Joana Chaves Chaves itibaren Pillaton, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6RZ, UK
Nothing seems to endear a protagonist to readers more than having a hero with clay feet, or at least a character who has domestic problems added to a strenuous professional life. Nothing can add humor and complexity to an on-duty policeman than having to grapple with mundane household problems with his children—all thirteen of them. New York detective, Michael Bennett, is placed in charge of the investigation of high-end serial murders targeted by a well-endowed assassin who calls himself The Teacher. Pursuing leads involving widely-disbursed crimes is exhausting enough for any cop, but widower Bennett continually battles a newspaper snoop; his grizzled priest-father, the monsignor next door; and a home full of his flu-stricken, adopted orphans. The well-planned murders of victims in such places as Ralph Lauren’s Polo haberdashery, the 21 Club, or the Platinum Star Hotel are as vividly detailed as The Teacher’s wardrobe is described in his off-beat process in fulfilling his manifesto against rich snobs. Name brands and exotic labels rifle through these pages as the killer arms himself with a catalog of high-tech instruments. There are two matters that would have been satisfying to resolve in this story, but they remain undisclosed. What does happen to the poor-box thief that Father Seamus Bennett nabs? And, what becomes of the long-suffering, efficient Irish au pair, Mary Catherine, who helps Bennett so consistently and diligently since his wife, Maeve, died a year previously? Despite the loss of these two subplot elements, the touching home-bound scenes of near-crisis epidemic resound with such touching, everyday charm that humanize Bennett—very humorous—that readers can ignore the nearly improbable heroics that draw the story’s conclusion. This is one of the better novels from the Patterson group involving a realistic human detective confounded by everyday family problems with which most readers will be acquainted. Kudos for kiddos.