BROTHERHOOD IN DEATH (IN DEATH #42)

Sometimes brotherhood can be another word for conspiracy...

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.

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Berkley Penguin Group

In Death #42

Review copy provided by publisher

I really don’t know how JD Robb continues to keep things fresh 42 books into the series, but she does and Brotherhood in Death is one of my favorites in the series.

I would love to say I don’t devour the In Death books as soon as they are in my hands, however that would be a lie. At some point maybe I’ll find a way to slowly read these books, but it so didn’t happen with Brotherhood in Death. I was pulled in from the very first page.

I have always adored Dennis Mira, Dr. Charlotte Mira’s husband. There is just something about his absent minded professor image that puled me in from the moment we first met him. I also think him being so sweet to Eve totally baffles her, and that makes me like him even more.

I loved that Eve immediately dropped everything to check on Dennis Mira when Dr. Mira called her. The fact that someone had attacked him made me so mad. Dennis Mira is the sweetest man on the face of the planet. When Eve realized his cousin, Edward Mira was attacked as well and missing, Eve knows they have limited time to find Edward alive.

I have to say when Edward’s body was found with the note “Justice Is Served”, I suspected right away it had something to do with a sex crime. As more of Edward’s friends started to disappear, I quickly realized it was way uglier than I had first envisioned and knew this would be a super hard case for Eve.

I love that Eve always has Peabody, Dr. Mira, and Roarke in her corner to deal with ugliness that makes her fall back into the nightmares of her past. Eve Dallas is hands-down the strongest character I’ve ever read. I loved that Eve didn’t want to have to interview Dennis Mira about his cousin’s death, but followed the rules to the letter so no one could say she didn’t follow procedure. I loved even more that he made her real hot chocolate and completely understood why she had to push so hard.

As the pieces started to fall together for Eve, we learn the sex crimes spanned years. This story had very tough subject matter to read since it involves not only rape, but gang rape of many women who were drugged. I really felt like Ms. Robb did a great job with such a tough subject matter.

As I’ve said before, I’ve always loved Dennis Mira, but when Eve shared her past with him thinking Dr. Mira had already shared it, I lost my heart to him completely. The Miras look at Eve as a part of their family and her pain is their pain. Seriously my love for Dennis Mira is only rivaled by my love for Roarke in this series.

While I understood the need to take justice into their own hands, only going through the actual court system could the men involved actually be punished. I love how hard Eve and her team worked to make sure the surviving men would face the harshest sentences possible for their crimes. Seriously bawled my eyes out reading what they did to those women. It also broke my heart for their family members to have to learn the type of men they truly were once their crimes came to life.

While Brotherhood in Death was a tough read at times, it also was one of the best stories in the series so far. I know picking up a series when there are 42 books in the series to date is a daunting task. However, I think it is totally worth the time to read this series. I’ve read each and every book, but have also listened to a few on audiobook, and find listening to audiobooks a great way to catch up on a series.