Review: Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

Reviewer: Holly
Kindred In Death by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #29
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, Immortal in Death, New York to Dallas, Celebrity in Death, Brotherhood in Death, Fantasy in Death
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: November 3rd 2009
Genres: Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
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Series Rating:

When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

 

This book started out slow for me. I can’t say for sure if it was the book or just a personal issue with me, but it did pick up after the first quarter or so.

I think one of the problems I’m having with the series lately is that Eve is mellowing out. She’s still kick-ass, but she’s losing her hard edge. That’s ok, because I definitely want to see her grow and change. But it kind of takes something away from the stories, too.

My other problem with some of her more recent books are the lack of strife between Eve and Roarke. Some of the best In Death novels are the ones where Eve and Roarke have to deal with personal issues between them. Watching them find their way with each other is both fascinating and exciting. Not that I don’t love the support and comfort they offer each other, but I think their relationship is more real to me when they’re having problems, only because that’s how it is in real life. Still, I do know they can’t fight all the time.

The case was interesting and I enjoyed watching Eve puzzle through it. One of the best things about these novels is watching her walk through the murders in her mind and get inside the killer. The murder in question was of the more brutal variety. The rape and murder of a 16-year-old cop’s daughter was sad and horrifying. This is an area I believe Robb truly excels in. She writes the mysteries in a believable and engaging way – I could actually see the crime scene in my head, and felt like I was working the investigation right along with Eve and her team. This was the strongest part of the novel for me.

The usual cast of secondary characters was present – Summerset, Mavis, Louise, Charles, Nadine, Peabody, McNab, Baxter, Trueheart – but I felt their interaction and screen time was lacking. Generally they’re an integral part of the story, but in this case they seemed almost like filler. This especially disappointed me because Charles and Louise’s wedding is in this book. Since Eve is matron of honor, I expected much more conflict from her over her duties, and much more interaction from the other secondary characters.

Overall this was better than one or two of her more recent entries, but it wasn’t as good as many of the early ones. As I mentioned on Twitter earlier this week, the last few books – this one included – were good, just not In Death good.

3.75 out of 5

This book is available from Penguin. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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