Book Review: What Happened to the Bennetts?

The following was written for an assignment for a unique class which was essentially just a 10-week internship for the Drexel Publishing Group in Summer 2023.

Please note there were certain formats and content criteria for this assignment.

In this particular assignment, I read and reviewed a book for their website.

What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline portrays a regular Philadelphia family whose life is turned upside down in a matter of hours. This psychological thriller tells the story of a carjacking gone wrong which sends the Bennett family into the Witness Protection Program. Now living in Delaware with an abundance of time on his hands, Jason–the patriarch– begins to investigate the carjacking on his own. As the circumstances of that fateful night unfold, it becomes clear that it was more than just a random isolated incident, inciting Jason to take matters into his own hands. The story follows Jason as he deals with the upheaval of his family and his fight for revenge.

The book is set in both Philadelphia and the small town of Lewes, Delaware where the Bennett family had been relocated. A car chase scene vividly depicts the streets of Philadelphia and any readers familiar with the area are placed directly in the center city, at the heart of it all. Philadelphia natives will enjoy the ease of reading this book, as for many scenes they barely have to create an image in their mind, as mentions many landmarks throughout the city. Scottoline has a knack for using language to depict the anguish felt by both Jason but also his family. What Happened to the Bennetts is both a story of heartbreak and revenge. The first-person point of view through Jason places the readers in the center of it all, feeling everything he is feeling– the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The story has many moving pieces and the readers are often meant to feel as clueless as Jason himself. But as more information is revealed and the pieces start moving into place there is still the overwhelmingly heartbreaking undertone: even though the truth may be uncovered, it doesn’t change the loss and heartbreak that the family has to deal with. Readers will enjoy the winding road of this story and despite the heartbreak just mentioned, it has a conclusion that is both satisfying and heartwarming.