First Sentence: As it often did since he'd married a cop,
murder interrupted more pleasant activities.
Lt. Eve Dallas, by her
husband, Roarke, goes to the scene of a murdered woman. While on-site, Roarke sees a man he knew from
his past in Ireland. Lorcan Cobbe, a contract killer, claims he is Roarke's
father's actual and first son. He hates Roarke enough to kill him, and everyone
he loves. Eve is certain the dead
woman's husband hired Cobbe to perform the hit and commits to proving it first,
then stopping Cobbe, as more bodies turn up.
There are times when
one wants an entertaining, captivating read.
With her 51st book in the Eve Dallas series, Robb succeeds in creating
exactly that. Yes, the plots are
somewhat predictable, but the world Robb has created is visual, and the
characters are ones about whom readers care.
What is remarkable is
that the series began in 1995 with the first book set in 2058 and Eve being 30
years old, releasing two Dallas books/year, plus the occasional novella. Now the series is in 2061; three years and 51+/- cases later, bringing Eve's clearance rate to ~17 cases per year, or once
every three weeks. What police
department wouldn't love that?
Robb has a deft hand
when it comes to dialogue, even creating slang that fits for the near-future
time period. How clever to use an
expression known to readers in the present but would be anachronistic to the
period. There are some great lines, and
her wry humor is always a pleasure. A
discussion on the subtle differences between colors leads to an internal
observation—"Peabody turned a little green—perhaps celadon—and turned her
head to stare hard at the wall." Robb carries thoughts through from one
scene to another with great deliberateness and ease.
One learns more about
Roarke's childhood and one must respect that Robb, even this far into the
series, still has new information to impart. One small irritant is Roark's
references to Eve being "his," making her seem a possession. However,
this is mitigated by the realization that Eve claims Roarke in the same manner
and showing it is a manifestation of their commitment of care and protection,
and not possessiveness, even including those around them. Yes, the scenes of lovemaking are hot, but
they are more about emotion than sex.
Eve is not perfect
which makes her more real. She has areas
of discomfort and gaps in her knowledge for anything beyond her job or her
city—"They look like cops…I need them to look like farmers. Irish
farmers," Eve added. "Who are out there doing farm stuff."
There is an urgency and
intensity to the investigation which gives the sense of needing to run to keep
up. The action scenes are visceral, tense, exciting, and filled with twists.
They provide excellent examples of Eve's leadership and authority, and the
respect she has earned. Even so, it is not a perfect book. There were opportunities for danger and
suspense not taken, and the ending seemed too quick with a final scene a bit
silly, albeit satisfying.
"Shadows in Death" is an excellent
remedy to offset the stress and uncertainty of these times in which we live.
SHADOWS IN DEATH (PolProc-Eve Dallas, Future NYC, 2061) –
VG
Robb, J.D. – 51st book in series
St.
Martin's Press – Sept 2020