Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: In Death #52
Publication Date: 2/9/21
Number of Pages: 416

This book is yet another edge-of-your-seat, suspenseful, engrossing, can’t-put-it-down offering by the inimitable J.D. Robb. I can never get enough of this series and if she produced one a week, I’d read it. The first book of the series was set in 2058 and after 52 books, we are only up to the spring of 2061. I’m definitely NOT complaining about the amount of time passing – New York Homicide cops get lots of cases. What amazes me is the imagination the author has and her thorough descriptions of life in that time and the gadgets – OMGoodness, the gadgets are wonderful! I sometimes have to wonder if Robb doesn’t have a bit of the ‘fey’ within her because – well – in the books she talks about the Urban Wars of the 20’s – and just look where we are today in the real-world 20’s. Since the series began in 1995, she couldn’t have known what the real 2020’s would be like. I hope she wasn’t right about all of it – but I do hope she was right about the gadgets – I’d love to have an AutoChef and a car that can go vertical.

This case comes just on the heels of the last case, Shadows In Death. Eve has gone in early to finish up all of the paperwork for that case when she gets the call from dispatch. A body has been found in the West Village. It is a lovely young woman, Ariel Byrd, who is an up-and-coming sculptor. Her head has been bashed in with one of her own tools. The body was only discovered because a 9-1-1 caller reported the dead body. That caller, Gwen Huffman, didn’t report it right away because she panicked and ran away from the scene. Or, did she panic?

Eve and Peabody are off on an investigation that is going to lead to some totally unexpected places and people. Such a ‘normal’, almost insignificant, crime leads to a vile cult named the Natural Order, missing FBI agents, and involvement by the FBI, Interpol, and Homeland Security. OMGoodness – you are in for a roller-coaster of an investigation in this one.

It takes Eve’s entire team, along with Roarke (we can never get enough of him), Feeney and McNab with the rest of the EDD team, not to mention Nadine Furst and ADA Reo to find the real villains and see that they are brought down and punished. I also loved that Police Artist Yancy was more involved in this case. He’s always been a favorite character but doesn’t usually get much page time.

I absolutely loved this read and can highly recommend it. I was left with a bit of a puzzler though. All of those Eve was focusing on finding we definitively solved – whether dead, injured, etc. except one. There was a mention that they thought he was probably dead, but since they wrapped up everyone else, I would have liked to learn, for sure, the fate of Keene Grimsley.

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

Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: In Death #51
Publication Date: 9/8/20
Number of Pages: 368

OMGoodness – how can the fifty-first book in a series be as exciting, action-packed, adrenaline-fueled, and riveting as the first book? This series just never gets old for me and I definitely hope the author doesn’t get tired of writing them. This author has to have one of the most creative and imaginative minds around because some of the technology she writes about, some of the social issues… Well, she just comes up with some really good stuff.

When a shadow from Roarke’s past turns up at a murder scene in Washington Square Park, things get really personal – really fast. This crime isn’t just a shadow into Roarke’s past, it is also a shadow into Feeney and Whitney’s past as well. It doesn’t take Eve and Roarke long to decide who the murderer is, but it will take Eve’s entire team and some help from Interpol to catch him. With more than twenty years of experience and hundreds of professional kills under his belt, this killer now has his sights set on Eve and Roarke and maybe even Somerset.

While Roarke and Eve are attending the theater, Eve catches a murder case and they leave for the scene of the crime. The victim, a lovely, wealthy, young wife and mother has been brutally murdered. Nothing is missing – her money, credit cards, phone – everything – are all still in place — someone wanted the young woman dead – very badly. As Eve is tending to the business of securing the crime scene, dispatching officers to interview witnesses, Roarke is standing by – scanning the crowd. Roarke sees a face from his past – one he could do with never seeing again. He made quite sure Roarke saw him and Roarke immediately knows that the man is the assassin who murdered this young woman.

Even knowing who the perpetrator is doesn’t make it easy to find and apprehend him. He is very wealthy now and has all the assets he needs to disappear – except he really doesn’t want to disappear. He wants to taunt Roarke, torture him, and make him suffer before he finally kills him as well. Eve and all the resources of the NYPSD will do whatever it takes to see that doesn’t happen. Roarke is one of their own now and they’ll take care of him.

I love that each new book humanizes Eve a little more and we learn more about Roarke’s past life. I love that Roarke’s and Eve’s love and passion for each other hasn’t diminished – it has grown.

You can’t go wrong if you choose to read this excellently-written, imaginative, well-plotted book – and the rest of the series as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-read the books in this series and I never get tired of reading and re-reading them.

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