"Having two narrators was perfect" — that's a listener quote I found, and honestly? They nailed it. I started this book during Sophie's nap on a Tuesday and nearly forgot to switch the laundry because Reg Rogers doing "Jack" — the hostage taker — has this flat, almost bored delivery that made my skin crawl. Like, this man is threatening billionaires and celebrities with the same energy I use to tell Lucas to put his shoes on. Terrifying.
A Dad of TEN Kids Solving a Hostage Crisis? Sure, Why Not
Look, I picked this up because James Patterson books are basically engineered for interrupted listening. Short chapters. Constant momentum. You can pause mid-crisis to fish a Goldfish cracker out of a car seat and come back without needing a recap. And Step on a Crack delivers exactly that — chapters so bite-sized they're practically snack packs. But what caught me off guard was the emotional setup. Michael Bennett is a dad of TEN. His wife is dying of cancer. And somehow he's supposed to negotiate with a psychopath who's taken over a cathedral full of the world's most powerful people during a former first lady's funeral.
The dual timeline hit me harder than I expected. Patterson and Ledwidge alternate between the hostage crisis inside St. Patrick's Cathedral and Bennett's home life — his wife in a hospital bed, his kids scared, his grandfather trying to hold the family together. It's not subtle. It's not literary fiction. But when Bennett gets the call about his wife while he's standing outside the cathedral trying to save 34 hostages? I had to sit in the pickup line for an extra five minutes with my sunglasses on. Made me cry at school pickup. Worth it though.
The Booktrack Thing — Let's Talk About That Background Music
Okay so this is the "Booktrack Edition," which means there's a musical soundtrack playing underneath the narration. I was skeptical. Like, who asked for background music in an audiobook? But here's the thing — it actually works better than I expected for a thriller. During the tense cathedral scenes, there's this low, pulsing score that kept my heart rate up even when I was standing in the kitchen making PB&Js. It never drowned out the narrators. Think of it like a movie score turned way down. If you hate it, you'll really hate it. But for me, doing dishes while listening to a hostage negotiation? The music made the whole thing feel more cinematic, and I wasn't mad about it.
John Slattery gives Bennett this weary, working-dad voice — like a guy who's been running on coffee and love for his kids and nothing else. And then Reg Rogers comes in as Jack and it's this complete tonal shift. Jack sounds almost amused by the chaos he's causing. The contrast between Bennett's exhaustion and Jack's calm menace is what makes the audio version worth it over reading the print. You feel the power imbalance.
Where It Wobbles (Because Nothing's Perfect, Not Even Patterson)
Is it predictable? Kind of. You know Bennett's going to figure it out. You know the bad guy's going to get more unhinged. Patterson writes to a formula and the formula works, but don't come in expecting twists that'll genuinely shock you. Last Orphan scratched a similar itch for me — propulsive, a little formulaic in the best way, and exactly the kind of thing I could pause seventeen times and still care deeply about. The villain's motivations, when revealed, are... fine. Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. You need a story that keeps you awake during the 4 PM energy crash and gives you something to look forward to during car time.
Also — and this is minor — the sheer number of hostages (34 celebrities and politicians) means some of them are basically furniture. A few get names and personalities, most are just... there. Being scared. Which, fair. That's what hostages do. But if you're hoping for deep character work among the captives, adjust expectations.
At eight hours, I finished this in about five days of my regular listening windows. Car time approved. Survived 47 pauses and still made sense. The short chapters are genuinely perfect for multitasking moms — I never lost the thread, even after a 20-minute interruption involving a toilet paper roll and a toddler who shall remain unnamed.
Who Gets a Permission Slip
If you want fast, emotional, slightly formulaic thriller comfort food with excellent narration and you don't mind background music — grab this. If you need complex, unpredictable plots or you find Patterson too commercial, this won't convert you. If you're a parent who's ever had to hold it together while your world is falling apart? The Bennett family stuff might wreck you in the best way.
Satisfying ending — exactly what I needed. My book club will love this (if I ever have time for book club again).
