Strangers in Death, Creation in Death
The Two Latest Eve Dallas Mysteries by J.D. Robb
It's rare when an author can continue to develop a character through more than two dozen books. Yet J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) does this with ease in her Eve Dallas series. Begun in 1995 with "Naked in Death," the series has followed NYPD Lieutenant Dallas through many changes in herself and her city. Robb's view of New York in the year 2060 has a kind of familiar, yet Orwellian feel to it. Still, her characters emotions and situations transcend time. Unfortunately, there will always be murder.
Creation in Death
In "Creation in Death," published in 2007, Eve Dallas is called on to investigate a particularly gruesome murder of a young woman who had been tortured repeatedly. The time it had taken her to die was carved into her torso. What's even more disturbing are the similarities of this crime to one that Dallas had worked on very early in her NYPD career--a crime that was never solved.
This murder is personal in more ways than one. Dallas soon learns that the victim was employed by one of Dallas' billionaire husband's companies and discovered with a bed sheet manufactured by another of his holdings. Dallas rejects the thought when the department's psychological profiler suggests that the killer might have Dallas herself in his sights. In the end, will she ignore this warning to her peril? Will she be able to find "The Groom" (as the killer calls himself) before he chooses another woman?
Strangers in Death
In "Strangers in Death," Dallas is called to investigate the murder of a prominent New York businessman in his Park Avenue apartment. The scene seems to indicate that Thomas Anders died or was killed during a rather kinky interlude, perhaps with a man. The victim's wife was out of the country with her friends and the nephew that he raised seemed genuinely grief-stricken, despite the fact that he will inherit billions.
The mystery is in the physical evidence, which doesn't quite add up. The victim didn't seem to struggle and the expensive alarm system was disabled. Yet Anders was given drugs to knock him out--unusual in a consensual arrangement. Will Dallas be able to make sense of the facts and bring the killer to justice?
About J.D. Robb
J.D. Robb is the pen name of prolific popular fiction writer, Nora Roberts. In addition to her Eve Dallas series, Roberts has authored more than 150 novels and has more than 280 million copies of her work in print. Roberts' books have been released in 35 countries. She and her husband live in Maryland.
