Recent Read

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

Why this one: Hello - it's J.D. Robb - the queen of the trump books

Steam Level: Surprisingly this one was only luke warm. But I didn't mind that at all

Blurb: When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

My Thoughts: Nothing stands between me and the my need for the latest J.D. Robb fix and this one is no exception. As mentioned a couple of posts previously, when this one arrived in the mail I dropped all other books so I could read this one.

The story opens with Eve and Roarke enjoying a rare two days in a row off and having just enjoyed the 'steam' for that particular day, they are trying to figure out what else to do with their time when Dallas gets called in for a crime. The daughter of a fellow cop, a newly promoted Captain, has been brutally and repeatedly raped and then strangled. This one is a tough case for Eve as it hits close to her own horror filled childhood. And it's tough for us the reader to read about how she suffered before her death.

One of the things Ms. Robb excels at is drawing the reader in and making us feel what the victim and what Eve feel. I'll confess to not reading a lot of mystery books, but I can't imagine that there are very many that are as well written as the In Death series.

As Eve struggles to solve the case, she juggles this with her role as Louise's Matron of Honour in the upcoming nuptials of Louise and Charles and what exactly her role is and how much is expected of her. It's always so delightful to see Eve struggle with things that the rest of us take for granted.

This is a typical In Death book and I think those of us that love this series will love this latest installment. Roarke is as usual, Roarke and there are some tender moments as he realizes how this case in particular is hard for his beloved Lieutenant and he himself is pulled in with the similarities to the death of Marlena, Sommerset's daughter (I think that's her name but I could be wrong). We get to see all of the characters we love so much. There is a tender moment between her and Morris, the insult hurling between Eve and Sommerset, the banter between Eve and Peabody and of course the deep and passionate love between Eve and Roarke. And there is another character who has been in a few of the books now who makes an appearance and plays a vital role in solving the case.

It's fascinating watching as Eve, with help of her gorgeous techno geek husband sort through the clues and try and determine who the evil person who took away the life of a very popular young woman.

In some books I get a little frustrated as the case takes the main focus and the great relationships take too much of a back seat but there is a good balance in this one. Of course my favourite books are where the relationships are featured more, but I wouldn't put Kindred in Death in this category. Still - it's another very good addition and I'm already looking forward to the next one, even though I just finished this one yesterday.

There are a couple of coworkers reading this series now and and I very proudly showed them my copy as they looked at in envy - they aren't nearly to the point in the series that I am. I even took a book bag with me to work since this is a harcover and doesn't fit in my purse and I read it at every opportunity. I just read three of the series for Nath's challenge and now I feel like going back and reading a few more. I honestly can't see me ever getting tired of this world and these people that J.D. Robb has created.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5