Step on a Crack
by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Published by Hachette Audio
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Reviewed by Jeff Foster
(Thriller--also in hardcover)
New York Police Detective Michael Bennett has enough on his plate with a family of ten children and a wife in the hospital terminally ill with cancer. A faithful Irishman with a steel constitution, he is unprepared for the vortex of terror he is about to be swept into.
The sudden death of the beloved former first lady is rocks the country, New York city in particular, as the first couples annual dinner has become a cherished event in the city. It appears a tragic mistake has been made at the restaurant in preparing the food. Within hours the former First Lady is dead and the country mourns her loss. Was it a mistake or was it murder?
When dignitaries, real estate tycoons and Hollywood celebrities flock to her state funeral in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to give her a fond farewell, they are brutally attacked and held hostage by a group of terrorists that have planned their attack to the finest detail.
Det. Michael Bennett finds himself on the front line of the event, and when the NYPD hostage negotiator tries to strong-arm the terrorists with threats, the bodies begin to pile up. Bennett once served in hostage negotiation, and he picks up the ball and calms the main contact inside the cathedral, a cool customer known only as Jack.
Every attempt by New York's finest is thwarted, and when the ransom demands are made, the rich hostages readily agree. But the terrorists need "examples" to solidify their position--and high-profile hostages are executed, one by one.
The plot is all too real in this day and age. Authors Patterson and Ledwidge do not disappoint in their weaving of his story line, bringing in characters exactly where they need to be and removing them with a brutality that Patterson fans have come to understand will take place in his novels.
This review is for unabridged audio version of Step in a Crack. Hachette audio has done a wonderful job producing an audio book experience that no listener will be disappointed with. John Slattery and Reg Rogers handle their parts skillfully, using voice inflection and accents to their fullest extent.
Armchair Interviews says: This is a thriller you will recommend to friends and family alike!