Series: In Death, Book 41
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Futuristic/Mystery/Suspense
ISBN: 9780399170881
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N
J.D. Robb Reading Order
When Lieutenant Eve Dallas examines a body in a downtown Manhattan alleyway, the victim’s injuries are so extensive that she almost misses the clue. Carved into the skin is the shape of a heart—and initials inside reading E and D…
Ella-Loo and her boyfriend, Darryl, had been separated while Darryl was a guest of the state of Oklahoma, and now that his sentence has been served they don’t ever intend to part again. Ella-Loo’s got dreams. And Darryl believes there are better ways to achieve your dreams than working for them. So they hit the road, and when their car breaks down in Arkansas, they make plans to take someone else’s. Then things get messy and they wind up killing someone—an experience that stokes a fierce, wild desire in Ella-Loo. A desire for Darryl. And a desire to kill again.
As they cross state lines on their way to New York to find the life they think they deserve, they will leave a trail of evil behind them. But now they’ve landed in the jurisdiction of Lieutenant Dallas and her team at the New York Police and Security Department. And with her husband, Roarke, at her side, she has every intention of hunting them down and giving them what they truly deserve…
A deadly would-be Romeo and Juliet with a lust for killing and torture have Lieutenant Eve Dallas racing against the clock in Devoted in Death. Author J.D. Robb shows no signs of slowing down; this forty-first full-length In Death novel has all the suspense, thrills, and fascinating characterization fans have come to expect from the series.
Devoted in Death is a rarity in the In Death-verse because readers know who the killers are and get to see into their depraved minds right from the start. Ella-Loo and Darryl are twisted individuals who choose people at random, getting sexual and emotional thrills from torturing and killing their targets. Ms. Robb keys readers in from the very beginning, thus giving us an advantage over Eve and her team who start with nothing but a dead body. For me, this kept things fresh and interesting and it was fascinating to watch Eve put the pieces together. We often see how her thought process works, but by having a lot more information than Eve, it sheds a different light on her work. This isn’t an easy case; the killers are vicious and when we get the victims’ points of view it can be heartbreaking. Of course, this is part of what made the story powerful for me and kept me feeling the same beat-the-clock pressure as Eve.
The In Death books can generally be divided into two classes – case-centric stories and character-centric ones. Devoted in Death is a case-centric tale with Roarke and many of Eve’s non-NYPSD loved ones playing more minor roles. As dear to my heart as all these characters are, it was great seeing the working dynamic between Eve and her fellow cops. Though character growth isn’t prominent in this story, there still is some to be had and it’s entertaining in its own right, but I’ll leave it to readers to uncover this part of the story themselves. Suffice it to say that it’s the small moments in the book that add humor and heart to the story, and I’d expect nothing less from Ms. Robb.
Devoted in Death is an engaging, tautly-written mystery that will please old and new In Death fans alike. There’s nothing like settling down for a few hours and watching Eve, Roarke, and their friends solve a new case. I finished Devoted in Death a well-satisfied reader and I cannot wait to read the next In Death book, Brotherhood in Death!
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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