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Worst Case  By  cover art

Worst Case

By: James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge
Narrated by: Bobby Cannavale, John Glover, Orlagh Cassidy
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Publisher's summary

One by one, children of New York's wealthiest are taken hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money or power - he only wants to ask the elite if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. And, if they don't, he corrects their ignorance - by killing them.

To Detective Michael Bennett, it becomes clear that these murders are linked and must be part of a greater, more public demonstration. With the city thrown into chaos, he is forced to team up with FBI agent Emily Parker, and the two set out to capture the killer before he begins his most public lesson yet - a deadly message for the entire city to witness.

From the best-selling author who brought you the Alex Cross novels comes James Patterson's most action-packed series yet. With the heart-pounding suspense that only Patterson delivers, Worst Case will leave you gasping for breath until the very end.

©2010 James Patterson (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Featured Article: The Best James Patterson Audiobooks and Series, According to Fans


James Patterson is one of the most prolific contemporary American writers working today—from children's and YA books to thrillers, mysteries, and even romance, it's hard to keep up with such a massive number of best sellers. Whether you’re just discovering James Patterson or you’re an avid, longtime fan of his wide-ranging work, you can't go wrong with any of these excellent listens. Here are a few different entry points into his impressive catalog.

What listeners say about Worst Case

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,313
  • 4 Stars
    655
  • 3 Stars
    227
  • 2 Stars
    41
  • 1 Stars
    24
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,123
  • 4 Stars
    338
  • 3 Stars
    96
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    17
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,036
  • 4 Stars
    396
  • 3 Stars
    114
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    18

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

It's one thing for you to give me an easy to follow story with good writing, but then you give me great narration to go with it? The cast did a bang up job. From work to the car ride back home I couldn't stop listening. I hope for more cases with Michael in the future.

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59 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Patterson fails again

Two Patterson books ago I promised myself that I would give up on this author after enjoying years of reading/listening to his books. I saw that this book had such good reviews, so I thought I should give this one a chance.
Well, I was disappointed and wish I had not wasted my credit. I found none of the characters to be well fleshed out, the plot to be predictable (as some have said previously), and the story not able to hold my interest as it should have.
The basic premise of the plot could be engaging, but it feels like the authors lacked interest in giving the story any real meat, maybe they wrote this in a long weekend, as someone else suggested.
The bad guy and the good guys are shallow and this makes for a book that is short on substance. Oh well.......

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

best case

I read over 100 books a year and it was one of the ten best I have read.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

was ok, but not a page turner

this is my first book in this series and not sure I'll get another. storyline has potential and started off great out of the gate, but became too erratic and disappointing by the end. Big fan of other Patterson stories, but this one was mediocre.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Narration

I'v listened to 4 Patterson books in the last week, and the best by far was this one. Having male and female voices makes a huge difference as one follows the dialogue. I will look for that feature as I search for my future books. I just hope the writers read these reviews and take note. Multiple readers really makes for a much better listen.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Don't Bother!

Michael Bennet and his FBI partner in this case spend most of their time racing through the streets of New York City. There is no compelling listen here -- don't bother.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

wish i could hear it

it would have been nice if amazon, sorry, audible would tell you up front that it won't work with android phones... looks like i'm out 8 bucks. hope they didn't hide the cancel account button.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth it, great production, insight into terror

visits the dark side of our countries downfall of the elite entitled class in how they are unaware of their own shadow and how obsession is "conjured" up in what seems to be in "intelligent" people... surely intelligent and whole are different things. In the end I saw into how "psyche" and "soul" are simply never violent and yield to violence... yet terror and terrorism comes from "intelligence" believing it's own sound lies to tragic ends. Fantastic work by author and readers. Thank you! The protagonists are realistic. The antagonist captures the "why" we are seeing terror these days. Maybe the insight will enlighten many and further enlighten me in my next re-listening.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Lackluster Thriller

James Patterson is always good for a quick, captivating read, and I've enjoyed the Michael Bennett series thus far. However, Worst Case was very weak.

There were virtually no twists, and those that did occur were lame. The most significant "surprise" was the killer's motivation, and that was the biggest disappointment of all. The moment it was revealed, I felt as if I'd wasted my time up until that point.

On the positive side, John Glover does a fantastic job narrating the villain. And the chemistry between the main characters is believable. It's just a shame that it was wasted on such a uninspired story.

If you plan on reading this series, I recommend that you borrow this book from a friend or the library. It's not worth your money.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent book!

It was one where I didn't want to get out of the car!

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3 people found this helpful