Strangers in Death

The year is 2060, and Eve Dallas is a New York City homicide detective who takes her job very seriously. Today she has a real headache of a case brewing: rich man and philanthropist Thomas Anders is dead, and he died in a very compromising position while his wife was out of town. The problem is, some of the death details don't add up to the sordid crime it appears to be, and the more Eve pokes at it the more confusing it gets. Add to that a nearly cold case involving an abused woman's dead husband killed by a prostitute, and Eve's in for her usual wild ride. Eve spends the first half of the book figuring out who her killer is, and the second half figuring out howdunit (and how to prove it). The mystery is a fascinating one and unraveling it definitely kept me enthralled. Part of the delight is watching Eve dig out the details and outsmart the killer, with the help of her friends, her co-workers, and of course her devilish husband Roarke. Oh, yes, Roarke. Marriage has hardly slowed these two down. Their chemistry is every bit as brilliant as when they first met, and their sex scenes are every bit as pulse-poundingly hot. In short, Strangers in Death is a delicious story that positively screams to be read in bed. If you want gritty or 'realistic' you should go with another series---these books are all about enjoying the sheer style that can be wrung out of a good futuristic detective caper. Like other books in this series, Strangers in Death stands alone surprisingly well, allowing you to come into the series at any book. The only oddness this might result in is that some side characters' appearances might seem slightly unnecessary if you aren't familiar with their importance in Eve's life.

This is the 31st book, when including novellas, in a long running and my personal favorite suspense series. The year is 2060 and Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department is called to the scene when sports mogul and children's philanthropist, Tom Anders, is murdered in his home. All evidence points to some sort of sexual deviancy gone wrong, but things aren't making sense to Eve. She enlists the help of her delectable Irish hubby, Roarke, and her partner Detective Peabody to solve the case. I love this author and I loved this book. This In Death book had a slightly different feel as pretty early on we learn who the murderer is and the rest of the book is Eve building her case to prove her gut feeling. But that didn't detract from the suspense or the flow of the book at all; in fact I thought it enhanced it. J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) throws some twist and turns in that kept Eve, her team and this reader on their toes. While these In Death books tend to be dark to due to the homicides Eve investigates, this one had a lot of light moments, too. I laughed a lot at the banter Eve engages in with Peabody, Roarke and Captain Feeney. Eve's friend Louise, the doctor and her Licensed Companion boyfriend, Charles play a small but significant role in this book, and that added a large amount of pleasure for this reader. This book was definitely hard to put down and exceptionally entertaining. I am wowed by this series. After so many books it seems it would be hard to delight and surprise her faithful readers, but J.D. Robb does so, continuously and flawlessly. Enjoy! Cherise Everhard, February 2008

In Chapter 19 Roarke tell Eve "It's a competition" and that is the best description I can give this book. The murderer got into a high security house and manaaged to kill Thomas Anders without leaving a trace. The suspects all have alibis. Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no clues, witnesses, or even a motive. This book has a fresh plot. Most of the "in Death" series have serial murders with Eve fighting against time to stop the bad guy(s) before any body shows up. Strangers In Death has one dead body and only a few suspects. Eve quickly narrows down her murderer, but has to tweak out the clues as to how it was done. Hint - look at the title. Many of my favorite supporting cast is back. Charles Monroe is tied into the murder and he has his own subplot problems. We have our sassy Peabody, prancing McNabb, a sick Feeney, a touch of Mavis (and Belle), Louise, Nadine, Trueheart, Baxter (I think he's the candy thief - he seems to be the only cop not afraid of Eve) and of course Summerset (who finds a new way to irritate Eve - jus not greet her at the door) And of course the luscious Roarke who is both lover and investigating partner (squishing in "bit of business" while waiting to help Eve grill suspects). JD Robb has gone all out on this book. We have murder, twists, humor, and even a few moments set aside for emotional growth in Eve & Roarke's marriage. Eve's childhood nightmares have been put on hold and relationship issues brought to the forefront. If you were a hater of Roarke's old girlfriend from a couple books ago, Eve has her own version of theraphy.