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Publication Day Review: Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb

 

It is September 2061 and Eve Dallas and Roarke are attending a gala event to benefit a charity that assists victims of domestic abuse. While Dallas thinks their mission is great and very worthwhile, she isn’t a fan of getting all gussied up and trying to make small talk. But, the night has gone well and she has had a lot of fun with friends and Roarke.

 

The night has not gone so well elsewhere in the city that never sleeps. As a result, her night out gets cut short as there has been a murder. Dispatch sends her to the legendary Barrister House. Until late last year when the wealthy shipping magnate, Harry J. Barrister died, the home had not seen a death. Now it has seen another death just a few months later. The son who inherited the house and a lot more, Nathan Barrister, CEO of Zip Global, is very much dead on the floor of his office.

 

The blood on the floor, as well as on his head and in his hair, make it abundantly clear that this was no accident. He was struck over the head very hard by some object. Probably the decorative amethyst rock that the victim had on his desk. The same rock that still has his blood and other material on it.

 

The murder might have something to do with the vault that still hangs open for all to see inside. The vault that is still full of artwork, jewelry, and other fantastic treasures. Treasures that were stolen at one point or another, according to Roarke, and they found their way to this vault in NYC.

 

Of course, Roarke knows a thing or three about liberating treasures from others. Some items, according to the meticulous inventory, are missing from this vault. That includes a treasure Roarke lifted long ago when he was a mere lad.

 

Once again, Roarke’s past is both a hinderance and a major help in solving the current case. Lieutenant Dallas is again dealing with the two headed coin of being involved with Roarke. On one side---solve, find, and arrest those responsible. That mission never changes. The flip side of the coin is to try and protect the man she loves from the long arm of the law should his past deeds come to light. There remain many in law enforcement that would like to take Roarke down.

 

Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb is the latest in the long running series and another solidly good read. This book, as well as the series as a whole, is primarily a police procedural with a hint of romance. Family, the one you have by blood, as well as the one you make by way of good friends that care, plays a role once again here in this fast-moving read. The chase is on for a killer and the read is a good one well worth your time. 

For another perspective on the book, make sure you read Lesa Holstine’s review.

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

 

 

My ARC digital reading copy came from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, by way of NetGalley.

 

 Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

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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

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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

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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