Review: Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb

  

Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb is the 60^th book in the long running series. After being denied by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, through NetGalley two days before the publication date back in early February, I had to wait for my hold at the Dallas Public Library System to come through. Annoyance with the publisher aside, the wait was well worth it.

 

It is September of 2061 and a man known as “Wasp” long ago during the Urban Wars has been lured from Italy to New York City and his brutal death. It is Lieutenant Dallas that gets called out to the scene at an underpass on FDR Drive where an abandoned limo sits. That same lime contains a dead body in the backseat. A body that has what appears to be a Dallas business card with her contact info on it clutched in one hand. The card also has a message on it to Dallas and a promise to continue killing.

 

This isn’t the first time that a killer has penned a message to Dallas. Nor is it the first time a killer has thrown down the gauntlet and promised to continue killing. What is different this time is the extraordinary setup in the car to kill the victim. That and the fact that Dallas has absolutely no idea who this person was/is or why a message was left for her.

 

Soon, Dallas, Detective Peabody, and others learn that the elderly victim was Giovanni Rossi. He was once known as the “Wasp” during the “Urban Wars.” He had a certain skill set, as did others, who were collectively known as “The Twelve.” A group that is slowly shrinking in number due to their age and various circumstances.

 

Long ago they had a traitor in their midst. They may have another as somebody might be settling old scores.

 

It becomes slowly clear that Dallas may have been singled out, not because of media attention that follows her on her cases, but because long ago, Summerset was one of “The Twelve.” He was, and for that matter still is, one of them while also being Roarke’s majordomo and a lot more. Summerset also knows how to get the remaining members to come to NYC and assist Dallas in any way possible to stop the threat. A fact that the killer might just be counting on to end the game.

 

What follows is a complicated and fun read. As the incredible Lesa Holstine pointed out in her publication day review of the book because she was not denied an ARC by the publisher, this read might be the best one in the series. I don’t know if it is or is not. I do know that it was a great way to escape a real world that while it has not yet had the violent planetary wide outbreak of the “Urban Wars” depicted in the timeline of the series, seems to have gone increasingly mad. 

Amazon Associates Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4btJOjX

 

My hardback reading copy came from the Dunbar Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025