Indulgence in Death - J. D. Robb

When a murder disrupts the Irish vacation she is taking with her husband, Roarke, Eve realizes that no place is safe--not an Irish wood or the streets of the manic city she calls home. But nothing prepares her for what she discovers upon her return to the cop shop in New York City. . . .

A driver for a top-of-the-line limousine service is found dead--shot through the neck with a crossbow. The car was booked by an executive at a venerable security company whose identity had been stolen. Days later, a stunning, high-priced escort is found killed at Coney Island, a bayonet stuck in her heart. And again, the trail leads to a CEO whose information has been hijacked. 

With a method established, but no motive to be found, Eve begins to fear that she has come across that most dangerous of criminals, a thrill killer, but one with a taste for the finer things in life--and death. Eve does not know where or when the next kill will be, or that her investigation will take her to the rarefied circle that Roarke travels in--and into the perverted heart of madness. . . . 

Title: Indulgence in Death (In Death #31)

Author: J. D. Robb

Genre: Adult Fiction, Futuristic, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons

Publication Date: November 2, 2010

Source: Received from publicist. Many thanks goes to Laura from Penguin Canada for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

My rating: 4/5 

Eve Dallas is back in this, the latest installment in the In Death series. She and her husband, Roarke, are spending some quality time together on vacation while visiting Roarke's family. While in Ireland, she stumbles over a body in the woods. Though she can't officially participate in the case, she does help the officer in charge, and he wraps up the case quickly and efficiently. With Eve and Roarke's vacation coming to an end, they make their way back to New York City, and find themselves walking into a disturbing case. With bodies piling up in increasingly odd, and unusual ways, it'll take everything Eve has to find the person responsible, and put him behind bars, before the body count escalates any further. 

I'm a huge fan of this series, and appreciate the fact that it is set up so that each book can be read as a stand alone novel. This is one of those rare series that I've never actually read in order, and I never feel like I'm missing anything by reading it out of order. All of the characters are introduced or re-introduced in each installment, and I enjoy reading about the various situations that they find themselves in with each book, no matter how random the order I read them.

This book showcases the evolving relationship between Eve and Roarke, especially at the beginning while they are on vacation. Eve seems more open to trying things outside of her comfort zone, like vacationing in the countryside with Roarke's family, or suggesting they throw a dinner for friends. If you know Eve, you know she is all about her job, and Roarke is the one who usually has to drag her away from work to functions that aren't work related. 

With Eve just back from vacation, the pace picks up quickly, and we find her involved in a bizarre case almost immediately. She utilizes Roarke to bounce ideas off of him, as she does with Peabody, and seems to have a good idea of who is behind the murders. With Eve looking back into the suspect's sordid past, a startling pattern begins to emerge. Hopefully she will be able to build a solid case against the killer before he strikes again. 

All in all, another solid and well-plotted book. Though the identity of the killer is unmasked early on, it is a race against time to see if Eve can pull together all of the evidence she needs to stick him behind bars before he kills again. Fans of the In Death series will love this installment, especially Eve's ill at ease outlook on shrubs and country life. With plenty of intrigue, and a sick and twisted villain, this one will definitely keep the reader invested in the outcome.