There seems to a trend recently toward unlikable, often violent, heroines, of which Harry Blue is certainly one. She has some complexity and is truly dedicated to her job and it is for her that I awarded the three stars.

Besides Harry, the rest of the book is populated with the biggest group of unlikable lowlifes and the few who lean toward the good are weak and ineffectual. I was pleased to read the last page and be rid of the lot of them

I wouldn't mind seeing Harry again in a book (and probably will since she will have to chase down Regan), but she needs some better supporting players.

After I read "Private India" I thought Ashwin Sanghi was the worst writer Patterson ever hired to write a book for him. No more! Fifty Fifty by Candice Fox is worse! The main characters are all wretched people and the plot is completely unbelievable. If cops are allowed to behave this way in Australia, I fear for the future of the country. I think Patterson, Inc. should hire some regular folks to read these manuscripts before they are committed to printing.

I usually read James Pattersons book quickly being pulled into the story. This however was a big disappointment, I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I finally gave up, telling myself reading is supposed to be an enjoyment. This is the first time I failed to read a book to the end by any author.

THIS BOOK WAS TERRIBLE. A WASTE OF TIME

This book was a huge disappointment. I simply could not finish reading it, it was much too silly. The characters are not believable nor even very likable overall, & it read more like a children's fantasy story than suspense. JP, you need to get serious about your writing again, I miss the books of old that were so terrific! One out of 5 stars, if that.

Disappointing. "Never, Never" was good but way off base on this one. Couldn't hold my interest nor did I finish reading

I don't know what to do with FIFTY FIFTY by James Patterson and Candice Fox. This is another Harry (Harriet) Blue novel set in Australia (which adds some interesting twists). It is a fun read and I finished it quickly. The multiple story lines (all running through Harry, of course) are interesting and engaging. That said, the characters in the story are all deeply flawed people. I know most of us have some issues, but these characters have ISSUES. By itself that's not a problem, but almost everyone this novel encounters has issues. For Harry, that's OK because she is who she is and good at what she does because of her issues. But the ending of this book - clearly designed to set up the next book in a series - shows her issues going way off the track and a very dark side of her emerging, even more forcefully. And it ends very abruptly. I will probably read the next one, but if it gets too dark going forward I will probably not read another after that.

Harry is certainly an interesting character- very hostile - but showed her gentle side when visiting with the "baby"in the wilderness. The resolution of Sam's story was both good and bad -and will certainly send Harry on a new mission for him. Rough language for some - but moved along quickly and had some very unusual twists in both of the storylines. Duct tape and water bottles will not be looked at the same again........

If you like Jack Reacher, you'll love Harriet Blue-ass kicking, take no prisoner kind of cop. She's a bundle of anger and hostility, just waiting for someone to give her a reason to unleash fury. The only problem I had with the book is the unsatisfying ending, which was obviously intended to lead into a second book. Writing is really good, typical of Patterson.