Unblessed

Jane Halifax #3

by Roger Simpson

Jane Halifax will need all her forensic experience to unlock the secrets of one of the world’s most formidable a Silicon Valley billionaire whose ex-business partner has just been murdered … A thrilling journey into the dark places where genius, money and murder meet.

It’s been ten years since Jane was in New York, but within hours of arriving in the city for a well-earned break and to catch up with her step-daughter Zoe, she’s dragged into a case … and finds herself up against one of the toughest minds she’s ever had to crack.

Sarah Noble is the darling of the tech world – the genius behind an AI defence system that hijacks enemy missiles and turns them against those who launched them. But when Sarah’s estranged business partner is killed in a mysterious plane crash, suspicion immediately falls on one of the few people who could hack the plane’s guidance system and had a motive to do Sarah herself. Brilliant, ruthless, erratic, addicted – but is she a murderer?

Against her better judgement, Jane Halifax agrees to profile Sarah – and is immediately sucked into a world beyond her control, where money is no object, murder a tool of trade and the stakes go straight to the heart of the United States itself.
 
The latest unputdownable Jane Halifax thriller takes us deep into the smartest – and deadliest – places in the where Silicon Valley and the US defence industry combine, billions of dollars are made, and souls are for sale.
 

Genres: Crime

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2024

Reviews

[Angela Wales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger Simpson takes Jane Halifax out of her Melbourne element and throws her head first into the whirlwind of the US military industrial complex. From New York to Palo Alto, Jane must navigate her way through lies, counter lies and an impossible-to-read main character. I found this novel both fascinating and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Damo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The 3rd book in the Jane Halifax series finds Jane in New York visiting her stepdaughter who is in the process of producing an album. It seems Zoe’s musical career is on the verge of taking off. But this merely puts Jane in the crosshairs of a brewing legal stoush with her specialist skills as a forensic psychologist putting her in high demand.

Jane is approached by Zoe’s lawyer to meet with his boss who is representing autistic billionaire tech whizz Sarah Noble in a murder case. Her business partner and CFO had just died in a plane crash - the company’s plane. Suggestions have been made that Sarah is capable of hacking into the controls of the airplane and intentionally crashed it.

The fact that Sarah and her partner had been at odds in the lead up to the crash definitely doesn’t help the case. In fact, she had just sacked her partner from the company and, as a result, the company’s share price was in free fall. The nature of their business, technology enabling the interception and redirection of missiles, is both technical and sensitive in nature. The Department of Defense has a significant stake in it and depends on Sarah’s mental acuity to remain focused on the job.

It’s Jane’s job to keep Sarah on the straight and narrow through the difficult time of dealing with the court case, the slavering press pack and Sarah’s tendency toward non-conformity.

This is a setup that has a great deal of potential but, unfortunately very little is actually delivered. An autistic billionaire genius who’s in the process of designing and building a new high tech weapons system for the military should have provided many moments of fascinating insights and nuance. Unfortunately none of the promise is realised.

Instead, what we’re given is a meandering snoozefest where very little happens for way too long. A court ordered home detention puts the brakes on any hint of action, Sarah remains stand-offish and limits interaction with Jane and Jane’s unclear of her reason for being there.

The question of who was responsible for the plane crash becomes a peripheral issue while the main focus is drawn to the company’s latest weapon invention. And even that is poorly described and kept in the background, merely discussed in the vaguest of terms.

It felt to me that the brief moments of action that took place were scattered among long periods of inaction within the billionaire’s estate. It all moved along at a slow pace and the attempts at building up tension simply fell flat. Repeated mentions of a falling share price, secondhand accounts of ongoing legal wranglings and vague attempts by Jane to offer her psychiatric expertise all conspired to cripple any flow in the story.

This episode of Jane Halifax fp failed to deliver the drama and keen insights from Jane herself that shone in the two earlier books. It just all fell a bit flat and failed to hold my attention.

My thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC that allowed me to read and review this book.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multi-factaced story, Unblessed (2024) by Roger Simpson, is another Jane Halifax crime mystery tale. Jane is in New York, visiting her stepdaughter and enjoying a holiday. She agrees to conduct a psychiatric assessment for a high-powered defence lawyer, whose client is a 30something female entrepreneur, charged with murder and fraud. An interesting yet busy Saris Aerospace CEO, Sarah Noble makes it difficult for Jane to make time to interview her. As they build a rapport, Jane finds herself caught up in a high-stakes case, involving the military, with financial, technological and espionage interests that leads to two murders and a drone attack. Not knowing whom to trust and dealing with a world beyond her own experience, Jane must come to comprehend a complex yet brilliant mathematical mind. A truly delightful, intriguing, multi-layered investigation, with great characters and a five star must-read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the third book in the Jane Halifax series and another enjoyable one, after I also enjoyed the first two.

Dr Jane Halifax is a forensic psychologist with extensive experience in criminal profiling. This time, Jane is in New York, trying to unlock the secrets of Sarah Noble, a darling of the tech world, whose ex-business partner has just been murdered. Sarah is brilliant and ruthless but is she a murderer?

The premise of this one instantly had me intrigued and the author weaves a mysterious tale in his signature style with plenty of drama and twists. The legal elements really added to the story for me and it was another enjoyable one.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for this gifted review copy.

[Karen]

UNBLESSED is the latest in the Jane Halifax series of books, featuring the TV series character of the same name. A forensic psychologist, Halifax has worked with all sorts of criminal types - from serial to opportunistic killers, and in the last book, herself, when she suffers from sudden onset amnesia as a result of a car accident. You don't need to have read the earlier books in the series necessarily, although Halifax has got a bit of baggage that she's carting around with her which is not always fully revisited in each outing.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Virginia Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great page turner with Jane Halifax at the centre, only this time she is in Silicon Valley profiling a neurodivergent tech billionaire. Great cast of characters with lots of the twists and turns we have come to expect from Roger Simpson . Loved it !

[Peter Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have watched most of Roger's TV series, read all his books and Unblessed is a great read.
Kept me guessing to the last staying up late to try to get to the end.
His writing is compelling.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book didn’t want the story to finish.
Jane Halifax character shows empathy whilst surrounded US agents & Legal eagles & a Tech genius.
Highly recommend this book.

[Helen Katz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot too confusing. And the ending not satisfying. Not the best of the three Jane Halifax stories.

[Kim Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Simon Armitage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 5/10 Not really a great read, feels like it's written for the TV series rather than a stand alone novel. Have certainly read better.

[Michelle Gannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harder to get into than the first two Jane Halifax novels, but a good read by the end.

[Other Terrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

For lovers of twisty thrillers and stories that mix politics, responsibility and technology.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the early copy.