Obsession in Death

December 15, 2014
Bestseller Robb reaches a milestone with the 40th entry in her near-future New York City series that debuted in 1995 with Naked in Death. As 2060 nears its end, Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department, has a lot to celebrate, including a long history of successful cases. But Eve also has a homicidal admirer determined to remove those who disrespect her, starting with attorney Leanore Bastwick. A note at the crime scene is signed, “Your true and loyal friend.” A second murder quickly follows, and Eve gets a warning from shrink Charlotte Mira that the killer will eventually turn on her. A lack of forensic clues has Eve digging deep into her past cases and trying desperately to make sure those close to her are protected from an increasingly angry killer. Robb plays her familiar and popular tune with enough new flourishes to please her legions of fans. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

December 15, 2014
Lt. Eve Dallas celebrates the final week of 2060 and her own 40th appearance (Concealed in Death, 2014, etc.) by matching wits with a killer who wants to be her friend in the worst way. The first favor the murderer does Eve is getting into the posh apartment of criminal defense attorney Leanore Bastwick, who certainly had showed Eve little respect in court, garroting Bastwick, cutting out her tongue and leaving a mash note for Eve on the wall of the murder scene. Police psychiatrist Dr. Charlotte Mira advises Eve that the person who signed the note "YOUR TRUE AND LOYAL FRIEND" might well try to cement that friendship by eliminating Eve's lesser friends, but the next victim is anything but. It's illegal substances dealer Wendall Ledo, poked to death with a pool cue in his tawdry bolt-hole. An unsuccessful third attack on overbearing photographer Dirk Hastings seems to promise a break in the case, but although two eyewitnesses survive to describe the perp, their descriptions couldn't be less helpful: "One saw a man, one saw a woman." Is the true and loyal friend whose only way of bonding with Eve is killing her enemies really a woman? And is it someone uncomfortably close to Eve, maybe even someone who works for the New York Police and Security Department? As the minutes tick down to 2061, Eve races to protect her nearest and dearest while the killer ponders whether there isn't some other way to get her attention. More futuristic tech than usual but little suspense, less mystery and a generic culprit. Even Eve's final confrontation with her prey, normally a strength of this venerable series, is a letdown. Happy New Year.

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February 1, 2015
In the fortieth installment in the best-selling In Death series featuring New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas, Robb reminds readers that her protagonist is not someone who gets by with a little help from her friends. However, when Eve arrives at her latest crime scene, she discovers that someone sees things rather differently, as evidenced by the note left near the body of defense attorney Leanore Bastwick. Not only does it say that Leanore was murdered because she didn't respect Eve, but the killer claims to be Eve's true and loyal friend. As it turns out, Eve's new BFF has compiled a long list of people who haven't been as nice as they should to Eve, and now they are all going to have to pay. Whether writing as J. D. Robb or Nora Roberts, this author knows how to hook readers, and her latest enthralling Eve Dallas book ticks along as smoothly as a meticulously crafted Swiss watch.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2014

In the 40th--yes, 40th--book in the series starring NYPSD lieutenant Eve Dallas, Eve must contend with an admirer who proves his devotion by killing repeatedly. Sort of like those bloody trophies the cat brings home.

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