Bonded in Death

In finishing BONDED IN DEATH, I have officially caught up on the entire series. I can't help but feel pretty smug about it, too. And this last one? Book number 60? It's pretty damn good. For her sixtieth Eve Dallas book, Ms. Robb gives us a greater picture of the Urban Wars and Somerset's past. I am especially curious to see how Somerset and Eve's relationship changes now that she has, again, put her life on the line to save him and his loved ones. They learn so much about each other in BONDED IN DEATH that I feel the relationship has to shift a bit. Time will tell.

If you ever want a tale about female empowerment, female spies, and good overcoming evil, BONDED IN DEATH gives you all of it. With a dash of spycraft in addition to her show more regular detective work, Eve proves once again that she is more than capable of handling whatever life throws her way. This time, she has some additional help from unlikely places in proving that women get the job done. After sixty books, many a murderer has run up against Eve and lost. But this murderer and this story are particularly satisfying to watch unfold. Satisfying and inspiring. You can do worse than use Eve Dallas for inspiration to take on your demons. Even after all this time, she remains a fierce example of female capability and achievement with absolutely no bullshit. show less

Good one, back to old form with a good story. I've always enjoyed how the history in this worldbuilding has never been explicit, but built up in bits and pieces and largely left to the reader to infer. So, I was a little worried this book would go too far, but I think it holds up - adding a few large pieces, yes, but not too many.

Sixty books!!! I fell in love with this series with the first book – was that about 30 years ago (OMGoodness)? Each book since has been filled with exciting, breath-holding action, outstanding plots (this writer has an exceptional imagination), wonderful and formidable characters, wit and humor, and yes – a romance for the ages. No, this isn’t a romance book, but the relationship between Eve and Roarke outshines any romance book I have ever read.

Listening to the audiobooks is always a MUST for me because the narrator, Susan Ericksen, nails it every time. Her unique voice for each character brings them to life in a way no one else could – and she has narrated every book in the series. She IS Eve Dallas; She IS Roarke; She IS show more Peabody; She IS Feeney; She IS Mavis; Well, you get it – and the way she says “Darlin’ Eve” as Roarke will curl your toes and send shivers down your spine. I hope Susan Ericksen and J.D. Robb continue this series for at least another 60 books!

One of the things I love about the series is the character development – no cardboard, caricature characters to be found. We’ve always known there were many things hidden in Summerset’s past because we’ve seen glimpses of them. Bonded In Death gives us a closer look at Summerset during the Urban Wars when he was young. Those times have come back to haunt Summerset and the group of twelve patriots with whom he served – and it is up to Eve to find the enemy who is determined to pick them off one by one.

Robb quickly pulls us into the story with the murder of Giovanni Rossi who was a warm, loving, family man. Rossi was falsely lured to the US and was then murdered with a nasty, old-fashioned weapon from wars past. As the investigation continues, Eve realizes this particular murderer is determined to take out all of his targets – and he doesn’t care how much collateral damage he inflicts to do so. Eve is equally determined to protect the citizens of New York, Summerset and his group, and apprehend a very nasty villain.

This is one of my favorite books of the series – and I can easily say that because I have just re-listened to the first 59 books and they are all fresh in my mind. Overall, it is an exciting, breath-holding, tale filled with twists and action-filled turns that will keep you Flippin’ Pages as fast as you can read! This is a long series and to thoroughly enjoy the characters and their growth, you must read from the beginning. However! I fully believe you can jump in at any point in the series – but – you’ll quickly realize you WANT to go back and read all of those earlier books. So, if you haven’t tried the series (WHAT!!) jump in – and then you can use the time between this book and the 61st (coming in September) to read the first books in the series.

The publisher provided a complimentary digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. show less

Book Review: Bonded in Death
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: J.D. Robb. @jdrobbauthor
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press @stmartinspress
Thank you to the Publisher for my gifted copy.

J.D. Robb’s Bonded in Death is a gripping addition to the In Death series, bringing an intense murder case that unearths secrets from the past. When Giovanni Rossi arrives in New York, he doesn’t survive the car ride from the airport. With an untraceable method of murder and no immediate suspects, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is left frustrated—until the case leads back to the Urban Wars of the 2020s.

The shocking revelation? Rossi was once part of The Twelve, a secret group operating in war-torn Europe. Even more surprising—so was Summerset, Roarke’s show more fiercely loyal and ever-grumpy major-domo. With a cryptic message from the killer revealing that all former members are being hunted, Eve must race against time to stop a ruthless assassin before Summerset becomes the next victim.

The novel excels at weaving past and present, with smooth flashbacks revealing Summerset’s hidden history. Robb’s signature sharp dialogue, fast-paced investigation, and dynamic character interactions keep the tension high. Eve’s reluctant but undeniable concern for Summerset adds emotional depth, making this case feel even more personal.

With suspense, action, and strong character moments, Bonded in Death is a standout installment that long-time fans will love. Highly recommended!

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A man arrives in New York to meet an old friend and instead finds himself killed in a horrible way. Eve catches the murder and before long realizes that she has a personal connection to the murder - the killer left a copy of her card and as it turns out a bit later, the friend was Summerset.

There had been previous novels in the series that had touched on Summerset's live before he moved to New York and this one adds on top of them. Once upon a time he was a spy and a part of a group of spies, called The Twelve, who fought in the Urban Wars. So was the killer and a few people we had already met before in previous installments. And now the killer, who once betrayed them all, is on the hunt to eradicate the whole group. There is just one show more problem - that cannot be true because the traitor is dead. Well, supposedly anyway. Eve Dallas is not convinced and stakes pretty much everything on her early theory.

Eve going with her gut is not really new but it seemed to be kicked to another level here. We knew that she will be right but we had information she did not have (plus it would not have been even half as satisfying if she was wrong). And yet, it bugged me a bit. And for half of the novel I expected the author to actually take another way. Maybe in another novel.

We see a lot less from the usual cast of secondary characters (although most of them make an appearance) because we get to meet the Twelve (or what remains of them) and here a lot more about the Urban Wars. That was refreshing - while I really like the usual crowd, their quirks were getting a bit too familiar and a bit too annoying at times.

By the end, there is blood (of course), there is a final showdown and the smirk on the lips of the villain is summarily wiped out, in Eve Dallas style.

A solid installment - even with my misgivings about the too narrow early focus of the investigation, it is a good series book. May be a bit too thin on characterization for new readers though - but 60 books into a series, that is almost inevitable when you allow your characters to grow and evolve through the installments. But that's why I keep coming for more - they feel like family and the books feel like coming home. show less

3.5 stars. Bonded in Death's prologue is a flashback to a meeting of The Twelve, a disparate group of underground spies operating during the fabled Urban Wars that predated the In Death series by four decades. The character introductions felt like the beginning of a classic Nora Roberts paranormal Good vs. Evil trilogy (e.g., The Circle, Sign of Seven, The Guardians). So I was not surprised when Roarke's perpetually disapproving butler Summerset turns out to have a connection to the murder victim, who was once The Twelve's cyber expert. But while the killer's motives are indeed related to the Urban Wars, the remaining members of The Twelve are curiously sidelined during the investigation. Of course this is an Eve Dallas case, but it show more felt like a crime to minimize these aging but still intriguing warriors in favor of another one of Jenkinsons' ugly ties and more Peabody/McNabb house porn. I hope we will see them again, perhaps in a spinoff prequel series (doubtful).

But overall, In Death #60 is another solid entry. My reading tastes have changed a lot in 30 years, but this series has held my interest through thick and thin. There's nobody like Nora, and I stand in awe of her achievements. show less

I don’t know how she does it, but Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, keeps coming up with unique and satisfying plots in this futuristic series. This one, #60, has Eve Dallas and her cohort facing off with a war criminal.

As always, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her gazillionaire husband, Roarke, do what it takes to track and capture a man whose obsession is to destroy a group of men and women who were active in the long ago Urban Wars. The Twelve, as they are called, are old and retired now, but the traitor (he was once one of them) wants retribution.

I really enjoy this series and always look forward to a new book. The characters are almost like old friends and I love reading about each of them and their personal lives as they all do show more their thing helping Eve with whatever case she’s on. Sometimes Eve is just a little too much, rude and snarky, socially inept at times, and yet she still is a good leader of her cop team. Oh yeah, where can we all find a guy like Roarke? Doesn’t exist, but it’s nice to imagine such a man.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book - both ARCs provided by the publishers. I enjoy the voice of the narrator, Susan Ericksen, who has narrated most of these in the series. She’s got great accents and shifts between characters with different tone and voice making them sound distinctly separate. I find that a good audio production often enhances my enjoyment of a book and that was definitely true in this case. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I’ll never understand how this series has not been made into some sort of television adaptation as its popularity continues. show less