Step on a Crack (Hardcover)

by James Patterson (Author), Michael Ledwidge (Author)
Key Phrases: lead hijacker, borough commander, Neat Man, Little John, Will Matthews (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
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.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
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 © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (February 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316013943
• ISBN-13: 978-0316013949
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (199 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,953 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Patterson keeps cashing in!, February 16, 2007

By	Bill Pullman "Book reviewer" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was my second Patterson novel, my first was the disappointing "5th Horseman." I don't really understand this author's best selling status? Don't get me wrong, they do have certain trashy appeal, and can be finished during a short plane ride or afternoon at the beach, but there is not much to sink your teeth into, even for the thriller genre (I'm not asking for "War and Peace").

Mike Bennett is an over worked hostage negotiator for NYPD, with a wife dying of cancer and 10 adopted kids. Like he does not have enough on his plate he is thrust into hostage crisis at Saint Pat's Cathedral. An important funeral is interrupted by kidnappers who want millions or a bunch of VIPs are going to be wacked. Bennett manages to deal with the ruthless killers, while spending time with his dying wife, and also keep track of his ten children, and all in a two page chapter! Ok, I am being sarcastic, those who like Patterson's style will probably be happy with this book, and I can't totally trash it as I did finish it and was curious as to how things would turn out. However, I really felt like I was reading a movie script.

53 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This could be Patterson's worst effort ever...10 kids, ridiculous!, February 21, 2007

By	Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Step on a Crack is the latest novel to be released and to have James Patterson's name on the cover. This book, like all but the Alex Cross novels, has a co-author. Patterson has at least 4 books coming out this year and the cynical will dismiss him as a hack who churns out novels for the money. He probably does do that, and it doesn't really bother me. All Patterson's novels are short and easy to read. Some are good, like the Lifeguard and 4th of July, some are bad like 5th Horseman and Beach Road. I read Step on a Crack with an open mind and was prepared to judge it on its merits. The novel deserves 1 star for incredibly poor characterization but I'm giving it two stars because the terrorist plot is quite intriguing.

A former First Lady is murdered and of course a big funeral must be held. Hotshots from Hollywood, business and politics all show up and a group of terrorists strike, taking over the funeral. They release everyone except around 35 of the chosen big shots that they hope to extort money from. Michael Bennett is an NYPD homicide cop with a wife in the hospital and ten kids, yes ten kids. He gets thrust into the position as the lead negotiator with the terrorists because he has prior experience as a hostage negotiator.

All Patterson novels follow a formula, and this is no exception. The characters have little depth, the plot skips over details. Basically, these books are written like a movie. The action in the book is somewhat intriguing. The hostages (pro football player, aging rock star, hollywood actress, talk show host) are entertaining as their ego-driven personalities have to find a way to cope with each other and the men holding them hostage. The terrorists are American and predictable in their brutality. The big "catch" of the novel is the question: How will the bad guys get away with kidnapping so many famous people in such a public location? The answer isn't that surprising, nor are the clues that lead to the capture of the bad guys.

The book description states: "Bennett--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." What is this, Cheaper by the Dozen. The "10 kids" gimmick is ridiculous. The names are thrown about without any recognition by the reader. The respite from the action, with the dying wife, is incredibly contrived and adds absolutely nothing to the book, and that's why I'm so disappointed. The authors knew they needed a subplot, and tried to come up with one they deemed creative, and then tried to use it as a hook to sell the book. It doesn't work. This is a shallow, disappointing effort. Don't waste your money or your time. But don't worry, in 3 months Patterson will have another book out that may be better.

While the book had good, amusing bit characters, and a little suspense, the gimmick with the 10 kids is SO out of place, that it soured me on the entire novel.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Identifiable formula for a successful Patterson book, but..., February 10, 2007

By	Robert Schmidt (Honolulu, HI & Logan, UT USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

First the good news: Alex Cross is not in this book. I was looking for a fresh approach to Patterson's stories, and this one had that potential. It's not that Cross was a bad or inappropriate character... it was just time for somebody else to step up to the plate. In Step on a Crack, it is NYPD Homicide Detective Michael Bennett, with his 10 adopted kids, his terminally ill wife, and the biggest case of his career. He's not quite another Job (that's the biblical Job, not the work job), but let's just agree that he has many, many things going on in his life at the same time. Bennett's faith obviously is being tested.

Now the bad news. You can finish this book in about two hours. The large font (hey, I didn't need my reading glasses... what does that say about his reader's demographics?), hefty margins, and lots of space to take notes (okay, I'm being facetious) all mean that it doesn't feel like a full-length novel. Harry Potter 7 is coming out this summer. It will take hours and hours to read over a period of days. This novel is... reading-lite. It seems to be a reoccurring theme for Paterson's novels. Maybe it only bothers me, but here's what it led to: I started it, and finished it, in the bookstore before I could even buy it... super, super saver!

NYPD Homicide Detective Michael Bennett was a nice guy, like Alex Cross. I hope Patterson bases his characters on real cops. I would guess police work is 80% tedium, 19% action, and 1% terror. Patterson focuses on the intersection of tedium and terror; this is his forte.

I look forward to a Patterson novel that has real meat. Sadly, Step on a Crack was diet food for the mind.