In Death Series – The Book Diva's Reads

Book Review: ENCORE IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

Encore In Death, In Death #56, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250284082 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250284310 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250878267 (digital audiobook)
ISBN: 9781250878274 (audiobook on CD)
ASIN: B09YHZCR89 (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B09Y46SX9G (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 384
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Genre: Fiction | Romantic Suspense | Suspense | Police Procedural

The homicide cop with a passion for justice returns in the captivating crime thriller series by the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

If you’ve been following my blog for more than a year, you’ve probably noticed that I eagerly await the release of the new additions to the “In Death” series each Winter and Fall. I never tire of reading and re-reading this series. I re-read at least the previous five books before each new release and every other year I actually re-read the entire series including the novellas. (Yes, I know that I never seem to tire of re-reading a lot of books, but that’s one of my book diva things!) Encore in Death is the 56th installment of the “In Death” series, and although it contains some elements seen in previous books (see book 10: Witness in Death and book 34: Celebrity in Death), it still presents as a fresh and altogether new story. Encore in Death features a beloved and well-respected actor dying from a poisoning in his own home during a farewell party (he’s scheduled to leave the country the next day to film a movie). Lieutenant Eve Dallas must determine if this death was a simple mistake as the poison was found in a drink made for someone else or intentional. Was the wife the intended victim? If so, why? If not, who could possibly want to kill such a loved and respected man?

It’s always a pleasure being reunited with Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her beloved billionaire husband Roarke, various members of the NYPSD (Detective Delia Peabody, Detective Ian McMcNab, Captain Ryan Feeney, Dr. Charlotte Mira, Commander Jack Whitney, Coroner Li Morris, and others), as well as Eve’s friends: Reporter Nadine Furst, Singer/Performer Mavis Freestone, Clothing Designer and Mavis’s Spouse: Leonardo, Mavis & Leonardo’s adorable daughter: Bella, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney: Cher Reo, the butler/majordomo of the Roarke household: Charles Summerset, and the household pet: Galahad). Yes, there are plenty of other “regular” characters that make an appearance in this story, but you’ll simply need to read Encore in Death to see if any of your favorites appear.

As with most of the “In Death” stories, this centers around death. The death is very public and most of the witnesses seem to respect if not care for the deceased. No one really has a bad thing to say about the man. His wife, on the other hand, is respected but found to be somewhat exacting. She is respected but not as “beloved” as her husband. The problem is that the poisoned drink was made specifically for her and raises the question of whether someone intended for her to die rather than her husband or not? That question keeps coming up and, after a few days, forces Eve to re-evaluate the context of the murder in an effort to determine just what happened. Yes, she solves the case and yes, there’s a nice twist (no, I didn’t figure it out). In addition to the murder mystery, the reader gets to follow along with the ongoing renovation of the house purchased by Mavis and Leonardo. Ms. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) seems to have an endless supply of fresh stories for her readers to enjoy. And I did enjoy Encore in Death and will probably re-read it before the next book is released in the Fall. Encore in Death has the requisite murder investigation, continued development of Eve and Roarke’s romance/marital relationship, the ongoing development of Eve’s friendships with coworkers and others, as well as the continued progression of the renovation of the home of Eve’s friends. The action was plausible and the characters realistic. I found Encore in Death to be a fast-paced and gripping read. I can only hope that you’ll enjoy reading Encore in Death as much as I did.

Happy Reading, y’all!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Book Review: DESPERATION IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

Desperation in Death, In Death #55, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250278234 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250278241 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250859259 (digital audiobook)
ASIN: B09Q7ZGLL8 (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B09NTJRDJ3 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Genre: Fiction | Mystery | Thriller

“The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil…

New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear—because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

It has to be incredibly difficult for an author to continue writing a series after a few books and keep not only the characters but the action fresh. Thankfully, J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) doesn’t seem to have a problem with this and her “In Death” series featuring homicide detective Eve Dallas and her zillionaire husband, Roarke. Eve Dallas was initially presented as someone whose background was unknown. It has gradually been revealed that she grew up in the foster care system, was sexually and physically abused as a child by her father – a grifter and thief, had a grifter and drug addict as her biological mother, and was never given a name by her biological parents. The trauma of her childhood has caused a host of issues for both Eve and Roarke as Eve has confronted her past. Cases dealing with children and sex crimes are difficult for anyone to deal with, but doubly so if that person has dealt with these issues in their own past. But Eve Dallas is not only a strong woman, but a good detective as she truly cares about each homicide victim she stands for with an impressive support system in her husband, friends that are now family, and her co-workers. The big question for Eve in Desperation in Death is whether she can find the guilty parties before someone else suffers the same fate as the murdered young girl.

Desperation in Death is the fifty-fifth installment to the “In Death” series and is just as fresh, to this reader, as the first book. Although we know Eve, Roarke, and all of their family and friends a bit better, we’re still learning about them as individuals, as a couple, and as friends. The world they live in is changing and they are definitely changing with the times. This particular case deals with child abduction, sex trafficking, sexual abuse, torture, and murder. Eve may not have an issue dealing with the murder, but the reason for the murder is one that touches a little too close to home. As with all of the previous books in this series, there are emotionally charged moments along with plenty of suspense. I found Desperation in Death to be an engrossing read and finished it in one sitting over less than six hours. I know that this series might end at some point, but I’m hopeful that Eve, Roarke, family, and friends will re-appear in many more stories before the inevitable end occurs. If you’ve been reading this series, then you’ll definitely want to grab a copy of Desperation in Death to read. If you’ve never experienced the awesomeness of the “In Death” series, then I encourage you to begin with Naked in Death and read your way through all of the books leading up to Desperation in Death, I doubt you’ll be disappointed. Something tells me that I’ll be re-reading this one at some point over the next few months (what can I say, I’m an avid re-reader!).

Happy Reading, y’all!

Book Review: ABANDONED IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

Abandoned In Death, In Death #54, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250278210 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250278227 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250835512 (digital audiobook)
ISBN: 9781250835482 (audiobook on CD)
ASIN: B094DM5TWR (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B092T8K767 (Kindle edition)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: February 8, 2022

Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in the new In Death novel by #1 New York Times bestselling J. D. Robb.

The woman’s body was found on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.

It seems clear the killer’s childhood was traumatic—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues point to a perpetrator who’d be around sixty, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge? When Eve learns that other young women have recently vanished, the case grows even more urgent—and to solve it she’ll need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the depths of a shattered mind.

I’ve mentioned before that I eagerly await the release of the new additions to the “In Death” series each Winter and Fall. This is one of the few series that just never seems to get old for me and I never tire of reading and re-reading. (Yes, I know that I never seem to tire of re-reading a lot of books, it’s what I do!) Stop and think about it folks, there are 55 books in this series. Yes, that’s 55 and each story is fresh, often introducing new characters and new action even though it’s basically someone commits a crime and Eve Dallas, along with her police partner, co-workers, husband, and friends work together to solve said crime. Sometimes the crimes might involve one of Eve’s friends or her acquired family, but often not. It never really matters who is involved, the reader knows that the crime will be solved and it’ll be solved by Eve Dallas, NYPSD murder cop extraordinaire, and Abandoned In Death is no different.

This begins with what appears to be a simple murder, but it touches a little too close to home for Eve since the body is found in a park that is used by her friend Mavis and daughter Bella. Eve may not have any biological family, that we know of, but Mavis is her sister in everything but blood. Eve may not know the “rules” of family, friendship, or marriage, but she knows that you protect the ones you love and she doesn’t want anything to touch the life of her innocent niece-in-love, Bella. Her investigation quickly uncovers a number of abducted women in the area and when a second body is found, also in a prominent area used by children and teens, Eve knows that she’ll need to use everyone and everything at her disposal to ensure there aren’t any more bodies left in her city by this killer. Can she uncover the reasons why this killer is targeting these particular women when the clues seem to point to a time before most police departments even shared documentation? Why is this killer branding the victims as “bad mommy?” What set off this killing spree and who will be next if Eve can’t find the killer and stop the killings in time?

As I stated earlier, you know with each “In Death” novel that there will be a crime and that Eve and friends will try to beat the clock and solve the crime before more people die. has similarities to previous storylines in that this murder seems to affect the lives of Eve’s family and friends. Obviously, there is a lot more going on in this story as there are women being abducted, dressed in a very specific manner, and then killed apparently for the crimes of someone else. Eve and friends must determine who the victims are surrogates for and, hopefully, that will provide the necessary link to identifying the killer. If only it were that easy! This story involves child abandonment, child abuse (emotional and verbal), drug abuse, abduction, torture, murder, and more. As always, there’s a lot happening in the story and J.D. Robb ties it all together for us at the very end with a nice neat bow. Many of the stories in this series were initially classified as romantic suspense, but the past few have been straight suspense thrillers. Although it is possible to read any book in this series without reading any of the previous books, I feel that would be like starting a movie in the middle and don’t recommend it. So, for those of you that have been reading this series all along, I know I don’t have to tell you to grab a copy of Abandoned In Death to read because you probably had it pre-ordered like I did (yes, that’s in addition to receiving a digital review copy). If you’re into suspense reads and think you’re up to the challenge, then I suggest starting with Naked In Death, the first book in this series, and work your way up to Abandoned in Death. You can thank me later.

Happy Reading, y’all!

2021 Book 250: FORGOTTEN IN DEATH by J. D. Robb

Forgotten In Death, In Death #53, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250272812 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250272829 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250810625 (digital audiobook)
ISBN: 9781250817662 (audiobook on CD)
ASIN: B08V236NLL (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B08R2KNYVW (Kindle edition)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: September 7, 2021

In the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer.

The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change—and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found.

Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains—in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing—unearthed by recent construction work. She isn’t happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke—not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away…

There are two things I look forward to each Winter and late Summer/Early Fall, and that’s the new releases in the In Death series. (I look forward to a lot of other books as well, but these books are yearly favorites.) Earlier this year, readers got to continue Eve and Roarke’s story with Faithless In Death. Now, Eve and Roarke continue their romance and crime fighting in the latest addition to this series, Forgotten In Death. This book begins, as most do, with a murder. A sweet, homeless woman is found bludgeoned to death on one of Roarke’s construction sites. Known as the “concerned citizen” due to her habit of writing up infractions of those in the neighborhood and reporting the same to the police, she was truly harmless. Eve’s investigation into this murder has barely begun when she is pulled into another murder, also found on a nearby construction site, and eerily reminiscent of the bodies found in the An Didean shelter a few years ago. This body is found with bullet shells, walled up in a basement, and with a fetus. Adding to the mystery, the body has been on the site for at least forty years. It is quite likely that both murder victims would be considered forgettable, but Eve Dallas isn’t your typical police office and no one is ever forgotten on her watch. Will she be able to locate the killers? Will Eve be able to obtain justice for these victims?

It’s easy to think that too much time has passed on some crimes, such as with the walled up body found on one construction site. Or that the deceased woman thrown into the dumpster on another construction site isn’t worth the time or effort of an in-depth investigation since she was homeless. That might be the prevailing attitude of some today and continue into the future, but for those of us that know and love Eve Dallas, Roarke, and friends, we know that there is no such thing as an unworthy victim. Eve Dallas goes all out to find out the whys and whodunit for both murder victims. It doesn’t matter to her that one woman was homeless or that the other crime occurred almost forty years ago. These women are hers now and Eve will not stop until justice prevails.

I could give you specifics about how the investigation is performed or how the two murders intersect (if they, in fact, intersect), but you already know I’m not going to do that. Yes, there are decidedly predictable elements to this story, but all that aside, I found the story credible and engaging. If it had not been for this current migraine series, I probably would have read this one in one sitting. Sadly, it took me took two days simply because I kept having to set this aside due to pain and vision issues. One of the many things I enjoy about this continuing series, is watching the characters grow in their relationships with one another and on their jobs. We didn’t get to see as much of Feeney in this one, but McNab, Delia, Dr. Mira, Nadine, Cher Reo, Harvo (aka Queen of Hair and Fiber), Dr. Garnet DeWinter, Summerset, Dr. Li Morris, Dickie Berenski, and Commander Whitney make reappearances, as do Baxter, Trueheart, Jenkinson, and others from the Homicide squad. I’m eagerly awaiting future developments with Mavis, Leonardo, Bella, and their new additions (both the baby and the house). There are a lot of themes to unpack in this story, including spousal abuse, classicism, affluenza, privilege, and more. Forgotten In Death is a story of two women, one from the past and one from the present day (okay, Eve and Roarke’s present day), who might otherwise be considered disposable and forgotten due to the perceived privilege of wealth and class of others. We know better and yes, justice ultimately prevails. I enjoyed Forgotten in Death and look forward to seeing what happens next in the ongoing saga of Eve Dallas, Roarke, and friends.

Happy Reading, y’all!

2021 Book 37: FAITHLESS IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

Faithless In Death, In Death #52, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250272744 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250272751 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250787828 (digital audiobook)
ISBN: 9781250787859 (audiobook on CD)
ASIN: B0889FH56N (Audible audiobook)
ASIN: B086ZXF6MR (Kindle edition)
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: February 9, 2021

In the new Eve Dallas police thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb, what looked like a lover’s quarrel turned fatal has larger—and more terrifying—motives behind it…

The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wineglasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don’t add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body—but why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?

As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within—and soon they’re getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group and a stunning criminal conspiracy.

One of the many things I look forward to at the beginning of each year are the new releases in the In Death series as well as other books by favorite authors. Faithless In Death picks up with Eve doing paperwork after the Cobbe event Shadows in Death and, of course, there’s a new murder. Her witness is a liar and also has ties to one of the patrol officers in Eve’s division. Eve and Delia quickly discern that their witness is not only a liar but someone that tries to manipulate others to get her way and the sole reason why is for monetary gain. Her parents will stipulate she must marry a Caucasian male and have a child in order to inherit her trust fund before age 35 or she’s cut off completely. The only problem with that stipulation is that she’s a lesbian and her fiance is completely clueless. One would hope that by 2061, such petty things as racial prejudice, prejudice against sexual orientation, and notions of racial superiority would have died out. But in this fictional world (and something tells me in the real world as well), these prejudices are alive and well. It begins with the murder of a multiracial, lesbian artist and the alibi by the witness leads Eve Dallas and her trusty sidekick, Delia Peabody, along with Eve’s uber-wealthy husband, Roarke, into the shadowy world of what can only be called an alt-right, ultra-conservative, white supremacists religious organization called the Natural Order. The group graciously allows people of inferior birth, i.e., lower races to join, but keeps them segregated and forces them to wear color-coded clothing to ensure they remain separated. Women are considered inferior to men and good for only one thing, childbearing and are forced to do so, if necessary. One murder uncovers a plethora of evil by this group and Eve, the New York Police and Safety Department, the FBI, Interpol, and Homeland Security and are all working diligently to shut it down as quickly as possible so that none of the leaders are able to get away without being duly charged for their crimes.

As with most of the In Death stories, there’s a lot of action going on in this story. I was happy to see a brief appearance of Mavis, Leonardo, and Bella (y’all, they bought a house!). Nadine reappears in this story although not as prominently as in the past, as does Dr. Mira. However, Feeney, McNab, are all duly noted throughout the story. As previously mentioned, Faithless In Death features a lot of action, namely murder, spousal abuse, child abuse (although not directly seen), rape is mentioned as is drug abuse and suicide, embezzlement, forced sexual re-orientation therapy, forced marriage, trafficking, cults, and more. There were definitely some dark elements to this story, but not as dark as some of the previous stories. I felt that Ms. Robb presented the story in a respectful manner yet stayed true to the themes being presented, and that is often difficult to do when dealing with stories of abuse. This story was much more about the case than it was about the people doing the investigation and perhaps that’s because we’ve become so invested in these characters, they feel like family after 50+ books. I enjoyed reading Faithless In Death and recommend it to anyone that’s read and enjoyed this series. I can’t wait to see what happens next for Eve Dallas, Roarke, Delia Peabody, Ian McNab, etc.

Happy Reading, y’all!

2019 Book 258: VENDETTA IN DEATH by J. D. Robb

Vendetta In Death, In Death #49, by J. D. Robb
ISBN: 9781250207173 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781250207180 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781250231031 (digital audiobook)
ASIN: B07NCVVCQK (Kindle edition)
Publication date: September 3, 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Lieutenant Eve Dallas must keep the predator from becoming the prey in Vendetta in Death, the newest thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

She calls herself Lady Justice. And once she has chosen a man as her target, she turns herself into a tall blonde or a curvaceous redhead, makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless.

The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company’s human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims—but they don’t know that his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price.

Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy’s secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive. It’s a challenging case, made even more difficult by McEnroy’s widow, who reacts to the investigation with fury, denial, and threats. Meanwhile, Lady Justice’s criminal crusade is escalating rapidly, and if Eve can’t stop this vigilante, there’s no telling how much blood may be spilled…

Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Detective Delia Peabody are Homicide detectives on the New York City Police and Security Department in the near future. These women, and their colleagues in various departments across the police force have tried to solve cases and gain justice for the murdered victims, even if the victim was…let’s just say not a nice person. In the spring of 2061, Dallas and Peabody are called in on the murder of one Nigel McEnroy. The victim was obviously bound, tortured, and mutilated before his murder. A “poem” attached to his body indicates his death was at the hands of “Lady Justice” for his crime perpetrated against women, namely drugging and raping them. Although Mr. McEnroy was married and had children, he obviously continued to find sexual gratification outside of his marriage and this was usually done by unwittingly drugging the woman, raping her, videotaping the rape, drugging her again and then sending her home. The next day, another male murder victim is found with another poem attached to his mutilated body. Dallas begins to wonder if this is another vigilante women’s group at work or the work of one person out to settle a score? Will she and Peabody be able to find and stop this person before more men wind up dead?

For those of you that follow me on social media or on Goodreads, you probably know that I reread the “In Death” series from book 1 to the latest book at least once every other year. Sadly, I didn’t have time to do that this year before reading Vendetta In Death, the 49th book in this series. Yes, you read that right…49 books in one series. There are some series that feel played out after only a few books and some that continue to feel fresh no matter how many books there are in the series. For me, the “In Death” series definitely falls into the latter category. Yes, you know there’s going to be a murder. Yes, you know that Dallas, Peabody, and friends are going to be on the case, but you don’t know what twists and turns the case is going to take or just how Dallas or Peabody are going to arrive at the conclusion of the case with an arrest after identifying the bad guy (or gal) and that’s the fun part of these reads for me. Vendetta In Death has all of our old friends, okay all of Eve Dallas’s old friends and coworkers, from previous books including her multi-billionaire husband Roarke; Eve’s BFF – Mavis; Mavis’s husband and clothing designer extraordinaire Leonardo; Mavis and Leonardo’s daughter – Bella (come on, she’s adorable!); Roarke’s majordomo and the bane of Eve’s life – Summerset; Eve’s police partner – Delia Peabody; Delia’s significant other and EDD police officer – Ian McNab; head forensic pathologist and friend to all – Dr. Morris; head of the Electronic Detective Division and former police partner to Eve – Captain Feeney; forensic and clinical psychiatrist and surrogate mother figure to Eve – Dr. Charlotte Mira; criminial investigative reporter and author, as well as friend – Nadine Furst; police and homicide regulars: Jenkinson, Reineke, Baxter, and Trueheart; and more. The interesting thing about this storyline is that it is twisted yet simple. Men who did women wrong are dying horrible deaths. Are these deaths justice, vengeance, or just a sick twisted mind at work out on a vendetta cloaked in the guise of justice? Even though Eve Dallas reveals the bad guy (these books are a “whydunnit” at heart), the problem is finding how and why and then proving it. That is another part of these stories that I enjoy, although the continuing romance between Eve and Roarke doesn’t hurt. Yes, these are romantic-suspense stories, but they are light on the romance and could just as easily be categorized as suspense thrillers because there’s lots of suspense and quite a few thrills along the way. I could tell you more about the story, but if I started I probably wouldn’t stop and then you wouldn’t need to read the book (psst…read the book!) I thoroughly enjoyed Vendetta In Death by J.D. Robb and am looking forward to book 50, Golden In Death scheduled to be released in early 2020. Between now and then, I’ll be re-re-re-re-re-reading the entire series to prepare. I’m hoping you’re as big a fan of the “In Death” series as I am, and if so, go grab yourself a copy of Vendetta In Death if you haven’t already placed a preorder. Happy Reading y’all!