The Sunday Times bestselling series is back with a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil.
Mina Rose Cabot, age thirteen, disappeared walking home from soccer practice in Devon, Pennsylvania.
Eight months later her body is found in Battery Park, New York, speared through the chest by a three-inch piece of wood. Lt. Eve Dallas knows that whoever took Mina is responsible for her death.
But who took her and where has Mina been for eight long months?
This is book #55 (yes, that’s not a typo) in the Eve Dallas series, written by legendary superstar author Nora Roberts. Nora is a prolific author of romance and family dramas under her own name, as well as crime fiction under the pseudonym J.D. Robb. She’s written over 250 books and shows no sign of slowing down – this is the second JD Robb novel we’ve reviewed this year alone. Unlike many big, bestselling authors, Nora writes all her own books. I give this background because reading her work is a masterclass in writing. You would think that by book #55 Robb would be struggling to keep the series fresh. But nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, she’s managed to deliver one of her best thrillers in years. The opening chapter of Desperation in Death is deeply disturbing and sets the tone for this tightly-plotted thrill ride.
Teenager Mina has been missing for eight months before she turns up dead. The opening chapter – no spoilers here – show us where she was and how she was killed. We’re also introduced to another troubled teen, Dorian, who has been missing for a year, although her mother has failed to report this.
Enter Eve Dallas, a tough-as-nails detective who never misses a beat. Robb knows how to craft a gripping police procedural, and this is one of her best. She doesn’t pander to trigger warnings or skirt around uncomfortable issues, such as the victim’s age and death. If anything, the matter-of-fact police conversations make this easier to read. And let’s be clear, this novel covers some uncomfortable themes around trafficking and child abuse. It might not be for everyone. However, I’m usually the first to steer clear of these subjects in favour of something lighter, but with J.D. Robb, you know you’re in good hands. I couldn’t put this down. It’s a well-crafted story that had me tearing through the pages to the explosive end.
J.D. Robb never fails to deliver. But this time, she’s outdone herself.
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