Run For Your Life-James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Run For Your Life
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Grand Central, Oct 2009, $14.99
ISBN: 9780446562676

In New York City Police Detective Michael Bennett has no time to mourn the loss of his beloved wife as he has to deal with their ten grieving kids suffering from the loss of their mom and the flu. However, he has no time away from the job either as a serial killer is murdering people in daylight at expensive uptown places.

Bennett leads the investigation with the brass demanding a fast resolution although their motives to assigning the honest cop the case is to keep him occupied while an official inquiry into a hostage shooting death that the department apparently misplayed is undrway. Michael finds no viable clues, initially, but luck sends him to soon link the homicides to a psychopath calling himself the "Teacher". The maniac’s mission is to teach lessons in manners to those rude rich rubes who mistreated him or others especially humiliating him in front of others. As he closes in on the culprit, the Teacher catches a child dear to Michael and soon has the cop too. Using the skills he learned as a hostage negotiator, Michael tries to extract the child from the lunatic before he thinks of saving his own life.

This over the top of the Manhattan skyline thriller is fun, fun, and more fun yet has a philosophical underpinning to the fast-paced plot when the Teacher poses the question is this life worth getting up for every morning? Readers will appreciate this entertaining tale as a beleaguered Michael learns a lesson from the teacher as to what matters in life.

Harriet Klausner