Never never (edition 2016)

When Sydney Detective Inspector Harriet “Harry” Blue’s brother Sam is accused of being the Georges River serial rapist/killer, her chief orders her to leave town for a while. Harry can’t believe her brother is guilty, but she is not given a choice - her chief tells her: “Harry, Sam is about to go down as one of the nastiest sexual sadists since the Backpacker Murderer. Whether you think he did it or not, you’re public enemy number two right now. If the press gets hold of you, they’re going to eat you alive.”

Thus Harry is sent to investigate an unexplained death out on a mining camp on the outskirts of the Great Victoria Desert near Kalgoorlie, i.e., in the middle of nowhere.

She is reluctantly teamed up with Detective Inspector Edward Whittacker (“Whitt”), whom she expects is supposed to spy on her regarding any knowledge she might have about Sam.

As the two try to figure out what happened to the dead miner and those who have gone missing, they run into numerous obstacles. The mine is a hotbed of drugs, porn, prostitutes, environmental protestors, and inchoate violence. Many who take the dangerous jobs in the mine are former criminals or soldiers with records. The mine officers are extremely uncooperative.

It is pretty unclear throughout whether Harry and/or Whitt will make it out of the case alive.

Evaluation: The identity of the culprit at the mine was glaringly obvious right from the beginning, and many of the characters were non-nuanced and caricatured to say the least. Nevertheless, I liked Harry and Whitt, and have an interest in seeing where the series goes next. ( )

The protagonist is Harriet Blue, who is assigned a case in the outback of Western Australia because she needs to leave Sydney ASAP. Her brother is the main suspect in a rape and murder case, so she needs to be off the scene. She travels to a huge uranium mine close to Kalgoorlie with a new partner. Several people are missing on the mine and she has to find out what happened, against the backdrop of drug dealing and other criminal activities that are normal in the camps, mine managers who want to hush her, lacking trust in her new partner and her own feelings because of what is happening to her brother.
The setting of the novel was fascinating to me and I liked the premise. I once visited Kalgoorlie as a tourist and I am just enchanted by the vastness of the outback, so this was right up my alley. Apart from this, there was not much to like, though. The plot is very foreseeable and sometimes downright stupid. There were a few chapters, after the first quarter or so, when the story got a bit better - but not for long. The solution even made me angry because I found it cheap and the topic too washed out for a novel written in 2016 (Videogames!!! He became a murderer because he played video games!!!). The characters were very stereotypical, with Blue as a hardened woman who swears all the time, and I just didn't couldn't warm to her. Moreover, the violence and brutality was just too much and felt like showing off.
I won't continue this series. ( )

I actually meant to read Liar, Liar. I let the kiddo pick a library book for me, and that was the selection. Too bad it was the third book in the series, because I had to go backward to go forward.

Never Never‘s protagonist is Detective Harriet J. Blue. She’s a sex crimes detective who finds herself shuttled away from her precinct to avoid the spotlight after her brother is arrested as a notorious serial killer. Her new assignment — with a brand new partner — lands her in the middle of the Australian outback, trying to find the truth behind missing uranium miners.

Admittedly, this isn’t a book that I would have jumped to pick out for myself. I’m not so much into thrillers, but I was pulled in by the story. This is an easy read with a comfortable pacing; it took me less than four hours overall to read. I was a bit thrown by the short chapters, though. There are over 100 in this book, but they go by quickly and work as a device to push the story forward from the perspective of multiple characters.

The book isn’t short on action. Between murders, disappearances, and Blue’s ability to piss off nearly everyone she crosses paths with, there’s always something happening. The settings are easy to envision, with detailed descriptions of the bleak surroundings of the remote mine community. The plot twists are numerous, and I never felt settled in the resolution of who was the killer until it was actually unfolding. I give credit to the authors for managing to keep that under wraps.

The characters in the book are an eclectic bunch, but most didn’t come off as well-developed. Harriet Blue was less hit than miss for me as a heroine. She very much has the persona of a woman used to having to prove herself. Frankly, it got old kind of quick — the chip on her shoulder was almost always in the way. Other characters often had something to hide; most dabbled in some kind of illegal or immoral activity. To that end, I found it wasn’t particularly easy to figure out who was the “real” criminal or how bad their crime was in the grand scheme of the book.

While the book doesn’t end on a clear cliffhanger, it is a set-up for future books. I am admittedly less interested in Detective Blue as a main character. The build-up of her brother’s story is pretty interesting, and I’m keen to figure out the truth behind his arrest. ( )

Sex crime investigator, Harry Blue was reassigned to investigate a crime at a mine far from Sydney where her brother was accused of rape and murder charges.

The book started strong and very promising until they (Blue and Whitt - another investigator) were at the mine. The excitement sort of stops and just full of interviews, quite boring actually. I kept reading, was going to cheat and read the ending so I can move on to my next book, I didn't. About chapter 53, 54 the story gets interesting and towards the end it was hard to put down. ( )

This appears to be the initial book of a new series which would be set in Australia. At first was so so on the story but it developed nicely and was a bit of a different twist than the majority of Patterson's coauthored books. Enjoyed the story as the Aussie flavor was refreshing. Beyond the setting it was a typical James Patterson story. Interesting plot and cardboard characters with a smoothly flowing story. No surprises even when there were surprises. Since I read James Patterson as recreational mind candy did enjoy my monthly dose. Would recommend this for any Patterson followers. Hopefully there will be further books in this series as the principal character could develop into someone a bit off kilter and possibly give us a character with an interesting complex depth. ( )