Vendetta in Death

I just feel like everything is the same.

Murder happens, Eve and Peabody (or Eve and Roarke because why wouldn't a civilian just go to a crime scene) show up. Investigating begins. Eve is rude to witnesses and/or victim's families. Peabody smooths things over. Then Eve works all day without eating, comes home and insults Summerset and Roarke forces her to eat food. Investigating continues. Eve talks to Mira, but really tells Mira what the profile is and at this point Mira is just there to serve tea. Eve has determined how the killer pulled it off and “that plays”, she's solved the case! But has no evidence! So she sleeps, has a dream that turns into a nightmare of victims blaming her or asking for help. She wakes, knows who the killer is and must capture them so she bullies Reo into getting her a warrant on almost no evidence, but Reo comes through. They serve the warrant, killer is mad, but arrested and then we have to hear the confession that is basically how Eve laid it out five times during the book.

Sprinkle in some of Eve being an asshole to her friends, shuddering at having babies or having to avoid Trina, some sex with Roarke and that's every book in this series. I think it's hard to read 49 books with a main character that has not grown at all. She is almost exactly the same Eve she was in Naked In Death. Everyone around her has grown. And they consider her a friend while she merely tolerates them. She has a tantrum when she's told she has to attend a press conference. Every time. She cuts Peabody off when she talks about McNab and her relationship. She's straight bitchy to Nadine. Nadine has to remind her in every book that she is not going to just report things that Eve wants to keep out of the press. She cannot be bothered to think about her friends other than how they can help her get what she wants.

I've come to realize that Eve is a shitty person. An okay cop. But a really shitty friend.

I'm amazed there are so many books in this series. The main characters are so unlikeable and blah. It's like every other detective/cop novel out there.

I'm amazed there are so many books in this series. The main characters are so unlikeable and blah. It's like every other detective/cop novel out there.

Pretty solid entry in the series, which will hit 50 books and 25 years next year. Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb takes on #MeToo. Lt. Eve Dallas has sympathy for the women who have been victimized and fury at the men who harassed, exploited and abused them but she has no mercy for someone who has decided to take the law into their own hands and start torturing and killing the worst offenders. The identity of the killer becomes apparent halfway through the book, but then the suspense becomes how Eve will gather enough evidence to make a case for a warrant and how many deaths will take place before she does so. Lots of good interactions with Roarke (check out some of the earlier books to see how far Eve has come in terms of opening herself up emotionally in their relationship), Peabody (whose insights really help crack the case), Mira, Nadine, Mavis (who remains my least favorite character), and the rest of the crew. Nothing earthshatteringly original or surprising, but better than its predecessor, [b:Connections in Death 40122012 Connections in Death (In Death, #48) J.D. Robb https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527709392l/40122012.SY75.jpg 62223091]. On to #50 in 2020!