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Michael Bennett books in order

Looking for James Patterson’s Michael Bennett books in order? Look no further!

The number one new bestselling detective series follows New York City detective Michael Bennett. Packed with typical Patterson panache, the titles in this series feature billionaires, politicians, superstars, South American crime lords, frightening killers and heinous crimes, and rattle along at breakneck speed making each one a page-turner.

This series is a must-read for crime and thriller fans and proof as to why Patterson is the ultimate crime storyteller.

Here are all the books in order.

James Patterson’s Michael Bennett books in order:

Step on a Crack by James Patterson

1. Step on a Crack (2007)

The scene is set for a huge funeral in St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. The rich and the famous from all over America – and beyond – have arrived to honour a former First Lady after her sudden, unexpected death.

Then follows an attack that was three years in the planning. Hostages are taken – the ex-President among them – ransoms demanded, a couple of hostages shot to show the kidnappers mean business.

It’s all brilliantly and chillingly co-ordinated, and Michael Bennett, the detective in charge of the case, knows it will be his biggest ever challenge.

Run For Your Life by James Patterson

2. Run For Your Life (2009)

A man who calls himself ‘the Teacher’ is devising a meticulous plan. Cold-hearted and cunning, he plans to teach New York a lesson it will never forget.

Intent on exacting revenge and causing mass hysteria, he embarks on the worst killing spree the city has ever seen. The whole New York Police Department is tested to its limits; none more so than Detective Michael Bennett as the Teacher leads him on a terrifying chase that brings danger perilously close to home…

Worst Case by James Patterson

3. Worst Case (2009)

The son of one of New York’s wealthiest families is snatched off the street. His parents can’t save him, because this kidnapper isn’t demanding money. Instead, he quizzes his prisoner on the price others pay for his life of luxury. In this exam, wrong answers are fatal.

Detective Michael Bennett leads the investigation. With ten kids of his own, he can’t begin to understand what could lead someone to target anyone’s children. As another student disappears, one powerful family after another uses their leverage and connections to turn up the heat on the mayor, the press, anyone who will listen, to stop this killer. Their reach extends all the way to the FBI, who send their top Abduction Specialist, Agent Emily Parker. Bennett’s work life – and love life – suddenly get even more complicated.

Before Bennett has a chance to protest the FBI’s intrusion on his case, the mastermind changes his routine. His plan leads up to the most deadly demonstration yet – one that could bring cataclysmic devastation to every inch of New York.

Tick Tock by James Patterson

4. Tick Tock (2010)

A rash of horrifying crimes tears through New York City, throwing it into complete chaos. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. But as his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn.

All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer’s pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson

5. I, Michael Bennett (2012)

Detective Michael Bennett arrests infamous South American crime lord Manuel Perrine in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett’s lifelong friend Hughie McDonough dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain terror down upon New York City – and to get revenge on Michael Bennett.

Perrine’s men create chaos: police officers are shot, judges murdered. As Bennett is engulfed in the struggle against this widening organised violence, he realises that not only is he being targeted, but that the lives of everyone he loves are under threat.

Gone by James Patterson

6. Gone (2013)

When Bennett arrested Manuel Perrine, he thought he had brought an end to the drug cartel boss’s reign of terror and would get justice for the murder of his best friend. But then, during the trial, Perrine escaped. In a bloody shoot-out, Bennett killed Perrine’s wife. Now he wants nothing more than to make Bennett suffer, to make him pay.

The whole family are moved to a safe-house in California. But as Perrine’s attacks on US soil become more vicious and more daring, it’s clear there is a war coming. No one, anywhere, is safe.

Burn by James Patterson

7. Burn (2014)

Having brought an end to the vengeance of the ruthless crime lord who forced the Bennett family into hiding, Michael is finally back in New York City.

However, Bennett is thrust straight back into a horrifying case: a witness claims to have seen a group of well-dressed men holding a sickeningly depraved and murderous gathering in a condemned building.

The report reads like the product of an overactive imagination. But when a charred body is found in that very same building, the unbelievable claim becomes all too real…

Alert by James Patterson

8. Alert (2015)

New York has seen more than its fair share of horrific attacks, but the city is about to be shaken in a way it never has before.

Two devastating catastrophes hit in quick succession, putting everyone on edge. Detective Michael Bennett is given the near impossible task of hunting down the shadowy terror group responsible.

Then a shocking assassination makes it clear that these inexplicable events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Now Bennett is racing against the clock to save his beloved city – before the most destructive force he has ever faced tears it apart.

Bullseye by James Patterson

9. Bullseye (2016)

As the most powerful men on earth gather in New York for a meeting of the UN, Detective Michael Bennett receives intelligence warning that there will be an assassination attempt on the US president. Even more shocking, the intelligence suggests that the Russian government could be behind the plot.

Tensions between America and Russia are the highest they’ve been since the Cold War, but this would be an escalation no one could have expected.

The details are shadowy, and Bennett finds false leads and unreliable sources at every turn. But he can’t afford to get this wrong. If the plotters succeed, the shockwaves will be felt across the globe.

Haunted by James Patterson

10. Haunted (2017)

Detective Michael Bennett is ready for a vacation after a series of crises push him, and his family, to the brink.

He settles on an idyllic small town in the beautiful Maine woods. But just when Bennett thinks he can relax, he gets pulled into a case that has shocked the tight-knit community. Kids are disappearing with no explanation – until several bodies turn up in the woods.

Far from the city streets he knows so well, Bennett is fighting to protect a town, the law, and the family that he loves above all else.

Ambush by James Patterson

11. Ambush (2018)

Detective Michael Bennett’s enemies know where to find him. An anonymous tip about a crime in Upper Manhattan proves to be a set-up. An officer is taken down – but despite the attackers’ efforts, it’s not Michael Bennett.

New York’s top cop is not the only one at risk. One of Bennett’s children is attacked. And a series of murders follows, each with a distinct signature, alerting Bennett to the presence of a professional killer.

Bennett can’t tell what’s driving the assassin. But he can tell it’s personal.

Blindside by James Patterson

12. Blindside (2020)

The mayor of New York has a daughter who’s missing. Detective Michael Bennett has a son who’s in prison. Can one father help the other?

Bennett and the mayor have always had a tense relationship, but now the mayor sees in Bennett an exceptional investigator who might be willing to take on a case that needs to be kept under the radar. The two men strike the deal.

Sources lead Bennett to a homicide in the Bronx. The victim has ties to a sophisticated hacking operation – and also to the mayor’s missing daughter. But this murder is part of a serial killing spree, one with national security implications. And suddenly Bennett is at the centre of a dangerous triangle anchored by NYPD, FBI and an international crime organization.

Michael Bennett has always been an honourable man, but sometimes honour has to take a back seat. Survival comes first.

The Russian by James Patterson

13. The Russian (2021)

Weeks before NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is to marry his long-time love, Mary Catherine, an assassin announces their presence in the city with a string of murders. All of the victims are young women. And each has been killed in a manner as precise as it was gruesome.

Tasked with working alongside the FBI, Bennett uncovers multiple cold-case homicides across the country that fit the same distinctive pattern. Bennett promises Mary Catherine that the case won’t affect their upcoming wedding. But, as he struggles to connect the killings, Bennett may be walking into a deadly trap.

Shattered by James Patterson

14. Shattered (2022)

After returning from his honeymoon, Detective Michael Bennett receives the shocking news that FBI agent Emily Parker is missing. Determined to track his former partner down, he follows the trail left by her investigation into a nationwide anarchist group.

Lurid rumours begin to surface about Emily’s disappearance, but Bennett will never give up hope of finding her. In his quest for the truth, what other unseemly facts will he uncover?

Obsessed by James Patterson

15. Obsessed (2023)

Detective Michael Bennett and the NYPD are aboard a police boat in the Hudson River searching for a murder victim – a young college student. They find her tossed in the dark waves, dressed for a night out. The gruesome sight fills Bennett with dread only a father could fathom.

As the obsessive killer extends his spree, a pattern emerges. One that Bennett’s eldest daughter fits to a harrowing degree. Now NYPD’s top detective must lure the murderer into the light of day before the next deadly strike lands closer to home than Bennett could ever bear – as a parent and a protector.

Crosshairs by James Patterson

16. Crosshairs (Coming February 2024)

In New York City, a sniper dubbed ‘The Longshot Killer’ is taking out impossible targets. Nothing links the victims – except the brutal circumstances of their deaths. Detective Michael Bennett quickly develops a profile of the killer. Great with a gun. Probably ex-military. A profile that his new partner, Rob Trilling, fits to a terrifying degree.

With Trilling taking ever more suspicious absences from duty, Bennett must find out the truth – before the Longshot Killer strikes again.

There you have it – James Patterson’s Michael Bennett books in order! How many have you read? Let us know in the comments below…

Books Like James Patterson’s Michael Bennet:

9 Comments

    Just finished reading Obsessed, Excellent book. But plenty more of James Patterson books on the shelf to be read. So many books, so time.

    I have read them all up to shattered,I look forward to reading the next two

    Ive read them waiting for the latest one hopefully someone will get it for my birthday love this series

    I’ve read them all. In fact I’ve read every James Patterson book there is. Can’t wait for the next one!

    I’ve read all of the series about Michael Bennett. Waiting for the next one. HURRY. The only problem I read them in one sitting.

    I have them all and am waiting unpatiently for The Russian. Great series.

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