Michael S. Ledwidge is an American author of Irish descent.
School period
Gallery of Michael Ledwidge
Mount Saint Michael Academy, 4300 Murdock Avenue, Wakefield, Bronx, New York 10466 United States
Ledwidge went to the all-boys school Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx.
College/University
Gallery of Michael Ledwidge
Manhattan College, The Bronx, New York, United States
Ledwidge went to Manhattan College where he majored in philosophy and eventually decided to major in the English language.
Career
Gallery of Michael Ledwidge
Ledwidge's achieved most success after working alongside the most successful author in the world, thriller writer James Patterson, a one-man publishing industry who has roped in untold millions courtesy of his legions of fans.
Ledwidge's achieved most success after working alongside the most successful author in the world, thriller writer James Patterson, a one-man publishing industry who has roped in untold millions courtesy of his legions of fans.
Connections
co-author: James Brendan Patterson
James Brendan Patterson (born March 22, 1947) is an American author and philanthropist.
(Decorated NYPD Officer John Coglin always thought his pic...)
Decorated NYPD Officer John Coglin always thought his picture on the front page of the newspaper would be one for the scrapbook. That was before he had the bad luck to be forced into a witness-free, kill-or-be-killed confrontation with a drug-dealing thug. It's of no help to him that the incident took place during the run-up to a bitter mayoral election campaign, and that his adversary was sixteen years old and black. Now, instead of another commendation, Coglin is staring down the barrel of a media- and politics-stoked murder rap. But on the eve of his sure conviction arrives a fateful telephone call. It's not the governor, but his long-lost uncle, Aidan O'Connell.
(As he faces a devastating personal loss, Detective Michae...)
As he faces a devastating personal loss, Detective Michael Bennett is about to take on the most sinister challenge of his career: a kidnapping crisis that could destroy the most powerful people in America. The nation has fallen into mourning after the unexpected death of a beloved former First Lady, and the most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs: Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and ruthless scenario. Bennett, a father of ten, is pulled into the fray. As the danger escalates, Michael is hit with devastating news: After fighting for many years, his wife has succumbed to a terrible disease.
(A one-night stand spirals into a web of dark secrets in J...)
A one-night stand spirals into a web of dark secrets in James Patterson's steamy thriller of love, lust, and murder. Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour. In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she's paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren's desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood and her life.
(The city has never been more terrified! When a rash of ho...)
The city has never been more terrified! When a rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, the city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children. Not only does it tear apart their vacation, but it also leaves the entire family open to attack. Immediately, it becomes clear that the crimes are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker.
(A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is tak...)
A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror. Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. As time ticks down and his children fall ill, he has only hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history.
(Police officers shot... judges murdered... and Detective ...)
Police officers shot... judges murdered... and Detective Michael Bennett is the killer's next target. Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous Mexican crime lord in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett's lifelong friend dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City-and to get revenge on Michael Bennett. To escape the chaos, Bennett takes his ten kids and their beautiful nanny, Mary Catherine, on a much-needed vacation to his family's cabin near Newburgh, New York. But instead of the calm and happy town, he remembers from growing up, they step into a nightmare worse than they could have ever imagined. Newburgh is an inferno of warring gangs, and there's little the police-or Bennett-can do to keep the children safe. As violence overwhelms the state, Bennett is torn between protecting his hometown and saving New York City. A partner in his investigations, federal prosecutor Tara McLellan, brings him new weapons for the battle-and an attraction that endangers his relationship with Mary Catherine.
(New Yorkers aren't easily intimidated, but someone is doi...)
New Yorkers aren't easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city that never sleeps is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett, along with his old pal, the FBI's Emily Parker, have to catch the shadowy criminals who claim responsibility-but they're as good at concealing their identities as they are at wreaking havoc. In the wake of a shocking assassination, Bennett begins to suspect that these mysterious events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Soon he's racing against the clock, and against the most destructive enemy he's faced yet, to save his beloved city-before everyone's worst nightmare becomes a reality.
(Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating eve...)
Jackson Oz, a young biologist, watches the escalating events with an increasing sense of dread. When he witnesses a coordinated lion ambush in Africa, the enormity of the violence to come becomes terrifyingly clear. With the help of ecologist Chloe Tousignant, Oz races to warn world leaders before it's too late. The attacks are growing in ferocity, cunning, and planning, and soon there will be no place left for humans to hide.
(When a man falls to his death, it looks like a suicide-bu...)
When a man falls to his death, it looks like a suicide-but Detective Michael Bennett finds evidence suggesting otherwise. A man plunges to his death from the roof of a Manhattan hotel. It looks like a suicide, except the victim, has someone else's fingerprints and $10,000 in cash. A man plunges to his death from the roof of a Manhattan hotel. It looks like a suicide, except the victim, has someone else's fingerprints and $10,000 in cash.
(Snow blankets the avenues of Manhattan's exclusive Upper ...)
Snow blankets the avenues of Manhattan's exclusive Upper West Side. The storm is the perfect cover for a fashionable, highly trained team of lethal assassins as they prowl the streets, hunting their prey. But their first hit is simply target practice. Their next mission may very well turn the Cold War red-hot once again. Stepping directly into the line of fire, the President of the United States is in New York for a summit at the United Nations with his Russian counterpart. Pulled away from his family and pressed into service, Detective Michael Bennett must trace the source of a threat that could rip the country apart and ignite a war that would shock the world. With allegiances constantly in doubt and no one above suspicion, only Bennett can save the president-and the country-before the assassins' deadly kill shot hits its mark.
Michael S. Ledwidge is an American (of Irish descent) author of thriller and suspense novels. He is best known for his work co-authoring books with bestselling novelist James Patterson, including his Michael Bennett series and the first Daniel X novel.
Background
Michael S. Ledwidge was born in 1971 in New York City, New York. He is the son of Irish parents and was born and raised in the Bronx. Ledwidge’s father hailed from Kilnaleck in County Cavan, and his mother came from near Drumshanbo, County Leitrim. They came separately to the United States in the sixties and arrived in New Haven, where there was a big Irish immigrant contingent at the time, and then actually met in Queens. His father worked for the New York State Thruway and was employed through the Rockefellers as a bridge painter.
Education
Ledwidge went to the all-boys school Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx. After that, he went to Manhattan College where he majored in philosophy and eventually decided to major in the English language.
After college Ledwidge worked as a doorman on 50th Street and Park Avenue. He wanted to become a police officer but was frustrated when it became clear that he would have to wait years to realize his ambition. So Ledwidge began his first novel, even writing while on the job. He called the book The Narrowback, after a phrase his father would use to describe Irish Americans, including his bother and him when he was angry. Having written the book Ledwidge was stumped as to where to send it. An attorney in the building whom Ledwidge was friendly with passed it on to a successful Irish thriller writer, who was impressed.
Inspired by the ringing endorsement from a professional, Ledwidge returned to his college and asked his old English professor at Manhattan College for her help getting it seen by agents. In the discussion, Ledwidge learned that the world’s most famous thriller writer, James Patterson, was a very active alumni of the school, and the professor suggested that he write him a letter of introduction. Ledwidge sent Patterson a copy of his manuscript. The mega-successful author called to say he had enjoyed what he had read so far and agreed to send it to his agent when Ledwidge finished it. It had taken Ledwidge a year and a half to write the book, but he finished it three weeks after the phone call. The Atlantic Monthly Press picked it up and the book got great critical praise but didn't sell well. Ledwidge wrote two more books in quick succession and the same principle applied – critics loved him, but few people were buying. All the while he kept in touch with Patterson, who asked him straight out one day - why don’t you write one with me?
In 2005 Step On a Crack came out, co-authored by Patterson and Ledwidge, the first in Patterson’s hugely popular Michael Bennett series (featuring an Irish American father of 10) and it was an instant hit. To give an idea of the level of success that Patterson enjoys - last year an estimated 14 million copies of his books in 38 different languages were sold around the world. He published nine original hardcover books in 2009 and he will publish at least nine more in 2010.
The word success seems anemic when it comes to describing his achievements. In fact, Patterson has reportedly made over $500 million for his publisher Hachette over the last two years alone. After Patterson and Ledwidge cracked their first book together in 2005, they’ve worked more or less the same way since.
He worked hard for many years and he remembers the tough times in the past. And even though he’s making much more now as a co-author with Patterson, the enjoyment is exactly the same, he says.
Ledwidge's achieved most success after working alongside the most successful author in the world, thriller writer James Patterson, a one-man publishing industry who has roped in untold millions courtesy of his legions of fans.
Michael wrote 14 bestselling novels with James Patterson, which is the Michael Bennett series he co-created is the highest-selling NYC detective series of all time. Their novel, Zoo, became a three-season CBS television series. Born and raised in New York City, Ledwidge has worked as a Park Avenue doorman and a Manhattan outdoor telephone technician where he participated in the Ground Zero recovery efforts after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
(Police officers shot... judges murdered... and Detective ...)
2013
Views
Quotations:
“The good thing about my new job is that I’m not a doorman any more and I don’t work for the telephone company either. I really don’t miss popping manholes in the summer heat.”
“Every time the phone rings and James Patterson’s name comes up on caller I.D. I still think, man this is wild. I think, who’s going to call me next? Stephen King?”
Personality
Before his life was transformed by good fortune equal to a once in a lifetime lottery win, Ledwidge had a very typical Irish American upbringing, which included a mandatory summer spent in Ireland.
Interests
Sport & Clubs
football
Connections
Ledwidge is married, has two children, and currently lives in Connecticut with his family.
