What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline

Reviewed by Kristin

Imagine being ripped from everything you know. Imagine being told to cram a few things into a bag and go. Imagine your world turning upside down and not knowing who to trust and who might stab you in the back. Imagine the horror and fear.

That is what happened to the Bennetts.

Jason Bennett is a family man with a loving wife, two happy children, and a dog. His court reporting business is doing well. His wife Lucinda has a successful photography business where she seems to be flourishing. Their daughter Allison is fifteen, happy and confident. Their thirteen-year-old son Ethan rounds out their family, playing video games and dreaming of the day he can drive.

One night the Bennetts drive home from Allison’s field hockey game. On a dark section of the road, a pickup begins tailgating their new Mercedes, forcing them to stop. Two men brandish guns and demand the car. Jason is ready to give the men whatever they want when the family’s little dog Moonie lunges at the assailants. Shots are fired, and their lives change forever.

FBI Special Agents Dom Kingston and Michael Hallman come to the Bennetts and reveal that the carjackers were part of a mob-like drug-trafficking network known as the George Veria Organization. In order to protect themselves, the Bennetts must immediately enter the witness protection program. Whisked away to another location, unable to see or communicate with their family or friends in any way, the family must try to adjust to their new life.

In their new transitional home, Jason and Lucinda find their layers peeled away as they struggle to create a new shape for their family. Secrets, fears, and betrayals come to light in the face of their losses. As the FBI investigates the GVO criminals, Jason begins to doubt their motivations in hiding his family away. Are the agents really protecting the Bennetts, or are they willing to sacrifice them in order to put away the drug kingpin? Can Jason trust the FBI, or should he take protecting his family into his own hands?

The twists and turns kept me engaged and the short chapters gave the narrative a sense of urgency. This tightly plotted new novel from Lisa Scottoline is definitely worth the reading.