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aggrrressivtot's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
jennabeck13's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)
Genre: Thriller
About 390 pages
When a carjacking goes wrong, Jason Bennett loses one of his family members. This carjacking wasn’t a one off though, it was done by two members of a dangerous drug cartel (GVO). Now the Bennetts must go into WITSEC if they want to avoid what the FBI thinks GVO is capable of doing… WITSEC is designed for criminals turned informants and not families, so Jason quickly becomes frustrated with how his family is treated and how the investigation into one of his loved one's murders is going. So when the opportunity arises, Jason goes on the run to find answers of his own.
This novel took me on a wild ride! The first part was a slow burn, but the second part was extremely fast-paced and exhilarating. Both parts were well done and I enjoyed them, but the dramatic change did throw me for a bit of a loop…. In the second half, Jason was essentially a vigilante and while I liked it, some parts didn’t seem too realistic…. This kept me on my toes and quickly turning the pages but also raised some questions in my mind. If you’re looking for a thriller that also feels like an action movie, I would recommend adding this to your list!
Favorite Quote: “Whenever you’re taking a portrait of someone, you and your subject are in the present, but if you’re any good, you can see their past, and even their future.”
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
melissa_b_67's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
micaelamariem's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway but all thoughts are my own!
I am not a huge mystery/thriller reader, so I suppose that was playing against me as I was reading. The book is supposed to follow the Bennett family after a horrific carjacking that causes them to join the witness protection program. There’s a big theme of grief here. While I appreciate that, the pacing was very uneven, with the first half of the book not much happening then after nonstop crazy action. I also found some of the side characters to fall flat and be a bit one-dimensional—mainly the wife and son. Finally, I think some of the dialogue, particularly the limited conversations with the daughter, were cringey and unbelievable.
That being said, the action scenes provided a real thrill, there was a huge conspiracy that was intricate and interesting, and at times I really felt for the main character.
So over all, this was a three star read, falling on an “average” category for me.
I am not a huge mystery/thriller reader, so I suppose that was playing against me as I was reading. The book is supposed to follow the Bennett family after a horrific carjacking that causes them to join the witness protection program. There’s a big theme of grief here. While I appreciate that, the pacing was very uneven, with the first half of the book not much happening then after nonstop crazy action. I also found some of the side characters to fall flat and be a bit one-dimensional—mainly the wife and son. Finally, I think some of the dialogue, particularly the limited conversations with the daughter, were cringey and unbelievable.
That being said, the action scenes provided a real thrill, there was a huge conspiracy that was intricate and interesting, and at times I really felt for the main character.
So over all, this was a three star read, falling on an “average” category for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail