My rating:

add to my books

Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett #2)

by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Michael Ledwidge

3.83 · rating details · 6,127 ratings · 646 reviews

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on <ST1:PLACE w:st="on"><ST1:CITY w:st="on">New York City</ST1:CITY></ST1:PLACE>, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For <...more

Hardcover, 373 pages

Published February 2nd 2009 by Little, Brown and Company (first published January 1st 2009)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Favourite Crime & Thrillers

14th out of 70 books — 51 voters

What Should I Read in 2012?

126th out of 346 books — 224 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 9,393)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 06, 2009

Shiela rated it

Shelves: general-fiction, serial-killers, thriller, suspense

Looking for a book that reads like the latest Jason Statham movie? Patterson’s thrilling Michael Bennett series are the books for you. Leaving off from Step on a Crack, Michael and his ten kids are thrown back into turmoil after the death of Michael’s wife. To make life a little harder, the kids all come down with virulent flu right when Mike is assigned to his latest case. A devious serial killer dubbed “the Teacher,” is on the loose in New York City murdering the rich, powerful and arrogan...more

like 3 likes

· see review

Feb 07, 2009

Cheryl rated it

A sadistic killer is on the loose in New York City. He calls himself the “Teacher”. He is going around punishing everyone from the girl talking on her phone to the top elite of New York. The teacher reminds everyone to remember your manner or suffer the consequences.

Detective Michael Bennett a trained hostage negotiator is promoted to the lead investigator on this case. He is instructed to solve these murders quickly. Detective Bennett’s training kicks in and he is off in full force...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Jan 26, 2009

Maria M. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, owned, 2009, 4-stars, arc, suspense

Mike Bennett, NYPD homicide detective, is facing the worst nightmare of his life. His children are all sick, and he can't even stay home to take care of them, because a maniac calling himself "The Teacher" is running around Manhattan killing the rich, the snobbish and the rude. It would appear that nobody in the upper circles can count themselves safe, but what Mike really wants to know is how the victims are chosen! Is it just a random sampling? Or are they all connected somehow? When...more

like 2 likes

· see review

Feb 17, 2009

Debbie rated it

Typical of Patterson's books, this one involves lots of murder, kidnapping, but of course all in the name of vindication of a wrong done to another family member! Enough to keep you turning page after page, and sweating it out to the final end as to whether or not the "hero" of the story truly makes it thru!

like 1 like

· see review

Mar 19, 2009

Rhonda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

A sadistic killer is on the loose in New York City. He calls himself the "Teacher". He is going around punishing everyone from the girl talking on her phone to the top elite of New York. The teacher reminds everyone to remember your manners or suffer the consequences.

Detective Michael Bennett a trained hostage negotiator is promoted to the lead investigator on this case. He is instructed to solve these murders quickly. Detective Bennett's training kicks in and he is off in...more

· see review

Feb 22, 2009

Shonda rated it

Shelves: read-2009

When I read Step on a Crack, the first novel featuring Michael Bennett, I did not know it was the start of a new series. Michael Bennett is a character that is easy to like. He’s a dedicated police detective, but sometimes fantasizes about a career change. He’s determined to make the streets of NYC safe. At the end of the day, Detective Bennett wants to be a great dad to his ten children. Having just lost his wife to cancer, Mike tries to pick up the pieces and move on while dealing with his gri...more

· see review

Aug 21, 2011

Tim Knier rated it

Nothing seems to endear a protagonist to readers more than having a hero with clay feet, or at least a character who has domestic problems added to a strenuous professional life. Nothing can add humor and complexity to an on-duty policeman than having to grapple with mundane household problems with his children—all thirteen of them.

New York detective, Michael Bennett, is placed in charge of the investigation of high-end serial murders targeted by a well-endowed assassin who calls hi...moreNothing seems to endear a protagonist to readers more than having a hero with clay feet, or at least a character who has domestic problems added to a strenuous professional life. Nothing can add humor and complexity to an on-duty policeman than having to grapple with mundane household problems with his children—all thirteen of them.

New York detective, Michael Bennett, is placed in charge of the investigation of high-end serial murders targeted by a well-endowed assassin who calls himself The Teacher. Pursuing leads involving widely-disbursed crimes is exhausting enough for any cop, but widower Bennett continually battles a newspaper snoop; his grizzled priest-father, the monsignor next door; and a home full of his flu-stricken, adopted orphans.

The well-planned murders of victims in such places as Ralph Lauren’s Polo haberdashery, the 21 Club, or the Platinum Star Hotel are as vividly detailed as The Teacher’s wardrobe is described in his off-beat process in fulfilling his manifesto against rich snobs. Name brands and exotic labels rifle through these pages as the killer arms himself with a catalog of high-tech instruments.

There are two matters that would have been satisfying to resolve in this story, but they remain undisclosed. What does happen to the poor-box thief that Father Seamus Bennett nabs? And, what becomes of the long-suffering, efficient Irish au pair, Mary Catherine, who helps Bennett so consistently and diligently since his wife, Maeve, died a year previously?

Despite the loss of these two subplot elements, the touching home-bound scenes of near-crisis epidemic resound with such touching, everyday charm that humanize Bennett—very humorous—that readers can ignore the nearly improbable heroics that draw the story’s conclusion.

This is one of the better novels from the Patterson group involving a realistic human detective confounded by everyday family problems with which most readers will be acquainted. Kudos for kiddos.(less)

· see review

Nov 19, 2010

Tony rated it

The book, 'Run For Your Life' is about a detective, Michael Bennett, who is chasing down a serial killer. The killer is called the Teacher, because he is trying to teach society a lesson. He wants to silence rich and cocky people. Bennett is a normal guy, a single parent with a large family of adopted children which makes his life even more stressful while tracking down a deranged murderer.

I thought it was a very good book. It was very suspenseful and left you questioning what was re...more

· see review

Jun 23, 2010

Chris rated it

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory-shefl

For the record, James Patterson is definately one of the top five authors in the world. His style of writing keeps you turning the page until, before you know it, you've finished the book. In this book, Patterson digs deeper into the life of Detective Michael Bennett of NYPD Homicide. As a Homicide detective and a single father of ten adopted children, Detective Bennett certainly has a lot on his plate.

This specific novel is centered around a serial killer that goes by the name of "...more

· see review

Jun 14, 2010

Kasia S. rated it

The second book in this new urban series has been fun and entertaining; I especially liked the New York feel to it. Many books take place somewhere but they don't feel attached to the ground the characters walk on, here the places and situations feel realistic enough and since I live in New York it was nice to see it at the story's core.

Even though this novel has a co-author, Patterson still sticks to his favorite formula, the good noble cop on the case after a mastermind with a plan a...more

· see review

Jan 31, 2010

Debs rated it

Well, Patterson has a new hero in the form of Mike Bennet, NYPD.
Wonder what he's like?
If you're a follower of Patterson's books, you'll probably guess that Bennet...
1: Is single or a widower
2: Has children and a small select group of important family and friends.
3: Has many skills including negotiating and profiling. In fact, he's pretty darn good at anything that comes his way.
4: He's handsome and any woman's idea of a 'good catch' (supposedly!).

O...more

· see review

Oct 11, 2009

Mocha Girl rated it

The latest Patterson/Ledwidge collaboration is set in New York City focusing on the life and times of one of its finest, Detective Michael Bennett, a recently widowed Irish cop with a lovable, flu-infested brood. When a series of brazen murders occur during broad daylight in posh uptown establishments, Det. Bennett is promoted as lead investigator with pressure from the brass to solve the case quickly. It is a politically savvy move by his superiors to distract Michael, a trained hostage negotia...more

· see review

Oct 02, 2009

Ryosuke rated it

If there's anyone out there who was looking for a good thriller, the book you’ve been looking for is Run for Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. This book is the sequel to Step on a Crack, but you'll have no trouble understanding even if you haven't read the first one.

This was one of those books that have nonstop action on every page. Mike Bennett, a detective who works for the New York Police Department, must track down a deadly killer, who calls himself "the Te...moreIf there's anyone out there who was looking for a good thriller, the book you’ve been looking for is Run for Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. This book is the sequel to Step on a Crack, but you'll have no trouble understanding even if you haven't read the first one.

This was one of those books that have nonstop action on every page. Mike Bennett, a detective who works for the New York Police Department, must track down a deadly killer, who calls himself "the Teacher" and is on a mission to exterminate rich people who have no manners and treat poor people like trash. Okay, honestly I thought this was a pretty ridiculous reason to go around killing people, so it would've been nice if there was a more realistic reason. The Teacher foils the police time after time, while Detective Bennett and the rest of the police department desperately try to predict where the Teacher will strike next. One time, the police find the place the Teacher is going to commit the next murder, but they arrive too late to prevent the murder, and the Teacher slips through their fingers and escapes to the subway. Two cops follow him, and they almost have him cornered, but he shoots them, and escapes from the terrified subway. Now this definitely gets Bennett fired up, and he tells us “Everything had changed from an hour ago. The shooter had killed one, probably two of our own. The stakes had skyrocketed.” As the police finally get an idea of who this killer is, Bennett realizes he must stop the Teacher’s final plans if he wants to save himself and his family.

Run for Your Life was an exhilarating mystery right off the bat, because it starts off with Mike Bennett on another case, and the action there immediately pulls the reader in, then shifts to the Teacher, who is plotting his scheme. The story develops really quickly, which was nice since I can't stand books with slow starts. Something that was really interesting about the book was that it has two narrators. One is Detective Bennett, the protagonist, and the other is the Teacher, the antagonist of the story. I was amazed at how smoothly Patterson pulled this off, and it worked unbelievably well since the book is a mystery. When you read the story from Teacher’s point of view, it describes the Teacher’s actions in a way that hints at what is going to happen next. It gives enough detail to feel like you are in the Teacher’s mind, but doesn’t fully reveal his plans. After that, the book switches to the detective’s point of view, and he finds out what the Teacher had planned all along. It's an ingenious way of telling a story.

I also loved how Patterson changes how he describes the Teacher throughout the book, especially as the Teacher gets cornered. At first, the Teacher seems perfect: everything goes as he had planned, he predicts the police’s every move, and he remains calm after every murder. The first description Patterson gives of the Teacher is “The man in the beautifully tailored, two-button Givenchy suit had finished his morning’s work with his usual expertise and speed. Many things in his life had changed since he had seen the truth – he was a new man now – but his superior intelligence and skills remained intact,” giving the impression that the Teacher is a superior human being that can escape the police. As the story progresses, he is forced to do things he hadn’t originally planned. He is thwarted by the police, loses his calmness and is forced to take actions he doesn’t want to. I thought it was a good way of showing that every person has his or her flaws. This book shows that the Teacher is aware of this, because even in his thoughts, he says how things aren’t going his way and he can’t get his plans to work like they should.

I won't give away what happens in the end, but apparently think Patterson and Ledwidge wanted to have a really dramatic and climatic ending. It was kind of believable when I read it, but looking back, I'm just thinking "yeah right." Well, I guess it's better than having a really anticlimactic ending, but still, the ending could've been a ton better.

All in all, this book is an excellent thriller with quick nonstop action. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in these kinds of mysteries. Make sure you have lots of free time before you start reading, because it will be hard to put down until you finish it. If you are okay with books that are realistic for the most part, you won't really mind all of the crazy parts of this book. This was a pretty easy and fast read, so if you like this genre, get this book as soon as possible from your local library or bookstore!
(less)

· see review

Aug 02, 2009

Emily rated it

Shelves: james-patterson

No author is more popular than James Patterson. So when I decided to read one of his books I happened to just pick the latest one that he had written at that time. This is the second book in a series featuring a widower detective with many adopted children. (I did not know that before I read it.) I quickly realized why Patterson is known for short chapters. I don't really understand why some authors like to have 120 chapters in a book with a few pages per chapter. The first half was hard t...more

· see review

Jul 14, 2009

Aaron rated it

I really found Michael Bennett and his large adopted family to be truly interesting in the first novel (Step on a Crack) in which they were presented by Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. In fact, Bennett quickly became one of my favorite characters from Patterson as he dealt with the loss of his wife while he was confronted with a case centering around terrorists in New York.

Now, Bennett is back with his grandfather, the priestly Father Seamus, the devoted nanny Mary Catherine, and his...more

· see review

May 23, 2009

Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

Read by: Dallas Roberts and Bobby Cannavale

There really is nothing like an audiobook for me. I have a few favorite authors who I not only like to read their work, but I also enjoy listening to it. Listening to an audiobook is probably the closest I'll get to having my mom read to me like when I was a little girl. Of course, mom never read the books I enjoy now.

Run For Your Life introduces the reader/listener to Detective Michael Bennet who is really the go-to and never-mi...moreRead by: Dallas Roberts and Bobby Cannavale

There really is nothing like an audiobook for me. I have a few favorite authors who I not only like to read their work, but I also enjoy listening to it. Listening to an audiobook is probably the closest I'll get to having my mom read to me like when I was a little girl. Of course, mom never read the books I enjoy now.

Run For Your Life introduces the reader/listener to Detective Michael Bennet who is really the go-to and never-miss guy. He is a problem solver, and it is a good thing, because there is a huge problem coming to New York and this problem has a mission statement that he intends to follow to the letter. His name is The Teacher.

Taking on the task of saving the city from this villian is not going to be an easy task for Mike. If there is a man for the job, Mike is definitely that man. With a home full of chhildren (10 to be exact) and most of them sick...this widowed police detective has his hands full inside and outside the home.

I enjoyed the readers of this book. I am often a little nervous before I start on a new audiobook because I am afraid that I am not going to enjoy the reader. A good reader can pull you into the world the author created, a bad reader can't pull you in with a chain and a tank. Dallas Roberts and Bobby Cannavale do a great job. Dallas immediately captured the personality of The Teacher. He had me from his first word. He really used his voice to portray exactly what I saw in my mind's eye while listening to Run For Your Life. Cannavale did a nice job as well though it did take me a bit longer to get comfortable with the character voice.

I have come to count on most of James Patterson's work. Nothing will beat the Cross books for me, but Bennet is a good character and I am looking forward to seeing what develops. Listening to Run For Your Life was a great escape from my sick bed experience fo the past two weeks.

If you enjoy a good bad guy just as much as a good hero, I really think you will like Run For Your Life. If you enjoy listening to audiobooks, I highly recommend that you pick this one up. You will be entertained.(less)

· see review

Apr 12, 2009

Michelle rated it

Shelves: bookcrossing

Synopsis: A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message 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 is a call to terror.

Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have c...more

· see review

Jul 25, 2011

Nathan added it

If you like Patterson, then of course you'll like this one. If you find his books to be a bit formulaic, then it may not be so engaging.

This one is the second following Detective Mike Bennett, a likable hero. The villain ("The Teacher") is intriguing to start, bent on correcting the world to fit his picture of humaneness... which he achieves via murder. Irony at its peak. However, I was sad to see the Teacher lose a bit of appeal and intelligence in the last third or so.

Patterson i...more

· see review

Jul 09, 2010

Jennifer rated it

I read this book for our diet office book club at my work. I am not really a fan of James Patterson's writing, but he can tell an okay story. I would almost give this novel a 2.5/5.

I shouldn't have admitted to my co-worker that I can identify with the murderer. She gave me the strangest look.

I couldn't really connect with Bennett. I didn't believe that he loved his children. It seemed like he was just going through the motions. And, even if Bennett inherited a multi-mi...more

· see review

Jun 09, 2010

Denise rated it

3.0 out of 5 stars (3 1/2 stars) Escape into a fast paced thriller..., March 8, 2009

This review is from: Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett) (Hardcover)
A wealthy homicidal maniac is on the loose in New York. He's targeted people connected to the world of the rich -- a snooty salesman at Ralph Lauren, a maitre d' at Twenty-One Club, a beautiful Air France stewardess, a famous divorce attorney -- what is the motive? Are they connected, and how?

This is the second in...more

· see review

Nov 24, 2009

Kari Anderson rated it

· review of another edition

I won this book from Vicki over at Reading at the Beach.I have only read one other Patterson book, and it was one of my favorites this year (The Quickie). After I read that, I saw this was up for grabs and signed up.

This book is about homicide detective Mike Bennett. He’s the single father of 10 adopted kids. The book starts with a standoff that doesn’t end very pretty, but that’s the least of Mike’s worries. Just when he takes a personal day to take care of his gaggle of sick kids, ...moreI won this book from Vicki over at Reading at the Beach.I have only read one other Patterson book, and it was one of my favorites this year (The Quickie). After I read that, I saw this was up for grabs and signed up.

This book is about homicide detective Mike Bennett. He’s the single father of 10 adopted kids. The book starts with a standoff that doesn’t end very pretty, but that’s the least of Mike’s worries. Just when he takes a personal day to take care of his gaggle of sick kids, there’s a major crisis. A madman is on the loose, killing two people a day. But these aren’t random murders, not all of them. He has this planned out. The murderer, self proclaimed as The Teacher, has a checklist. Now Mike is in charge of catching this guy before he gets too far down the list.

I really liked this book. One of the things that is a shoo- in for a good review is if I can picture it being a movie. And this one I definitely could. I have become a big fan of Patterson’s books, after only reading two. Even though they are 400+ pages, I always get through them in a couple of days. They’re page turners and always have so many twists.

With 100 pages left in this book, I was SURE that I had figured this book out. I was wrong! I hate when that happens

One thing I liked about this book was that while it was very action packed and dramatic, it also had kids. I am a sucker for kids in movies and books. And these kids were hilarious. They may not be hilarious if I had to babysit them, but to read about them and their sick antics made me laugh.

The only thing I didn’t like about this, and it’s not the book’s fault, but I didn’t realize until after I had started this book and already got sucked in that it was part of a series, and this was the second one. I love reading a series, but this is the second time I have started the second book first and it drives me nuts. But, it was written in a way that I didn’t need to read the first book to know what was going on. Much like the Evanovich books, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. So, I guess that’s something else in the plus category.

I give Run for Your Life 4 bookmarks and can’t wait to get the first one and for the 3rd one to come out.
(less)

· see review

Apr 06, 2009

Sarah rated it

Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Sarah by: My mother

I was 24 pages in before I decided I had much better things to do with my life than read this. I couldnt stand the style of writing - i felt like I was reading something with too simple of sentences. Maybe its just against the kind of style I like, but I honestly felt like this was horrible writing and I just couldn't wait it out long enough to see if the plot went anywhere interesting.

like 3 likes

· see review

Sep 07, 2010

William Bentrim rated it

Run For Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

A dysfunctional family provides fuel for a sociopath. The killer’s agenda runs awry of Michael Bennett. Once again, the wealthiest NY families are terrorized by a psychopath or is it a sociopath or both.

We met Michael Bennett in Worst Case. http://bookrevues.blogspot.com/2010/04/w...

Michael is a single parent and NY detective with a blended, multi-racial family of 10 kids. His deceased wife was ...more

· see review

Nov 30, 2009

Patricia added it · review of another edition

A killer who calls himself “The Teacher” is on a rampage. He kills in broad daylight in front of witnesses but somehow manages to escape. Detective Michael Bennett of the New York City Police Department is puzzled but determined to catch the killer.

“The Teacher” has an agenda but exactly what that is or how he picks his victims is something that Detective Bennett has a hard time figuring out. The killer strikes and moves on to the next victim. There are eye witnesses but the descr...more

· see review

Sep 18, 2009

Jan rated it

Shelves: library-copy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 1 like

· see review

Jan 25, 2012

Lee Kyle rated it

Recommends it for: Anyone who has read any of the other Bennett books by James Patterson

Recommended to Lee by: Jamespatterson.com

Fantastic gripping book, page by page! Although having read all of Patterson's books featuring Nypd supercop Michael Bennett, I'd have to say Run For Your Life was the best of the lot! Also have to note if their was one book that they should make a major motion picture of, it would have to be this one as well.

After the outcome of the crimes of the first book in this series Step On A Crack were said and done it didn't mean that Nypd cop Mike Bennett could simply live life with his br...more

like 1 like

· see review

Feb 21, 2011

Kristy (DreamingByDay) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, mystery

I gave this book two stars because, while I thought the actual plot was pretty good, it didn’t really live up to my expectations. The characters were a little too mundane, in my opinion. Having said that, it wasn’t necessarily bad, but it really wasn’t good either, so for me it was about average.

The one thing I did like is the plot twist near the end. I kind of saw it coming, but it was still pretty good. The story is told from the homicide detective’s point-of-view as well as t...more

· see review

Apr 16, 2009

Melanie rated it

Shelves: read-2009, mystery-suspense-thriller

This isn't one of my favorite James Patterson books. However his writing style combined with the short chapters is enough to keep me reading even when I'm not 100% into the story or characters. My problem with this book was both the story and the characters. Detective Michael Bennett is certainly a likeable enough hero, but I don't find him that relatable. I'm just not sure that he's the kind of hero I will follow through a series. I liked "Step on a Crack" enough to be curious ab...more

· see review

May 07, 2011

Adrian J. rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Much better than STEP ON A CRACK, but only because I -had- read STEP ON A CRACK.

Let me explain:

Here, Patterson and Ledwidge do a fantastic job of providing a stand-alone story. You can read this without having read the preceding title - while two references are made to that book, they don't confuse you at all; in the first book, similar references were made to events in Bennett's life that have not yet seen print; if you didn't know this was the second book in the series, you...more

· see review

Apr 10, 2011

Brett Tompkins rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

· see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 313 314 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (25)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

74 users

Thriller

36 users

Suspense

20 users

Mystery > Crime

18 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

16 users

Adventure

7 users

Adult

6 users

Mystery > Murder Mystery

6 users

Action

5 users

Contemporary

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers Also Enjoyed

About James Patterson

Offical US Site
Offical UK Site

The subject of a Time magazine feature called, "The Man Who Can't Miss," James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than ...more

More about James Patterson...

Books by James Patterson

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Pin It

Trivia About Run for Your Life

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Groups That Shelved Run for Your Life

UK Book Club

1510 members

last activity 8 minutes ago

shelf: read

Settings

56 members

last activity Dec 21, 2011 10:02am

shelf: read

By The Book

36 members

last activity 5 hours, 6 min ago

shelf: read

title link	preview: Run for Your Life
avg rating	preview: Run for Your Life Goodreads rating: 3.83 (6127 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3188186-run-for-your-life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255710460m/3188186.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3188186-run-for-your-life?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Run for Your Life by James Patterson[/url]

Run for Your Life (Michael Bennett #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Readers Also Enjoyed

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website