Review: Secrets In Death by JD Robb

Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death, #45
Released: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 400 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: The Book Depository

The chic Manhattan nightspot Du Vin is not the kind of place Eve Dallas would usually patronize, and it’s not the kind of bar where a lot of blood gets spilled. But that’s exactly what happens one cold February evening.

The mortally wounded woman is Larinda Mars, a self-described “social information reporter,” or as most people would call it, a professional gossip. As it turns out, she was keeping the most shocking stories quiet, for profitable use in her side business as a blackmailer. Setting her sights on rich, prominent marks, she’d find out what they most wanted to keep hidden and then bleed them dry. Now someone’s done the same to her, literally—with a knife to the brachial artery.

Eve didn’t like Larinda Mars. But she likes murder even less. To find justice for this victim, she’ll have to plunge into the dirty little secrets of all the people Larinda Mars victimized herself. But along the way, she may be exposed to some information she really didn’t want to know…

There is simply nothing better than a new JD Robb book, not for me, at least. The 45th installment of her bestselling In Death series is just as good, if not better, than the first book. This series never falls in quality, never strays and never disappoints. Nora Roberts as JD Robb can apparently do no wrong.

Secrets in Death struck me as a more quiet, intimate book than most of its predecessors. While the crime is gruesome, the victim herself is a villain of sorts so it’s hard to feel sorry that she’s dead. That situation allows the reader to focus entirely on the mystery and feel Eve’s eternal drive to uncover the truth and stand for the dead, whether they deserve it or not. We are all the same in death, and no one believes in that simple truth more than Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

This book, unlike the previous ones, doesn’t delve much into Eve’s traumatic past, which is a relief. Even the nightmares are mostly kept at bay. Some things concerning Roarke that have been brewing for a while are finally resolved in a very easy, just and satisfying manner. When I said this book was more intimate, I meant that Nora allowed her characters to spend some time on the mundane, to learn additional details about each other and discuss simple matters like cooking and apple pie. It felt warm and necessary, a contrast to and a rest from the atrocities they face daily.

Secondary characters were a bit less present this time around, but I didn’t mind a bit. The world around Eve and Roarke is well established, their well-chosen family a surety. We see glimpses of the new Eve, the woman who knows that people around her will put her first and that they are there to stay. It’s easy to see how she’s grown to trust people, and the special connection she has with Dr. Mira and her husband.

Secrets in Death might not be my favorite In Death book, but it’s honestly hard to tell them apart at this point. Going back to these characters feels like coming home after a long absence every time, and I think that the strange mix of comfort and excitement is one of my very favorite feelings in the world.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.