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Promises in Death by JD Robb

Why this one: I never miss an In Death book!!

Steam Level: Same as always – Eve and Roarke – they make those pages steamy!

Amazon Blurb: Amarylis Coltraine may have recently transferred to the New York City police force from Atlanta, but she’s been a cop long enough to know how to defend herself against an assailant. When she’s taken down just steps away from her apartment, killed with her own weapon, for Eve the victim isn’t just “one of us.”

Dallas’s friend Chief Medical Examiner Morris and Coltraine had started a serious relationship, and from all accounts the two were headed for a happy future together. But someone has put an end to all that. After breaking the news to Morris, Eve starts questioning everyone from Coltraine’s squad, informants, and neighbors, while Eve’s husband, Roarke, digs into computer data on Coltraine’s life back in Atlanta. To their shock, they discover a connection between this case and their own painful, shadowy pasts.

The truth will need to be uncovered one layer at a time, starting with the box that arrives at Cop Central addressed to Eve containing Coltraine’s guns, badge, and a note from her killer: “You can have them back. Maybe someday soon, I’ll be sending yours to somebody else.”

But Eve Dallas doesn’t take too kindly to personal threats, and she is going to break this case, whatever it takes. And that’s a promise.

My Thoughts: Despite the murders that always happen; after all Dallas does work in Homicide, these are almost a comfort read to me. It’s so good to be able to keep visiting with Eve and Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Feeney and the rest of Eve’s friends and coworkers.

The mystery this time surrounds the death of one of their own – Ammy, the cop who has been seeing Morris in the past few books. Although we didn’t get a real chance to know her, Robb has such a way of writing that characters come alive and it’s bittersweet to see this character not through ‘meeting’ her but through Eve and Morris eyes.

These are about the only books that I’m able to refrain from reading the end so I always try and guess who it is. I guessed part of the puzzle on page 117 but not the whole thing until much later when it was very obvious.

I really enjoyed this latest one but as odd as it is, I seem to enjoy the books even better when there is conflict between Eve and Roarke and watching two such strong characters work through it. And there really isn’t any this time round. They are both in pretty good sync with each other throughout.

Nevertheless, this one is again filled with great dialogue, moments that make you laugh, Eve trying to dodge the shower for Louise that she is most reluctantly hosting, and getting hurt in the line of duty and Roarke coming to her aid. It was great getting to learn more about Morris. I really hurt for him going through the loss of someone he was really coming to love.

And there was another character that I really hope makes more appearances in the book. He was quite intriguing – almost a mirror of Roarke – in a slightly off kind of way. Without meaning to be too mysterious, I hope he learns from his mistakes and comes back again.

Again – this is (I think) book 31 in the series including novellas and I’m not the least bit tired of them. In fact I’m counting the months until the next one out Kindred in Death in November 2009.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5