12 MONTHS TO LIVE

5 stars out of 5

Well, it ain't the cheeriest of stories: hard-driving defense attorney and former NYPD officer Jane Smith has no shortage of enemies, any one of whom is more than capable of taking her down at any given moment. Should they miss, though, her terminal cancer will finish her off.

Jane's client, wealthy ne'er-do-well Rob Jacobson, is on trial for the murder of an entire family - dad, mom and daughter. Her investigative partner, Jimmy Cunniff, is an ex-cop as well, and the two are determined to get a favorable jury verdict for their client, no matter how unlikable he is (nor, for that matter, whether or not they believe in his innocence). In between, Jane - whose sister Brigid also is fighting terminal cancer - is training for a biathlon. At that point, I have to be honest and say that while I was impressed with both Jane and Jimmy, the thought of wading through a book that's bound to have an unhappy ending no matter which way the trial goes lost a bit of appeal. But I hung in there - if only because I'm a big fan of both the authors - and also honestly, the story itself began to draw me in. 

An old friend of Jimmy's asks Jane to investigate a similar case that happened about six months earlier - another dad, mom and daughter who were murdered in a similar fashion. Despite the (ahem) trials and tribulations in the courtroom, Jane decides to take on both cases; and that's when the action really starts to pick up. Apparently, someone out there isn't rooting for Jane and Jimmy to win; they're both threatened, and when they don't heed the warnings, the threats turn all too real. 

Scenes shift from the courtroom, where Jane mixes it up with a worthy legal adversary, to what's happening in her personal life to what turns up as Jimmy investigates the relationship, if any, between the two horrific murder cases. Of course, you won't get the details from me, but I will suggest reading it for yourself as I did - even if you're pretty sure in the end you won't like the ending - just because it's a doggone good book. And I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

12 Months to Live by James Patterson and Mike Lupika (Little, Brown and Co., September 2023); 401 pp.

MRS. JOHN DOE

4 stars out of 5

This book had me hooked from the minute I learned that lead character Nora Baron teaches acting at Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. That's where our son earned a master's degree (in applied mathematics, and I hasten to add he didn't get that talent from me), so it was instant rapport. Alas, none of the action here took place on that beautiful but traffic-challenged island (well, at least on the Long Island Expressway), although Nora's previous on-stage and teaching experience does indeed play a major role. 

Happily, I remained interested throughout the many twists, although I will say I guessed fairly early on the identity of at least one baddie as well as a couple of other plot details that were revealed as the ending neared. Finding out whether I was right or wrong - plus an interesting plot - kept me reading as often as my free time would allow (and for the record, my guesses were right). It's a solid, well-written story, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for granting me the opportunity to read and review it in exchange for a review.

The story begins as Nora is notified that her husband Jeff has been killed in an auto accident in England, where he'd gone on a business trip. Immediately thereafter, she flies to London to identify the body and claim the remains, and as she leaves the morgue, she's mugged by a man intent on stealing her purse. Shaken, she returns to her hotel only to get a strange message she interprets as an instruction to head for France. She goes there on the run, and from that point on, she stays on the run till the very end - trying to get to the truth while avoiding getting arrested or killed.  

As I turned the pages, I was somehow reminded of the Carol Higgins Clark Regan Reilly series, which, BTW, I love. I'm not sure why that comparison came to mind, except that this is my idea of great vacation reading; at just 276 pages, it flies by in no time and left me, at least, happy I'd taken the time to read it.

Mrs. John Doe by Tom Savage (Alibi, October 2015); 276 pp.