January 23

Devoted in Death – J.D. Robb

Devoted in DeathIt’s a new year in New York city, and two star-crossed lovers have just discovered an insatiable appetite…for murder.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas has witnessed some grisly crimes in her career and she knows just how dark things can get on the streets. But when a much-loved musician is found dead, Eve soon realises that his murder is part of a horrifying killing spree, stretching right across the country.

Now the killers have reached New York, and they’ve found themselves another victim. Eve knows she only has a couple of days to save a young girl’s life, and to stop the killers before their sadistic games escalate. Eve’s husband Roarke is ready to put his brains and his considerable resources behind the search. But even as the couple works closely together, time is running out…

 

My review copy came from Little Brown/Piatkus through Netgalley.

The In Death series by J. D. Robb is one of my favourites, I love Eve Dallas (the central character) and over the last 20 years J. D. Robb has built up a world and cast of characters that I cannot wait to return to. Set in a futuristic New York there are fun technological ‘advances’ and inventions which are now so well established in the books that the world seems totally believable to me.  If I am still kicking around in 2061 I will be gutted if J. D. Robb’s portrayal of how life will be turns out to be inaccurate!

Devoted in Death takes the approach of revealing the killers (there are two of them) from the outset of the story. They are the Devoted couple from the title and are on a killing spree from Arkansas to New York City. However, their crimes are spread across a number of states and they have remained undetected. Undetected that is, until they murder a loved and respected musician in NYC  Dallas notices a mark on the corpse which has previously appeared on other bodies.

Dallas and her team are now on a race against time as the killers have abducted their latest target.  If Dallas does not track down the killers soon then another body will be found and it too will almost certainly show signs of a prolonged torture prior to death.

Devoted in Death is not ideal as a jumping on point for a series which has now reached into 50 titles (a count which includes short stories and novellas). However, all the books in the In Death series CAN be read as a stand-alone crime thriller – the fun in knowing the back story will always reward returning readers. For a series that has been running for so long I am constantly amazed how J. D. Robb can keep hitting such a high mark.

These are fun reads, great crime thrillers and there are a huge number of books to read.  I have read most of the In Death books more than once and will continue to revisit them.  Dallas is the kick ass hero that you want to read about – long may she continue.

 

Devoted in Death will be released in paperback by Piatkus on 28th January and is also available in digital format: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0349403716?keywords=devoted%20in%20death&qid=1453576624&ref_=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1&sr=8-1

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