Book Review: Eve Dallas on another case (J.D. Robb)

From Oklahoman NewsOK --

Book Review: Eve Dallas on another case --

fiction‘Promises in Death’ is latest in mystery series --
Published: March 22, 2009 --

Lt. Eve Dallas must crack a case with deeply personal ramifications in "Promises in Death,” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95), the 28th book in J.D. Robb’s best-selling futuristic romance/suspense series.

When Dallas, a canny New York City homicide investigator, and her stalwart partner Detective Peabody arrive on a murder scene, they discover the victim is a fellow cop: Detective Amaryllis Coltraine, who recently transferred from Atlanta.

Coltraine also was the lover of Chief Medical Examiner Li Morris, one of Dallas’ close friends.

Vowing to catch the killer, Dallas navigates the choppy emotional waters of helping a friend through grief and investigating the resentful cops on Coltraine’s squad.

The case takes an unexpected turn when Dallas uncovers a link between Coltraine and Max Ricker, the cruel crime lord whom Dallas and her multibillionaire computer-whiz husband, Roarke, put in prison.

The mystery isn’t as strong as the last "In Death” novel, "Salvation in Death.” But "Promises in Death” delves deeper into the emotional growth of Dallas and Roarke, who both were abused as children and still struggle to form close bonds. Dallas must deal with her husband’s fear that she will someday die on the job.

The book gets comic relief in Dallas’ efforts to host a bridal shower/bachelorette party and buy a proper wedding gift for her pal Dr. Louise Dimatto. The festivities unite many of the series’ beloved secondary characters for the kind of girly-girl fun Dallas cannot abide.

In her "In Death” series, Robb (pen name for romance writer Nora Roberts) keeps bringing to life her colorful characters in New York City circa 2060.

— Brandy McDonnell