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Step on a Crack

Audiobook
1 of 2 copies available
1 of 2 copies available
NYPD Detective Michael Bennett is about to take on the most sinister challenge of his career. 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 cold-blooded scenario.Bennett, father of 10, is pulled into the fray. As the danger escalates, he is hit with devastating news: after fighting for many years, his wife has succumbed to a terrible disease. As New York descends into chaos, he has lost the great love of his life, faces raising his heartbroken children alone, and must somehow rescue 34 hostages.
Day after day, Bennett confronts the most ruthless man he has ever dealt with, a man who kills without hesitation and counters everything the NYPD and FBI throw at him with impunity. As the entire world watches, and the tensions build to a searing heat, Bennett has to find a way out or face responsibility for the greatest debacle in history.
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  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A mass kidnapping at St. Patrick's Cathedral nets many of the world's celebrities gathered for the funeral of a former first lady. Mike Bennett, NYPD detective, father of 10 adopted children whose wife is dying of cancer, must put aside his personal woes and outsmart the well-organized criminals. In these post-9/11 days, Ledwidge and Patterson's scenario seems all too credible. Narrators John Slattery and Reg Rogers create thoroughly believable hostages and hostage-takers, and are especially effective voicing the beleaguered cop, hijacker "Jack," and the reptilian villain, "The Neat Man." Occasional music and sound effects don't add much, but short, intense chapters make it impossible to stop listening to this well-crafted story. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 22, 2007
      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.

    • Booklist

      February 1, 2007
      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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrators John Slattery and Reg Rogers perform this unusual combination of thriller and family drama--complete with musical breaks and sound effects. Rogers captures the menacing nature of Jack, an intimidating killer who engineers a kidnapping at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Slattery assumes the character of NYPD Senior Homicide Detective and Hostage Negotiator Michael Bennett, matching mood to voice as the plot intensifies. When the story makes its frequent switches from the cathedral drama to Bennett's dying wife, the mood abruptly changes. Although each narrator embraces his role with authenticity, the odd combination of cold-blooded murder and family scenes, with youngsters' happy voices at the breakfast table, didn't work for me. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.7
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:4

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