7Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: In Death #54
Publication Date: 2/8/22
Period: Future – 2061 – New York
Number of Pages: 352

At fifty-four books, you’d think this series would tend to become repetitive and stale – but it doesn’t. This latest addition to the series is just as interesting as the first. I love how far all of the characters have grown – especially Eve – and I love how the author manages to add new characters without forgetting older, more established characters. Tracking down the culprit in this book is certainly not an easy task because he/she is very intelligent, cunning, sly, and seems to know how to bypass and elude the NYPSD at every turn.

In the early morning hours, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called to the scene of a murder. The victim is twenty-six-year-old Lauren Elder. Lauren is lovely, well-liked at work, and well-loved by friends and family. Who could have done this to Lauren? Who would meticulously dress and stage Lauren’s body and then leave her in a children’s playground with a crayon sign saying ‘Bad Mommy’? Lauren had been reported missing ten days ago – where had she been all of that time?

As the team discovers more clues and discovers more missing young women who fit the same description as Lauren, they know it is only a matter of time before they find another body – if they don’t discover the killer first. Eve calls all-hands-on-deck and mounts a massive search in the area they have identified as the killer’s hunting grounds. Then, the body of Anna Hobe – one of their missing – is found at yet another children’s area. Her body has also been cleaned, styled, dressed, and includes a crayoned sign saying, ‘Bad Mommy’.

Twenty-five-year-old Mary Kate Covino is still missing and Eve knows MK’s time is running out. Can they find her alive before they discover her staged body in another children’s area? They are close – so very close – but are they close enough to apprehend the murderer and save MK?

To learn the history of the murderer, the author intersperses the current timeline (NOW) with past events (BEFORE) – so you’ll know the traumatic events in her/his life. The murderer’s identity will surprise you, but there are hints.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book and this series. Most of my favorite characters made an appearance and we got to see a bit more of Feeney’s godson, Jamie Lingstrom and I enjoyed getting to know him better. I’m sure he’ll make significant contributions in future books. The only thing missing was a scene where Roarke bought the bar Eve wanted him to purchase – perhaps that will be mentioned in the next book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews