I’d dropped off a new release email listing so missed the 54th book in JD Robb’s In Death series. It’s the only one I’ve not read so far, as the series is a no-brainer must-read for me. I plan – on retirement (or similar) – to sit down and re-read one book after the other. I’ve mentioned before (many times) that Robb (ie. Nora Roberts) sets the books over a short amount of time and almost no time passes in and between books.

So, even though I’d missed one book in the series I assumed I hadn’t missed any big events which seemed to be the case. Though I gather the theme of the previous book and this one – are both a little close to home for Lieutenant Eve Dallas given her wretched beginnings.

Desperation in Death
by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #55
Published by Hachette AU
on 06/09/2022
Source: Hachette Australia
Genres: Crime Fiction, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780349430287
Pages: 356

Goodreads

New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear--because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

The opening of this book – its content I guess – was far darker than I remember from others in the series. Particularly because it relates to a school called the Pleasure Academy and young teens being subjected to… ‘Intimacy’ practice. It’s kinda like a finishing school but the girls are sold into slavery instead. It’s distasteful sure, but Robb (as usual) handles it with great pragmatism and Dallas with typical anger and hostility.

I actually found the opening scenes quite moving and was a bit teary, which isn’t something I’m used to experiencing with this series. Either way this book is certainly one of my favourites in the series for some time. Robb’s plotting felt fresh, again offering us something different. God only knows how she does it after so many books. But I was hooked and read it in a comfortable sitting. There are limited ways in which this story can unfold and I liked that I liked that Robb underplays the conclusion rather than go with something more cliched or overly obvious.

Desperation in Death by JD Robb was published in Australia by Hachette and is now available.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.