Casee‘s review of Obsession in Death (In Death Series #40) by J.D. Robb.
Eve Dallas has solved a lot of high-profile murders for the NYPSD and gotten a lot of media. She—and her billionaire husband—are getting accustomed to being objects of attention, of gossip, of speculation.
But now Eve has become the object of one person’s obsession. Someone who finds her extraordinary, and thinks about her every hour of every day. Who believes the two of them have a special relationship. Who would kill for her—again and again…
With a murderer reading meanings into her every move, handling this case will be a delicate—and dangerous—psychological dance. And Eve knows that underneath the worship and admiration, a terrible threat lies in wait. Because the beautiful lieutenant is not at all grateful for these bloody offerings from her “true and loyal friend.” And in time, idols always fall…
Don’t get me wrong, I love the In Death series. However, it was nice to see a book that affected Eve in a personal way. This wasn’t a tidy case that she could wrap up with her team. This was someone that was killing in her name, someone that somehow thought they were righting the wrongs for Eve. As usual, Eve tried to take her normal approach. She was looking for a killer. Her friends wouldn’t have that.
First, there was Roarke who wouldn’t let her push it away. There was a killer out that that had focused on Eve in a bizarre way, but that could turn on her at any moment. Peabody and Dr. Mira agree. Eve is not used to worrying about the safety of Roarke and her friends. I loved that there was more emotion than just a mystery that Eve solving a case with her civilian consultant, Roarke. Eve and Roarke have to work closer. Even her team in Homicide may be targets. Eve is on high alert and protecting everyone she loves is almost all she can think about.
Eve has not given her stalker the accolades they need from Eve and they are devastated. It wasn’t until the person attempts to attack their third victim that they get their first break. The stalker thought the person was home alone, but didn’t know that he was in a relationship that they were both trying to keep quiet for the moment. Though she stunned the man, the woman came after the person with a wine bottle. Hurt and panicked, the person retreated. After the stunned victim (a photographer) was stable, he told Eve that he’s not looking for a man, but a woman.
Eve and her team is still stumped because Eve knows that no one has been following her. The people that were killed insulted or came after her up to three years prior. Eve is at a loss. And she is never at a loss. There are just too many suspects. The only thing her and Peabody are starting to come around to is that the person they are looking for is possibly in law enforcement or previous law enforcement. Which still doesn’t whittle down the list much. Eve still isn’t afraid for herself. She’s afraid of the people she cares about. It makes her realize how many relationships she’s cultivated ever since she met and married Roarke. She was once alone, except for Mavis. Now she has all these other people that she has to protect. She’s baffled by how that happened. Reading how it goes through her head is pretty amusing.
It takes more work than usual, but they finally nail it down to one person. By this time, she has decided that she and Eve can be together forever. The climax of this book is fantastic. You could all but feel the tension and terror from the people outside of Homicide (I probably gave it away already). Eve, as usual saves the day, but this was the best save ever!
4.5 out of 5
Reading Order (Holy freaking cow!):
This book was published by G.P. Putnam and Sons. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
Thanks for great review. I was initially disappointed with Obsession…. but think I will reread it now with your observations in mind to see if I like it better the second time around.
I started reading this series last year – now that I’ve finished all the published stories I’m thinking about starting at the beginning again.