Book Review: Echoes in Death by J. D. Robb

Echoes in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 44)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 7, 2017)

Description: Echoes in Death, the chilling new suspense novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb is the perfect entry point into the compelling In Death police procedural series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

As NY Lt. Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband Roarke are driving home, a young woman―dazed, naked, and bloody―suddenly stumbles out in front of their car. Roarke slams on the brakes and Eve springs into action.

Daphne Strazza is rushed to the ER, but it’s too late for her husband Dr. Anthony Strazza. A brilliant orthopedic surgeon, he now lies dead amid the wreckage of his obsessively organized town house, his three safes opened and emptied. Daphne would be a valuable witness, but in her terror and shock the only description of the perp she can offer is repeatedly calling him “the devil”...

While it emerges that Dr. Strazza was cold, controlling, and widely disliked, this is one case where the evidence doesn’t point to the spouse. So Eve and her team must get started on the legwork, interviewing everyone from dinner-party guests to professional colleagues to caterers, in a desperate race to answer some crucial questions:

What does the devil look like? And where will he show up next?

My Thoughts: Coming home with Roarke after an evening being his wife complete with the fancy dress and killer shoes, Eve Dallas finds herself in a new murder investigation when a naked, disoriented woman stumbles out in front of their car. They rush her to the hospital and then Eve and Roarke go back to see where she came from. There they discover her dead husband.

Daphne Strazza is convinced that she and her husband were attacked by the devil. Her husband was assaulted and she was assaulted and raped. Eve gets vibes that all wasn't right in the Strazza marriage as she interviews Daphne and has flashbacks to her own childhood when she was assaulted and raped by her own father. She has to put her memories aside to find out who assaulted the Strazza's and killed Dr. Anthony Strazza.

Her investigation leads to two other cases that were eerily similar. Eve and her team including Peabody and McNab are in a rush to find the criminal before he strikes again since he seems to be escalating the violence each time he attacks.

This was an excellent police procedural as we follow the many threads of the investigation. It was also a wonderful romance as we see the relationship Eve and Roarke have built for themselves. I enjoy the mysteries in these stories but I think I like seeing Eve and Roarke's relationship best of all. I can't wait for their next adventure.

Favorite Quote:

"Goes without saying. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I'll be there," he said, and kissed her.

And that, she thought as he left her, summed up the miracle of her life. She had a home with him, and he'd be there.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.