FFB Review: Secrets in Death: In Death Series by J. D. Robb

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is not one to go to clubs and meet for a drink. But, she is going to do it as Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb begins. They have to work together and are doing it, but things could be better. DeWinter is trying to get to know her better and Dallas is trying to let her into her life a little bit. You do what you have to do and Dr. Garnet DeWinter isn’t going to let her slide. So, she walks into the place and notices that the club is one of the kinds of annoys her from the start.

 

In looking around for DeWinter, she sees Larinda Mars. Fortunately, the woman who bills herself as a “social information reporter” does not see her. Mars does gossip for channel 75. The same place that Nadine Furst works. But, unlike Furst who does actual journalism and strives to have the facts always correct, Mars is the polar opposite. The last thing Dallas wants is Mars talking about her on the air. She seems focused on her male companion, whomever he is, and Dallas is glad her focus is on him.

 

She has her drink, an appetizer, and is sort of clearing the air with DeWinter when all heck breaks loose. Mars is suddenly in the middle of the floor between tables, staggering from obvious blood loss, and is barely on her feet. Dallas jumps up, gets to her, and eases her to the floor as she passes out. Despite the efforts of DeWinter, another doctor in the club, and others, Mars dies right there in front of them on the floor.

 

That makes Du Vin a crime scene with lots of potential witnesses. Since Dallas caught the case, literally, that makes the murder of Larinda Mars her case.

 

Mars trafficked in gossip. She also, as Dallas, Peabody and others soon discover, had a very rewarding secondary income stream via blackmail. That sort of thing tends to push folks to end the blackmail at some point. The list of suspects is long and the files that Mars had on Dallas, Roarke, and many others might provide clues to her killer.

 

Good thing that no matter how despicable the person was in their life, Dallas, Peabody, and others, always stand for them in a quest for justice.

 

Secrets in Death is another good one. Complicated in many ways, J.D. Robb spins an engaging tale of murder and deceit in the read. Part police procedural, part romance, the read rolls forward at a steady pace. Like others in the series, it is also well worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TZvlFm

 

My reading copy, in large print hardback as the eBook was not available, came from the Central/Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024