Happy Publication Day!(March 29,2022)

Tense and suspenseful, Lisa Scottoline's What Happened to the Bennetts is a thrilling story with enough twists and turns to keep you engaged till the very end.

When an attempted carjacking results in the death of their teenage daughter Allison, the Bennetts- Jason and Lucinda and their son Ethan find themselves in the WITSEC program for protection against an organized crime family whose son was one of the carjackers and was killed by his accomplice the same night. Traumatized by the violence they witnessed , overcome with grief over the loss of Allison and afraid for their own lives they reluctantly leave their home, friends and lives behind and move to a safe house under FBI protection till they are to be relocated. While the investigation and search for the perpetrator continues, Jason who owns a court reporting business finds himself doubting the efficacy of the FBI’s efforts and tries to dig deeper into the events that led to the horrific tragedy. While following numerous theories and suspects, some shocking revelations come to light and what follows is a thrilling chase for answers to what was behind all that happened on that fateful night. Public speculation behind the family’s overnight disappearance leaves friends , neighbors and colleagues asking questions and pointing fingers often at Jason himself . With his family’s lives upended , Jason takes in upon himself to find those responsible for his daughter’s death and his quest takes him on a dangerous path putting his own life and those of his family in peril.

While Jason’s search for answers takes up most of the story we also get a close look at the family’s grief and their reactions to losing Allison . The author’s sensitive depiction of the emotional reactions and resulting behavior of each of the family members is very well written. Though the narrative does lose its pace at times and some parts could have been kept shorter, nowhere does it make you lose interest and does keep you waiting with bated breath to find out what happens next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group-Putnam for providing an eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. ( )

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline is a fast paced mystery loaded with enough twists, turns, suspense, and pathos that you won't mind some of the convoluted plot. ( )

Family disappears into witness protection program ( )

This is a review of the audible book. The book starts with a tragedy. I really tried to be sympathetic but it just went from one awful thing to the next. I have enjoyed Lisa Scottoline books in years past but this was a major disappointment. The narration was over the top emotionally. I’m not sure if that was due to the narrator or the writing or a combination of both. I also had trouble with the stupidity of both the family and the FBI. The family is in hiding because if found they will be killed. The FBI gives the family cell phones and computers and tell thme to stay off social media. They don’t. The FBI have agents and camera around the place yet they don’t monitor the devices or put blocking software on the them. ( )

A drive home turns deadly for this suburban dad and his family. A tail-gaiting vehicle forces them to stop and two armed men try to steal their car. Things go from bad to worse when shots are fired. And then they really get bad. Later that night, FBI agents show up at their home, and somehow, the family finds themselves immediately forced into the witness protection program because of what happened. Their lives are no longer their own, but if they want to continue to live, they have to comply. It seems like every day brings another disaster. It’s quite a suspenseful thriller. Jason, the dad, finds himself in the ticklish situation of trying to figure out exactly what went down on the lonely stretch of road. To do that, he must go back even further to find the answers, because there must have been a reason they were targeted. Reviews are mixed on this novel, but I found it entertaining and suspenseful. You may need a score card to keep track of which players are the good guys and which are just pretending to be. ( )