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

Abandoned in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 54)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 8, 2022)

Description: Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in Abandoned in Death by New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.

The woman’s body was found in the early morning, 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 The clothes, decades out of date.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.

Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, 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 discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.

My Thoughts: This episode of the Eve Dallas In Death series pits Eve against a person who is kidnapping young women, murdering them and leaving them posed with a sign saying BAD MOMMY. The rush is on to identify and track down the killer before victim number three is found dead.

The flashbacks outline the motives of the killer and the switch to victim number three's viewpoint shows what she is dealing with. 

This episode is definitely a police procedural with the investigating and gradually discovering information about the killer. It still leaves plenty of time for Eve and Roarke moments. Eve is in fine form with her misuse of idioms and snarky attitudes. It also illuminates the fact that both Eve and Roarke survived BAD MOMMYs without turning into psychopaths.

I loved Eve's interactions with her friends in this episode. She has built herself quite a support network since this series began fifty-four episodes ago. 

The mystery was engaging and twisty and kept me reading long past my bedtime. 

Favorite Quote:

"Anyway, congratulations on the grandchild thing."

The ice melted into a kind of dreamy mist. "Thank you." She lifted a framed photo from her desk. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

Eve saw what appeared to be the result of a strange mating of a trout and a very angry, possibly constipated old man. She said, "Wow."

I bought this one on publication day. You can buy your copy here.