Treachery In Death

Treachery in Death is the latest release by J.D. Robb. From the inside cover flap.~

Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a brutal, senseless crime-an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. And for the first time, Peabody is primary detective on the case, which means she has to get used to a new level of authority and responsibility. Good thing she learned the ropes from a master like Eve.

But after rounding up the perps, Peabody stumbles upon a trickier situation. Determined to start working out as hard as she grills suspects, she chooses to do it at the old, rarely used gym at Central. After a grueling workout, she squeezes into one of the narrow shower stalls, happy to have the place to herself. Just after she shuts the water off, the gym door clatters open-and while she cringes inside the stall, trying not to make a sound, Peabody overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. References are made to delivering product, and a house in the islands, and someone named Keener who’s supposed to look like an OD. It doesn’t take long for a naked and vulnerable Peabody to realize that both officers are crooked-guilty not just of corruption but of murder as well. Fortunately, the two clear out of the locker room without realizing there was a witness.

Eve Dallas may have trained Peabody well-but this is too dangerous for one person to take on alone. Now Peabody, Eve, and her husband, Roarke, must try to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down-knowing all the while that the two have already killed to keep their secret, and are no doubt willing to do it again.

I believe Treachery in Death is the 32^nd installment in JD Robb’s popular In Death series. I’m a huge fan of the In Death series. So much so that I buy the books in hardback the day they are released and usually stay up almost all night reading. This time, I was in the middle of judging a contest, so I had to wait over a week after the release date to read it. I loved Treachery in Death! Fans get the usual kick-ass Eve Dallas moments with this book, but the added bonus to me was seeing how far Peabody has come since she became Eve’s partner. Peabody holds her own in this book, especially when she is hiding in the shower while Garnet and Oberman discuss their business. With the help of Roarke, Feeney, McNab, Dr. Mira, Webster, and even the Commander, Eve and Peabody work to bring down a group of dirty cops.

I personally thought Treachery in Death was more like the early books in the In Death series. I liked that we got to see a bit of Mavis, Louise, and Nadine in this book. I really miss when Eve’s friends don’t appear in each book. Of course, there is such an amazing group of characters in this series, it must be hard to fit everyone in for each book. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, New York to Dallas, which is set to release on September 13, 2011. This will be the first time in the series that In Death will not appear in the title, and I’m hoping we will learn even more about Eve’s past in the next installment.