STEP ON A CRACK by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
James Paterson is just a phenomenon of nature. He started out writing just the "Alex Cross" series of books, then he branched over into other areas. Now he has taken on a variety of writing partners and creates several novels a year. His latest is STEP ON A CRACK and his writing partner this time out is Michael Ledwidge. It is a totally readable thriller with some family drama thrown in for good measure.
New York Police Detective Michael Bennett has a lot on his plate. His wife Maeve is in the final stages of terminal cancer and they have ten children. Michael is trying to provide solace for his wife and also provide a solid home life for his kids. On top of this he is called into work to be a hostage negotiator with a maniac who has taken a cathedral full of mourners hostage. A former first lady has died and the services are being held at St Patrick's Cathedral in New York. During the service a band of men take all the mourners hostage.
These men are deadly serious about what they want and if they don't get it people will begin dying. Although the New York police are trying to negotiate a release the body count does start. These are not just anybody's bodies, these are politicians and celebrities bodies.
As the tension mounts at the Cathedral so does the situation with Michael's wife at the hospital. Michael is running here, there and everywhere trying to get the job done and also be there for his family. This "family values" portion of the story gives the book its uniqueness.
Patterson and Ledwidge write seamlessly together. It is impossible to discover where one starts and the other ends. The story has a distinctly "Patterson" air about it and is written in his style of very short chapters, and a tense situation at the end of every one.
No one will ever accuse Patterson of being a master of "literature" but for those of us who read for the sheer entertainment of it, he is the master. He creates believable characters, throws them into tough situations, and provides a logical way to resolve it all. It sounds simple and maybe it is, but it works.
Michael Bennett and his large gang of kids could become a welcome series of characters for a long line of stories. STEP ON A CRACK is certainly a great way to introduce them, and readers will be eagerly awaiting a new adventure in which they are all involved.
STEP ON A CRACK is published by Little, Brown and Company. It contains 400 pages and sells for $27.99.