Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Kevin’s Corner Annex – Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

Review: Framed in Death by J. D. Robb

 

A frequent theme in the Eve Dallas series is the wealthy parent, usually the mother, who overindulges every whim of their offspring, usually a son, from early on, and in the here and now of the setting of the read, is a serial killer. Sometimes mother explicitly knows and other times she is an unwitting dupe. Said serial killer has a trust fund that pays out monthly and/or yearly installments of large amounts which gives the killer the freedom to stalk and kill the citizens of New York City. The person dabbles in something, art perhaps, and is not very good at all. When rejected, the person never takes it well that their creative gift, their vision as it were, is just not good at all. Said killer begins to lash out, again and again, in murderous ways designed to prove their own unappreciated greatness and to garner media attention.

 

Such is the case here in this latest installment of this long running series, Framed in Death by J. D. Robb. It is September 1961, and the body has been posed at the door of a basement apartment. Thanks to an on-scene fingerprint scan by NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas, she is able to identify the victim as 22-year-old Leesa Culver who worked as a licensed companion. The murdered woman is posed in such a way to resemble the painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermer. A painting that is in The Hague, Netherlands.  

 

She is the first of a string of art themed murders that keep Dallas, Detective Delia Peabody, and the team working hard to stop. As almost always happens, readers know the identity of the killer and much of the why from early on in the read. Catching the killer, and how it is done, is a major point of these reads—not figuring out the case as a reader.

 

As always, there is a major secondary storyline involving Dallas, Roarke, and their friends who have given her the family and support she never knew she needed. The Eve Dallas of this book has come a long way from the woman she first was when she hit NYC and she knows it. She does appreciate that fact even when there are moments that the friendships and the “marriage rules” drive her nuts too.

 

Always entertaining, these books are fast police procedurals with a small dose of romance. A very enjoyable series that I never would have started if not for a push by Lesa Holstine. Thank you again, Lesa. And, by all means, go read her review for this book.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48jUGkJ

 

Ignored by the famous author and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, on NetGalley for nearly three months prior to publication day earlier this month, I settled in to wait a long time for the Dallas Public Library System to get it. While I was very far back in the print que, I happened to catch the eBook listing within minutes of it going online at OverDrive/Libby and grabbed the 3^rd slot for their one eBook copy. That meant the book came to me last week which was relatively quickly. Especially with the ongoing budget cuts.

 

The next book in the series, Stolen in Death, is currently scheduled for publication in February 2026.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

 Lesa's Book Critiques: Framed in Death by J.D. Robb

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

Review: Passions in Death: In Death Series by J. D. Robb

The 59th book in the series, Passions in Death, takes readers back to the Down and Dirty club where three years earlier, Dallas and friends spent a wild night. What was supposed to be a pre wedding party for Dallas was interrupted with a killer trying to kill Dallas the night before the wedding. The fact that she survived the violent encounter is already on her mind as her and Roarke walk into the club.

 

It is three years and a little more later since that night and on this August 2061 night another bridal wedding party has been interrupted. This time, Erin Albright, has been murdered just before her wedding to Shauna Hunnicut. She was murdered in the same back room where Dallas fought for her life. Erin Albright was killed by a garrote around her neck.

 

This isn’t the first time the past has haunted Dallas. It certainly does so here, as Lieutenant Dallas of the NYPSD, Detective Peabody, and others work the case with occasional valuable assistance from Roarke. The club, and the people that own it, make things personal for all involved. As if they need that extra motivation.

 

Another fast and enjoyable read in the long running series.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/422v6xQ

 

My LARGE PRINT reading copy came from the Arcadia Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Review: Random in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J.D. Robb

 

Growing up, my parents always cautioned against us kids about going to clubs or concerts. They were convinced they were places where bad things happened. Probably why I have never been to a rock concert and did not club much. If they were alive to read Random in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J.D. Robb, they would say it proves their point.

 

Jenna Harbough and her friends were having a blast hearing the rock band, Avenue A. at their concert at Club Rock It. Jenna is 16, a budding musician and singer, and she is having the greatest night of her life. Jake Kincade, leader of the band, saw her and smiled directly at her. She has a demo disc in her purse and hopes to get it to him that night. She knows she is good and the band started at her age too.

 

She’s talking to her friends, LeeLee and Chelsea, when something stings her arm. In pain and holding her arm, she turns and sees some guy grin at her as he flips her off. Before she can say anything, he disappears into the crowd. Within seconds, she feels off. She feels like she is overheated and will throw up. She soon is dead in the alley as Jake Kincade holds her in her last moments. The same Jake Kincade that is dating Nadine Hurst, a huge television news star in New York City.

 

The same Nadine Hurst who is friends with the Lieutenant Eve Dallas, Homicide, of the New York Police and Security Division. Nadine sees the mark on the girl’s arm and is sure that this dead girl is not a junkie. She knows they need help and they need the best. She contacts. of Dallas.

 

It was Saturday evening and that mean a vid, popcorn, and sex with her husband Roarke. It may or may not have been in that order. The fact that on this summer 2061 Saturday night that Summerset, Roarke’s major-domo and serious annoyance, is out of the house, the possibilities were huge. It is almost 11 and Roarke and Dallas were starting a bout of intimacy when Nadine calls.

 

Dallas starts the process of having cops and others respond to the scene. Soon, Roarke and Dallas are also there. He probably would have gone with her anyway, but he owns the building, and has some knowledge of the club and the folks that run it. He can also drive while she starts running things from the car.

 

While designed to look like am overdose, Dallas is not so sure. Besides, she has a personal interest as Nadine and Jake are involved. It also does not take long to conclude it was murder.

 

It also is not the first.

 

As the hours tick by Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, and the whole gang are in a race to stop a killer or killers who are targeting young people in crowded musical venues. It is summer and concerts galore. That means plenty of targets that are going to be potential victims in Random in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J.D. Robb.

 

While all the usual writing quirks still happen in this installment of the long running series, they also soon fall away in the rush of the story. A story that twists and turns and is not as predictable as one might have thought in the beginning. A solidly good read to escape the constant stings of a real world that has seemingly gone mad in so many ways.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Ynb3Ib 

 

My reading copy came by way of the OverDrive/Libby App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025 

FFB Review: Payback in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb

Payback in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb begins with Roarke and Eve Dallas on an incredible vacation. That tranquility is ended just hours after they arrived back in New York City as she is summoned to a death. Dispatch makes it clear she is needed and she goes.

 

Lieutenant Donald Webster of Internal Affairs requested her to come to the home of retired IAB Captain Martin Greenleaf and his wife, Elizabeth. There has been a death. She knows Webster and Greenleaf were tight. Greenleaf was Webster’s father figure as well as a mentor, so this news no doubt has hit him pretty hard. Maybe he asked for Dallas because he just reacted or maybe he had a good reason.

 

He had a good reason.

 

It was clearly a staged suicide. The question is- who did it and why? As Greenleaf worked decades in the Internal Affairs Bureau, there are many that could have had the motive to kill him. Or was it something more personal?

 

It is going to take Dallas, Peabody, and others much of the fast moving read to figure that out. A journey well worth taking set in the summer of 2061. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3XQTJe0 

 

 

My large print reading copy came from the library we visit, the Lochwood Branch, here in NE Dallas. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Review: Encore in Death: In Death Series by J.D. Robb

 

It should have been a great evening at the home of power couple Eliza Lane and Brant  Fitzhugh. Eliza Lane is about to go on stage again in, Upstage, the vehicle that started her stardom back in September 2036. Twenty five years later, she and her husband of nine years are celebrating the revival of Upstage and her powerful role in the upcoming production.

Not that her husband is any slouch. Brant  Fitzhugh is a powerhouse in his own right and is about to go overseas on a major production. The movie is going to be a global blockbuster for his new production company and he is going to be the headliner in it.

The future is incredibly bright and they are going to take it all. Until they don’t.

Brant dies during the party in front of hundreds of horrified guests and in the arms of his devasted wife. Now the penthouse on the Upper West Side is a crime scene and Dallas has an obvious murder on her hands. Red patches on his face, dilated pupils, and the blue tint on the finger tips indicate that yet another has been killed by cyanide. Most likely by way of the drink that he consumed just seconds before he collapsed.

A drink that had been meant for his wife. It was her favorite kind of drink and one she was known for. Instead, he drank it, as she performed a song, and died. Was she the real target?

Lieutenant Eve Dallas, Detective Peabody, and others have to answer that question and many others in Encore in Death by J. D. Robb. Billed as the 56th book in the long running series, it is an enjoyable and fast read. It was also a pleasant change from the last several books as this time there were no kids involved in the crime or the aftermath.

As always, head hopping is present. Clearly not a bug, this a feature of this author’s writing style in the series. A distracting feature that one that soon fades away as the story unfolds.

It maybe a little over fifteen years in the future where guns are not celebrated as they are outlawed. Still, folks get murdered because people are still messed up. Thankfully Dallas, Peabody, and others are on the case standing for the dead and seeking justice.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4cOddEB

 

My eBook reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Review: Desperation in Death: In Death Series by J.D. Robb

Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb is a tough read as it deals with sex trafficking and children. Children of various ages are being held in a place known to them as the Pleasure Academy. They are being tortured and brainwashed to become sexual slaves for those wealthy enough to buy them. Two make a daring escape. Unfortunately, one of the two did not survive. Dorian is on the run, injured, and nobody knows where she is or how to find her.

 

Lieutenant Eve Dallas first involvement is when she responds to a kid’s body found in Battery Park. Mina Cabot had been missing from her home in Devon, Pennsylvania, for over seven months. Deceased, it is pretty obvious how she died, as she has a massive piece of wood sticking out of her chest. She is dressed in what could be some sort of school uniform. It is also clear that she did not die where she was found.

 

With Dallas, Peabody, and others on the case, it does not take Dallas long to figure out that Mina Cabot is just one of a number of kids that have gone missing in the multi state area surrounding NYC. They figure out that somebody is grabbing girls for horrible purposes. They need to be stopped. The key is finding Dorian. Good thing Dallas has quite the reputation and knows a lot of folks who work on both sides of the law.

 

Not personally as hard to read as Abandoned in Death, Desperation in Death as not an easy read either. A very hard subject and one that J.D. Robb handles well in this fast moving read. It helps to know that unlike real life, Dallas, Peabody, and the team always got those responsible. I am also more than ready for this series to get back to a dead rich dude murder case with no child involvement.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dkDuLE

 

 

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/Hoopla App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2025

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

 

It is late May 2061 as Forgotten in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel by J. D. Robb begins. begins. It is a pretty early morning and Eve Dallas is on duty and working at a rubble strewn construction site in Hudson Yards. She has been dispatched to a body in a construction site dumpster.

The trail of blood from the fencing four feet away to the side of the construction dumpster was the first clue for a worker earlier that morning. The body in a sheet with her head significantly brutalized was the second. The victim was clearly dead as the body laid on top of the load in the dumpster. The plastic over it had not done much to hide that fact.

It is while Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD is on that scene, that she is informed that another body has been found a block away. A worker there has also found a dead body. Upon arrival, it is clear that the body is from many years ago. It was buried behind a wall and under some flooring as a restaurant was built above her. She was also pregnant. It is also a site owned by Roarke as his company seeks to redevelop a site that had shoddy construction just after the Urban Wars ended.

Are the bodies linked, even though they are decades apart? Or, is it just coincidence that the killings just happened to come to light at the same time.

Dallas, Peabody, and others investigate in Forgotten in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel. The result is an entertaining and fast paced police procedural. A lot has changed by 2061, but people are people and they still kill for all the classic reasons.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4f6k12N

 

My digital reading copy came through the Libbby/OverDrive account by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2024 

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

It is May 2061 as Shadows in Death: In Death Series by J.D. Robb begins and another murder has happened. Roarke is watching the sad nighttime tableau as his cop, Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and the victim are lit up by the crime scene lights just inside the arch at Washington Square Park. The woman, Galla Modesto, was stabbed in the stomach initially before the blade was pulled vertically opening her up. While murder is never routine for Eve Dallas, it all seems to be a normal crime scene.

 

That is until Roarke, breaks off a conversation, and moves away into the crowd. After an interval, he comes back, and is clearly annoyed. For good reason.

 

He spotted a man known as Lorcan Cobbe. A killer that started long ago back in Dublin when Roarke and he knew each other as boys. Lorcan Cobbe has a hate on for Roarke and has made a run at him before. Each time he made a run at him, Roarke defeated him, and let him live.

 

It might have been better for all if Roarke had killed him.

 

In the here and now, Lorcan Cobbe is a very well-paid contract killer. He is very good and is never seen before the crime or afterwards. The fact that he made sure that Roarke saw him means he killed Galla Modesto and is going after Roarke. It also means that anyone Roarke cares about; Dallas, Summersett, anyone else, and there are many, are also very much at risk.

 

The chase is on and will lead back to Roarke’s native Ireland as various agencies from around the world work together to finally stop the elusive assassin.

 

Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb is a fast-paced police procedural that once again highlights the simple fact that the idea of family is not just blood based. The former street urchin and thief now has many friends in law enforcement who will do everything they can to stop Cobbe.

 

 

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

 

My large print hardback reading copy came by way of the Lochwood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. This is the branch I use and the one described in my short story, Whatever Happened to…?, in the Notorious in North Texas: Metroplex Mysteries III anthology.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

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

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

 

It is early 2061 as Echoes in Death begins and Eve Dallas just wants to go home. She did her duty under, as she refers to it, “the marriage rules,” and had gussied up for Roarke and gone to the charity ball. She got through the event safely despite a couple of absolute fools that also attended. She did her job of as wife to quite possibly the richest man in the world. Now it is time to get home, ditch the dress and heels, and get back to normal.

 

At least that was the plan.

 

Would have happened to if a naked woman had not stepped out into the roadway right in front of them as they headed home. Naked, bloody, and very disoriented, she was very lucky that Roarke was able to stop in time. They bundle her into the car and head for the nearest hospital.

 

As Eve calls it in to the hospital, she sees the woman has got cuts, abrasions, as well as ligature marks around the neck. She has other injuries as well and appears to have blood on her that is not her own.

 

They get her to the hospital and Dr. Del Nobel begins to asses and treat her. Thanks to Dallas’ scan of her fingerprints, they soon learn that the woman is 24-year-old Daphne Strazza. She is married to the more than two decades older Anthony Strazza. The same Dr. Anthony Strazza, who is a big shot at this same hospital, and is not very well thought of or liked.

 

Soon, Roarke, and Dallas, discover the former big shot doctor went through considerable hell before he died.  Daphne’s story regarding what she went through and saw is convoluted and does not make sense. But it is clear, she went through hell. She is lucky to be alive. Her far older husband is very dead.

 

Is she involved in some way? Was she part of a plan to kill her husband and she went through far more than originally intended? Or, is she totally innocent, and is only a brutally traumatized victim?

 

Time will tell as this first married couple are just the top of a brutally violent pyramid of rape, murder, and more in Echoes in Death.

 

As always, the head hopping POV is initially disruptive. At least, it is for this reader. However, as it often happens, the case evolves and the storyline progresses, that all falls away, and the reader is left with a complicated read that pulls one into an intriguing mess. Mostly police procedural, part romance, Echoes in Death is another good one in a long line of good reads. It maybe nearly 20 years in the future, and the weapons are different, but the themes are universal.

So too is my need for Roark’s library and a working Auto Chef.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3x2C6gq

 

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

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

 

It is just days away from the end of 2060 as Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb begins. The clock is ticking in a variety of ways. For most, it is the anticipation of a new year. For others, it is a hunt for a killer.

 

As the fortieth book in the series begins, Lieutenant Eve Dallas of NYSPD is standing over a body. This time the body is a woman, a high-profile defense attorney, and one that tangled with Dallas in court. Leanore Bastwick is very much dead in her bed. Somebody is proudly taking credit for the murder via the message on the wall above the headboard. The message also claims that the killer did it for Dallas to serve justice.

 

Dallas always saw their conflict as professionals doing their jobs. Nothing more. Bastwick was doing her job as a good defense attorney. Dallas was doing hers. However, somebody else Bastwick’s recent actions in court as disrespect and decided to serve justice by killing Bastwick. Strangulation by wire garrote. If that was not enough, the killer cut her tongue and put in a dish next to the bed.

 

It’s bad enough that the woman is dead, but now Dallas has somebody who believes that he or she is the one true friend and destined to right wrongs done to Dallas. Bastwick was just doing her job and died. Who else does Dallas interact with that might be on the list of a killer? Not just folks doing their job, but actual friends who else will become a target as the idiolatry fades because it is not appreciated or reciprocated?

 

Like the list of potential targets, the list of potential suspects is huge and a daunting one. Good thing Dallas has Roarke, Peabody, and a lot of other people willing to work as the hunt begins for a killer. The killer might be crazy, but the initial planning and execution of the first kill is very good. The first kill has been accomplished without a trace left behind.

 

It won’t be the last.

 

Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb is another entertaining read in this long running police procedural series. A good series that does not get enough credit as the incredible reviewer and book champion Lesa Holstine noted in her review of Random in Death.

 

The series does not get enough attention. One suspects that might be because the romance angle in the books and the fact that the author is well known for romance reads. If that is why, it is unfortunate as these books are primarily police procedurals where crime and justice are the main course and the romance is a nice side dish.

 

 

Amazon Associates Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3UUjvgL

 

 

My reading copy came by way of the Overdrive/Libby App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – J.D. ROBB’S CALCULATED IN DEATH

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – J.D. ROBB’S CALCULATED IN DEATH

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

 

It is coming up on Thanksgiving in 2060 and Eve Dallas is about to have a house full of family and friends as Thankless in Death by J. D. Robb begins.  She isn’t thrilled with the prospect as her nature is of a loner. But, Roarke is changing her slowly and surely as marriage and an extended family that loves her work their magic.

 

Jerald Reinhold was also loved by his parents. Despite all their efforts over the many years, something was off since birth. There were incidents that occurred and were dealt with at the time, but nothing really changed. It has manifested in the here and now in his brutally murdering his parents, stealing their cash and some of their valuable possessions, and fleeing the scene. That same murder scene that Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Detective Peabody of the New York Police and Security are soon working.

 

It isn’t long before they are sure Jerald did the killings. It also isn’t long before they realize that Jerald isn’t done. Not by a long shot. Murdering his parents uncorked something suppressed in him and he is enjoying settling old scores. They have to figure out who he wishes to get even with first to stop him. The list is long as this man holds a grudge over anything and everything. That means they have to also not only figure out who is on the list, but who might take priority.

 

That isn’t easy in Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb. While the chase for the escalating killer, Jerald Reinhold, is the main case, many other things are happening in the read as secondary characters continue to change and evolve.  So too does Dallas as old ghosts are continuing to be laid to rest. Slowly and surely she now she sees the world beyond the job. That fullness of life, and her acceptance of it as she finds her place, is on an ongoing secondary them here as it has been in the last several reads.

 

Thankless in Death is another fun read in a series that should be read in order starting with first, Naked in Death.

The Amazon Associate image purchase box is not working so please pick up your copy here. 

 

My hardback reading copy came from the branch we frequent, Lochwood, of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: RANDOM IN DEATH BY J.D. ROBB

 Lesa's Book Critiques: RANDOM IN DEATH BY J.D. ROBB

FFB Review: Time of Death by J. D. Robb

 

Time of Death by J.D. Robb is a novella collection featuring NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Unlike the Three in Death collection that was primarily straight forward, the strange and flat-out weird plays a bigger role in this read.

 

It opens with Eternity in Death. In late April 2060, Tiara Dent bought into his myth of living forever. Now she won’t see 24 as the young beautiful woman is a very dead celebrity. The two puncture wounds on the left side of her throat give some indication to how it happened.

 

Eve Dallas hates stiletto heels. She hates the dressing up to mingle and socialize party nonsense. But, when you are married to Roarke, a very rich man, you do what you have to do. That means being very dressed up and in attendance at the gathering hosted by Maxia Caryle. It was supposed to be a fun evening in Eternity in Death. Certainly not a murder scene. But, it is, and now there is a victim, one very bloody suspect, and many other folks that also have to be ruled considered as killers or witnesses. Now the real party can get started.

 

It is early spring in 2060 and the traditional ferries still sail across the water to the Statue of Liberty. One on those ferries, the Hillary Rodham Clinton, has a very bloody bathroom. No doubt the person that was in that bathroom is dead. Nobody could have survived that massive amount of blood loss. Yet, there is no body.  That person did not just get up and leave. It all means that Lieutenant Eve Dallas has a missing victim, a floating crime scene, and more than a few suspects in Missing in Death.

 

The three novellas in the Time of Death collection are all good ones. They push the boundaries of the strange a little bit, but all three end up being logically solved. As always, there are plenty of twists and turns as the reads move quickly to a resolution.

  

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive App and the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023