Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb

Bent, twisted and sadistic lovers torturing and killing people to ride their own “shooting star” they think is true love.  They don’t have a clue…

Title:  Devoted in Death
Author:  J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #41
Publish Date: September 15, 2015
Genre:  Mystery
Source: Purchased

Publisher’s Description: When Lieutenant Eve Dallas examines a fresh body in a seedy alleyway in downtown Manhattan, the victim’s injuries are so extensive that she almost misses the clue. Carved into the skin is the shape of a heart—initials inside reading “E” and “D”…
 
In Arkansas, Ella-Loo and her recently released ex-con boyfriend, Darryl, don’t ever intend to part again. So they hit the road, but then things get a little messy and they wind up killing someone—an experience that stokes a fierce, wild desire in Ella-Loo. A desire for Darryl. And a desire to kill again.
 
As they cross state lines on their way to New York to find the life they think they deserve, they leave a trail of evil behind them. But now they’ve landed in the jurisdiction of Lt. Dallas and her team at the New York Police and Security Department. And, with her husband Roarke at her side, Eve has every intention of hunting them down and giving them what they truly deserve…

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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“Kai f*cking yay”    OR   “NYPSD West, out!”

Everyone who is into romance knows about Eve & Roarke, but I’ll lay it out anyway.  This series rocks.  I got hooked on Eve and Roarke at least 10 years ago, so if you aren’t in the loop, you can tell this is a long lasting series.  This series is a futuristic police procedural with a little romance included.  Eve is no nonsense, unpolitically correct, brash and bull dog determined to find killers.  There is a few references to the future time, but mostly it’s about solving murders. There is no cliffhanger and there is usually a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Some of the installments in this series are less than stellar, but this one is FROSTY! Since Book #1, Eve Dallas has grown as an investigator and a person. I realize that she should, given this is Book #41, but what I must reinforce is the feeling is get when I read an In Death story. Its like walking into my favorite bar where everybody knows my name. It’s like being part of a super exclusive club. It’s also about Eve and her ever so gorgeous, romantic, generous, and over the top sexy husband working and living together solving New York City’s most horrendous homicides.

This tale is particularly gruesome because it includes spotlights into the bad guys nest to watch their sick minds come up with torture techniques of poor innocent folks. It also shows how Eve and her team puts the puzzle together in order to suss out the suspects and bring them to justice before even one more person is killed.  It shows how hard it is to deal with a situation when you know the solution is right under your nose but can’t quite get the pieces to fit.

The characters are many since the series covers over 41 stories, but they are all written to the extreme where I was so invested I can nearly name all of the dead just like Eve can. If you’ve never read this series, give it a try. I know there is a stigma about “serials” following a template, but the people that get involved in Eve and Roarke’s lives will turn into cult-like followers who will binge read the whole series in a few days. The In Death series are, for me, like a box of chocolates. I can’t eat just one.

Our reviews in this series…

• Wonderment in Death

Other reviews…

• Priscilla and Her Books
• The Reading Cafe
• AlexistheLectorem

If you like this book…

• Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs
• Jane Yellowrock series by Faith Hunter
• Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep