Seduction in Death

Dating: poetry and flowers and romance . . . and death.

NYPSD homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas is on the trail of two men who use online dating to find their victims; two men who use a lethal date-rape drug and murder the women . . . and it’s a game to see who can accumulate the most points. Can Eve escape the horrors of her past and find justice for the victims?

Thirteenth in the “In Death” series, this story is one that reveals the depravity of those who feel entitled to take whatever they want. With an inflated sense of importance, their dark, disturbing actions will leave readers shaking their heads in amazement at their preposterous reasoning.

As with earlier books in the series, there is a strong sense of place to show more anchor the telling of the tale and, as the story unfolds, the characters readers have come to expect to see all make their appearances. Eve and Roarke, now married almost a year, continue to grow in their relationship while Peabody and McNab are slowly feeling their way toward something more permanent. As with previous stories, the character development is a highlight of the narrative; there’s the requisite humor and an exquisitely-stinging rant from Eve when she’s confronted with police incompetence.

As with the earlier books, “Seduction” works as a stand-alone for readers new to the series while returning fans will find much to enjoy.

Highly recommended. show less

Actually I should rate this book 2.5.

This book is written by Nora Roberts under the pen name J. D. Robb. I pick it up only when I intend to read pulp fiction.

Detective Eve Dallas, a woman who has been victim of abuse in past, is usually the primary detective in J. D. Robb books. Year is 2050 - they have droids and AutoChefs - that take care of food and stuff.

There are other interesting characters - her aide Peabody who has a tumultous relationship with another handsome detective MacNab. There is Feeney who heads elab. Most of all, Roarke, her husband; it is indicated that once he had a criminal past. He is suave and rich and other than being Dallas's support system he does help her in her investigation with his vast resources of show more technology and information.

In this particular book, crime was an escalated form of date rape and women were dying. Crime procedures, victimology and criminal behavioral analysis - you find them all there. I have nothing to complain on that front.

My grouse was with too many romantic scenes between Detective Dallas and her husband, they seemed at times interrupting the narrative and taking focus away from crime. So, whenever the chicklit writer appears in J. D. Robb series - I take it as a let down. The book could have been 100 pages less to keep it gritty and fast-paced. show less

Seduction in Death by J. D. Robb is the thirteenth book in the In Death series. By this time, the series should come with trigger warnings because this is, once again, a truly disturbing story. Ms. Robb's date rape-murder investigation is not for the faint of heart. Not only are the murder scenes upsetting, but she spares no feelings when going into detail about what the victims experienced. It is intense.

I am beginning to really love watching Eve and Rourke working together. It makes them such a strong couple, but it also shows how much they complement each other. Roarke's technical abilities combined with Eve's street instincts are a formidable force, and I can't wait to see what they join forces on next.

Susan Erickson does it once show more again. It continues to amaze me how well she embodies each character. I always look forward to listening to these audiobooks. This is, in part, because of Ms. Robb and the stellar story I know I'm going to get, but also because of Ms. Erickson's performance. show less

Seduction in Death is the 13th book in the gritty, futuristic detective series featuring Eve Dallas and her husband, sexy billionaire Roarke. Eve and her team are after a serial killer who is meeting women through chat groups. He's targeting single women with poetry, flowers and romance before meeting them in person and slipping a lethal date rape drug into their cocktail. To add to the intrigue, it looks like there are two different killers working as a team, making it a game where each accumulates points.

All the usual secondary characters appear and there are some interesting changes in Peabody and McNab's fractured relationship. I always enjoy a cameo appearance by Mavis, Leonardo and Trina, who are tasked with disguising Eve, show more including fake boobs. Truly hilarious.

This series is an unconventional blend of science fiction, romance and police procedural which will appeal to fans of both mysteries and romance. It's definitely not a cozy mystery and the themes explored in the stories are pretty brutal. I enjoy seeing how Eve and Roarke continue to grow as a married couple. I am not very far into this unique series but it's definitely one I plan to continue. show less

Seduction in Death
4 Stars

Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is on the hunt for a serial killer who targets women in dating chatrooms, seduces them with roses and romance, and kills with a rare and deadly drug.

Once again the culprit is revealed at the start and the plot focuses on Eve following the clues with the help of her team. While the mystery is straightforward, the motivations are deeply disturbing and call to mind such cases as Leopold and Loeb as well as the Clutter family murders. There are also some very dark and brutal descriptions of the victims' last moments that some readers may find off-putting.

As with the previous books, the real highlight in the story is the character development. Peabody and McNab's volatile relationship show more comes to a head and Charles Monroe finally finds a woman who can look past his profession to the wonderful and caring man he truly is.

Roarke and Eve also have some lovely moments together as well as some laugh out loud ones.

All in all, another great installment and I look forward to the next one. show less

Seduction in Death is the 13th book in the gritty, futuristic detective series featuring Eve Dallas and her husband, sexy billionaire Roarke. Eve and her team are after a serial killer who is meeting women through chat groups. He's targeting single women with poetry, flowers and romance before meeting them in person and slipping a lethal date rape drug into their cocktail. To add to the intrigue, it looks like there are two different killers working as a team, making it a game where each accumulates points.

All the usual secondary characters appear and there are some interesting changes in Peabody and McNab's fractured relationship. I always enjoy a cameo appearance by Mavis, Leonardo and Trina, who are tasked with disguising Eve, show more including fake boobs. Truly hilarious.

This series is an unconventional blend of science fiction, romance and police procedural which will appeal to fans of both mysteries and romance. It's definitely not a cozy mystery and the themes explored in the stories are pretty brutal. I enjoy seeing how Eve and Roarke continue to grow as a married couple. I am not very far into this unique series but it's definitely one I plan to continue. show less

It is June in the year 2059 as the 13th book in this series, Seduction In Death by J. D. Robb begins. The latest potential crime scene is a New York city sidewalk where a body rests face down. At least, what is left of the person as the woman came down from high up the apartment tower. She could have fallen. She could have jumped. She could have been pushed. Hard to know anything at this point beyond the fact that she is very much dead.

What happened is the first order of business for Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Division and her team. Maybe there was a positive thing about being up and awake at nearly three am thanks to yet another childhood induced nightmare. Her sleep had not been interrupted by the call show more from dispatch.

Not only does Dallas and her aide, Peabody, have a witness from the building who saw the woman come crashing down, it is clear from the apartment that the formerly alive Bryna Bankhead was not alone in the moments before she died. Those facts, along with the fact that, according to the testing on scene, she died approximately 15 minutes before she was thrown away off the balcony means that Lieutenant Dallas is sure that it was a murder.

What follows is a complicated tale of lust, greed, and the need of some to play god with human lives just because they can. The year is 2059 and guns are outlawed, but folks still want to kill, and do so because they can and don’t value the lives of others. The technology is wonderful, but for many humans, the world is just as sick and screwed up as it is in this time.

As always, the read is graphic at times in terms of sex and crime scenes. The usual head hopping through multiple characters, often in the same paragraph, still happens. As also happens, this reader got swept along in the world of the complicated story and the story telling flaws fell away.

Another fun read in a very long running series.

My reading copy came from the Dallas Public Library System through the Overdrive/Libby app.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022 show less