Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her mega millionaire hubby Roarke are back in the 42nd (yes, the 42nd!) novel in JD Robb’s In Death series. The fact Robb and our crime fighters are still going strong after 20 years is most certainly a testament to the consistency of Nora Roberts’ writing and her captivating (and slightly addictive)  characters.

Brotherhood in Death
by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #42
Published by Piatkus
on February 4th 2016
Source: Hachette Australia
Genres: Crime Fiction
ISBN: 034941078X, 9780349410777
Pages: 400

Goodreads

Edward Mira is a powerful man, with a lot of enemies. But when the former senator is violently abducted, Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects his kidnap is more personal than political. Someone is seeking justice; the bloodier the better.

Edward's cousin Dennis was injured during the abduction - and that makes things very personal for Eve and her husband Roarke. Dennis is a beloved friend, married to NYPSD's top profiler Charlotte Mira.

But as Eve delves deeper into the case, dark secrets emerge that could tear the family apart. Edward Mira has friends in high places - and they all seem to be hiding something. As her investigation takes a shocking turn, Eve finds that not all victims are innocent, and that some bonds are forged not in friendship, but in blood.

I’m like a kid in a candy shop when a new JD Robb comes out. I can’t wait to read it, though know it’ll be done and dusted in just a few hours.

I’ve talked before about the series as a whole and confessed (that) each and every In Death book is akin to a comfort read. A warm blanket I can throw around me when I most need it.

I’m completely up-to-date but have read most of the first dozen or so twice. At least.

In Brotherhood in Death, Robb again ensures there’s a good balance between the investigation at hand and the private lives of Eve and Roarke.

The main players (Eve, Roarke and Delia Peabody) continue to grow (as ‘people’) while still embodying the characters we know and love.

Her support cast remains strong and we get to see more of Dr Mira’s husband, Dennis, in this latest outing. Of course Eve looks on Charlotte and Dennis Mira fondly… the family she wishes she had and that’s all the motivation she needs to get involved with a case even though it’s not (initially, anyway) a murder investigation.

And there’s always something a little different on offer – from psychopathic killers to those trying to find justice, any way they can. And this book is very much about the latter, which means we’re reminded that Eve and her partner Peabody, will fight for the victims. No matter what.

Of course I was required to squint as I read through the sex scenes, lest they be burned into my brain…. but this was a doozy:

The world was heat and glory, and needs newly incited the moment they were met, hungers keenly sharpened the instant they were sated. p 168

And… for the first time (that I can remember) I felt Robb (via Eve) made a few leaps of logic that didn’t entirely make sense. I can’t say much here obviously (cos of the whole spoiler thing) but the first is related to Yale and the other, the discovery of a location near the end of the book.

But, as I’ve said before… these books are guilty pleasures. They’re well written, feature great characters and interesting plots. They’re kinda formulaic, but that’s okay. I know what to expect and – thanks to Robb – they deliver time and time again.

Brotherhood in Death by JD Robb is published in Australia by Hachette and available from 9 February 2016.

I received a copy of this book for review purposes.