12th of Never

Women's Murder Club #12

by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose.

Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.

A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail.

Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2013

About the author

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JIMMY Patterson Books
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James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. Among his creations are Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and Maximum Ride. His #1 bestselling nonfiction includes Walk in My Combat Boots, Filthy Rich, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. He has collaborated on novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton and has won an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

James Patterson will always be one of my favorite authors. I will say this from the start...one of my favorite AUTHORS...not so much when he's CO-AUTHORING. I have read everything he's ever published, and "The Women's Murder Club" has been a fun, compelling, can't-put-it-down type of a series for me. "12th of Never", however, was lacking a bit in comparison to previous books. It was very scattered, distracted and NEVER felt like it gained traction. I was so disappointed that I couldn't like this book as well as many of Patterson's others. I will say, it was a super quick read. I wanted to finish it in a sitting and see if it would take off at some point. Unfortunately, for me, it NEVER did! It seemed to have too many different ideas shifting back and forth; not one truly sparking and holding my interest throughout. It didn't have the great development and intrigue that made me fall in love with Patterson's writing style and storytelling initially. Based on this novel, like many recently co-authored books, I have started questioning Patterson and think he should go back to writing on his own. He is so amazingly successful, talented and creative, I would love to see him go back to solo writing. He certainly has nothing to prove to anyone, least of all, myself. He is truly an unbelievable and charismatic novelist and storyteller. It's just my personal opinion that Patterson is powerful in, and of, himself and should stick to authoring alone. Although I am being very critical of the writing, this was still a good read...just not one of his best. I continue to love the powerful core characters and the entire concept of "The Women's Murder Club". "12th of Never" was still an enjoyable read. I just needed more from it. I need James Patterson, the solo author, back for me to revel in his amazing craftsmanship! Thank you for another good book, though.

[Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh...does anyone remember 1st To Die written only by James Patterson? It had one continuous plot, fantastic story and character development, and chapters that were more than 2 pages. The Women's Murder Club meant something and they all worked together to solve a mystery. That was a great book! Ah, those were the days.

Now we have 12th of Never, probably named because that's the next time I'll read this book. So many stories that you can't really appreciate or enjoy any of them because there's not enough time to develop any of them fully and give the resolution any appreciation or real meaning. All the resolutions just seemed thrown together as if the authors didn't put a lot of time or thought into them.

My final thoughts:
1. Enough of the June storyline. What was even the point of her being in one scene of this book? That horse was beaten dead in the last book. Let it go.

2. Come up with one mystery and let the club come together to solve it like the earlier books. Any one of the mysteries in this book would have been fabulous if developed more and allowed to completely play out.

3. More Jacobi. I miss him not being around so much.

Lastly, I predict next year's title to be Friday the 13th. Next year, I'll look back at this and see if I was right.

[Paul Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You couldn’t hang back in red. You couldn’t hesitate. You really had to live up to red.”

My review of 10TH ANNIVERSARY was a tenuous 3-star definite maybe in which I expressed serious concerns about where THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB might be headed:

“Can you smell that “but” coming? … I’m still a fan of the series. But my faith has been shaken and I’m left with the question whether THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB is standing in front of a shark that it intends to jump over next novel around! We’ll see.”

Then my review of 11TH HOUR was a 1-star solid trashing in which I was convinced that Lindsay Boxer, Yuki Castelloni and their fellow “club” members had definitely made that leap and were about to land on the wrong side of the proverbial shark:

“ … yes, it really was that bad! In the immortal words from a previous James Patterson title, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!”

But because I had enjoyed so many of the books previously, I felt like I owed the series due diligence. So, with a shiver of doubt and the conviction that I was about to take one on the chin for the sake of my fellow readers, I picked up 12TH OF NEVER. Well, guess what? Darned if James Patterson and his co-author Maxine Paetro didn’t pull a rabbit out of their hat, tune up their engines, and produce a piece of mindless and utterly non-memorable suspense thriller, legal thriller and police procedural brain candy that was enjoyable from first page to last. Exactly what the doctor ordered and exactly the style of fast-paced, easy reading novel that I’d first enjoyed in the series debut 1ST TO DIE!

Multiple story lines unfold concurrently – the murder trial of a man who dismembered his wife and whose daughter has disappeared completely; the disappearance of a murder victim’s body from the morgue minutes before the post mortem was to begin; the story of a rather off-the-wall psychic professor who credibly predicts when and where a serial murderer will pick off his next victims; Cindy Thomas and Rich Conklin’s marriage does the crash-and-burn thing; and, last but not least, Lindsay Boxer and her husband Joe Molinari, are devastated when their new baby is diagnosed with a malignant lymphoma in the form of leukemia.

I have to admit that I’d definitely prefer to see a return to a single more complicated story line in which the ladies actually work as a synergistic team on the solution of a crime and spend a little less time spreading angst and worrying about their personal relationships. But that said, I’ll take what I can get and also admit that my status as a WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB fan is currently solid. I’m definitely looking forward to UNLUCKY 13 (and I’ll keep my fingers tightly crossed hoping that the title isn’t self-fulfilling!)

Paul Weiss

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Women's Murder Club are back and they are working on four unrelated cases. Lindsay has just had her baby but has had to return to her work early and is investigating a professor who predicted two different murders before getting murdered himself. Claire has had the body of a murder victim stolen from the morgue. Yuki is in court for a man accused of murdering and dismembering his wife. Cindy is breaking up with her fiancé. Apart from also helping the FBI investigate cold cases, Lindsay's baby is in hospital, she might have to fight for her young life!

[Krystin | TheF**kingTwist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Blog | Bookstagram

This time around there are five plot lines. And that is not including Rich and Cindy's boring old relationship issues. Are they breaking up? Are they in love? Do you actually care? I mean, actually?

You've got Yuki prosecuting a murder/kidnapping, Lindsay is looking into a possible clairvoyant's dreams of murders before they happen, a footballer's wife has been murdered but her body goes missing from the morgue, and then there's the comatose serial killer who suddenly awakens and is ready to talk about where his victim's bodies are - except he'll only talk to Lindsay since she's the one who helped catch him... apparently in the last twelve books I missed this arching story line of a dangerous serial killer.

Honestly, help me out here. Do I smoke too much weed and am just totally blanking on this comatose serial killer?

Finally, there's the story of Lindsay giving birth to her first child under circumstances that I'm pretty sure I saw on General Hospital at least six times. After that, Lindsay spends most of the book being so vomit-inducingly in love with her newborn, and literally hysterical when her kid gets sick, that she's convinced me never to have children.

⭐⭐ | 2 stars

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough book but The Women's Murder Club is not really my favourite of Patterson's series. Trying to encompass four separate stories, one for each woman, in the one book made it overstuffed and laborious at times. Sure the stories did overlap a little but not enough for it to be a cohesive whole. There was a lot of melodrama too. I was going to say Patterson does not write women's emotions well but then considered that it is quite possible he did not write much of this book anyway.
I listened to this book on audio and it was fine for passing the time but definitely not one of his best.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we are again...Yuki has a case in court and it's a sure thing! But wait--it falls apart! Lindsey is on the trail of a killer, and she's sure that EVERY dirtbag they drag in to question is the perp...no matter how unlikely or impossible!Clare and Cindy offer assistance and occasional soapy sprinkles. Yep, it's a Women's Murder Club novel! One just like every other since #4 down to the "Uh Oh!" epilogue.

Yeah, I listen to em...but these days it's more for a laugh than it is for any paper-thin thrills they might offer. And this time the histrionics are hysterical!

I TRIED to offer Maxine a few suggestions last time...she ran in the OTHER direction. Now we have no less than FOUR murder mysteries. {Yuki's prosecuting a double murder/murder kidnapping. Lindsey's investigating a kookie psychic professor's predictions while dealing with a just awakened serial murderer and a murder case involving a footballer's wife.} Clare's soapy sprinkle this time: she looses the footballer's wife's body. Cindy's? She and Conklin might call it quits over the having children thing! At least a couple of the cases tie in with each other.

Laughed out loud a few times at the completely nonsensical turns of plot. And characters acting more like characters in a telenovela than an American thriller. I'll probably listen to 13 if they write it (and why wouldn't they); it's a fun way to pass 7 hours while weeding the collection.

[Li'l Owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashes, followed by window rattling peals of thunder. Then, the electricity goes out. Lindsay had been asleep in bed when the storm woke her. Joe is out of town until tomorrow and she's all alone. Without warning pain grips her belly. Once. Then again. No! The baby isn't due for another week! And this is just the beginning!

Harry Judd, a nutty professor, comes to the Homicide department and claims that he wants to report a murder. But the murder hasn't taken place yet. He claims he dreamt about the murder of a women who was shot to death in the freezer section at Whole Foods. He's not taken seriously. Then, less than 24 hours later, she's found dead in Whole Foods and with exactly the same details as in the professor's dream, from the dark roots of her hair to the blue toenail polish.
When Lindsay and Richie arrive on scene
Charlie Clapper, head of forensics, fills them in. "Heres what we've got for you. A violent death and a humongous haystack. We have no idea if there's a needle or even what a needle would look like. Did you hear? No witnesses. No weapon. No robbery. Just bang, bang, bang. It's a real who-fricken-dun-it.
The professor, who has a solid alibi, is absolutely thrilled that the dream he had actually happened. Lindsay and Richie remain skeptical. Until it happens a second time. They have a summer intern, Makey Moralas, who has some background in psychology and she's been given the green light to help out on the case. Still, the case is going no where. Then something absolutely mind boggling happens.

Lindsay and Richie have another case, as well. Jeff Kennedy, star football player for the San Francisco 49ers and his girlfriend, Faye Farmer, were having a party when said girlfriend gets jealous, gets in her car, and drives away in tears. The next morning she is found dead in her car with a bullet wound to the head. While being questioned Conklin asks Jeff what time Faye left the party. Kennedy begins to cry saying he doesn't know exactly. "It was late. I'd had a few. Now I have to live with the fact that we had a fight and I never saw her again! We were in love we were really in love! He seems genuinely devastated by her death.
Did she commit suicide? Was she killed by someone who has nothing to do with Jeff? Is Jeff that good of an actor?
So many questions, so few answers. Maybe Clair Washburn's autopsy will shed some light on the facts. The case already high profile but then Faye Farmer's body disappears from the morge before the autopsy can be done. How did they lose a body? And where is it now? Heads are gunna roll!

Prosecuter Yuki Castillano, is trying the case of Keith Herman who is on trial for the murder of his wife and the disappearance of his daughter. Jennifer Herman's, body was found dismembered and and his seven year old daughter, Lily, has been missing for over a year. Yuki's biggest obstacle in this trial is Defense Attorney John Consuela. He is famous for his slippery, never saw it coming antics that usually work with the jury, resulting in even the guiltiest clients being acquitted. Throughout the prosecution's witnesses things are going very well for Yuki. Her witnesses are solid, painting a clear picture for the jury that Keith Herman is clearly guilty of murdering his wife. When it's the defense's turn to cross examine Yuki's witnesses, Consuela says he has no questions for any of them. That's great for Yuki. But Yuki has been here before. She has lost previous cases and that was when the defense didn't have a weasel like Consuela working against her. Yuki knows that Consuela is playing with her, planning something. He must have a hidden agenda to get his client off. But what?

While all this is happening, a sadistic serial killer, Randy Fish, wakes up from a two year coma. And he fixates on Lindsay.

This is another rip roaring edition in the Woman's Murder Club series. 12th of Never by Maxine Paetro is a jam packed thriller that will have your teeth buzzing and every hair standing on end! In this exciting audio book narrator January LaVoy, who was seemless in 11th Hour, went to the top of outstanding in this one!
The twists are insanely brilliant and I can guarantee you won't see them coming! How on earth was this book going to end? Nerve jangling and harrowing as it was, I was still powerless to stop listening!
Breathe! Don't forget to breathe!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bookmarks: 12th of Never

I remember a time when James Patterson actually wrote Women’s Murder Club (WMC) books. It seems so so long ago.

I haven’t been pleased with the last four or five WMC books, but I keep reading in hopes that they will once again be engaging reads. One thing, they are fast reads.

The last several books have been severely lacking in actual police/detective work. The cases, yes there are more than one, are laid out, checked in on every four chapters or so and then wrapped up nicely with a pretty bow on top at the end. 12th of Never was no exception.

The book takes you through six different story lines. SIX, 6! That is insane. There is no way even the greatest of authors could manage that many storylines. And let me tell you, Maxine Paetro is not a great author. James Patterson is not fooling anyone into thinking that he is actually writing any of the drivel that is contained in this book.

First there is Lindsay, Joe and the baby. There is quite a story in there, that I am probably horrible for saying this, didn’t satisfy me in the end.

Second, there is the story of a murdered designer, whose body goes missing from the lab. The jacket teases the story with a hotshot NFL boyfriend, but really fails to flesh that out.

Third, there is the always present courtroom drama so that Yuki Castellano (whom I dislike with a fiery passion by the way) is able to star in half the book. I fully believe that she is the pet character of Paetro, thus the need to have some sort of court case in every book. This case involves a shady lawyer, his dead wife and missing child.

Fourth, there is a clairvoyant of sorts who dreams murders. A potential for a stand alone storyline, they cram this in and fail to give it teeth and in the end completely fail to explain the outcome.

Fifth, there is the small vignette of Cindy & Rich. A storyline best held for a future book. It has a moment. That is it, a single moment and then the bow is placed on top and the present sits in the back of a closet.

Finally, there is a story that comes out of nowhere involving a serial killer, who wakes from a coma and is ready to talk. But only to Lindsay, who apparently helped the FBI catch this guy. What? Maybe they thought they wrote this story into another book, but it rings no bells with me.

I give the book 3 bookmarks, which I feel is quite generous. My reasoning is:
• I read the whole thing (that alone gets a star). I thought there would be this great ending or at least a cliffhanger to make me want to read the next book…if there is a lucky 13
• After a few chapters, I was invested in the stories.
• The characters are well established and I am invested in them. Even though, they failed to do any of them justice.
My pet peeves:
• Bubbleen Waters. An actual character’s name. I am not joking. That has to be the lamest attempt at sly humor ever. I direct Paetro to John Sandford’s Del Capslock. That is clever. Bubbleen Waters not so much.
• The tidy happy ending. That twist at the end was not a cliffhanger and was not even plausible. I like things to go awry once in a while. I like there to be some darkness. But in this everyone is happy in the end.
• The fact that these books sell because James Patterson’s name is on them. If you insist on “guest” authors, please reconnect with Andrew Gross because at least he was a real writer, unlike the soap scribe (at best), Paetro.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patterson returns to the scene with his latest installment of the Women’s Murder Club with a bang, or at least a screech. Boxer is finally ready to have her baby and nothing is as simple as it needs to be. With a very eerie case of premonition, a courtroom drama that falls apart the more it unfolds, and a body that seems to have gone missing as soon as it enters the morgue, the WMC is left frayed at the edges. Patterson returns with his ability to tell multiple stories at once and still flesh out the characters in use. He keeps the reader interested, especially those who have followed the Club over the last dozen books, and leaves no stone unturned in his attempt to provoke dramatic gasps as each chapter progresses. With sharp, short chapters and interesting storylines, any fan of Patterson’s series will surely devour this book in a sitting or two.

As some have read in other reviews, this series is one of Patterson’s bread and butter collections. Why he does not stick with what works, choosing to pair up with authors who churn out poor one-offs, I will never know. While ABC viewers may have come down hard on the WMC, the books keep things going and always have a great cliff-hanger on which the reader can stew until the next book comes out. Patterson knows his stuff and should, in my humble opinion, try matching up his series’ main characters into an explosive collection. A great opportunity presented itself in the latter part of this book (I will not spill the beans). I mean, seriously, Cross-Boxer-Bennett would make for a great book, allowing Paetro and Ledwidge to work with Patterson to create something all readers could enjoy.

Great work, Mr. Patterson and I hope you’ll keep it up!

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like finishing the 12th entry to begin a new series. I liked it.

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting installment with a lot of emotion tied to the characters personal lives and one's professional reputation. The crime plots were interesting and did have some good twists and turns but I wasn't as hooked as I was with the personal life plots.

My quick and simple overall: read for the hits to the characters personal lives over the crime plots even though you will end up enjoying both!

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that suffers from ADD, and from a poorly crafted ending

Yes, this is one fast paced story, but that does not make a good book. In typical Patterson cartel fashion, this novel is composed of very short chapters full of action. Typically, I am OK with this. However, in this case it feels a little overdone. The authors cannot stay on a topic for more than a couple of pages and it truly feels like we are getting the story told by someone with ADD. We have the plot involving a lawyer accused of killing his wife and daughter, the one about the professor who dreams about murders, the one about the killing of the girlfriend of the football star, and if that was not enough the one about the serial killer coming back from a coma. On top of that, there's the story line about Lindsay's baby and a few others.

Once you consider that this is an extremely short book, the only way to fit all those story lines in such a small space is to go really fast, shallow and ultimately leave the reader dissatisfied. When the authors finally made it to the minimum number of words to call this a book, they wrap it up as fast as possible, with no real explanation as to why the solution is what it is, what the motivations were (we only get a bare bones explanation in a couple of the cases), and we are left with plot holes big enough to drive a semi through.

Luckily, a while back I decided to stop buying this books, so the frustration is not as high. Also, since they take so little time and effort to read, when I don't like them much I don't feel like I invested much in them, and sometimes I find good ones. Finally, as Patterson decided to do with I, Michael Bennett, he ends the book in kind of a cliff-hanger. I guess he does not trust the readers will keep buying his sub-par quality novels unless he keeps them on the hook. Such a shame for an author that used to be so much better than this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this series in the beginning. The women came together, supported each other, and worked together using their specialties to solve difficult crimes. Brilliant! They are now friends that barely know what is going on in each others lives and there's a few difficult crimes that are resolved with really no pooling of skills at all. I never got into Yuki, she is just such a bland character to me. This book Cindy is only mentioned due to her romantic difficulties with Rich, and his arch trumps her involvement by a mile. Claire is barely mentioned other then difficulty in her career. I like Lindsay, I like Joe, and I do like the aspect of them having a baby and her juggling her desire to be with her baby and her need to be a good cop. I could have done without the baby drama though. Seriously, Lindsay has drama every single book, I think we can have the occasional book where she's solving crime, her personal life is OK, and maybe instead she can lend a hand in the drama in another club member's life. The crimes in this one were ok. I had anticipated most of one of them, and I never got too involved in the others. I just don't have the same level of interest in the series as the early books.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you a dedicated James Patterson fan ? If so, then you are like me and would have read all of his series and your heart would skip a beat or two everytime a new book in any of his series is released . You get this giddy and excited feeling, that you just can't help but get stuck into it . Sometimes this feeling will leave you satisfied and happy of the experience other times it may leave you feeling a bit dejected as the book hasn't quite lived up to the excitement and thrill.
That is how I feel everytime I open a new James Patterson book, some leave me happy - whereas others leave me feeling dejected. The latest book in the Women's Murder Club slotted in between as parts were thrilling others were disappointing.
We are reunited with all our favourite characters from Lindsay Boxer and Joe who welcome the birth of their new baby girl Julie - however Lindsay and Joe face terrible news when their daughter gets sick . Will they have to say goodbye to their new daughter ?
Yuki is up against the two sleaziest lawyers in what could be a huge case for her , will she win it or bomb out when the daughter who is supposed to be dead "turns up alive" ? Yuki is still seeing Brady - is he any further away from being "not married" ?
Claire is investigating a murder of a women named Faye Farmer - what happens though when her body disappears from the morgue and Claire is found negligent ? Will this be the end of Claire Forensic Investigator or is someone trying to set Claire up for the fall and why ?
Cindy's relationship is on the rocks with Rich Conklin - are the pair over for good especially when a new intern sets her sights on Rich ? Or will the pair try and give counselling and couples therapy a go?
Find out all this and more in James Patterson's and Maxine Paetro's new installment in the Women's Murder Club............... The "12th of Never".

[Shelly Itkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 12th Murder Club series was definitely worth the wait. Amazing, shocking, upsetting and surprising are just a few words to describe it.

Lindsay and Joe finally have the precious daughter they have also wanted but never thought they would ever have. With joy comes sorry and the worst kind which will make Lindsay and Joe stronger.

Lindsay is also working on two entirely different cases which are very difficult and that is adding to the pressure of lack of sleep with a new baby.

Claire who has been in the Medical Examiners Offices since the series began is now put in a position none of us could of imagined.

Cindy and her fiancee, Conklin are having problems and neither is sure how to solve them, plus the stress of working is making it worse.

Yuki is taking on the biggest case of her life against a low life lawyer who is accused of killing his wife and daughter and has another sleaze representing them.

Mix these all together and you have surprises, deaths, and even worse betrayal it is definitely the best in the series. Be prepared not to get much sleep once you start it a definite Winner……

[Néa · Rating 1 out of 5]

You ask what is wrong with this book? EVERYTHING.
From the characters to the setting to the plot - everything is a hot mess! Don't get me wrong - I'm sucker for Patterson's novels (I usually pick up Patterson's novels because of the short chapters & refined plots) but this one didn't go well with me.

The book revolves around the life of 4+ characters and this is where everything went wrong! Too much information for even an advance reader to take in, no correlation between character and plot at certain points, weak character analysis..

This was such a bummer!

[Marleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s very possible that this was one of the books in the Women’s Murder Club that captivated me more than the previous ones. There’s no doubt that I liked these various story-lines a bit better than what I’ve read so far. First, there’s the disappearing corpse from the ME’s office, making Claire (my favorite) a little more present in the book, which I always welcome wholeheartedly. Second there’s the weird English professor who dreams of murders (is he clairvoyant?), and then those murders happen, which is a total enigma – but be assured, it’s not a coincidence – it was all orchestrated by an infiltrator in the SFPD; and third there’s the serial killer, who once out of a coma, keeps manipulating the SFPD as to where he buried his victims. That guy was irritating and a total nightmare and I’m glad Lindsay didn’t take the bait. Lindsay and Joe have bigger worries; their little newborn girl (now a few weeks old), has serious health problems and Lindsay is focused on that – I liked how both Joe and Lindsay agreed to go after a second opinion, so that they could get to the heart of the health problem with little Julie.
The other focus is on Yuki Castellano, who is prosecuting Keith Herman, and notwithstanding the set-backs, gets to the truth of the matter, with a little help of her boyfriend, Jackson Brady.
What I liked in this read best was that the SFPD didn’t come across as totally incompetent for once.

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in this book. I love this Women's Murder Club series as a whole, but where was the club in this book? They got together twice. The side story of the baby being sick was annoying and did nothing for character development in my opinion. I felt like there were too many stories going on for any one to be properly developed, so what we got instead was half-formed ideas thrown together. There were times reading this where I honestly checked page numbers to see if I had missed something.

This most definately did not meet my expectations, and frankly I'm upset I spend money on this book.

[Kay ☼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying it! I do miss the previous narrator, Carolyn McCormick.

[Kat Dietrich]

12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is the 12th in the Women’s Murder Club Series.

Background:
The cast of the Murder Club includes: Lindsay Boxer, Homicide Detective; Claire Washburn, Medical Examiner; Yuki Castellano, Assistant District Attorney; and Cindy Thomas, Reporter. These ladies come together to fight crime “after-hours”, and often at a favorite restaurant called Susie’s.

My Synopsis:
There are a lot of things going on in this book.

Lindsay returns to work after having her baby, and her husband Joe losing his job. It’s a tense time, especially when little Julie is running a fever, and Lindsay finds it hard to concentrate at work.

The fiancé of a Football star is found shot dead in her car, and the body is stolen from the morgue. Claire is responsible for the morgue, so she is being side-lined, and not happy.

Yuki is prosecuting a man that is accused of killing and dismembering his wife, and perhaps his missing daughter. This man and his lawyer are known for their shady methods of dealing with potential threats, witnesses suddenly disappearing.

When a professor comes to the station insisting he had a dream about an upcoming murder, Richie writes him off as a flake, until a body with same description turns up. The next time the professor comes in with another dream, Richie pays a little more attention.

Meanwhile, a past case comes back to taunt Lindsay. A serial killer who has been in a coma for two years has woken up, and wants to reveal the location of more bodies, but he may just want to play with Lindsay.

Cindy and Richie are having issues, and he seems to be interested in the new summer intern.


My Opinions:
WOW, this was a lot for one book. Surprisingly, everything was kept very clear, and it was a very fast and easy read. However, none of the storylines were very deep, so I think it may have been a little too much. It wasn’t a bad book, but it lacked something, and I found myself skimming occasionally. I hate when that happens, because I’m afraid I missed something important. On the other hand, Patterson’s books are so well laid out, that you could probably miss a chapter, and still get the gist.

For more of my reviews, please visit my blog:
http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Naomi Pachniuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

yeah this was very poorly written i’m sorry

[Amie Bjorklund · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is awful. I finished it because it was a fast read and I do want to hit my 75 books this year, but I shouldn't have wasted my time. To start with, Lindsay Boxer has become a whiny woman who needs to be smacked with some guts. She used to be an interesting character with layers and her head on straight. I used to enjoy reading about her interigations and thought process. However the writers gave her a husband and a baby and suddenly this woman is unrecognizable and really quite annoying.

There are too many story lines and none of them are flushed out. The authors try to tie eveything together and what they end with is a hodge-podge of plots and serial killers whom no one cares about.

I have read almost all the Women's Murder Club books and I used to really enjoy them. The women were interesting and strong and they were thrillers. Lately it's just four women who sometimes see each other and whine a lot about their life. I mean, Cindy and Rich broke up, Lindsay's baby was sick and the four women didn't talk about it once. What is that? Not reality! And certainly not the four women readers of the WMC have come to look forward to.

This book is a waste of time and shouldn't be part of the series. This series has gotten progressively worse and I will not be reading it any more. It's sad to say that about a Patterson series I was really enjoying. But the writing is subpar and no longer worth my time.

I'll wait for another well written thriller like "Zoo".

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you think you could become so distracted that you are not able to feel a wave of pain coming from your belly and washing over you like an ocean wave?
Have you ever had a dream that seemed to come true? Truthfully most people have had such a dream.
Have you ever experienced lightning cracking outside from a vicious storm, no electricity and nobody around to assist you if you needed help.
Just to let you know: This is just a small sample of the beginning (my friends and fellow readers) to this fascinating story.
Reading this novel was like being in the middle of the suspense and catching up to an old friend, who happens to like the same things I like, ie. a good mystery.
12th of Never is another really good novel in the Women's Murder Club series from the NY Times bestseller, James Patterson and his co-author Maxine Paetro. What a great duo these two writers make. I think their work and collaboration resulted in a very lively and exciting triple mystery. I think it will definitely get your heart thumping to a little faster beat.

Jeannie Walker - Award Winning Author

Fighting the Devil: A True Story of Consuming Passion, Deadly Poison, and Murder
I Saw the Light
Thomas, The Friendly Ghost
The Rain Snake: A True Story of Love, Faith and Trust

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

12th of Never is the twelfth book in the Women’s Murder Club series by American author James Patterson and is co-written with Maxine Paetro. Lindsay returns sooner than anticipated from her maternity leave, entrusting the unemployed but highly competent Joe with an unwell baby. As well as investigating a murder and the subsequent disappearance of the body from the morgue, Lindsay is faced with a charismatic serial killer who wakes up from a coma fixating on her as liaison for locating victim’s bodies.

Pathologist Claire Washburn finds herself demoted when said body disappears from her morgue. There is trouble in paradise when journalist Cindy Thomas is rather too focussed on her job for fiancé Rich’s liking, and he begins to look elsewhere: a young police intern catches his eye. Rich Conklin tries to solve the puzzling case of a Professor who seems to have developed precognition of several shooting murders. Assistant DA, Yuki Castellano is determined to win her murder case against a lawyer with a reputation for witness intimidation, but the case takes a few surprise turns.

Maxine Paetro appears to be a winning combination as co-writer with James Patterson, certainly when one compares what some co-writers do with the ideas Patterson throws them. She has (co-)written all but three of the Women’s Murder Club books, and this instalment is, once again, a page-turner with several twists. In places it is a little too “breathless” and Paetro seems intent on giving the height, weight and hair colour of incidental characters who merit only a paragraph or two, but apart from that, this is quite a good read.

[Bruce Snell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Twelve in the Women's Murder Club by James Patterson - 2.5 stars. The Women's Murder club is working on four separate, unrelated cases; Yuki is trying a man for murdering and dismembering his wife; Claire has had the body of a murder victim stolen from her morgue - and the security guard has gone missing as well; Lindsay is investigating a professor who successfully predicted two different murders before being murdered himself; Lindsay is also assisting the FBI in an investigation of cold cases involving a previously convicted serial killer. And all this is happening while Lindsay's newborn baby is hospitalized, (possibly with cancer) and Cindy is breaking up with her fiance. With all of that going on it sounds like this should have been an exciting book - it wasn't.

Throughout most of the book the story was so dull and boring that it was almost impossible to remember one page by the time you started the next. In fact, the only break in the "dull" was the courtroom action - and that was only memorable because it was so bad. Anyone with absolutely no knowledge of how a courtroom works should refrain from writing courtroom drama.

It is possible that the only good thing I can say for this book is that it didn't take long to read it. This entire series has been weak. This time I can't say the book was bad, only that it was "nothing" - I don't need to worry about this one keeping me up nights thinking about the story - I won't even remember having read it by tomorrow.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best. I have read each of the books in this series and was eagerly awaiting this book. I am disappointed to say the least. There were so many sub plots going on at the same time and none of which felt truly developed. I felt pulled in too many directions as I read what was happening on so many different cases from each character's perspective. It is possible that was the author's intent, but it felt disjointed and scattered. It seems by the ending of the book that it was written simply to set up future books in the series. I am not sure that I will be quite as eager for the next book as this one just did not come up to expectations and I feel a bit let down by one of my favorite authors. I agree he wrote better on his own.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked this better if there were fewer plot lines. Between the crimes (jailed serial killer jerking around the FBI and Lindsay, a precognitive professor dreaming of crimes before they happen, and the killing of a NFL star's girlfriend)and the stuff happening in the personal lives of Lindsay (baby birth and illness) and Cindy's love life, this one tried too hard.

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Women's Murder Club, book no. 12 sees the main two story arc centred around Boxer's pregnancy and childbirth; with strong support from the arcs for the other members of the Club. An OK read. 5 out of 12.

[*Stani* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lindsay has a baby during a blackout storm, a group of firefighters helps her deliver her daughter, Julie.

Yuki is prosecuting a slimy ex-attorney who supposedly killed his wife and his daughter, although the daughter has never been found. The evidence against him is pretty damning, until the daughter appears unharmed.

Claire is suppose to perform a very important autopsy when she finds out a body she was suppose to examine is missing. The camera in her office has been unplugged and the backup CD taken. Someone doesn’t want the evidence to show up. Someone with the access to the ME’s office and the morgue. The missing dead person is a young designer to the stars and a girlfriend to a famous NFL player. She has been found dead near her car, with bullet to her head.

Lindsay goes back to work as her husband Joe loses his job.

A professor of literature comes to the precinct and says he had a dream about a woman being gunned down in the frozen section of Whole Foods. The crime happens the next day exactly how he described it - down to every little detail.

Lindsay and Rich are investigating both cases.

Lindsay has to deal with personal issues, as Julie becomes gravely sick.

She also has to deal with a serial killer recently awakened after two years in coma.

A new intern starts to work in the precincts, really interested not just in police work but also in Rich, who ran into a rough patch with Cindy.

***********

The detective part was interesting, even though a bit fragmented.

The story of Julie, Lindsay’s baby girl was well researched and done, but took away from the actual investigations and the crimes.

Overall this book was all over the place - really fragmented with too many plot lines. At the end everything was kinda rushed to be finished.

The conclusion of the crimes was interesting and pretty clever - definitely didn’t see the ending coming.