12 Months to Live: Jane Smith has a year to live, unless they kill her first

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 11,313 ratings

Price: 19.1

Last update: 07-31-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Lois August
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Story
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
Loved this book. It is a fast read and a page turner. Jane and Jimmy are enjoyable characters who work well with each other. Looking forward to the next book.
Bob B
4.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Page Turner.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
This is a compelling legal thriller. A page-turner that you will find hard to put down. It features a very strong female attorney, Jane Smith, who’s hired to defend wealthy, handsome, scumbag Rob Jacobson charged with a triple murder.

The strength of the book is the pace and the characterization of Jane Smith, a vulnerable superhero.

The book rates four stars because, to facilitate the pace, there are too many murders and shootings. The point-of-view alternates between Jane Smith and her investigator, Jimmy Cunniff; sometimes this is confusing. Finally, the setting is the wealthy New York suburb of Nassau County, where apparently the biggest social problem is parking during the holidays.

Patterson has sold 425 million books. Read 12 Months to Live to understand his appeal.
Jjspina
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping legal thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2024
I have gotten away from Patterson’s books but this new one drew me in with its intriguing title.

Twelve Months to Live is a legal thriller with a strong female protagonist who controls and holds on tightly to the storyline. Even though she has received a deadly diagnosis with a year to live, she fights her way through a tough trial with a client she does not trust or believe, in his innocence.

Jane F. Smith, though having a plain and common moniker, is anything but. She takes charge in everything she does, never resting to take a breath. She even continues to train for a biathlon in her weakening state of health after chemo. There are two likable male characters that support her or at least try to throughout the grueling trial.

I found this story at first to be irritating with its staccato-type prose, sentences that weren’t sentences. As I continued to read, the prose smoothed out and I grew to respect and admire the character Jane for her stamina in the toughest times. This is definitely a different style of writing for Patterson as he pulls in other authors to combine their talents.

I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next in the series.
CHERYL B
5.0 out of 5 stars Legal Thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2023
Another great start for a new series! This features Jane Smith. She is a criminal defense lawyer. And she doesn’t like her current client. He is on trial for the murder of an entire family, father, mother and teenage daughter. Meanwhile she gets the news that she has cancer. She does not want to face it. She is also asked to look into another triple murder. So she is stretched a little thin. Her partner Jimmy Cunniff, a retired NYPD detective. And the local veterinarian, Ben Kalinsky, seems to like her a lot. Along the way an old dog keeps turning up at her door until she relents and accepts that he has adopted her. And there is someone that does not want her and Jimmy poking around in the cold case. To the point that they keep taking shots at them. And key witnesses in the trial keep disappearing. This story is full of twists and turns. It is a fast paced story that is hard to put down.
Becky in Kona
3.0 out of 5 stars Only ok
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
I think if its not written by Patterson only I am not going to buy it anymore, except for the NYPD series.

The title refers to the lawyer only living 12 months and really does not have anything to do with the guy she is defending.

The main plot is good but beware it kind of leaves you hangin at the end (I dont want to give anything away).

The sub-plot gets pretty muddled and hard to follow until the end which made the story slow and hard to read.
Sharon Wilkins
5.0 out of 5 stars Strange
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2024
I very different kind of story from Patterson. I found it to be strange but I kept coming back and reading more. After I finished and thought about it I decided I liked it.
Brandy Shiflett
4.0 out of 5 stars fast beach read
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
Can’t go wrong with Patterson. I enjoyed the new character from Patterson. Jane effing Smith is a fierce one. Good fast read.
Larry Eichner
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoying
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
Good and like short chapters

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