Michael Bennett, a detective for the New York Police Department, is confronted with another serial murder in the third book in this series. The troubles all starts when a teenager is kidnapped. Bennett is assigned to the case and must work with FBI Agent Emily Parker to try to figure out what is going on. The problem is that when the kidnapper calls, he isn’t asking for a ransom. Instead, he is taunting Bennett and leads him and Emily on a race across the city to where the boy is. The problem is that by the time they arrive, the boy is already dead.

This is juts the first of the kidnapped teens. The only obvious thing that they all have in common is that they are children of very wealthy and influential parents in the city. Each time one is taken, the events follow the same track.

Readers get a bit of insight with scenes that show the kidnapper with the teens. He clearly has a bias in defending the environment and the needy. He seems to quiz each teen about their knowledge about those areas, highlighting that while the teens life the good life, people around the planet are suffering.

Bennett, who is still coming to terms with the death of his life Maeve after a tough fight with cancer, finds himself getting closer and closer to Emily. There is no shortage of flirtation going on, and it is not making Mary Catherine, the nanny he has to help care for his 10 adopted children. She starts being a bit moody and even takes a really surprising action that makes her feelings clear.
Bennett’s family plays its usual role of providing a sanctuary from the horrors of his job as he must plan a birthday party, help with science fair projects, and help coach his son’s basketball team. Fortunately, he has help from Mary Catherine and his grandfather Seamus, who is also a Catholic priest.

Even with his romantic and familial entanglements, Bennett stays focused on his case because he knows that as more time goes by, more kids will die. It is a race against time, and it is up to him and Emily to figure out who the kidnapper is before another kid turns up kidnapped and murdered.

I really like the Bennett series. While Patterson’s Alex Cross series has gotten a little stale, with the exception of the most recent addition I, Alex Cross, I have found the Bennett series to be a bit more refreshing. Bennett is an interesting and developed character, and he is surrounded by a really interesting group of characters. There is a nice mix of humor, and the books are quick-paced and full of action. Edge-of-your seat really defines things. This book is better than the second in the series and just about as good as the first. If you like Patterson’s other books, you really should give this series a try!

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