Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb

Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb, 354 pages

From the MARC: "Eve Dallas, a police lieutenant in near-future New York, is assigned to track a serial killer who poses and photographs his victims after they are dead, while at home, trouble brews in her marriage when Roark learns a startling truth about his parents."

 

Purity in Death by J.D. Robb

Purity in Death by J.D. Robb, 355 pages

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is well-acquainted with murder, but she is shocked to discover a vigilante group that can kill at a distance: with a computer virus.

Robb presents some interesting questions and tensions between the characters in this series addition, especially since the targets of the murders are known criminals (mostly sex predators), but there is some collateral damage with innocents.  Since the main cast is a collection of cops and people who skirt the letter of the law, it was compelling to see how the characters navigated the situation.

 

Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb

Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb, 371 pages

Eve Dallas was still a fresh face with the NYPSD when she helped put away Julianna Dunne, a black widow with a bad habit of murdering ex-husbands and lovers. Julianna charms the system and is released to kill again. This time the bodies she piles up are only a smoke screen to hide her real target: Lieutenant Eve Dallas by way of murdering her beloved husband Roarke.

This installment of the In Death series had a much better antagonist than the previous few.  Julianna felt like real opposition for Eve, instead of some overblown scifi villain with a random kink. 

 

Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb

Seduction in Death by J.D. Robb, 354 pages

Women keep turning up dead; after being courted and wooed in cyberspace, they meet their online Romeo only to find the Reaper instead. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is on the case but perplexed when the murder weapon is discovered to be a rare drug with the street value of a quarter of a million dollars.

 

Interlude in Death by J.D. Robb

Interlude in Death by J.D. Robb, 88 pages

Lieutenant Eve Dallas has several problems: she has been ordered to give a seminar at a police conference and the conference is not only off-world but also hosted by Mount Olympus, her husband's newest resort. Once at the conference, her list of problems only grow when she encounters a legendary commander who is determined to take Roarke--and Eve herself--down. 

 

Betrayal in Death by J.D. Robb

Betrayal in Death by J.D. Robb, 355 pages

When an elite hitman with a brutal MO pops up in NYC, bodies start dropping. Lieutenant Eve Dallas must balance a polarizing FBI agent, a suspicious figure from her husband's past, and the emotional fortitude of her protege with the fear that the hitman's next target might be Roarke.

 

Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb

Judgment in Death by J.D. Robb, 356 pages

From the MARC: "When a cop killer cuts loose in a club called Purgatory, Eve Dallas descends into an underground criminal hell ... Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged. Your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins."

 

Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

Witness in Death by J.D. Robb, 357 pages

When Eve Dallas witnesses a famous actor brutally murdered on stage, she finds herself embroiled in drama, both in her personal and professional life. 

 

Witness in Death by J.D. Robb

 Witness in Death by J.D. Robb, 357 pages

From the MARC: "Lieutenant Eve Dallas is thrust into the spotlight when she becomes the key witness in the brutal murder of a famous actor."

Loyalty in Death, by J.D. Robb

 Loyalty in Death, by J.D. Robb, 358 pages

When a mysterious terrorist group named Cassandra starts planting bombs around NYC and killing hundreds of innocent people, Eve Dallas is targeted as Cassandra's nemesis. Eve Dallas is racing against the clock to save her city, and it might cost her everything. 

Conspiracy in Death, by J.D. Robb

 Conspiracy in Death, by J.D. Robb, 386 pages

Eve Dallas is puzzled when not one, but two homeless people are found with unhealthy organs missing through a surgical-quality removal. As she works the case she finds herself pulling strings to a conspiracy that goes far deeper than she could have ever believed. 

Several books into the series, the formula of the In Death books are comfortably settled. This book did show some serious character development and felt fresh, like in the beginning of the series.

Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb

Midnight in Death by J.D. Robb, 90 pages

A serial killer that Eve Dallas locked behind bars has escaped and has a list of people he's hunting, including Eve herself. It's a race to midnight to see if Eve can stop him once more. 

Holiday In Death by J.D. Robb

 Holiday In Death by J.D. Robb, 326 pages

On the first day of Christmas, a holiday-obsessed psycho gives Eve Dallas a mutilated body with the promise of eleven to come. As the holiday nears, Eve finds herself wondering which situation she's least comfortable with: a caroling serial killer, or finding the perfect gift for Roarke. 

Vengeance in Death, by J.D. Robb

 Vengeance in Death, by J.D. Robb, 372 pages

When a savvy serial killer begins dropping bodies that lead straight to Roarke, Eve Dallas finds herself simultaneously enraged and terrified. In her drive to protect Roarke at all cost, she skirts the edges of the laws she upholds.

Ceremony in Death, by J.D. Robb

 Ceremony in Death, by J.D. Robb, 329 pages

A series of bodies-- starting with a fellow police officer and including one dropped on Eve Dallas' own doorstep--points to a cult with a violent obsession with the occult. Once again, Eve faces true evil. 

Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb

 

Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb, 310 pages

Fresh from her honeymoon in the stars, Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds herself investing a series of apparent suicides that leads her down a rabbit hole of mind control and manipulation. 

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

 Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb, 312 pages

A new drug is making the rounds: it increases strength, vitality, sexual prowess... and will slowly kill the user. When Lieutenant Eve Dallas tracks three murders back to the mysterious drug, she finds herself embroiled in unexpected conspiracy.

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb

 Glory in Death by J.D. Robb, 313 pages

When two highly successful women are murdered in the same way, Eve Dallas finds herself investigating any link between the two, including her lover, Roarke.  Will Eve--and her relationship with Roark--survive catching another killer? 

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

 Naked in Death by J.D. Robb, 372 pages

Lt. Eve Dallas has seen just about everything in her ten years on the force. When a killer beings viciously murdering licensed companions and mocking her efforts to catch him, Eve finds herself sifting through memories of her past. Before long, Eve is racing towards the murderer and, worse still, the first dark years of her life that she's tried so hard to forget.

I'm not a romance fan, but a couple of years ago I picked up one of the In Death series in an airport and enjoyed it. Finally decided it's time to read them all from the beginning. 

Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb

Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb - 356 pages

Eve Dallas has a new murderer to hunt.  Lady Liberty is killing men who have wronged women -- rapists, cheats, abusers.  While she believes she knows who the killer is, she has to find proof before she can make an arrest.  Will she find it before another man is killed?

This is the latest Eve Dallas mystery by Nora Roberts.  It was another great entry in the series.  This book focused almost exclusively on the mystery rather than including a side plot about the personal lives of the characters.  It was also interesting that you found yourself (and the various characters) sympathizing with the murderer rather than the victims quite a bit throughout the book.  I would definitely suggest this to those who have enjoyed the Dallas books in the past.