war on the U.S., claiming that his ultimate goal is to take California back for Mexico. The FBI and local police are completely confounded by Perrine and unable to figure out where he is hiding, or how he is able to pull off these daring attacks, so they turn to the one man who was able to successfully nab him before: Detective Michael Bennett. Although Bennett is reluctant to leave his family, he agrees to join in the efforts, knowing that his family will never truly be free or safe until Perrine is captured. Full of suspense, plot twists, and drama, this novel will keep readers anxiously flipping pages right through the very end. Highly recommended by this panelist!
Catch up with the charming and irascible Michael Bennett, Detective a la James Patterson, in the new collaborative effort "Gone". Written with Michael Ledwidge, Mr. Patterson gives us more of what we need in a superlative page turner. Michael Bennett manages to get himself into as much trouble as possible: we're glad to say he stays alive and keeps us happy with more chapters in his adventure-filled life. Who else has a vast brood of kids running amuck though pages of nail biting plot lines? Bennett's children are an indivisible element in his cases, so we learn to look for their individual traits and personalities, along with their father's intelligent approach to solving a crime. Called in by the FBI and any other initialed agency, Bennett brings his cold logic to heart and proceeds to keep us guessing. Mr. Patterson and Mr. Ledwidge have given us five other Michael Bennett thrillers, and so we are not sated, but enticed by the new one. Their collaborative efforts would seem to feed the horde who crave more James Patterson, and it works. Thank you. And keep writing. Another book that you just can't put down, and will read from cover to cover. Turn off the phone, the doorbell, and the computer, and allow yourself to sink into the world of twisted behavior, via a really sick crime lord. Murder is his main joy in life, and Bennett is not about to let him continue along his path of revolutionary bloodletting.
One knows what to expect when you pick up a James Patterson book: excellence in thrillers. Evil, evil villains that do things that take your breath away and leave you white-knuckled. Antagonists that are developed so richly that you sometimes feel like you will be hearing about them in real life in the news. James Patterson’s “Gone” is nothing short of dramatic and mind-boggling in its depths of evil and revenge. A story of the infamous Detective Bennett who has accomplished an incredible feat of capturing Manuel Perrine, who topped the FBI’s list of most wanted awaits you. But as we know no good deed goes unpunished; Perrine is out and coming for Bennett and his incredibly large family. As you learn more and more about his family made up of 10 adopted children, you are fully engaged into worrying about their safety from this monster. With Perrine on the prowl and killing everything that gets in his way, his determination and malicious soul force Bennett and his family to hide within the system. This thriller deserves great praise and those who are Patterson novel fanatics will find great satisfaction in the pages.
Gone is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
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With explosive action and fierce villainy that rivals James Bond movies at their best, GONE is the next astounding novel by James Patterson.
Manuel Perrine doesn't fear anyone or anything. A charismatic and ruthless leader, Perrine slaughters rivals as effortlessly as he wears his trademark white linen suit. Detective Michael Bennett once managed to put Perrine behind bars, the only official in the US ever to accomplish that. But now Perrine is out, and he has sworn to find and kill Bennett and everyone dear to him.
Detective Bennett, along with his ten adopted children, their nanny, and his grandfather, are hidden safely on a rural California farm, with guards courtesy of the FBI's witness protection program. Perrine begins to embark on an escalating series of assassinations across the country, killings whose brazenness and audacity bring into question the possibility of safety and law in the US. The FBI has no choice but to ask Detective Bennett to risk it all in Perrine's war on America.
Like James Patterson on Facebook for 15 chapters of GONE, free—as well as for James’s movie reviews, book giveaways, and more!
GONE by James Patterson
and Michael Ledwidge
Little, Brown and Co. | 416 pages
ISBN: 9780316210986
ABOUT JAMES PATTERSON:
Worldwide, James Patterson has sold 280 million books, including the Middle School books and the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, and Maximum Ride series. The 2012 film, Alex Cross, based on his Alex Cross series, had an A rating among audiences in exit interviews. His passion to get kids to love books led him to pursue pro-reading initiatives, such as scholarships, book donations, and the #1 pro-reading not-for-profit website on the internet, ReadKiddoRead.com.
