FictionDB

Michael Bennett — Multiple Authors

Michael Bennett Series in Order: 20 books

  • Step on a Crack

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 1

    From America's favorite thriller writer, James Patterson, comes his most sensational hero yet--Detective Michael Bennett, NYPD. The first lady was only the first victim. After her mysterious death, the world's most powerful people gather in New York ...

  • Run for Your Life

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 2

    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 th...

  • Worst Case

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 3

    The son of one of New York's wealthiest families is snatched off the street and held hostage. 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. I...

  • Tick Tock

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 4

    A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come. The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away fro...

  • I, Michael Bennett

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 5

    Police officers shot Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous Mexican crime lord in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett's lifelong friend Hughie McDonough dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City-and to...

  • Gone

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 6

    A crime lord has declared war on America. Only Detective Michael Bennett knows why. Manuel Perrine doesn't fear anyone or anything. A charismatic and ruthless leader, Perrine slaughters rivals as effortlessly as he wears his trademark white linen ...

  • Burn

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 7

    Detective Michael Bennett finally returns to New York City--and to the most unsettling, horrific case of his career. At last, Detective Michael Bennett and his family are coming home to New York City. Thanks to Bennett, the ruthless crime lord who...

  • Alert

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 8

    "This is not a test"--every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality. New Yorkers aren't easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city that never ...

  • Chase

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 8.5

    "This was no suicide," says Detective Michael Bennett. A man plunges to his death from the roof of a Manhattan hotel. It looks like a suicide--except the victim has someone else's fingerprints and $10,000 in cash. Enter Detective Michael Bennett....



  • Bullseye

    James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge
    Book - 9

    Caught in the crossfire of a deadly standoff, Detective Michael Bennett must kill...or be killed. Tensions between America and Russia are the highest they've been since the Cold War. As the countries' Presidents travel to the United Nations to iro...

  • Haunted

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 10

    Detective Michael Bennett and his family are about to be haunted... by a father's worst nightmare -- the signs he should have seen and a son's desperate cry for help. Reeling from a crisis that would destroy lesser families, the Bennetts escape Ne...

  • Manhunt

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 10.5

    Michael Bennett, be grateful you're alive. Someone attacked the Thanksgiving Day Parade directly in front of Michael Bennett and his family. The television news called it "holiday terror"--Michael Bennett calls it personal. The hunt is on.......

  • Ambush

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 11

    Only Detective Michael Bennett stands in the way of two lethal cartels fighting for New York City's multi-million-dollar opioid trade. And they know where Bennett, and his family, live. An anonymous tip about a crime in Upper Manhattan proves to ...

  • Blindside

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 12

    The mayor of New York has a daughter who's missing and in danger. Detective Michael Bennett has a son who's in prison. The two strike a deal. Bennett and the mayor have always had a tense relationship, but now the mayor sees in Bennett a d...

  • The Russian

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 13

    A serial killer crashes Detective Michael Bennett's wedding. Weeks before NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is to marry his longtime love, Mary Catherine, an assassin announces his presence in the city with a string of grisly murders. Each victim is ...

  • Shattered

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 14

    Nothing could tear #1 New York Times bestseller Detective Michael Bennett away from his new bride -- except the murder of his partner and best friend. NYPD master homicide investigator Michael Bennett and top FBI abduction specialist Emily Parker hav...

  • Obsessed

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 15

    A superstitious killer targeting young women in every borough of New York City has Detective Michael Bennett facing his most terrifying case since Step on a Crack.   Aboard a police boat on the Hudson River, Detective Michael Bennett casts a war...

  • Crosshairs

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 16

    "Turn. Up. The. Heat" (New York Times) with this psychological thriller. New York City detective Michael Bennett faces his most terrifying killer ever. It could be anyone. They could be anywhere. A killer uses fearsome precision to take out impossibl...

  • Paranoia

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 17

    NYPD Detective Michael Bennett will stop at nothing to protect family: his wife, his kids -- and his fellow officers -- in the latest psychological thriller from bestselling author James Patterson. At every death scene, Bennett says a praye...



  • Delusional

    James Patterson; James O. Born
    Book - 18

    Detective Michael Bennett and army-sniper-turned-NYPD-officer Rob Trilling travel to Montana to investigate a case that crosses state borders and family lines.   In New York City, a series of deadly bombs explodes. Across the river, a milit...

Series Premise

The Michael Bennett series follows a dedicated NYPD detective and single father as he tackles major criminal cases. Each book features a complete thriller investigation, while Bennett’s family life and personal struggles continue to unfold alongside his professional challenges.

Michael Bennett Series Reading Order

🔄 Best Read in Order · Start with Book 1: Step on a Crack

Standalone stories, but characters and relationships develop across the series.

Publication order gives the best experience for the Michael Bennett series. Each book has a complete central investigation with its own resolution, while character relationships and ongoing family developments carry across the volumes. Readers who jump ahead miss the progression of Bennett’s family dynamics, key personal events, and references to prior cases that add emotional depth.

Explanation of reading order types



Michael Bennett Series Characters

Michael Bennett is the central protagonist, a skilled detective and devoted father to his large blended family. Recurring characters include his children, nanny Mary Catherine, and various NYPD colleagues who appear throughout the series.

Setting of the Michael Bennett Series

The series is primarily set in New York City, with stories often involving Manhattan, the Bronx, and other boroughs where Bennett works and raises his family.

Tone & Themes of the Michael Bennett Series

The tone is suspenseful and emotional with strong family elements. Core themes include justice, fatherhood, resilience, and balancing a dangerous career with the responsibilities of raising a large family.

Is the Michael Bennett Series Worth Reading?

This series appeals to readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers with a relatable family man protagonist, intricate police procedurals, and high-stakes New York crime stories.

Content Warnings and Heat Level

This is a thriller series with moderate to high violence and crime-related themes. Language is generally realistic with limited sexual content.

The Michael Bennett series follows a widowed NYPD detective as he solves major cases while raising his ten adopted children. With its blend of self-contained investigations and continuing family arcs, it rewards readers who follow the books in sequence. The multi-author format maintains a consistent focus on family and justice.



Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There are 20 books in the Michael Bennett series. The series includes 18 novels and 2 short stories/novellas.

The next book in the Michael Bennett series, Delusional (Book 18), will be published in August 2026.

The first book in the Michael Bennett series, Step on a Crack, was published in February 2007.

The Michael Bennett series primarily falls into the Police Procedural genre.