Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted September 11, 2013 by Lucy D in Book Reviews, Romance / 8 Comments

Thankless in Death (In Death, #37)


Congratulations to our giveaway winner: Katie.


ORDER A COPY: Thankless in Death

Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publishing Date: September 17, 2013
Hardcover: 402 pages

Rating: 4 stars


Lieutenant Eve Dallas has plenty to be grateful for this season. Hosting Roarke’s big Irish family for the holiday may be challenging, but it’s a joyful improvement on her own dark childhood.

Other couples aren’t as lucky as Eve and Roarke. The Reinholds, for example, are lying in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned—and heartbroken by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son. Twenty-six-year-old Jerry hadn’t made a great impression on the bosses who fired him or the girlfriend who dumped him—but they didn’t think he was capable of this.

Turns out Jerry is not only capable of brutality but taking a liking to it. With the money he’s stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Eve and her team already know the who, how, and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry’s going to strike next.


Lt. Eve Dallas is thankful to be ending year with a few quiet days. Time to catch up on some paperwork and get ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Roarke’s family from Ireland is on their way in and with some of Eve and Roarke’s friends, there will be a full house this holiday.

Eve is very thankful for those friends and family since it was not too long ago that her work was all that she had at the end of the day.

She is thankful to have a partner who she would go through any door with and know that she always has Eve’s back. Eve found Peabody as a green officer at a crime scene and saw the potential in her to make a good murder cop. Taking Delia Peabody under her wing was one of the best decisions Eve ever made. Now a Detective and Eve’s partner, Peabody has a soft touch with witnesses and the families of the deceased and even though she hates always being good cop to Eve’s bad cop, together they take down the bad guys.

Eve is thankful that she was given that same opportunity by her trainer and mentor Capt. Ryan Feeney and that Eve has the support of Commander Whitney to trust Eve to do her job and lead her team in the Homicide Division.

Eve is especially thankful to go home each night to the loving arms of her husband Roarke. She lucked out to find a man who could understand her so well and who always has time for her even while buying up everything in the known universe. It is his love and attention that keeps NYPSD’s top cop eating and sleeping and able to focus on the hard job of keeping NYC safe.

But not everyone is thankful this holiday season. Jerry Reinhold has finally snapped. He has had enough of everyone telling him what to do; his parents, his girlfriend, his bosses. They never treat him with the respect that he deserves. They always want him to do things, work harder, hold a job, nag, nag, nag. When his parents threaten to toss him on the street, just like his girlfriend did, if he doesn’t go find a job, that was the last straw. Now, Jerry’s making a list of everyone who has crossed him and they’re going to learn that he is a man to be respected and they will respect him, at least until he kills them.

Luck has been on Jerry’s side so far and he has been able to stay one step ahead of Eve and Peabody. This time they know who they are looking for and what he looks like, but with a hit list a mile long, they don’t who Jerry is going to go for next.

THOUGHTS:
I am a big fan of the In Death series and love all the characters and the dynamics. I also love watching some of J.D. Robb’s futuristic gadgets become commonplace in today’s work, like the PPC is today smartphone, etc.

This was a good story. At No. 37 in the series, it won’t go up on my top 10 list of In Death books, but it was an interesting investigation and the personal relationships were featured in this story. There was a definite underlining of “be grateful for what you have” featured here.

As long as Nora Robert’s want to write about Eve and Roarke, I will definitely be reading them.

Received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.


Favorite Scene:

To save time, steps, and to be sure, he stepped to the in-house board. “Where is Eve?”

EVE IS CURRENTLY ON THE ROOF TERRACE, EAST SECTOR.

Odd, he thought. It wasn’t the last place he’d expect,but it ranked high. Curious, he crossed to the elevator. “Roof terrace, east,” he ordered.

He doubted she’d gone up there to take in the view or the fresh air. His wife did little without specific purpose—especially when a case was hot. Just how did all this play into her case? he wondered. Something to do with height perhaps, or the view did play in and she needed that perspective and the scope to find something. Or…

He stepped out into the flowers, candlelight, the soft warmth and sparkle of crystal, and his mind went momentarily and uncharacteristically blank.

“Hey.” she shot him a distracted look. “I’ve just about got it.”

“Do you?” Bemused, and rapidly flipping through his mental calendar, he walked to her. “And what’s all this?”

“It’s dinner.”

She’d surprised him like this once before, he recalled, and had been wearing a red dress meant to be peeled off. A little different, this, he thought if his sense of things was on target. but just as lovely.

“Are we celebrating?”

“No. Well, maybe sort of.”

“You closed the case? The double homicide you caught this morning?”

“No. It’s…there’s stuff, but when I was thinking about the stuff, and how I wanted to bounce it all off you, I got this Peabody date night stuck in my brain.”

“We’re having a date with Peabody? I get two alluring women? Lucky me.”

She spared him one quick glance through narrowed eyes. “You got me, and that’s it, pal.”

“Thank God for it.” He cupped her face, leaned in for a soft, sweet kiss. “We’re having a date?”

“Not exactly. I can’t do the big D date thing where you shove all the stuff outside, but I thought I could pay you back a little for all the stuff. Nicer than pizza in my office.”

He looked at her for such a long, still moment, she feared she’d screwed something up. Then he pulled her in, wrapped around her, held tight. Tight.

“Thank you.”

“It’s not that big a thing.”

“It is to me, and especially tonight.”

“What’s tonight?” Shit, did she forget something? She pulled back, focused fully on his face. No, something else. “Did you have a thing mess up in the Universe of Roarke?”

He smiled at her, tapped the dent in her chin. “You could say.”

“What?”

“Not important, especially since I see we have champagne.”

“No.” She shifted before he could walk past her. “You take my stuff. I’ll take yours.”

He trailed a hand down her arm, over the soft sleeve of her sweater. “Marriage Rules?”

“That’s right.”

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8 responses to “Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb

  1. Katie

    Naked in Death will always be my favorite. It pulled me into Eve and Roarke’s world all those years ago and introduced me to characters which have become family.

  2. Survivor in Death is my favorite. It shows a part of Eve that she rarely lets out. The whole book was emotion, exciting, and heartwarming. Every time I read it, I cry at the morgue scene.
    Thanks for the chance to win.
    koonie2888 at yahoo dot com

  3. Jordan R.

    I listened to all the In Death books back to back over about a 6 month period, so I honestly don’t remember which book is which! But I love Eve and Roarke and Peabody, and I was rather bereft when I caught up to the end of the series. This is the first In Death book I’ve had to wait for since starting the series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

  4. mitra

    Naked in death is favourite of mine. Introduced us to Eve & Roarke, there past life, personality and love.

  5. While I think Interlude is my favorite In Death story only because it was the first one I read, my favorite book is always the last one I finished (re)reading and that is Treachery In Death.

    Still have 4 days, 3 books & 1 story to go so it’ll probably change.

    Thanks for the chance to win your extra copy!

  6. I don’t know which one is my favorite. Maybe Fantasy In Death, which I teased last week. Or maybe the one with the clones, which I loved.

    Also, thanks for the excerpt (sweet!!!) And thanks for the giveaway.