Hard to Kill is the second book in the Jane Smith Thriller series, co-authored by James Patterson and Mike Lupica and published by Little, Brown and Company (an imprint of Hachette Book Group). It was released on July 29, 2024, and became an instant New York Times bestseller. The hardcover edition runs 384 pages.

Tenacious attorney Jane Smith faces an impossible criminal defense when her former client, Rob Jacobson, is accused of a second triple homicide in the Hamptons — mere weeks after she won his acquittal on a nearly identical charge. Navigating a courtroom career that spans from NYPD beat cop to Hamptons attorney, Jane is relentless, sharp-witted, and famously hard to kill. The stakes grow even more personal as Jane, battling stage 4 cancer while fighting for her client, pursues a case that may expose a deadly conspiracy reaching beyond the courtroom.

The novel blends legal thriller tension with sharp character work, featuring Jane's investigator and best friend Jimmy Cunniff and a cast of Hamptons insiders. It is widely praised for Patterson's propulsive pacing and Lupica's character depth.