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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780446199278
ISBN number: 0446199273
Label: Vision
Manufacturer: Vision
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: June 01, 2008
Publishing house: Vision
Sale Popularity Level: 110305
Studio: Vision
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Product Description:
During a state funeral for a beloved former First Lady in New York City's largest cathedral, the unthinkable occurs. Armed men disguised as monks seize the church and seal themselves inside, along with more than one hundred of the most powerful people in America. The captives include world leaders, actors, TV stars, athletes, and politicians, and the kidnappers are armed with enough C4 explosives to blow a crater in the middle of Manhattan.
NYPD officer Michael Bennett is pulled into the standoff as lead negotiator. Despite the escalating danger, Michael faces an even more terrifying crisis at home. His wife has been diagnosed with a devastating disease, and Michael faces the prospect of losing the love of his life and having to raise their ten children alone. With his own life teetering and the lives of thousands suddenly his responsibility, Michael struggles to diffuse the tense situation fast. Yet the kidnappers' moves are impossible to predict, and they block every endeavor to break into the cathedralmost as if they are privy to their deliberations.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I picked this book from the bookshelf of an apartment we were renting in Europe because it was the only one in English and I was out of reading material.
What dreck! People actually read this kind of stuff and consider it to be good writing? Short chapters and very simplistic writing - perhaps sixth-grade level.
In my future travels, I will throw an extra book or two into my luggage so I am never this desperate again...
Rated by buyers 
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The title sums it up. It shows some promise as an idea but the plot, characters, conflict and resolution are all massively under-developed. It all seems to happen so quickly that nothing is examined in any detail and its all over almost before it has begun. As others have mentioned, it seems to read a bit like a screenplay. There are really two stories interwoven, one intensely personal, the other all business, but neither is very well developed which makes the personal story seem tacked on, unnecessary and a cheap manipulative move. The aspect that is least satisfying however is that the solution comes all too easily. Perhaps this is what happens in most police-work (and thank goodness for that) but after the set-up where the baddies are supposed to be super organised and smart, planning every detail, it seems all too simple.
In all, it is an interesting idea and a quick, easy read - but it leaves the reader unsatisfied and with a bit of an unpleasant aftertaste.
Rated by buyers -
I Thought There Was Alot Of Excitement In This Book And I Went Through It With Ease. It Is Kind Of Hard To Believe That A Man, Micheal Bennett, With 10 Kids And A Dying Wife Would Be Working Such A High Powered Situation. But I'll Grant That One To Mr. Pattersons Sensationalism. The Story Of The First Ladys Murder And The Taking Of Hostages At Her Funeral Was Interesting. The High Profile Hostages Rivaled Alot Of Current Stars. Being A Retired NYS Corrections Officer At Sing Sing Correctional I Am Flattered That The Hostage Takers Were NYS Correction Officers. But I Do Have A Few Facts To Add, There Is No Such Thing As A Shift Foreman. Police Special Units Would Not Be Utilized To Quell A Disturbance In A NYS Prison, Anybody Remember Attica? Corrections Has CERT(Corrections Emergency Response Team) For That. The Setup Of A Block(The Most Populated Housing Block In The World) Is Incorrect. However I Did Like The Book And Look Forward To Another With Micheal Bennett.
Rated by buyers 
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I don't understand why so many people are trashing the title character simply because he has 10 kids. Is that common? No. Possible? Yes! I have a neighbor with 6 kids, who's always volunteering to babysit others, she loves kids. But, I digress. I thought this was a very good read, and I really liked the hero...I hope to see him re-appear in more books. No, he's not Alex Cross, but Alex Cross has begun to grow a bit stale if you ask me. I love the Alex Cross books, but I just don't think there's much more "new" material that he can see or do; we've seen it all. I imagine Patterson is a bit weary of coming up with new, fresh Alex Cross stories.
This book got my interest & kept it throughout! I finished the book in 2 sittings, and am looking forward to the subsequent book!
Rated by buyers -
I've read many, MANY Patterson novels. Alex Cross is one of my favorite characters - among the ranks of Jack Ryan (created by Tom Clancy) and CSI's Grissom.
But this book... Mike Bennett is the biggest whiner-slash-loser of a detective I've ever seen. To read page after page after page of this guy crying about his dying wife and tear-jerked by a house maid, only then to have him try to talk tough to a hostage-murderer is just flat out ridiculous.
First of all, if I wanted some emotional drama book about a guy losing his wife to cancer, I'd buy an emotional drama book about a guy losing his wife to cancer. The back-cover summary described Bennet with three words - "father of ten." The rest of the summary touted action and thrilling suspense. In reality, the family of ten filled most of this books pages, with the action and adventure limited to two or three chapters.
The worse part was that this book game out of the gates like F1's from the purple light at Daytona. Bam - one person down, guns and firefights galore. What an intense very first chapter. Almost immediately though, the book slowed to a complete crawl. "What are they going to DO for the subsequent 90% of the book?!" I wondered. "Oh - bore me to tears..."
James, you're a fantastic writer and I've always loved your work. I'm still waiting for Double Cross to come out in paperback. But if this is the sign of things to come from you, then Double Cross will be my final purchase.
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