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Judgment in Death |
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 Judgment in Death byNora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb Berkley Publishing 368 pages, September 2000 ISBN 0425176304 Reviewed by PJ Nunn For many, future cop Lt. Eve Dallas and her enigmatic husband Roarke are as familiar as old friends. Although the series is rapidly approaching a dozen in number and the publishing dates are a mere six months apart, the quality doesn’t seem to be suffering. In fact, it may be improving. In this latest edition, Eve is confronted in the first few pages with the violent death of a bartender in a club called Purgatory, which is not surprisingly owned by Roarke. What is surprising is learning that the victim Taj was a fellow officer. With her faithful sidekick Peabody, she sets out to determine why Taj was moonlighting as a bartender and hiding the fact that he was a police officer by day. What she finds is enough to trouble even her hardboiled soul. Eve pursues the investigation in her usual relentless fashion, but things quickly go awry. Taj’s fellow officers from the 128th Precinct deeply resent that Eve is primary on the investigation. She soon learns it’s not just because they want to catch the person responsible for killing one of their own. There are secrets in the 128th – secrets someone would kill to keep. J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts has a multitude of loyal fans, mostly in the romance genre. The Eve Dallas series also bears her distinctive stamp and differs somewhat in style from more traditional mysteries. It is a delightful series nevertheless with all the right elements, and Judgment in Death is no exception. Along with taut action and suspense, the characters are believable and their interaction keeps the pace moving. Readers are left to guess whodunit to the end and the climax provokes a satisfied sigh. It’s refreshing to see the relationship between Dallas and Roarke evolving. Fans of the supporting cast may be a little disappointed that there’s little visibility for their favorite characters outside of the main storyline. There’ll be another book in six months. |
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