Treachery In Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Putnam
Released: February 22, 2011
Genre: Futuristic Romantic Suspense/Police Procedural

The latest installment in the In Death series, Treachery in Death takes a slight detour from the formula of past books, and in doing so explores the aspect of Eve's "why" more deeply. A murder does kick off the investigation, but Eve and her team investigate fellow cops - dirty cops who have not only skimmed profits but also killed weasels and other cops. Because Eve confronts a cop who is a disgrace to the badge, she re-examines her own reasons, and all her team's reasons, for being a cop. I really like that part of this. It makes for some open-hearted moments between Eve and Peabody, between Eve and Roarke, between Eve and Whitney.

The humor, the sarcasm - it's all there, but tempered this time because the subject hits so close to home - by now, not just for the characters, but for the readers who have come to identify with all the characters. One thing that's there that I felt like - oh, come on, not again - was that once again Eve uses herself as bait and puts herself in death's way. That's something I think we could do without by now. Thankfully, Roarke didn't react too strongly this time, so the whole setup was over quickly.

I sped through the book, because it's made for speeding! Every step of the investigation is clear, without being "dumbed down" in any way, so there's just the right mix of being able to follow what's going on and being kept in suspense as to what will happen next.