Conspiracy in Death by J.D. Robb

Books Read: 42
Completion Date: March, 2007
Publication Year: 2003
Pages: 400
Purchased Prior to 2007
Part of the In Death series

The #1 New York Times bestselling series featuring police lieutenant Eve Dallas.

New York City's most vulnerable citizens fall victim to a ruthless serial killer.

The pursuit of a serial killer leaves Eve Dallas's job on the line.

This is another buddy review with me and Marg from Reading Adventures. I am in blue, she is in black.

Conspiracy in Death is following on from Midnight in Death if you read the short stories, or Holiday in Death if you do not. It is still the winter months, as snow is mentioned several times through the course of the book, there is even one scene where Dallas and Roarke make snowpeople! Very cute little scene. Anyways, so a few weeks have passed since the last time Eve found herself in trouble, and she is on the move again.

This is the story of a very unusual case for Dallas. She responds to the death of a street sleeper, not exactly the high profile case that Eve normally finds herself on, but this is Eve and she speaks for the dead. She is determined to put this murderer to rest, and when other similar cases start popping up, she finds that she has a lot of dead to speak for. Only she did not bargain with the power of the murderer, he knows how to push the right buttons and take away the thing that Eve needs most.

For me the most interesting part of this novel was the effect on Eve when there was a chance that she could no longer be a police officer. It was very emotional to read this strong woman basically falling apart as the thing that she thinks makes her who she is taken away from her. There have been times in the earlier novels where we have seen Eve's feelings hurt, but this time it was more than that, it was a complete collapse that Roarke had to try and fight both for her and with her. This book is a growing book for Eve. She had a troubled childhood, and being a cop is the way that she has rose above her past. To Eve, her badge is who she is. If Roarke was not also a part of her life, it would be hard to see her surviving this aspect of her life, but Roarke knows the buttons to push to get her back up kicking butt.

I think it was interesting that the author chose to use Eve's professionalism as a police officer against her in this novel, especially in relation to the inept policewoman who makes the allegations against Eve. I have to admit that when a young policeman called Troy Truelove entered the story, I actually thought that he was going to be a murder victim, but in the end it didn't happen! I guess it doesn't mean to say that he won't make appearances in future books! Troy Truelove is a pretty funny name to include, but it offered a laugh. It was interesting for this book to show attacks on Eve's methods because she has been on the job something like eleven years, and this is the first time anything has ever happened to mark her record. It is hard when you reach the top and people resent you for it. I think Eve wrestled with a lot through this book.

This was very much an interesting book to read. In the other books, Eve might have her problems, but she is always at the top. In this book, she finds herself a very different one, and we see her grow as a person. It is impressive to see just how close she has come to the people that she works and interacts with after spending so much of her life alone and fighting to survive. This book is a typical Eve Dallas book, but at the same time, it more sentimental and inspiring than previous ones.

I look forward to reading the next one.

Rating: 4/5

4.5/5

To read the other books reviewed in this series, click the titles below:
Naked in Death
Vengeance in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Holiday in Death