Step on a Crack
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Patterson and Ledwidge introduce a new hero in an exciting thriller set in the heart of Manhattan. NYPD detective Michael Bennett is concentrating on getting his family through a particularly difficult Christmas: he and his 10 adopted children are facing the loss to cancer of his brave wife, Maeve. But a major crisis calls him away: the funeral of a former First Lady at St. Patrick's Cathedral goes horribly awry when men storm the church and take hundreds of attendees hostage. Michael is asked to try to reason with a sinister man named Jack. Jack releases all but the most famous people, and makes his demands: he wants several million dollars from each celebrity hostage, including the mayor, a popular comedic actor, a beloved talk show host, and a pop starlet. Once Jack starts killing, Michael realizes he's up against a truly diabolical foe. Patterson has a knack for creating genuinely likable heroes, and Michael fits the bill. As readers rapidly turn the pages to learn how the tense hostage drama plays out, they will also be sympathizing with Michael as he faces the agonizing loss of his wife. Totally gripping and downright impossible to put down, this is a promising start to a potential new series. --Kristine Huntley Copyright 2007 Booklist

Pop a bowl of popcorn, settle into a comfy chair and you might finish this combination thriller and tearjerker before the popcorn. Bestseller Patterson (Cross) and Ledwidge (The Narrowback) spin a fantastic tale of an audacious mass kidnapping and the unlikely detective thrust into the primary role of negotiator, sleuth and hero. Michael Bennett, a senior NYPD homicide detective, has a wife dying of cancer and 10 adopted children of various ethnic origins. When St. Patrick's Cathedral, site of the celebrity-packed funeral of a former first lady, is seized by a dozen ruthless men, Bennett ends up as point man for the hastily assembled negotiating team. From then on, the tale requires the reader to go with the flow as Bennett alternates visits to his wife's hospital bedside, brief trips to check on how his kids are managing and tense dealings with the well-prepared kidnappers. Short on credibility on the crime front, long on sentimentality on the home front, this book would be a good candidate for adaptation as a one-hour TV movie. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Vicious types disguised as monks take over at the funeral of a former First Lady, held at a New York cathedral, and make threats about blowing up the celebrities (from politicians to actors) trapped inside. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Using two readers for this thriller matches the slightly schizophrenic, two-pronged story line. The packaging does not identify who is reading which part, but one reader portrays sympathetic NYPD detective Michael Bennett, the father of 10 children and the husband of brave, terminally ill Maeve. The second reader gets all the slimy characters, including the mastermind of a celebrity-ransom plot. Listeners are jerked from nail-biting tension in the hostage crisis to tender scenes of Bennett and his clan. Short chapters keep the action rolling, and interactions between the narrators help bridge the gaps. The readers ably contrast Bennett's warm goodness and touching vulnerability with the terrorist's crafty, smart-alecky delivery. The plot is frighteningly plausible, and listeners will care as much about the detective's family as they do about the escalating crisis. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.