ARC Review: Random in Death by J. D. Robb

Random in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 58)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (January 23, 2024)

Description: In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.

Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.

Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle―and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body―and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.

And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

My Thoughts: Eve was hoping for a quiet weekend off to spend with her husband Roarke when a call comes in taking her to Club Rock It where Avenue A is performing as they do each year to remember where they all started. The club is open that night to teens who pack the place.

One of the teens is Jenna Harbough who is a 16-year-old aspiring songwriter and performer who is hoping to get a chance to slip lead singer Jake Kincaid a copy of her demo. She isn't expecting to feel a poke in her arm and to die just minutes later in Jake's arms. 

It looks like Jenna died of a drug overdose and it soon becomes apparent that the drugs were injected in her without her knowledge or consent. Investigations into her life don't reveal anyone known to her who might want her dead. The only clues on scene are some threads of fiber on a window in the mens' room and some scuff marks on the wall below the window. 

The next night 17-year-old Arlie Dillon is at an open-air battle of the bands when she feels what she things is a bee sting on her arm. She dies just a few minutes later despite attempts from her friends and the MTs to save her. It is the same poison mix as killed Jenna. And Eve has a serial killer who is picking his victims randomly to find and stop before he can kill again. 

Kiki Hernandez is almost the third victim when she feels an injection while she's at the premier of the latest blockbuster. But layers on her arms and a massive bruise where the killer tries to inject his poison causes her to make a commotion and send the killer running. 

This case is a definite police procedural. Eve and her team have to gather the tiny clues left behind and many eyewitness accounts from people who didn't really look at the killer before she can find him and stop him. 

This was another excellent episode in the long-running Eve Dallas series. I like the way she works with her team including especially Peabody and Jenkinson in this episode. I also like how characters from earlier series - Charles and Louise, Nadine Furst and Jake Kincaid, and Jamie and Quilla make important appearances in this episode.

I love her relationship with Roarke. This time their conflict centers around him giving her some pocket money when she forgets to visit an ATM. It hurts her pride to accept and his pride when she tries to pay him back. 

Fans of the series won't want to miss this episode. I loved it so much I read it twice with just a few hours in between readings. 

Favorite Quote:

"She wasn't alone," Eve continued. "In those minutes when she was afraid and confused and hurting, someone was there with her. You were there with her. She heard your voice, she may not have understood the words, but she heard your voice. She saw your face, she felt your arms around her, and knew she wasn't alone."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

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

Payback in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: Eve Dallas/In Death (Book 57)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (September 5, 2023)

Description: A retired colleague's suspicious death puts Lt. Eve Dallas on the case in Payback in Death, the electrifying new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve's gut says it's a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

My Thoughts: Eve is just back from a well-earned vacation and not even scheduled to go back on duty until morning when she receives a dispatch directing her to an unattended death. She arrives to finds Lieutenant Donald Webster, who has requested her, and the body of retired Internal Affairs Captain Martin Greenleaf. Greenleaf's death appears to be a suicide at first glance. But on a second glance, it seems obvious to Eve that the scene was a setup, and the death was murder. 

She didn't like Greenleaf but now he is hers and those who murdered him will be found. The main problem is that he put away a lot of dirty cops during his many, many years in internal affairs which leaves a massive pool of suspects for Eve and her team to sort through. 

I liked this story very much. Eve's relationship with her colleagues is always great to see. I also love her relationship with Roarke. This story occurs just after their third wedding anniversary which was why they were on vacation to Italy and to Ireland to see his family. 

It is also great to see how Eve is still pushing Peabody to be a better cop by having her take the lead on interviews and interrogations. We even get a chance to catch up with Mavis and family as Eve and Roarke visit the house they are renovating with Peabody and McNab. 

This was an enjoyable police procedural since we see how the police investigate and clear suspects or dig really deep to find out who committed the crime. 

Favorite Quote:

He thought of Elizabeth Greenleaf, facing the first day of her life without the love of it. And slipped his hand in his pocket, rubbed the gray button he kept there as he watched the love of his leave. 

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

Friday Memes: Payback in Death by J. D. Robb

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Someone had either kidnapped the sun or decided to screw the ransom and killed it dead.

Friday 56:

Dog walkers herded their charges -- all sizes and shapes -- and day nannies headed in to herd theirs. 

With the windows down she caught the scent of cart coffee and breakfast burritos. Then a block later, the unfortunate stench of a broken recycler.

This week I am spotlighting a new and highly anticipated arrival on my TBR mountain. Payback in Death by J. D. Robb is the 57th book in the In Death series and I've enjoyed all of them. Here is the description from Amazon:

A retired colleague's suspicious death puts Lt. Eve Dallas on the case in Payback in Death, the electrifying new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve's gut says it's a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

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

Encore in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 56)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (February 7, 2023)

Description: The homicide cop with a passion for justice returns in the captivating crime thriller series by the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

My Thoughts: When a mega vid star dies of cyanide in the middle of a party by sipping the drink of his mega Broadway star wife, Eve is called in to unravel the clues and bring the murderer to justice. Only, most of the suspects are actors who lie for a living.

Not being sure who the intended victim was, Eve and her team have to explore all the angles. Brant Fitzhugh didn't have enemies. Even his ex-wife loved him. Eliza Lake, however, wasn't that nice. She was demanding, a micromanager, and a perfectionist. She had an obsessed fan and a number of bitter rivals. And the drink was made for her. 

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked the way the police tracked down the evidence to find the real culprit. I love the way Eve interacts with her team of dedicated homicide detectives. Her relationship with Peabody is growing to be more of a relationship between equals with each book. I also love seeing Eve's relationship with Roarke develop as the series progresses. 

Favorite Quote:

"I'm feeling very fond of you at this moment, Berenski. I'm grateful the feeling will pass, but at this moment, fond."

"Ah, kiss my ass."

"Not that fond," she said, and made him snicker.

I bought this one on the day it was released. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Encore in Death by J. D. Robb

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Death, unexpected and tragic, threw open the door to opportunity. At the tender age of eighteen, Eliza Lane walked through the door, entering stage left. And brought down the house.

Friday 56:

"There's that. Could it be it didn't matter which one drank? Kill one, devastate the other?"

This week I am spotlighting Encore in Death by J. D. Robb. This author is an auto-buy for me and, 56 books into this series, I am still intrigued and fascinated. Here is the description from Amazon:

The homicide cop with a passion for justice returns in the captivating crime thriller series by the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

Friday Memes: Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

When they made the bargain, they knew they risked death. But living - if you could call existing in the Pleasure Academy living - wasn't much of a bargain.

Friday 56:

Desperate to ignore it, she jerked a thumb at the AC. "Want coffee?"

Suspicion flickered into his cop's eyes, but he stepped over to program some. When you got a shot at Dallas's coffee, you took it.

This week I'm spotlighting Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb. This was a "drop everything and read" title. I started it as soon as it downloaded to my Kindle on release day. 

Here is the description from Amazon:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil…

New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear--because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

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

Forgotten in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 53)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (September 7, 2021)

Description: In the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer.

The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change—and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found.

Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains—in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing—unearthed by recent construction work. She isn’t happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke—not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away…

My Thoughts: Eve is called to the scene of the murder of a homeless woman knows to the cops of the area as a woman who offered paper flowers to people in return for some spare change. She was also known to write down infractions - rule breaking - and bring them to the attention of the police. 

As Eve investigates the woman's death - Alva Quirk by name - she is called to another scene. Bones of a woman and fetus were found in the demolition of a building site that Roarke's company is rehabbing. Since Dr. DeWinter - forensic anthropologist - has to do her magic to identify that woman, Eve is concentrating on Alva.

She brings in Roarke to help identify her since her ID is bogus. Medical examination indicates that she had likely suffered abuse in her younger years which causes a resonance with Eve's own past. While identifying who murdered her now, Eve is also determined to find and bring down the person who abused her in the past. 

Both sites where bodies were found belong to, or belonged to, the Singer family who had a connection with a Russian mobster that went back decades. As Eve looks into the Singer's business dealings, she gets much closer to solving both crimes.

I enjoyed this episode in the long-running In Death series even though it lacked some of the banter between Eve and Peabody and Eve and Roarke that were hallmarks of earlier books. It was still an engaging and intense episode.

Favorite Quote:

Rolling, she reversed their positions, then just turned her cheek to his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, feel it.

It soothed and calmed and helped her believe everything could be all right. At least here. At least now.

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

ARC Review: Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb

Vendetta in Death
Author: J. D. Robb
Series: In Death (Book 49)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (September 3, 2019)

Description: Lieutenant Eve Dallas must keep the predator from becoming the prey in Vendetta in Death, the newest thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb.

She calls herself Lady Justice. And once she has chosen a man as her target, she turns herself into a tall blonde or a curvaceous redhead, makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. Once they are in her grasp, they are powerless.

The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company’s human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims―but they don’t know that his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price.

Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy’s secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive. It’s a challenging case, made even more difficult by McEnroy’s widow, who reacts to the investigation with fury, denial, and threats. Meanwhile, Lady Justice’s criminal crusade is escalating rapidly, and if Eve can’t stop this vigilante, there’s no telling how much blood may be spilled…

My Thoughts: In this 49th in the In Death series, Eve pits her wits against a murderer who tortures, mutilates and murders men and who calls herself Lady Justice.

The first victim is Nigel McEnroy who is a wealthy businessman with a genius for matching the right person to the right job. He is also a serial rapist who has a thing for redheads and the habit of drugging them and then videotaping the sexual encounters. As she and Peabody look into his life, they find a couple of women who worked for him and took settlements to keep them from reporting him. When talking to the women, they find their way to a support group called Women for Women.

They also run afoul of Mrs. McEnroy who refuses to believe that her husband did the things that Eve and Peabody have ample evidence to prove. She vows to go all the way to the Mayor with complaints and she does. Fortunately, Eve's superiors know who they can believe.

The second victim is Thaddeus Pettigrew. He cheated on his wife, divorced her, cheated her out of the company she was the brains behind, and chose to live with the woman who helped him cheat. Darla Pettigrew is the granddaughter of famous actress Eloise Callahan. She lives with her Grand who is getting over a rather serious illness. Darla has also attended the support group.

The third victim is a man who raped and beat his wife and who didn't pay attention to the restraining order she took out on him. She is also an attendee at the same support group.

With Lady Justice picking a new victim every day, Eve and her team are under time pressure to discover and stop the murderer. We, along with Eve, learn who the murderer is by about the mid-point of the book. However, Eve doesn't have any evidence that supports her instincts and that would generate a search warrant.

I love this series. The relationship between Roarke and Eve is my favorite of all the romantic relationships I've read. Their banter and Eve's banter with her partner Peabody is always entertaining and humorous. I like that Eve is learning to deal with the many traumas of her childhood through the love of her husband and friends.

Favorite Quote:

"We joke about what each would do if the other strayed - and I admit you usually outdo me in creativity there. But the fact is we never would. It's not only love that keeps us faithful. It's respect, for each other, for ourselves. That's a bond that holds."

"I know it. Still, I cn be even more creative if you ever tested it."

"And I know that."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.