Never Never

Never Never. James Patterson. 2017. Little, Brown, and Company. 370 pages. [Source: public library.]

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.