REVIEW: Missing In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Missing In Death (In Death, #29.5)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: November, 2009
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Rating: 8/10

Description: Investigating a woman's disappearance on a New York City ferry, Lieutenant Eve Dallas wonders...if she didn't jump, and she's not on board, then where in the world is she?

My Thoughts: This story originally appears in the anthology The Lost but in all honesty, I didn’t read the other stories. I usually don’t read anthologies because the stories are too short for my liking and don’t seem to satisfy. Also, they are usually part of a bigger series and they don’t seem to flow with the rest of the series they are a part of. But when it comes to Lieutenant Eve Dallas, Roarke, Peabody and the gang, a little bit of a story is better than nothing. I love this series so much and am so anal about reading the series in numerical order that I will overlook my rule about anthologies just so I can read these smaller stories.

Missing In Death provides a fast paced read with Dallas and Peabody investigating a disappearance of a tourist on the Staten Island Ferry. They, along with her family, fear the worst because the bathroom she was last seen going into is covered in blood and she’s vanished without a trace. Just as suddenly as she disappeared, she returns, with a bump on her head and no memory of what happened to her or where she has been. This is where the real mystery begins. Dallas and Peabody are diligently following the clues to find out whose blood is all over the bathroom and locate the body and track down the killer.

This was definitely not the best Eve Dallas installment for obvious reasons but I did enjoy the unexpected twist Eve confronts while she is on the killer’s trail. When the killer’s identity is established, Eve faces a moral and ethical dilemma that would be hard for anyone to deal with, but she does and quite effectively. Had this been a full length novel, I am positive it would have received a higher rating but at least I got my Roarke fix until I dive into the next one.