“Gone” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge – Seeking the Nemesis

Manuel Perrine is fresh out of jail, and the first order of business for the renowned cartel leader is to get revenge on the one man that managed to put him behind bars: Michael Bennett.

In Gone by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, we get to witness the intense battle of wits between Bennett and Perrine, as the former terrorizes America by conducting numerous assassinations across the entire country, while the latter throws everything but the kitchen sink in an attempt to put a stop to this.

However, as is always the case, it seems as if Perrine hasn’t declared war on America for no reason but his own enjoyment, but rather because it is all part of his grand master plan.

Gone certainly has all the ingredients to make a classic James Patterson novel as we know and love them, but to get the negative stuff out of the way first, it does falter on more than one occasion.

For starters, the book feels a bit heavy when it comes to the amount of political commentary in it, especially in contrast to the amount of content present on the subject of character development.

Also, it seems as if some of the book’s characters like to forego common sense in favor of illogical actions that make the story advance in the way Patterson and Ledwidge wanted it to. In other words, it seems as if they ran out of inspiration at certain parts of the story.

With that out of the way, I have to say that the book certainly has a number of redeeming qualities that make it an above-average piece of work.

For starters, the action is quite well-paced, and regardless of how you put it, seeing two characters such as Bennett and Perrine clashing with each other is truly something grandiose and magnificent for it feels like a chess match where the consequences are deadly and devastating.

The story itself is also quite intriguing to follow, and even though some of the twists and turns are predictable, you will find that there is enough mystery to keep you going, especially when it comes to the subject of Perrine’s motivations and what his master plan really is.

All in all, Gone certainly isn't the best of Patterson novels, but it still manages to remain a solid crime thriller that will keep your mind busy for however long you would like.

If you enjoy fast-paced novels that are read for entertainment rather than enlightenment, I would definitely recommend you check this one out.

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James B. Patterson Personal site James Patterson is an American writer who has dedicated a large part of his literary career to writing murder-related thrillers, inventing in the process two memorable character-based series in Alex Cross and Michael Bennett. His most prominent works include Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Michael Ledwidge Michael Ledwidge is of Irish descent but is considered primarily to be an American author. Though he has his own share of works, such as The Narrowback and Bad Connection, Ledwidge’s rise to fame came from partnering up with James Patterson for a slew of novels which include Worst Case and Step on a Crack.