In Death Series

Concealed in Death (In Death #38) By: J.D. Robb

concealed-in-death

Concealed in Death (In Death #38) By: J.D. Robb

Plot:

In a decrepit, long-empty New York building, Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, there are two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it. He summons his wife immediately—and by the time she’s done with the crime scene, there are twelve murders to be solved.

The place once housed a makeshift shelter for troubled teenagers, back in the mid-2040s, and Eve tracks down the people who ran it. Between their recollections and the work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the remains. They are all young girls. A tattooed tough girl who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Then Eve discovers a connection between the victims and someone she knows. And she grows even more determined to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and the evil concealed in one human heart.

Review:

This was a nice, normal cop drama plot with no clones or anything too dramatic. So it was pretty great. You still had the future element, but it was a lot of, what I think of, normal police stuff. Interviews, waiting on tests, talking things out. I liked it.

I know that doesn’t really sell someone on the series, but after thirty-eight books sometimes you want something basic. Not that this was super basic, it was twelve skeletons found in drywall after all.

It was a pre-Christmas setting so that was nice because Eve began to realize that even though she just finished a holiday she was going to have to deal with another one all over again. Mavis was also tied in, a little, but it was believable and it’s always fun to see her.

Solid book.

4/5

Thankless in Death By: J.D. Robb

Thankless in death

Thankless in Death By: J.D. Robb

Plot:

Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for this season. Hosting Roarke’s big Irish family for the holiday may be challenging, but it’s a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood. Other couples aren’t as lucky as Eve and Roarke. The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned—and heartbroken by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son. Twenty-six-year-old Jerry hadn’t made a great impression on the bosses who fired him or the girlfriend who dumped him—but they didn’t think he was capable of this. Turns out Jerry is not only capable of brutality but taking a liking to it. With the money he’s stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry’s going to strike next.

Review:

I’ve been reading cozy mysteries lately so this was sometime a gruesome shock. Not all of her books are this graphic,but because of my recent reading history it was made even more shocking.

I was pretty tense throughout and couldn’t understand why Eve was missing what I thought were obvious cues as to the bad guys motives and next victim. It was pretty rough.

Story was good, Eve didn’t seem as clairvoyant like she sometimes does, and bad guy was sick.

4/5

Calculated in Death (In Death #36) By: J.D. Robb

calculated-in-death

Calculated in Death (In Death #36) By: J.D. Robb

Plot:

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better. A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone’s hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta’s murder was the work of a killer who’s trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence. But when someone steals the files out of Marta’s office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke’s world of big business to figure out who’s cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer’s violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. . . .

Review:

Another great installment in the In Death series. I like the fact that there are ties to previous novels, though, at this point I barely even remember what happened in the previous ones. Obviously Eve and Roarke win and the bad guy gets caught, there’s also plenty of Peabody.

I like this series, even though it’s obviously predictable. I like the futuristic elements, I like how hard Eve is, and the side characters are wonderful. The stories are fun and action packed and consistent.

4/5

Delusion in Death

delusion-in-death

Delusion in Death (In Death #35) By: J.D. Robb

Plot:

It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks, complained about the boss, maybe hooked up with someone for the night. Until something went terribly wrong. At first it was just a friction in the air. The noise intensified. The crowd seemed oppressive. some sharp words were exchanged, some pushing and shoving. Then the madness descended. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead. Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things—monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics makes its report, the mass delusions make more sense: it appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive people to temporary insanity—if not kill them outright. But that doesn’t explain who would unleash such horror—or why. Eve’s husband, Roarke, happens to own the bar, yet he’s convinced the attack wasn’t directed at him. It’s bigger than that. And if Eve can’t figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it’s airborne….

Review:

You’d think after thirty-five books things would start to get boring or maybe a bit formulaic. But other than a few things here and there they haven’t. Eve does tend to get gut feelings that don’t seem to be based in anything that’s been written up to that point but that’s what makes her Eve.

This story had a high body count and was pretty interesting. It’s always nice to put women hating sociopaths away. Eve finally talked to Mira about her dreams and they started to get better immediately. Peabody wasn’t in this one much it was just a lot of Eve, though she did finally tell her what happened in Dallas.

Even though there wasn’t much character development for anyone, and normally that’s my favorite part, I still really liked this book. Though I am taking a break from the In Death Series, too many back to back are making my dreams weird.

4/5

Celebrity in Death

Celebrity in Death

Celebrity in Death (In Death #34) By J.D. Robb

Plot:

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she’s managing to have a good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating ‘The Icove Agenda’, a film based on one of her cases. What comes as a surprise however is seeing the actress who plays Peabody drowned in the pool on the roof of the director’s luxury building.

Review:

After the awesomeness of New York to Dallas this was a bit of a letdown. It wasn’t awful by any means it was just another In Death novel. Nothing really set it apart. Though I did find it difficult to guess who done it. Honestly I wouldn’t have picked the person that did because I just don’t have the gut that Eve Dallas does. It wasn’t until she started digging that it became obvious. I didn’t notice any clues in the wording that really pointed to the dude, except that he lied to her during interview and almost all of the suspects did.

Oh well it was a nice installment in the series. Nothing made it stand out but if you’re looking for an In Death novel this is certainly it.

I did enjoy the bits with Mavis and Bella. Eve with Bella is so cute.

3/5