Harriet Blue is a take-no-prisoners sex crimes detective. Her brother, Sam, has been arrested and charged with the murders of three women. Harry is convinced he is innocent and must find a way to prove it.

Before the trial begins, Harry is sent out of town for seven days to lay low and not stir up any trouble. That doesn't work too well, because Harry has a way of finding trouble, and trouble has a way of finding her. She ends up in the Australian Outback, in a sleepy-looking town in Last Chance Valley, where strange things are happening. Harry sets out to investigate and gets caught up in a whole new drama.

"James Patterson and his co-author, Candice Fox, keep the action moving swiftly and will have you rooting for Harry."

Because she personally can't do anything to help out Sam while she is being "exiled," Harry asks someone to investigate the matter for her. That person uncovers evidence that may or may not help the case.

Harry may appear to be small and dainty, but looks can be deceiving. She has no problem taking on anyone (and probably will win while doing so). She earned her fighting creds by learning to survive in the world of foster care, since she and Sam spent most of their childhood being shuffled from home to home. James Patterson and his co-author, Candice Fox, keep the action moving swiftly and will have you rooting for Harry.

FIFTY FIFTY is the second book in a series that kicked off in 2017 with NEVER NEVER. Having read the opening volume, I was familiar with the protagonist and the plotline. Newcomers may have a bit of trouble getting into the novel, although the authors do a fairly good job of filling in the backstory as they go along. As the series takes place in Australia, you may not be familiar with several words or phrases that appear on these pages. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this latest collaboration from Patterson and Fox and will look forward to the next installment.