This was another strong entry in the long-running In Death series. By internal chronology, Eve and Roarke have only known each other for two and a half years. I have been reading these books since 1995.

This episode is more of a police procedural than has been the case in recent novels. Eve is called in to work a case where people in one of Roarke's bars went crazy and killed each other - eighty-three of them. Someone released an air-borne drug cocktail with LSD and other components that caused hallucinations and triggered violence. Eve as a huge number of suspects to sort through as she tries to decide if this is some new outbreak of terrorism or some more mundane murder plot.

Eve is also still dealing with the repercussions of her meeting with her biological mother and the trauma that caused in her life. While she has always had nightmares about her abusive childhood, since her return from Dallas they have become much more severe. Roarke manages to convince her to finally talk with Mira about the dreams. He uses some marital blackmail and convinces Eve to see Mira because he can't stand the pain she is in.

The case has a lot of resemblance to some terrorist attacks that happened in Europe during the Urban Wars. Sommerset shares some information that puts Eve on the right track. It was interesting to see how the relationship between Eve and Sommerset has changed over the course of thirty-five books.

Because there is the possibility of terrorism, Homeland Security gets involved in the case. This is hard for Roarke because Eve convinced him not to destroy Homeland when he found out that they knew Eve was being abused by her father and let it continue because they were watching him for other reasons. Roarke had to put aside his need for revenge at Eve's request. Luckily, Homeland has done some housecleaning of its own and sends and agent that Eve can both like and respect to work with her.

Together Eve and her team, along with Roarke's able assistance, manage to build a case against the suspect and stop him before he can complete all of his terroristic plans. After the first half, this wasn't so much a "whodunnit" as a "how can we gather the evidence to prove it" sort of mystery.

I always treasure each new opportunity to visit with Eve and Roarke and really enjoyed this episode. I can't wait for the next one to arrive. ( )

Two murderers playing Clue ( )

Crime

Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD has seen a lot of bad things, but nothing at all like this as Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb begins. The scene in the bar, On the Rocks, in Manhattan Lower West Side is a bloodbath.

Literally.

There is blood everywhere and dead bodies, scattered everywhere with some top of others, as some sort of frenzied deal went on with very few survivors. In a matter of minutes, over 80 people died as they fought hand to hand and did everything they could to kill each other. Friends turned on friends, coworkers turned on each other, and the results are a nightmare for Dallas, Detective Peabody, and others that have to go inside the destroyed place and work a massive case of savage carnage.

Of course, Roarke owns the place, and that means he is involved. Was this aimed at Roarke? Was it terrorism aimed at the City? Was it something else?

With Roarke involved that also means that eventually Roarke’s butler, and everything, Summerset is involved. As longtime readers know, Dallas and Summerset, are like oil and water. They don’t mix well and have a grudging tolerance of each other with Roarke as their focus. But, in this case and as has happened before a couple of times, Summerset is a huge help because he has seen quite a few things in his many years.

Summerset has had a long and checkered life including experiences during the “Urban Wars.” A period where there was incredible strife, civil unrest, and terrorism as mankind did to each other as it always does-- kill on a large scale. Summerset knows of two very similar sounding incidents during that period. One was in South Kensington, an area of London. That was followed by another event in Rome a few weeks later.

The military and the politicians covered it all up and nobody knows who or what was behind it all. She asks Summerset to reach out to his old contacts and see if anybody, all these years later, might have an idea what is going on now. While Eve Dallas wonders if somebody is trying to resurrect the old terrorist group, Red Horse, or something else is happening, it isn’t long before the federal agency, Homeland, is involved. The race is on as Dallas and others chase an elusive suspect who won’t stop with just one demonstration.

A fast moving read, Delusion in Death, unspools a gripping read. All the usual caveats apply with the head hopping and such, but those quickly fall away as the author once again pulls the reader deep into a police procedural set in the future where people still kill for all the usual reasons. The tools of cops and killers are different, but humanity does what it does.

I also still want an auto-chef, Roarke’s library, and maybe my own Summerset.

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive App and the Dallas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2024 ( )

A very thrilling and interesting first half, with mass carnage in a bar and a cafe and no good leads. Then the story sagged for a bit, with a lot of police work and explaining and very little mystery. I thought for sure I was going to be disappointed in the ending. Everything seemed to have been too pat. Then came the twist I had hoped would rescue the story and it did.

This is my first Eve Dallas story and I won't say no to another one. It's also another Audible book that I had to listen to at 1.25 speed in order to keep from dying of impatience. ( )