In Worst Case, thrill master James Patterson brings back Detective Michael Bennett, a widowed father of ten who believes there's a special place in hell reserved for criminals who hurt children. So when the son of a mega-rich businessman is abducted, the NYPD brass pauses mid-meltdown to toss the hot-button case to their hard-charging super sleuth. Mike is steamed, though, to learn the boy's highly connected father has demanded and gotten FBI assistance—even if Agent Emily Parker, an Abduction Specialist, iseasy on the eyes. But despite their combined expertise, neither Mike nor Emily is prepared for a kidnapper who takes a rich kid and doesn't make a demand for money.

They find the boy's body in a warehouse, certain his murder is meant to be a message—and it's followed by one more, another child of privilege who turns up dead and can't tell how the killer battered him with questions he failed to answer satisfactorily, thus sealing his fate. Even Mike and Emily, who've seen it all, can't figure out what game this guy is playing, until the psychopath changes his routine and sets in motion a worst-case scenario beyond their darkest imaginings.

A killer targets the privileged elite...by going after their kids!