Mary Catherine could be nominated for the sainthood.

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.

It's not even Michael's grandfather, the crusty yet heart-of-gold Irish priest. 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 isn't the fact that his wife, Maeve, is dying of cancer, or even that they have ten adopted children. What weighed the story down, at least for me, was that fact that Michael Bennett wasn't a character I could easily relate to. Patrick's church and its funeral-attending creme de la creme of society, was an intriguing storyline. I have to say that the actual meat of the story, the hijacking of St. 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. James Patterson introduces us to a new character with STEP ON A CRACK, NYPD Homicide Detective Michael Bennett. Totally gripping and downright impossible to put down, this is a promising start to a potential new series. 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. Patterson has a knack for creating genuinely likable heroes, and Michael fits the bill. Once Jack starts killing, Michael realizes he's up against a truly diabolical foe. 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. Michael is asked to try to reason with a sinister man named Jack. Patrick's Cathedral goes horribly awry when men storm the church and take hundreds of attendees hostage. But a major crisis calls him away: the funeral of a former First Lady at St. 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. Patterson and Ledwidge introduce a new hero in an exciting thriller set in the heart of Manhattan.

James patterson step on a crack series