Random in Death (In Death, #58) by J.D. Robb 
Series: In Death #58
Published by Macmillan Audio on January 23, 2024
Genres: Crime Drama
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Length: 13 hrs 6 min
Source: Audible
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In the new crime thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling J.D. Robb, a small and easily concealed weapon wreaks havoc, and the killer is just a face in the crowd.
Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life.It’s the last night of her life.
Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle—and when his girlfriend Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.
After everyone on the scene is interviewed, lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern: Had any boys been harassing Jenna? Was she engaging in risky behavior or caught up in something shady? But there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.
And that worries Dallas. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.
This one was just creepy.
Lt. Eve Dallas is called to the scene of a murder of a 16-year-old girl. She was called there by the lead singer of Avenue A, Jake Kincaid. Jake and his band put on a show every year at the local venue for the younger crowd as a reminder of getting their first break when they were just teens themselves. Jake just stepped outside in the alley while the band took a quick break when the teenager came busting out the door clearly in distress and having problems breathing. Jake barely had time to call the MTs before the girl died in his arms.
She had complained to her friends that someone a jammed a needle into her arm before she walked away. The Lab found that the cause of death was an obscene mix of drugs, including pure heroin. The fact that the killer used a dirty needle didn’t make sense since the amount of heroin as well as other drugs insured that the victim wouldn’t live long enough to get her help let alone get an infection.
When another 17-year-old victim turns up at another concert, a girl with absolutely no connection to the first victim, Eve and Peabody fear that the murders are completely random making finding their killer before he choses his next victim may be impossible.
THOUGHTS:
This killer was as much creepy-weirdo as sick killer. I think the author spent as much time making up various futuristic slang for loser and creep as she did writing the story. Every teenager had another term for this killer. While he was so non-descript to rate a notice except they would see that his clothes were nerdy or out of place.
Because of the plot here, the overall story needs to rely heavily on a more door-to-door police investigation. There are a lot of witness testimony and a lot of time looking into the victims which turned out to be mostly useless information as the victims were random.
It was yet another story where the parents were floored by the absolute depravity of their kid who is clearly a sociopath.
I know that I am going to read all of these books as I am quite invested in this series but at #58, they aren’t all must reads.
