Creation in Death

He's back. Nine years ago, long before Eve Dallas had her lieutenant stripes, a killer who was dubbed The Groom abducted, tortured and murdered a series of women. The New York City police were unable to catch him before he dropped off their radar. As the years passed, it was their collective hope that he had been captured, incarcerated or, better yet, killed. Whatever had happened, they wanted him gone for good. But he's back. And this time, he wants Eve Dallas. In the years since he disappeared, The Groom has been honing his skills. Organization and patience aren't the only things he has going for him. He picks his partners --- as he considers his victims --- methodically, taking time to choose carefully. Plus, he's more than just highly intelligent. "He was a maestro in the art of death. The keeper of time. The bringer of destiny." But his obsession with Eve Dallas may be his undoing. A body is discovered, then a second, and the clock is already ticking on a third victim. With a sizable task force behind her, tracking devices on her car and her person, a tag team in close following distance, it seems safe for Lt. Dallas to use herself as bait. She knows that he wants her. Besides, what could possibly go wrong? Famous last words. It's possible that the police might not be giving this clever serial killer the credit he deserves. They need to keep in mind that he has eluded their attempts to stop him for many years --- and, they learn, in many countries. How does he manage to lure women off the streets, during daylight hours, without a struggle? Particularly once the killings start. With the word out, what woman would accompany a stranger anywhere alone? The psychologist's profile, coupled with Dallas's intuitive instinct, gives the cops an advantage that they didn't have nine years ago. The killer starts to take shape from their tenacious digging and logical deductions. His history emerges, showing what made him into the monster that is now stalking young brunettes. Roarke, Dallas's sexy, rich, Irish hunk of a husband, adds his invaluable expertise --- along with some occasional bouts of pizza delivery --- to the lieutenant's task force. Together, they thrust and parry their way through the nerve-wracking hours to the end of the toughest case Dallas has seen in a long time. Both are strong characters, quick of temper, hard loving, hard working and hard playing. They will need to be every bit of that --- and much more --- to catch this killer. And then there's Roarke's man, Summerset, who displays a palpable distaste for Roarke's distinctly unfeminine wife. He proves himself worthy of a very large pat on the back in this investigation. To her surprise and chagrin, Dallas almost starts to like him. J.D. Robb's stories are fun to come home to at the end of the day. With CREATION IN DEATH --- the 25th installment of her bestselling In Death series --- she gives us one of the nastiest villains she has conjured up to date. With the target be

This is the 25th (30th if you count all the novellas in between) book in the In Death Series. The year is 2060 and Homicide Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department is called to the crime scene of a young woman murdered and then left in the local park. Eve immediately recognizes the torturing signature of a killer she investigated 9 years ago when she was just a rookie, partnered with Feeney. This is a killer they dubbed The Groom and were never able to apprehend. This is a case that brings back a lot of memories, emotion and anger from everyone on the NYPSD. When the victim turns out to be one of Roarke's employees, he too becomes invested in finding this killer. There is a reason I rush out to the bookstore on the release dates of all of the In Death books. Nora consistently creates spellbinding and suspenseful stories with the most charming characters and this book is no exception. Her villain's wheedle their way into your mind as they are so deliciously evil; you can't help but be fascinated by them. Her books never cease to entertain and delight me, and they are stories that I read over and over again and never tire of. This was an excellent addition to an ever fabulous series.

As an avid reader of JD Robb and Nora Roberts I always know I am in for a good book. Excellent characters you can count on with a great story line. With this latest addition I was staggered by the twist and disturb by the story line. This novel was graphic without crossing a line. Something I appriciate since I am a profound sissy. Well worth the read. For those that follow the series I thought this book was a lot more fresh than the past few. Buy and enjoy.

This 25th book in the series is horrifying, suspenseful and thrilling just to start! The book opens with the reader being introduced to the killer although not by name. We learn that to the killer death is a "vocation" the end all. The killer loves opera and apparently started his killing in New York almost a decade before and decides after "traveling" around both on "vacation" or his dormant periods and killing in other locales to come back to New York to "finish." He has a woman on a table tied down and has been systematically been using heat, cold and sharp objects on her to see how long she can last. Lt. Eve Dallas and Roarke and their cat Galahad are relaxing watching an old action flick. Eve has the next 48 hours off and is looking forward to some quality time with her hubby. She is content munching on popcorn that is over salted and over buttered so that Roarke won't touch it. Her 'link goes off and it is Commander Whitney, her boss, calling her to a discovery of a dead body in a park. He knows it is her time off but tells her he needs her to be the primary detective in charge of this case. Roarke goes with her and it turns out that the woman found spread out and nude on a white sheet worked at a club he owns. It also appears to be the work of the Groom as the pressed dubbed this killer over nine years ago. He killed 4 women horribly, put silver rings on their left hands and left them where they would be found. As Roarke gets more and more involved, we get to see the Homicide and EDD cops from his point of view which is very interesting and we also get to see how he and Eve can work together. We also see more interaction with Eve and Captain Feeney, her old partner and the detective in charge of the Groom case nine years ago. This time Eve determined to solve it even as the killer appears to be targeting Roarke in some ways. I love also the extra interaction with Peabody, McNab, Mavis and Trina who all have parts to play. A very thrilling story with a most horrific killer! Highly recommended! Valerie Matteson Ann Arbor, Michigan

J. D. Robb's "in Death" series of futuristic mysteries featuring Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYPSD should be much better known, for Robb has managed to meet the rigorous standard set and defined by the greatest writer of science-fiction mysteries, Isaac Asimov. This latest volume, CREATION IN DEATH, is no exception, and ranks among the best of this fine series. Robb is remarkably skilled at creating a future world -- New York City in 2060, after the "Urban Wars" (which feature well in the plot). She also creates believable characters of all kinds -- heroes, villains, supporting players, and extras -- to inhabit this convincing setting. She never resorts to springing information on the reader without which he or she can't solve the case; everything is carefully and painstakingly set up with total fairness. Also, she never resorts to gimmickry to solve crimes or to save heroes from certain doom. These are first-rate mysteries, first-rate science-fiction novels, and the romantic suspense elements are neatly woven into the story. This is a serial-killer novel in which the killer is terrifyingly real, with motivations and attitudes that are at once alien to "normal" people yet one klick away from the range of behaviors and attitudes we all have seen or read about in people, normal and abnormal. The suspense is sustained so that this reader, at least, had to put the book aside at 2:00 a.m. to get some sleep when only 60 pages or so from the end. And it bears re-reading.