This feature is for short reviews, reviews of books in a series where it might feel repetitive, or (as Michelle suggested) books I was too lazy to write a “real” review for. Today’s books I read back-to-back this past week as I caught up on the 2021 releases of the In Death Series. And now I’m current again and hating that I have to wait for more books 🙁
Faithless in Death by J.D. Robb Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Series: In Death #52
Published by Macmillan Audio on February 9, 2021
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
Length: 13 hours 42 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
In the new Eve Dallas police thriller from #1 'New York Times' bestselling author J. D. Robb, what looked like a lover's quarrel turned fatal has larger - and more terrifying - motives behind it. . .
The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wineglasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don't add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body - but why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?
As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within - and soon they're getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group and a stunning criminal conspiracy.
RUNNING TIME => 12hrs.
©2021 J.D. Robb (P)2021 Macmillan Audio
It continues to blow my mind how this can be book 52 – FIFTY TWO!! – of the series and I can still love every minute. This one is definitely one of my favorites and really got to me, I was choked up more than a few times.
As always, the characters are what make this series. And at 52 books, I feel like I know them. I can talk to you about every one of them as if they were my best friends, because JD Robb has made them so real. A few personal advances happening in this book, for Mavis, Leonardo, Peabody, and McNab. But it wasn’t the personal life stuff that made this book, it was the way the ENTIRE crew – name someone that has been important in the series, and I swear they were part of it – rallied together to take down these MFers.
I think having such a solid crew of just really fantastic, GOOD cops and detectives who stand for victims and take it so personal is part of what makes this series special – it definitely adds to me emotional response. The detective / police-procedural work of this book really shines. But I got especially emotional because:
- they’re taking out a cult in this book. As someone who grew up in a cult – no quite as severe as this one, but with lots of familiar ideas and similar living situations – it hit really close to home; and
- a lot of the victims are mothers with young kids who they are desperately trying to protect and save. With Dante being almost 2, that put me in their headspace so easily. And with my father still in the cult, I sometimes have anxiety/fear about him somehow getting Dante and exposing him to that world. So it just really hit me super hard, that fear for your child.
I think all that hit me even more because it was written so damn well. I really hated to put this book down in the last 50% and I’m so glad that the Finish What You Started Readathon got me to finally pick this up.
As always, I listened and have grown to love Susan Eriksen’s narration. For me, she is the voice of all those characters I’ve come to love and I’m thrilled she’s stuck around for all 52 books!
Forgotten In Death by J.D. Robb Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Series: In Death #53
Published by Macmillan Audio on September 7, 2021
Genres: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction
Length: 14 hours 7 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
In the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer.
The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change—and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found.
Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains—in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing—unearthed by recent construction work. She isn’t happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke—not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away…
Although not as great as the previous book, I really enjoyed the simpler cases of Forgotten in Death in contrast to the large scale operation of taking down the Natural Order in the previous book.
There are two, closely related cases for Eve and her team to tackle in this book – despite the deaths being spaced close to 30 years apart. All three deaths (one case ends up involving 2 deaths instead of one) are very sad and tragic. Sometimes the victims are people you don’t feel badly for… that is not the case this time. Eve has to uncover identities and as she does, the senselessness and tragedy of the losses is profound. Which means, watching her nail the bad guys was all the more sweet. There’s a little bit of action in one take down, but for the most part, solid detective work brings them down easy. The interviews are sometimes my favorite part of the book – I love watching Eve and Peabody skillfully play the suspects and witnesses.
I would say this is one of the simpler books, without so many moving parts — definitely not one that Nadene will be writing another bestseller off of. And I appreciate that balance – even if the book is little less exciting, I like that we don’t have 53 books of sensational cases. Books like this one allow a balance and a chance to enjoy the gang progressing in their personal lives. I enjoyed watching Eve and Roarke in their day-to-day lives, with taking walks and enjoying dinner, plans to watch a vid. I enjoyed Peabody planning for her new home, Mira going out for drinks, etc. Since the characters make this series, it’s nice to just catch up with some old friends. Side note: I’m starting to have a theory on Eve’s chocolate thief. (view spoiler)
I’m so glad to be caught up and am already eagerly awaiting the next book. And, of course, I’m enjoying the narration as Susan Erikson has become the voice of all my favorite characters
I have Forgotten in Death to read and haven’t gotten to it. I’m still working next week’s review Arcs. But this is a series I read. I love them all. Fantastic reviews!