Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed on 10/27/2007 + 5322 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

James Patterson introduces us to a new character with STEP ON A CRACK, NYPD Homicide Detective Michael Bennett. A former hostage negotiator, Bennett finds himself once again dealing with psychopaths when the celebrities attending former First Lady Caroline Hopkins' funeral are held hostage.

I have to say that the actual meat of the story, the hijacking of St. Patrick's church and its funeral-attending creme de la creme of society, was an intriguing storyline. What weighed the story down, at least for me, was that fact that Michael Bennett wasn't a character I could easily relate to.

It isn't the fact that his wife, Maeve, is dying of cancer, or even that they have ten adopted children. It's not Maeve's seemingly long-lost cousin, Mary Catherine, who shows up out of the blue to serve as the couple's au pair. It's not even Michael's grandfather, the crusty yet heart-of-gold Irish priest. No, the problem is that all of these characters, who could have made the story emotional and heartbreaking, seem to do nothing more than serve as filler.

The ten children are interchangeable. Mary Catherine could be nominated for the sainthood. And Seamus, the grandfather, could be any number of wise-cracking old codgers from one of today's sitcoms.

I'll read the next Bennett book when it comes out, mostly out of the hope that the secondary storyline will be as compelling as the main plot. We'll have to see. For fans of Patterson, this is one you'll want to read, but I'd advise checking it out from the library before plunking down the cold hard cash to purchase it in hardcover.

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