Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb (In Death #35)
Futuristic Romantic Suspense
Released: September 11, 2012
Penguin

It’s become a tradition around here for Claire aka Roarke lover extraordinaire to guest review the In Death books. Claire…take it away. (Visit Claire’s Blog).

BOOK THIRTY FIVE! And still the In Death series by J.D. Robb is in an exceptional category all of its own. ‘Delusion in Death‘ brings one of the most terrifying murder cases for Eve Dallas and her team of cops, IT geeks, psychologists and civilian consultants. When faced with a total of 120 plus dead and the ones who brought the horrific brutal death and carnage are all those people inside the bar, seemingly turning on each other in unprovoked bloody acts. Eve discovers it was a lethal cocktail of drugs unleashed into the air that within the space of 15 minutes all hell is let loose, a little headache and then you’re clawing the eyes out of the person across the table from you,  seeing their worst nightmares in vivid hallucinations come to fruition. Dallas and her team have to move fast, while keeping it from the media, to discover who this clever mass murderer is, and why he’d cruelly let loose this kind of terror into the public domain, before it’s airborne in New York and there’s an unstoppable blood bath.

From a superfan’s perspective, Delusion in Death is a case heavy with a few smatterings of character driven sections. I like that J.D. Robb switches it up each book, it never becomes stale or has you wishing for something different. As a crime book, this story will have you hooked from page one. It’s painted evocatively, from witnessing the actual events unfold, the sudden rage and violence taking place, to Eve’s steely calm POV and her utter determination to get this guy.

Throughout, I held my breath knowing how Robb likes a twist and dreading the moment Eve or (my beloved) Roarke would be exposed to this deadly mix of drugs and see them turn on each other or one of the other brilliant supporting characters. Oh god, the horror of that kept me turning page after page, even when the story slowed down and got buried by too many new names,.. a pet peeve of mine, .. I HAD to keep reading to see if that happened. I wont spoil but let me say, for any ‘In Death‘ fanatical reader, that WILL be on your mind when you have this book.

While the intricate of the case unfolds, Eve is still dealing with the fall out of ‘New York to Dallas‘ and finally ready (with a gentle nudge from (my beloved) Roarke  to face all the dreams and memories she tried to bury.  I love, LOVE any scenes with Eve and Dr Mira, when they speak on a personal level and not just cop to psychologist. I have such feels when I read that pair, they have such a sweet relationship, and I think I will bawl like a scalded cat when Eve acknowledges Mira as her true mother figure. As Mira says –

"They did break you, all those years ago when you only a child –Innocent, as you said, defenseless. And you took what was broken and you put it back together, made it strong, gave it purpose. And you let it love. You’re more your own woman than any I’ve ever known —that’s a personal and professional observation"

Oh the feels are strong!

Added into the mix for Delusion in Death is HSO, Homeland Security Operations. They are a sore spot for both Eve and Roarke, since they sat back and watched all the horrors done to a younger Eve and did nothing to rescue her. Teasdale is sent from HSO to assist with the case, causing some tension for our main protagonists. I liked her, she’s a smart, straight shooting kind of character and one I think we’ll see again in future books. And on the subject of secondary characters, we see the usual mix, a feisty Peabody, but I was extra happy about having more of Summerset, Roarke’s ever faithful and Eve’s PITA butler. He brings to the table a history of the Urban Wars, that is entangled to the current case, I enjoyed seeing this aspect, throughout the series we’ve had only glimpses into the wars that ruined the entire world, now we’re given more depth to what happened back in 2012 when the Urban Wars began. (EEK!!) Besides the history lesson, I adore Eve and Summerset, they’re so cranky with each other with an underline secret admiration and love. You can’t help but want to see more page time for their bickering.

Roarke (my beloved. ahhhh! ) features a lot in this book. So happy to see that. His computer hacking skills come in handy and he’s forever there, no matter what he’s got going on in his own business world that we don’t see much of, for support and an ear for Eve to offload her day to. Now, since he is my ultimate book boyfriend, I can’t lie and say I don’t enjoy the sexy time elements of In Death, the woven love affair he has with Eve is magically lovely and I’m particularly fond of his naked shower scenes

*Cough* Yes he’s naked and wet in this book *Cough*

But the in between times, when he’s angry or playing civilian consultant or the quiet moments soothing his cop down from a garish nightmare. Oh, those are just captivating scenes. 

Two of my favorite Roarke Quotes:

"I won’t wait outside while you wade through this nightmare inside a place I own"

"She’s made me more than I ever thought I could be"

For new readers to the series, this book gives enough detail to grab your attention and make it an action packed page turner. But as always, I would urge you to start at the very beginning with NAKED IN DEATH  (35 books is NOT that many!!) Brilliantly written, adored lead characters and crime scenes that will leave you baffled and amazed with the ingenuity of the author.

I loved Delusion in Death. I give it a B.

Recent Reviews:
Under the Covers – 4.5/5
Leslie’s Psyche – B
Errant Dreams – 5/5

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