Haunted
A Detective Michael Bennett Thriller
ISBN:1478975806
ISBN13: 978-1478975809
written by James Patterson & James O. Born
read by Danny Mastrogiorgio
6 CD's 6.5 Hour
Published by Hachette Audio
Visit James Patterson's WebsiteHere
Synopsis:
Detective Michael Bennett and his family are about to be haunted...by a father's worst nightmare--the signs he should have seen and a son's desperate cry for help. Reeling from a crisis that would destroy lesser families, the Bennetts escape New York for a much-needed vacation.
An idyllic country town in the Maine woods is haunted...by an epidemic emptying its streets and preying on its youth. Turns out the vacation brochures don't tell the full story-the seemingly perfect community has a deadly vice. When local cops uncover a grisly crime scene buried deep in the woods, they consult the vacationing Bennett, who jumps at the chance to atone for his own sins. You can take Michael Bennett out of New York City, but you can't take the cop out of Michael Bennett. But far from the city streets he knows so well, no one will talk to the big-city detective, and the bodies keep piling up.
A young, hardscrabble, and forgotten girl is haunted...by a traumatic history. Homeless and destitute, she represents the closest thing Bennett has to a partner in his frantic hunt for the ghostlike perpetrator behind the violence. Will Bennett and his unlikely ally unmask the culprit before anyone else winds up haunted?
My Review:
If you are familiar with the Michael Bennett series, Haunted is a continuation of the story line. Of course all the usual characters are present and accounted for - Michael, his ten children, Seamus, and Mary Catherine. But this time homelife plays as big a role in the plot as the main crime. So much so, I say Haunted has parrallel plot lines - each unfolding at it's own pace, while blending seamlessly with the other. It's one of the more interesting aspects of this book.
There's a lot going on in Haunted. It starts with the murder of a high school student. Then Michael's son Brian finds himself in a great deal of trouble, facing jail time. The Bennett's load up and travel to a small town in Maine for a much needed vacation. Nothing goes as planned. When Michael runs into his old partner, Sandy Cole - he is immediately knee deep in yet another case. Drugs and the consequences paid by everyone touched by them permiate the dialogue. It's definitely relevant text. So much is happening Michael begins to question if he wants to do this anymore.
Patterson publishes so many books these days it's hard to keep up with them. Many of which are like Haunted, co-authhored. Sometimes by authors we've barely heard of and other times with heavy independent hitters like James O. Born. Patterson and Born are a good combination. The writing is fluid, interesting, and relevant. The characters are full of life, realistic and relatable. The pacing varies depending on the dialogue, keeping the listener in the moment. Again, the narration is incredible. Danny Mastrogiorgio is Michael Bennett's voice. I cannot imagine Bennett portrayed any other way. Mastrogiorgio's pacing, inflections and emotional variations give each character their own voice. Listening to Haunted I found myself lost in the story. Nothing else diverting my attention away from what was playing out in this story. To me ... that's a good audio book!
If you have a chance to listen to this book - take it! This is a good listening experience. The book can work as a standalone. There's enough backstory shared for the listener to know what is going on and why. However, like any series book, Haunted is better if you have listened to the other books. And you don't want to miss this "episode" ...Will he ever realize the depth of Mary Catharine's afffection? What will become of his son, Brian? Most importantly, will Michael Bennett retire?
Happy Listening,
RJ
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