12th of Never [Excerpt: First 17 Chapters]

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 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, Thriller, Crime, Detective, Ebooks, Suspense, Fiction

432 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2013

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site
JIMMY Patterson Books
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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Darlene Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read James Patterson's books almost forever and have learned a great deal from his plotting and character development. I never expected to have anything to criticize. He has been one of my favorites. However the last two Murder Club books are not up to his former standards. The actions and reactions of the male characters are not realistic. In 11--Joe's reaction to Lindsay's mistrust is out of character not only for Joe but for most males. In 12 it is Rich who is totally out of character for a straight male. I used to look forward with great anticipation to each new one. However, since his heart transplant, I do not believe Patterson has the same hands on control of the novels that bear his name on the covers. I am now officially giving up on this series. There is no depth of plot or character development. The 12th of Never has random store lines that are not interwoven and Lindsay's actions when faced with the unknown future of her infant daughter is enough to drop any mother out of the story.The cliffhanger ending is most unsatisfying.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goodreads didn't have the whole book, but I read it and was disappointed overall. I have always loved this series, but the last two books weren't up to snuff. While all of the ladies have story lines, they are not really connected and they don't draw on each other as they have in novels past. Boxer has her baby, which adds a new twist. When the baby gets sick, she doesn't mention it to Claire, the doctor (albeit a medical examiner). Similarly, Boxer is one of the last to find out when Richie and Cindy have drama in their relationship. In fact, Cindy's role is minimal in the book and everybody's doing their own thing. There are only two Murder Club meetings at Susie's I can recall and they don't serve the Murder Club theme. The male characters words and actions are totally out of character for the roles they've served in the past. It's a decent read if you haven't read any of the other books in the series, but very disappointing if you've watched the ladies evolve over the years.

[Margaret Fraleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I read the entire book (114 chapters) and it wasn't the ebook - it was the paperback edition. Was unable to locate the correct edition to add.

James Patterson does not disappoint. This is a book in the Woemn's Murder Club series.

Great plots and it has left it open for the next book. Since this book left one part of the

story open, can't wait for the next book Unlucky 13.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first 17 chapters but once this book is released, I plan to read the remainder of the book. This series is a great escape from other books I read and I also enjoy the quick read. I read all 17 chapters in one night...why couldn't all my reading be this quick? ;)

[Linda P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another murder mystery book with Lindsay Boxer and the Murder Mystery Club. A serial killer and the hint is on.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the book. Has the same Patterson patterns and usual multiple plots. Being a Women Detective Club mystery all four characters are involved and in various levels of distress. This wasn't my favorite Patterson and I think he is much better in his new Private series.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the standards of the usual Patterson Women's murder club. Disappointed

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes, nothing is as much fun as reading a James Patterson novel. The 12th of Never is part of his Women's Murder club series. The women... Claire, Lindsay, Yuki and Cindy... are friends and each one has a tough job. Together they support each other and provide friendship, comfort and clarity.
The novel is somewhat predictable, but there's some comfort in that for the reader! You know that things are going to take some twists and turns and that in the end... things will work out the way they are supposed to!

The 12th of Never follows the women through a court case where a sleazy lawyer is charged with murder of his wife (and daughter); a police sargeant gives birth and her daughter becomes ill, while she's working with a convicted serial murderer/ rapist; a medical examiner "loses" a dead body from the morgue; and a newspaper journalist has a break up!

Sometimes you just need a James Patterson novel to read - as a break from heavier reading. It's fun!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lindsey Boxer's baby is just born. But while Lindsey and Joe are in bliss at home with their new daughter, the city of San Francisco is hit with multiple grisly and bizarre murders. Then the girlfriend of a star player on the San Francisco 49ers is found dead in her car making the athlete a prime suspect. Lindsey and her "Women's Murder Club" are on the case looking for clues, looking for answers. An entertaining read.

[Michele Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lindsey has just given birth to a baby girl, and is enjoying her time as a stay-at-home mom, when she is called back to work. A football player is under suspicion of killing his girlfriend's and a noted professor has been able to predict several murders in advance. Another fun Patterson read that keeps you guessing until the end.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a harder time getting into this one, but I think it was my mindset, not the book. I still throughly enjoyed this one once I got out of my funk. I might take a short break from the series just so that doesn’t happen again.

[Bluma Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing! Love these ladies of the club. Great mini plots that get all tied up at the end. I continue to enjoy these books. They make me relax. The setup of short chapters lends itself to fast reading

[Mike Salmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent story. Too much girl drama for a police department. Ending was a little thin and unrealistic.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but the personal line drags on and on.

[Nicole Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like this one was more background on characters then on the actual crimes.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book…I’d rate it at 3.5 to 3.75 if I could.
My dilemma is….for this purpose, do I go with 3* - or 4* ?

[Kathleen Hagen]

12th of Never, by James Patterson, and Maxine Paetro, B-plus, Narrated by January LaVoy, Produced by Hachette Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

The 12th book in the Lindsay Boxer and Women’s Murder Club series. Lindsay and the cops and the women’s club had four different cases to unravel. One was Yukie’s case of a man being prosecuted for murder of his wife and his little girl. The woman’s body had been found but the little girl had never been found. Then, in the middle of what looked like a slam-dunk trial for Yukie, the little girl turned up alive. Had she been kidnapped for a year? She was held in a very confined little cell in the basement of her father’s friends. Was he guilty of secluding his daughter and murdering his wife? Did his mistress help plan it because she wanted him to be free of the wife and child? Then a body was brought into the morgue. It was clear she had been murdered. But before the autopsy could be done, her body and other evidence about her murder disappeared, as did one of Claire’s assistants who was supposed to help with the autopsy. The city held Claire responsible and put her on probation. What happened to the body and to the assistant? Then we had the return of a case that Lindsay had solved a couple of years ago. The serial killer was on death row but had never told anyone where the girls were buried. He kept saying he would tell Lindsay and he kept stringing her along. Can she find out where the girls are buried before he dies? And finally, a man comes in to the police station and claims that he has precognition dreams that someone will be killed and then in the next couple of days they die. The first time, the person who was killed was exactly as she was described. The second person he said would be blond and she was a Black woman. But the third time he said he couldn’t tell who was being killed and didn’t see the killer. This time he himself turned up dead. Who was killing these people and how was he dreaming about it in advance? All very good mysteries which ultimately get solved with one loose end that I assume will come up in the future. Although some of the solutions were slightly incredible, the book was still Very good.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: 12th of Never

Author: James Patterson

Series: Women’s Murder Club #12

Synopsis (from bn.com):

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

Lindsay Boxer’s beautiful baby daughter is born! While Lindsay and Joe are at home in bliss, San Francisco gets hit with multiple killings. An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a murder that he claims is real. No one believes him-until a vicious shooting fits the man’s description to the last detail.

Then the girlfriend of a star player for the San Francisco 49ers is found dead in her car, making the athlete the prime suspect. This seems like an open-and-shut case-until the body inexplicably vanishes from the morgue. When the desperate chief of police calls for help, Lindsay is forced to return to work after only one week at home with her newborn.

But all the crimes in the world will seem like nothing when she suddenly faces the most devastating loss of her life. With heart-pounding emotion and suspense, 12TH OF NEVER is James Patterson’s most shocking and sensational Women’s Murder Club novel yet.



My thoughts: I decided to jump back into this series after some time away (after I lost my mojo with it after a disappointing #10) and I’m certainly glad I did. I really enjoyed this book and of course flew through it like I do most Patterson books.

I love jumping back into a storyline with a cast of characters that I know . . . its like returning home!

I also truly enjoyed the overall plot lines of this book. There were two or more simultaneous storylines that flowed well together and played off one another beautifully.



I know Patterson takes quite a bit of flack for publishing so many books, and basically having other authors write them while is name is on them . . . but let’s face it, if you love them you love them. Read on!



Very much looking forward to #13 which happens to come out days before I get on a plane for Hawaii! Can’t wait to read it.



And remember,

Books Are Life,

Heather

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good James Patterson/Maxine Paetro murder mystery. I felt the first part of the book was a little to occupied with the personal lives of the ladies and a good bit of time was spent on them and not on the murder mystery theme. However, once the story moves past the mid point it gathers speed and intensity and becomes a really fine book. Then there is unlimited action and excitement that far overshadows the quiet personal interlude. I did not get the free preview version but acquired the full version. I can't get into the contents of the last portion of the book as it would give the story away. I will say read it, you'll really enjoy it. I was tossed between three and four on the ratings but the concluding portion of the book caused me to rate it four, a dynamic conclusion.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a true fan of James Patterson, and especially of the Women's Murder Club series. This book did not disappoint! It never got boring, how could it with so many different story lines to keep you interested? I love the characters who now, after 3 books, feel like old friends. I like how Patterson keeps the chapters short, it makes you feel like you're just flying through the book, which you are since you cannot put it down. I was so sucked in, it was completely engrossing. If you haven't read the Women's Murder Club, I suggest you go back and start with the first one, 1st to Die, and just keep going.

[Bryan Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, another of Patterson's "Women's Murder Club" series -- the latest at this writing.

It was OK. However, I think Patterson's approach of turning mystery/detective writing into a factory assembly line is having its inevitable effects. The plot is much of a sameness, and in this case, a little on the unbelievable/contrived side. I had sort of figured out the "surprise" (at least some of it) before it was sprung upon us.

I may read others in this series (I've given up on the Alex Cross series because of the extreme violence), but it won't be my first choice; there are other, better, authors around.

[Cathi95 · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Mystery 2013) Women's Murder Club series Sometimes a series hits a rough spot when the author is keeping writing to meet a goal rather than focused on telling the story. I think we may be there. There were plot advancements, but the book seemed a bit detached from the Women, who are currently fighting their personal battles separately rather than drawing on the deep bonds between them. The book was still a fun read, but something is missing. Hopefully this will be corrected in the next book, as I am nowhere near done with the series. (I did read the whole book, just picked the wrong frontpiece picture and can't figure out how to change it. o.0 )

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book received a three star rating because for the most part it was a good read...by book 12, you know the characters, the story flowed and kept you interested but the ending chapters failed to deliver. The baby Julie storyline failed all together. If you read the synopsis for his next book, you know that story line is not much of a storyline but just filler the only twist I wasn't expecting was Morales but I felt there was more opportunity and over all dissappointed feeling I could have solved most of those cases early in the book but I thought "no, that's too obvious"

[Esther Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this entire series and this is one of the best in the series! As all of James Patterson's books the chapter ends and you must read on, but this story has twists and turns that I did not see coming. You do, however, need to read the series to fully follow what is happening with the characters and the complexity of their motivations and behaviors. Just waiting for the the next book- where did the new villain go and what will happen to the women and their relationships?

[Phyllis Joanis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Latest in the Women's Murder Club series. it ended with a twist, something Patterson has been doing lately in his "key" series. He left a huge cliff hanger in the series with Michael and his kids going into hiding, and now a key wanted person with this latest Lindsay Boxer crime has left room for a sequel.

Patterson is always fun, but there isn't anything special about this book. I read these types of books when I am between heavier, or meatier stories that I have in my library "queue".

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patterson is a fun summer beach read. But good grief this required more suspension of disbelief than most. The DA served a search warrant and searched a house. Lindsay went back to work early while she thought her new baby was dying? The bad guy plants his lover in the police department, and she happens to be working on his case? I really like the characters in this series, but Patterson might need to take a break here. Audio.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read every Women's Murder Club book and have loved the series. This one is not up to the usual standard. Lindsay just gave birth to a new baby who gets sick and ends up in the hospital. Lindsay meanwhile is solving a murder. Huh? There are three main stories, all of which are disjointed and bland. Not the best murder club book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the story line with Yuki's murder trial and with baby Julie, but husband Joe is just a little too perfect. To make this better, I wished the Murder Club would have SOLVED the crimes. Instead, they just played out. As always, the setting and the women's friendship make this one of my favorite series.

[Candy Olson]

I thought it was great. Quick read. Short chapters. I could not put it down. The good thing is that it keeps you wanting more. There is a hook at the end that makes you want to keep reading but the book is over. I can't wait until the next one. I have read the entire series and they are all great.

[kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the women's club series....while this book was enjoyable it was disjointed...the women were each doing their own work with lots of disconnected cases being presented. So many cases meant they were kept at a superficial level...not enough time to get deeper into the criminal cases...I still liked the book and was glad to have read it...