So this is something like book 29 in the Eve Dallas series, and
obviously, if I'm still reading the series after this many books,
you know I'm a fan. I love the series and for me it is all about
the characters and their personal development. Yes, the books can
also be real thrillers in terms of the mystery of who-dunnit, but
the real draw is the character growth that occurs with each book.
Poor Eve never seems to get a rest. She and Roarke are enjoying a
lazy Peace Day holiday when she is called into a murder scene,
specifically requested by the father of the victim, a fellow police
officer. At the horrific scene, Eve finds Deena McMasters, brutally
raped and murdered in her own home while her parents were away for
the weekend. It is up to Eve and her team to find the killer and
bring him to justice.
While the puzzle pieces fall into place, the time nears for
Louise's wedding to Charles. I love how Robb gives us glimpses of
how Eve struggles with being a friend and understanding the social
expectations that come with friendship. It was also nice to see
that Eve, who earlier in the series really struggled with accepting
help from Roarke, now seemed to know when his help would mean a
quicker resolution and a life saved.
As with any series with multiple books, there are always some books
that seem better than others. In the case of Kindred in Death, I
would have to say that it falls somewhere in the middle. While I
couldn't put it down and it felt so good to be catching up with old
friends, there were certain things that let me down.
First, it seemed that that banter between Peabody and Eve just
wasn't there and what banter there was between the characters, just
felt like the same old, same old. Second, where was the lovin'??
The 'in Death' books all follow a sort of formula that usually
includes a couple of steamy scenes between Eve and Roarke (the
series is written by a romance writer afterall), but what steam
there was, was very brief and sort of glossed over (i.e. we were
given the highlight reel rather than the play-by-play). Finally,
the main story arc about a rapist-killer taking revenge just didn't
seem to work for me. The killer just didn't seem to fit the crimes
and his motivation for doing what he did seemed lame. The trigger
for his killing spree was never really explained either and the
conclusion to this part of the story seemed anticlimatic.
Still, even with the faults above, I read this book in one sitting.
I just couldn't put it down. I love how the characters draw me in
and look forward to every new book so that I can see what's going
on with them. It's as addictive as a soap opera.