Innocent in Death by J.D. Robb #Mystery #BookReview

Lieutenant Eve Dallas hunts for the killer of a seemingly ordinary history teacher—and uncovers some extraordinary surprises—in this thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series.

Eve Dallas doesn’t like to see innocent people murdered. And the death of history teacher Craig Foster is clearly a murder case. The lunch that his wife lovingly packed was tainted with deadly ricin. And Mr. Foster’s colleagues, shocked as they may be, have some shocking secrets of their own. It’s Eve’s job to get a feel for all the potential suspects—and find out why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant…so innocent.

Someone Eve could easily picture dead is an old flame of her billionaire husband Roarke, who has turned up in New York and manipulated herself back into his life. Consumed by her jealousy—and Roarke’s indifference to it—Eve finds it hard to focus on the Foster case. But when another man turns up dead, she’ll have to keep in mind that both innocence and guilt can be facades…

Biography

J.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Leverage in Death, on sale September 2018, is the 47th entry in the series.

My Review

A twist you won’t see coming!

When elementary school teacher, Craig Foster is murdered in his own classroom, Lieutenant Eve Dallas has her work cut out for her. Why would anyone want to kill a seemingly well-liked man in such a horrendous way?

The suspects line up, but none with a clear motive. As Dallas uncovers a web of secrets in the expensive, private facility her focus is split by an old flame who has returned to Roarke’s life.

Frustrated with the case and jealous of the beauty making a play for her husband’s attention, anger boils over and drives Eve to the edge.

Roarke is momentarily caught up in the past when an old lover comes to town, but damn if he’ll apologise to Eve. After all, he’s done nothing to be ashamed of and she should trust him enough to know he would never betray their love.

Will this be the end of one of my favorite couples? Can Dallas overcome her feelings in time to stop a ruthless killer before they strike again?

There are so many layers to this story! I’ve gotten used to Roarke being Eve’s rock, her sanctuary against the nightmares and the technical, lock-picking wizard behind the successful investigations of her cases. But this time, Eve is left off-balance thanks to a real or perceived slight and she flounders.

The author does a superb job of taking us into a complicated, toxic combination of insinuation and jealousy and what that can do to two strong people who seem to have it all. Eve’s vulnerability grabbed my heart in this book and the juxtaposition of the murderer makes this a re-read for my bookshelf!

I give Innocent in Death 5+ lovely kisses- this is a must read!