Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: February, 2016
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Urban Fantasy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Dennis Mira just had two unpleasant surprises. First he learned that his cousin Edward was secretly meeting with a real estate agent about their late grandfather’s magnificent West Village brownstone, despite the promise they both made to keep it in the family. Then, when he went to the house to confront Edward about it, he got a blunt object to the back of the head.
Luckily Dennis is married to Charlotte Mira, the NYPSD’s top profiler and a good friend of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the two arrive on the scene, he explains that the last thing he saw was Edward in a chair, bruised and bloody. When he came to, his cousin was gone. With the mess cleaned up and the security disks removed, there’s nothing left behind but a few traces for forensics to analyze.
As a former lawyer, judge, and senator, Edward Mira mingled with the elite and crossed paths with criminals, making enemies on a regular basis. Like so many politicians, he also made some very close friends behind closed—and locked—doors. But a badge and a billionaire husband can get you into places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate . . . and a new case that no one saw coming.
My Thoughts: Oh Em Gee! Just when you think this series has pulled out all the surprises and maybe it’s time to give Eve and the Scooby Gang a break for a change, the powers of brilliance in the great imagination of the talented J.D. Robb says “Oh no, you ain’t seen nothing yet!” Insert evil mwah ha ha ha here…
I thought with a story featuring the wonderful Dennis Mira as the central character would be a slow paced story, like Dennis is a comfort to Eve, with fuzzy sweaters, scents of pipe tobacco and hot chocolate. I thought (smacking forehead here) that this would be a soft shuffle of a story, as Lord knows Eve and the gang work awful hard and could use a bit of a rest. This story peels back layer upon layer that opens a depraved and twisted world to Eve filled with people who have gotten away with horrific acts…until now. I’m shocked Eve and her gang haven’t been committed to an asylum yet or undergoing intense therapy by now. One of the things I love about the characters in this series is their uncanny ability to do the job and do it well while maintaining their perspective of the world around them and keeping it real with a great balance of humor and sarcasm.
This story is definitely not black and white when coming to the identity of the villain. I had a lot of empathy for the characters who found themselves cast in this role, but like Eve, felt that justice still needed to be served. Eve often finds herself in the position of having to make some very hard decisions, but I admire her strength of character and integrity and how hard she works to keep it separate from her personal feelings.
My only negative issue with this story was no Mavis, Leonardo or Bella. Hopefully, they will make an appearance in the next book to add a little color to the mix.
My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this book. It’s keeper-shelf material for me, as are most of the books in this series. I always look forward to what Eve gets into next and watching her grow as a character in a variety of situations is highly entertaining.
