I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Michael Bennett is one of New York's top detectives, a man with a knack for solving high profile and difficult crimes with a flair that leaves most of the other cops in his dust.  He has been involved in some truly insane cases over the past few years, but the next one is going to be a real killer - literally.  When Michael joins a task force to bring in Manuel "the Sun King" Perrine, a drug kingpin who will stop at nothing to get his message across - he has murdered cops, federal agents, their wives, their children, and he has an iron grip on his organisation.  Capturing him is a coup, but the price is almost too high for Michael to bear. 

A year later and Perrine is due to go on trial, but he is determined to escape, and his is wiling to fight dirty to make sure he can escape.  Michael is ready to stand in the witness box and state his case, but things soon get personal and his family becomes a target, even though they have left New York city behind to relax in the Bennett lakeside holiday home.  With all his kids around him, it should be a pleasant time, but he finds himself being drawn back into the case again and again.  Perrine is the most dangerous criminal Bennett has ever come up against, and he has resources that Bennett can only imagine - and he is a cold blooded killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he doesn't care how many people get in his way, he will go through them to get to his target.

I, Michael Bennett is the first book in this series where I feel confident saying that you can just pick it up and read it without having to worry about spoiling the plot for other books in the series - while the others don't have to be read in strict sequence you do get references back to other books in the series that can make you go d'oh if you haven't read them yet.  As always the book is fast paced and action packed, a movie played out in novel form.  The cast built around Bennett includes his family and a host of new characters (that almost seems like a cast of thousands at times), and there are some brilliant inter-relations between them, and there are some laugh out loud moments too.  The people are the centre of this story, and Patterson and Ledwidge have an amazing writing chemistry - especially with this series.

I was reading this at the same time as another family member and when I reached the (amazing / satisfying / gob smacking) end I had to avoid them to stop ruining the ending for them.  This is my favourite book in the series so far and the ending has really left me tap dancing for the next book in the series - with an ending like this they have to do something pretty amazing for the next one!

If you like this book then try:

• Step on a crack by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• Run for your life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• The basement: A novel  by Stephen Leather
• Kill switch by Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene
• The silent girl by Tess Gerritsen
• Now you see her by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
• Last to die by Tess Gerritsen
• Hide by Lisa Gardner

Reviewed by Brilla