A spree killer passes brutal judgment.A calculating murderer who calls himself the Teacher is taking on New York City, slaughtering the powerful and the arrogant. Everyone is his potential student - from the loudmouthed girl on her cell phone to the city's snooty upper crust.
His message to them is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences ! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it's a call to terror.
No chance for redemption.
There is only one man in the NYPD who can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Michael Bennett. For anyone else, the pressure would be overwhelming, but Mike is ready to step up - taking care of his ten children has prepared him for the job. As the media frenzy escalates, all of Mike's children fall victim to a virulent flu bug - almost as challenging an assignment for Bennett as tracking down the killer.
One man struggles to save a city.
A secret pattern emerges in the Teacher's lessons, leaving detective Bennett just a few precious hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history.
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New York City homicide detective Michael Bennett is assigned to a new case at the worst time. With his wife's death the responsibility to take her care of their 10 adopted children is huge enough and now they all fall ill with a terrible flu, vomiting all over their place. Now he is supposed to catch a killer who's pattern doesn't make sense and always strikes at high profile places.
He calls himself the Teacher and his pupils are those who flaunt things, wealth and beauty. The penalty for obnoxiousness is death and you'd better listen to him and don't forget your manners.
With the killer getting bolder and shooting a beautiful stewardess in broad daylight, leaving a hotel lounge full of witnesses the Teacher is identified and his wife and two daughters found dead in their home. Peeling layer after layer Bennett is finally able to uncover the killers pattern and does everything to protect the only next possible victim.
But Bennett hasn't done his investigations without forgetting his own manners which might just turn out to be a terrible mistake.
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I actually really liked this book. For me it seems that co-writing with another writer makes Patterson's book more approachable for me than his other novels. Patterson readers know of Patterson own pattern of crazy psycho killers running through a town - therefore this book doesn't hold any surprises at all. But still the Ledwidge influence gave this book just a tad more than the old story usually offers.
Michael Bennett seems to be the average man struggling with his family issues and missing his wife. He's got personality as far as being a family father goes by mopping vomit off the floor and having some jelly on his sleeves. The cop side of him got a bit short. He actually isn't as striking as the books description does make him seem. The investigation part is just too short or better, it lacks the investigation at all. It seems more like the normal police procedure unravels the killer's identity and Michael's share is the big finale.
In the end I liked it and read through it fast. I wouldn't say I was vowed but actually enjoyed the family parts.
Rating:
Visit Michael Ledwidge.
Visit James Patterson.
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (February 2, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316018740
ISBN-13: 978-0316018746
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