J.D. Robb

Homicide detective Eve Dallas races to untangle a twisted family history while a hostage's life hangs in the balance--in the new novel in the New York Times bestselling series.

Abandoned in Death

Celeste Richardson

Actual rating: 4.5 stars, rounded up.

Abandoned in Death is the 54th installment in Nora Roberts’ In Death series, penned under the pseudonym J.D. Robb. For a while there I though that Nora might have been running out of ideas for this series and was just keeping it going for the sake of the characters, but it turns out those few weaker installments were outliers, not indicative of the new norm. This book and the two before it were all stronger in plot, while still providing a chance to visit with characters who have become so solid over the course of more than 50 novels that they nearly jump off the page when you crack the books open. 

In this installment, Nora plays with time and perspective more than usual for the series, which was a fun and interesting change. These elements provided not only additional insight, but more emotional investment in the outcome. While Eve always solves the case in the end, in this book I was on the edge of my seat hoping that she would do so before the other perspective in the present timeline was killed. I enjoyed the added tension in what was already a very interesting, nuanced case.

Of course, my favorite element of Abandoned in Death was, as always, catching up with Eve and Roarke and Peabody and the rest. These characters feel so incredibly real to me. I’ve known them since my teen years and have loved watching them grow and change and embark on new phases of life. You would think that, after 54 books, even the best of characters would feel stale, their interactions repetitive. But that’s not the case for this series, at least for me. Just like getting to see the people who matter to me in real life always brings me joy, so does getting to catch up with these characters. And Eve’s bafflement over common idioms always makes me laugh.

If you’ve never read anything by Nora and are a lover of both police procedurals and incredible character development, I urge you to pick up the first book in this series, Naked in Death. They’re truly worthwhile reads, and you’ll get a highly unconventional found family in the process.

J. D. Robb

Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in the new In Death novel 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.

Lynn Braden

Mary Kate Covino wakes up in shackles in a dark room, abducted by a man who half the time seems rational, meticulous, and devious.  The other half the time, he is a spoiled, angry child who wants her to be his Mommy.  Once Eve Dallas and her team find a dead woman in a local park in make up and clothes not her own with a sign written in crayon that says, "bad mommy," it is determined that there are at least two other women being held against their will, one of whom is Mary Kate Covino, and the race is on - find the abductor before he kills again.  All the while, Eve is being bombarded with details involving the house that Mavis and Leonardo are renovating along with Peabody and McNabb.

Abandoned in Death is another enjoyable entry in the In Death series.  The procedural elements in this book are outstanding and make for a fascinating ride as the evidence and clues are introduced with exceptional pacing.  Humor is injected at several points in the story that include some laugh out loud moments as Eve's down to earth style contrasts with those of almost everyone around her.  The only downfall of this book is the lack of personal connection to the case, despite the story line involving Mavis and Leonardo's house.  Overall, Abandoned in Death is not the best book in the series but still a solid entry.

Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing this advanced reader copy.  
@jdrobbauthor  #AbandonedInDeath  #JDRobb  @StMartinsPress  #StMartinsPress

Katheryn

Loved it! The author did a great job of pulling me in. I really lived how much more interaction we had with Eve and her growing friend group. This case was less emotional than some of the recent ones, which made the building of the relationships between Eve and Mavis and the ongoing renovations feel more relaxed. I really enjoyed tearing through this book.

Abandoned in Death

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