Jane Smith is a lot of things. For one thing she has been called “Jane effing Smith”. She is in love for the first time in her life, despite being twice divorced. And, she is about to defend a man who most likely is a serial killer. She is defending Rob Jacobson for the second time. One thing Jane refuses to listen to, telling Jacobson she does not want to know, and that is whether he is guilty or innocent.

Jane’s newest case is a triple homicide, just like her first with Jacobson, and he was found innocent. However, Jacobson is not an easy client. By any means. But, that’s okay. Jane is no pushover. While Jane might have a perfect record when it comes to her legal career, life hasn’t been so perfect. In fact, Hard to Kill is book two in the Jane Smith series, with the first book, 12 Months to Live, and with a stage four cancer diagnosis, time is definitely not on her side.

Jane is excellent when it comes to how she conducts herself in the courtroom, if not a bit irreverent at times. However, her investigator and best friend Jimmy is always by her side, and keeps her as honest as possible. I want more of Jane and my Kindle is at the ready for the next book in this fabulous series.

Many thanks to Little, Brown and Company and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is the second Jane Smith mystery, but the first that I have read. Jane is a criminal lawyer who is defending a man accused of committing a double murder. There is an element of deja vu, since Jane had successfully defended him before for a similar double murder! What is going on? How could one person be unlucky enough to be tried for such similar crimes and be innocent?

In addition, Jane is suffering from cancer, and is also trying to help her sister, whose own cancer has come out of remission. Does Jane have the strength to fight all of the battles at once?

"Hard to Kill" by James Patterson and Mike Lupica is the second book in the new Jane Smith series. As a fan of both writers, I was eager to get my hands on this. I truly enjoyed the first book and felt that this was a worthy sequel.

Jane Smith is a tough as nails attorney with a police background and that is executed so well within the story. While dealing with a murderous client, she has cancer to contend with as well. I feel that Patterson and Lupica did an excellent job driving the plotlines forward with both case-based and personal battles that really keep readers engaged.

I have been blessed to be a part of the James Patterson street team and am so thankful to NetGalley and Little Brown for gifting me this ARC. I have been eagerly waiting for it since "12 Months to Live" and can't wait for more amazing stories from this duo.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

“Hard to Kill” by James Patterson and Mike Lupica is the second installment in the Jane Smith series, and it lives up to its promise of delivering a high-octane legal thriller. The novel follows Jane Smith, a tough-as-nails attorney, as she navigates the treacherous waters of a seemingly impossible criminal defense case.

Patterson and Lupica have crafted a narrative that is gripping and intricately plotted. The story begins with Jane taking on the defense of Rob Jacobson, a man who appears to be the unluckiest of the unlucky. As Jane digs deeper into the case, she uncovers layers of deception and danger that put her own life at risk. The pacing is relentless, with each chapter ending on a cliffhanger that compels the reader to keep turning the pages.

Her resilience, intelligence, and unwavering sense of justice make her a compelling protagonist. The authors do an excellent job of fleshing out her character, providing glimpses into her past that add depth and complexity to her persona. Jane’s interactions with other characters, both allies and adversaries, are well-written and add to the tension and drama of the story.

The legal aspects of the novel are handled with precision and authenticity, reflecting Patterson’s knack for creating believable and engaging courtroom scenes. The twists and turns in the plot are expertly executed, keeping readers guessing until the end. The climax is particularly satisfying, tying together the various threads of the narrative in a way that is both surprising and inevitable.

“Hard to Kill” explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the quest for justice. The moral ambiguities faced by Jane and the other characters add a layer of depth to the story, making it more than just a straightforward thriller. The setting, with its detailed descriptions of the legal world and the darker corners of society, enhances the overall atmosphere of the novel.

“Hard to Kill” is a must-read for fans of legal thrillers and suspenseful mysteries. James Patterson and Mike Lupica have delivered a novel that is entertaining and thought-provoking, with a protagonist who is sure to become a favorite among readers.

Whether you’re new to the Jane Smith series or a returning fan, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Jane "effing" Smith is back! Cancer treatments be damned. She can't help herself, and she wants to take on defending Rob Jacobson again. He is being charged with triple murder. And, of course, he only wants Jane.
Her friend and sidekick Jimmy is along for the ride and having Jane's back. But not only are Jane and Jimmy's lives in danger, but also her boyfriend Ben.
Is someone setting up Rob, or is there more to the story?
This is the second Jane Smith book, and I loved it! I can't wait for the next! Thank you, Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this, and the James Patterson street team for the chance to offer my honest review!
I really like the Jane Smith series. I enjoyed the first one for its really great turn into just the courtroom side (and lack of real 'police procedural'). I also really liked all the morality notes and that the romance was really shoved to the background.
This one is no exception. Jane is asked to defend the same criminal in another series of murders, only this time we never make it to the courtroom. Instead we navigate the twisted and dangerous politics of the Hamptons, a deep crime organization where its clear no one is innocent but guilty is a gray area, and Jane battles a cancer diagnosis and what is worth "living" for. I surprisingly didn't catch on to the current 'bad guy' twist but I enjoyed it. I would have loved to actually get into the courtroom and not just the lead up, but since a PI/lawyer is so different, it was still really enjoyable.
I think its one of Patterson's most unique storylines yet and feels the least info dumpy of his genres. I also really liked Jimmy's point of view and ADORED that he isn't the love interest. Thank you for solidifying male/female friendships and not trivializing them!
This clearly left open the door for a Jane Smith #3, so I'm excited for a third!

I love James Patterson but I just don't vibe with Jane Smith. There are soooo many of his characters that are beloved to me. Jane falls flat. She lacks depth and personality. This was probably the first book by JP that I didn't read in an evening. I might give another book in the series a try but I'm iffy.

Hard to Kill is the second book in this wonderful series from James Patterson and Mike Lupica.

The characters are absolutely fantastic.

Attorney Jane Smith is mounting an impossible criminal defense.

Her client, Rob Jacobson, is the unluckiest of the unlucky. No sooner is he accused of killing a family of three in the Hamptons than a second family is gunned down.

It’s not double jeopardy. It’s not double murder. It’s double triple homicide.

Jane’s career has spanned from NYPD beat cop to Hamptons courtroom. She’s tough to beat. She’s even tougher to kill.

Excellent character development.

Anytime James Patterson puts his name on a book, it’s an instant bestseller. He has several sub-authors, and most of them add a different style and improve the quality of the writing. Mike Lupica is the sub-author on the second installment of the Jane Smith Thriller series, Hard to Kill, and unfortunately doesn’t add anything – actually makes the style even worse than usual. There is more profanity in this novel than is classic James Patterson, just as many bodies (every time Patterson gets writer’s cramp, he adds more murders and bodies to the prose), but less blatant violence connected to the bodies. Another thing about Patterson’s novels is that they often make statements about things like drug use or medical problems without any research to back up his “facts,” and he misrepresent things like drug use, and in this case, cancer with chemo. The writing style is even sloppier than usual in this novel, and it’s difficult for a reader to follow. This is one case that the co-writer doesn’t improve the writing style.

Although Jane Smith (Jane effing Smith) is a fairly likeable protagonist, there is something missing from the development of her character and it hard to relate to unbelievable characters. The sub-characters are okay, but the same problem exists.

Jane Smith is an attorney representing a mob connected man who has been accused of killing a family of three, after getting off with Jane’s representation for a similar crime previously. Jane investigates and during this time, runs into more mob-connected people who are connected to the murders. The storyline is good and interesting, but the delivery isn’t.

Patterson’s books generally appeal to the lowest common denominator - LCD readers – who don’t want to think during a read. This one, however, is very sloppy and poorly written. It is definitely not recommended. Patterson fans will want to seek out some of his books with a better co-author. Poorly written, sloppy, and under-researched. Skip this one.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Criminal defense lawyer Jane Smith is back is this can’t put it down thriller written by the team of James Patterson and Mike Lupica. Unfortunately, so is Rob Jacobson, the sleazy real estate star she recently defended when he was accused of a triple murder, father, mother and teenage daughter. Now another family is dead and the main suspect is…Rob Jacobson. He begs Jane to defend him again but she is weary from her cancer treatments and wants to spend her remaining time with her boyfriend and her sister. But that is not to be. She’s a defense attorney first so she takes on Jacobson’s case. Before they can go to trial, as always, Jane and her partner/friend Jimmy Cunniff search for the real killer. That leads to a complicated crime web spanning Long Island. Jane may not live long enough to see the trial and it won’t be cancer that kills her.

This series is one of the best written by Patterson and Lupica. I hope Jane’s treatments in Switzerland help her so she and Jimmy can solve more crimes. Hard to Kill has characters that leap off the page, a familiar setting on the east end of Long Island and a satisfyingly complicated plot. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown and Company and James Patterson and Mike Lupica for this ARC.

In many respects, all the women I've known who battled the Big C have many things in common with Jane Smith, the star of this series. At the top of the list is a simple, yet complex fact: whether or not you have cancer, life goes on (until it doesn't). And Jane, like all of those other women, has chosen to play the best hand she can despite the lousy deal.

This is the second book in the series featuring Jane, a hard-driving, highly successful defense attorney on Long Island. I did not read the first - heck, given the underlying subject, I was a little reluctant to read this one - but at no time did I feel at a disadvantage. The only reason I felt sort of lost here and there is that there are so many characters that I hard a tough time keeping them straight. The story begins after Jane's client, Rob Jacobson, was acquitted of murdering a family. But the victory celebration was short-lived when another family is bites the dust - and guess who is charged with their murder?

Jane learns of his arrest via a phone call from Jimmy Cuniff, her best guy friend, former NYPD detective who serves as her private investigator on cases. In part because she never really knew whether or not Jacobson actually was guilty the first time around, she's reluctant to take the case, but then she's always up for a good courtroom tussle. She gets the okay from her current squeeze, local veterinarian Dr. Ben Kalinsky, whose "good guy" vibes zinged off my credibility scale much of the time.

Although most of the folks around Jane try to convince her she's wasting her time and exhausting her limited physical capabilities by defending someone who doesn't deserve it, she waffles between thinking Jacobson is guilty and not guilty. As her investigation progresses she realizes there are characters out there who have a vested interest in taking him down for good this time. They also make it clear that they don't want Jane and Jimmy to be sticking their noses in other people's business - and that everyone around her is fair game if she doesn't quit the case.

More than that I can't reveal, but I can say the action doesn't take much of a break from beginning to the ending, which sets up a scenario for the next installment. I'll be waiting - and meantime I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to get to know this hard-driving, multi-faceted character.

This is the second book in the Jane Smith series, but I missed the first one. This is a joint authorship with Mike Lupica. I normally enjoy Patterson's books so I picked this one up to try.

Description:
Jane Smith is being hailed as James Patterson’s greatest character yet, a tough-as-nails attorney up against a relentless killer. Hard to Kill features possibly the author’s most stunning twist ever.

Attorney Jane Smith is mounting an impossible criminal defense.

Her client, Rob Jacobson, is the unluckiest of the unlucky. No sooner is he accused of killing a family of three in the Hamptons than a second family is gunned down.

It’s not double jeopardy. It’s not double murder. It’s double triple homicide.

Jane’s career has spanned from NYPD beat cop to Hamptons courtroom. She’s tough to beat. She’s even tougher to kill.

The defense may never rest.

My thoughts:
Agreed - Jane Smith is a tough-as-nails attorney - they call her Jane effing Smith. She took chances and got herself into some very dangerous situations. Also, she's representing a guy she doesn't know for sure is innocent. She got him off once, but she wants the fame so when he's accused again of the same type of crime she takes the client again. The action was fast paced and exciting and the plot complex. There are certainly some tense moments. Jane Smith shines in her efforts to defend her client and also to find the truth.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Patterson and Lupica deliver another fast-paced thriller. They will keep the reader guessing how this story will end.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company for the ARC!

This was another exciting book from James Patterson!

Jane was such a great FMC for this genre- she’s tough but is going through a tough time, she’s snarky and has great banter, she’s strong and independent but can rely on someone when she needs to.

This was a great ride full of drama, suspense and mystery!

HARD TO KILL was a DNF for me, which was disappointing as I enjoyed the first in the series. But this one didn’t grab me and about a quarter of the way through, I realized that I had no interest in the outcome.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Co. for the opportunity to read and review HARD TO KILL.

It is dangerous when you don’t know what you don’t know.

Jane Smith is a formidable criminal defense attorney and all-around kick-ass-take-no-prisoners kind of gal. She is also battling Stage 4 cancer, and while she should be focused solely on pursuing treatments and taking care of herself as she fights for her life, she finds herself taking on a new case. While the case is new, the client is not….Rob Jacobson, for whom only recently Jane was able to get an acquittal when he was charged with the murder of a family of three in Suffolk County, has just been charged with another triple homicide, this time in Nassau county. Rob is an old college friend (and ex-lover) of Jane’s sister Brigid, and has funded Brigid’s treatment for cancer at a pricey Swiss clinic, but that’s not the reason Jane agrees to take on the case. The fact is she misses the engagement of courtroom battles, they are what makes her feel most alive. With her investigator/best friend, former NYPD detective Jimmy Cuniff at her side, and the support of her boyfriend Ben and friend and doctor Samantha Wylie, Jane starts digging into the current case. Studded with Hamptons social climbers, ex-cop “fixers” for the wealthy, bookies and Mob-adjacent types, this case is far from open and shut. Did Rob get away with murder once, only to kill again? Or is someone trying to frame him and, if so, who and why? Jane is not only putting her health on the line when she starts mixing it up with very dangerous people, she is risking her life and that of those closest to her. She and Jimmy are warned to back off, but that’s not in their nature….and they may pay a steep price for their determination.
If you’re a reader of mysteries and thrillers, its a good bet that you’ve read something (or multiple somethings) from James Patterson before. This is the second in the Jane Smith series, co-authored by Mike Lupica, and if you’re in the mood for a strong, smart, and snarky female protagonist who was taught to always make the first punch, then you shouldn’t miss Hard to Kill. Jane is all of those things plus stubborn, not good at asking for help, and generally unable to keep her mouth shut even when she should. Her relationship with Jimmy is a strong one, and their banter masks a bond stronger than almost any other relationship. She’s up against an opponent she can’t defeat using her normal methods, cancer, and despite all of her efforts and those of the doctors managing her care this may be a fight she won’t win. But she’s never been a quitter and isn’t planning on starting to do so now. Fans of Patterson and Lupica will certainly enjoy this book, as will readers of authors like Nelson DeMille, Isabella Maldonado and Lisa Scottoline. Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me early access to a copy of Hard to Kill…its a gripping book that is hard to put down, and I read it in a single night.

Jane Smith is one tough cookie. This fiery attorney is fearless and tough in every way. She is battling what is a seemingly terminal cancer diagnosis while still fighting for justice. This lady knows how to live life to its fullest. Her client is not so tough, and is definitely not lucky. Rob Jacobson has just been arrested again for the murder of a family of three. This arrest has happened right after being acquitted of a murder charge. So, he is either a very evil man, or someone is going to a lot of trouble to put him in prison. Jane's investigator, Jimmy Cunniff, is as tough as Jane and definitely as determined to find the truth. This dynamic duo will stop at nothing to find the truth no matter how dangerous their quest may be.

My only complaint with this book was that there are way too many characters for me to keep up with. I kept having to re-read sections of the book to put characters in their place. However, the mystery was interesting enough and addicting enough to make me keep on digging until I arrived at the finish line. You can never go wrong with a book written by this author, even if you have to read some chapters more than once.

Thank you to Little Brown and Company for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another fast paced thriller with a James Patterson twist within the last 10 pages. Attorney Jane Smith is back in the second book in the series. Drama, lies, and suspense, all while she’s battling cancer and defending the same client for another triple murder.

I enjoyed this book. It was fast pace and the female lead is a badass. Following her journey through cancer was tough, but still a good read.

This little I hope series by this point just keeps getting better and better.
If we thought we knew it all by the end of the last book ha we were all wrong.
Now I really don't know what to think about Rob. I want to really believe him.
The twists keep coming in this second book. And the questions keep coming as well.
Just when you thought you had it sort of figured out, bam you don't.
Stakes are high again with more murders, another mother and daughter beside others are found dead. But did Rob do it? If so how?
And does Jane want to represent this idiot again? Jane definitely questions herself a lot more in this book and with chemo it's been rough. And Jimmy still trying to find answers it's a all out let's shoot and ask later. Only now in this one it's not just Jane and Jimmy getting shot at or anything. The stakes are higher.
The past comes back to haunt and shoot so to speak them all in a big way.
Pick this book up and read the first book. Because it does continue literally where it leaves off at the end of the first book. Also pick this book up if you are a fan of James like me.
Haven't read a book by him that I just didn't like in some way shape or form.