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 is known for his sharp turns and twists, though this one didn't contain as many. The driving action still existed, though slower than usual.

A couple times Patterson lost my willing suspension of disbelief. His portrayal of instant messaging (with excessive use of R's and U's) was awkward and distracting. And the fleeting moments of flirtation with the news reporter didn't mesh for a character who just lost his wife to cancer.

Overall, an easy entertaining read. OK, but not great.