This a Mike Bennett novel. Mike is new character from the NYC PD. He has 10 kids and his wife is dying of cancer. As she dies and her father and a relative help take care of the kids while Mike is in the midst of a hostage crisis at St. Patrick cathedral. The hostages are all high all high profile, prestigious, and wealthy people. A group of Sing - Sing guards and a lead hostage negotiator are responsible. ( )

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. ( )

This was a very ho-hum book. It put a lot of focus on Mike's family life, and I just couldn't get into that; I didn't identify with the characters. I felt no sorrow, no affection, nothing. 2.5 out of 5 times that when someone mistakes you for a teacher, you've got too many fricking kids. ( )

mike bennett has 10 kids and his wife is dieing of cancer. She dies and her father and a relative of her help take care of the kids while mike is in the midst of a hostage crisis. All high prestiegious and rich people are the hostages. They are held in a church, where they were burying the former presidents wife. I enjoyed Alec Cross maybe a little better than Mike Bennett. ( )

A new series by Patterson, following a NYPD detective, Michael Bennett, as he is thrust into a high stakes hostage situation during the holiday season, leaving his wife in the hospital and ten kids at home.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new series, but I came out fully enjoying it. It started right off with mystery and intrigue and continued on the edge for the entire book. This was one mystery that was hard to predict, not only who the killers were but who was going to be killed next.

This is one series I will continue reading. The sequel Run For Your Life, is on my shelf just waiting to be read. ( )