In what just might be my favorite series, Shadows in Death, the 51st book in the In Death series begins with Lieutenant Eve Dallas and husband Roarke enjoying a night at the theater. Their pleasant night is interrupted when Eve is called to yet another crime scene. Not only is Roarke invested in the very theater they are enjoying, he often acts as a consultant on Eve's cases. As a billionaire who owns most of everything it seems, many of the crimes that Eve investigates end up needed Roarke's expertise.

I discovered this series late in 2019 and have read every book, including the upcoming 53rd book in the series, Forgotten in Death. Eve is the most intrepid heroine I have come across in any novel I have read. She has a strength unrivalled by any, which include wit, intelligence and a softer side she would rather hide. Then there is the humor Eve displays, often quite unintentionally. I love how others have to explain things to her while even though her adeptness as solving crimes makes her one of the best detectives ever.

Another thing. The fact that this is a futuristic series. This book is set in 2061, so there are some nice nuances to this detective series. In fact, I love how that edge of future technology is woven into this story. Shadows in Death touched on Roarke's past, as have other books in this series have done. Meanwhile, the story also shows the incredible connection between Eve and Roarke, but also that of Eve and her workmates. To say that she is my favorite character of all time pretty much goes without saying.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

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

Roarke’s mysterious past is the heart of Shadows in Death. J.D. Robb alludes to this in her description of her 51st In Death book.

While Roarke is Eve’s center, in Shadows in Death he’s at the center of her case as well.



When the murder of a woman in Washington Square Park interrupts a night at the theater, it seems like homicide as usual. But then Roarke spots a shadow from his past in the crowd and the investigation shoots far from routine.

The person behind the murder of a young wife and mother, Galla Modesto, is never really in doubt. There’s something off about the attitude of her widower, Jorge Tween. As Peabody says to Eve, “He couldn’t even work up a tear. Not even the pretense of fighting tears.” Earlier Roarke spots Lorcan Cobbe, an Irish criminal who has claimed for years that he is Patrick Roarke’s true heir. Roarke pulls Eve aside to tell her to take “a great deal of care.” “Why?”

“He’d do me in a heartbeat if he could manage it, but he’d kill what matters to me and enjoy it all the more. A killer is what is he, and always has been.”



“And you saw him, at my crime scene.”



“I saw him. He made sure I did. Aye, he made certain of that, bloody bastard.”



He scanned the park again, but knew he wouldn’t see that face again. Not tonight.



“I’m telling you, I didn’t have to see him put the knife in that woman to know he did. He’ll be your man on this.”



“Why her? He couldn’t know you’d be here.”



“That’s just a nice twist of fate for him. Killing’s what he does, Eve, for pleasure and profit. He does his work primarily in Europe, but this wouldn’t be his first job in the States, I’d think. I don’t know of him coming, for business at least, to New York before, and I think I would. But he’s here now.”

Shadows in Death is a cat and mouse story where Eve Dallas and her team, aided by Roarke (her expert civilian consultant) and Summerset, painstakingly ferret out Lorcan Cobbe’s modus operandi. First, they need Tween’s confession. Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Cher Reo slams Tween with an avalanche of evidence and a “hint of a southern drawl.”

“I understand your client communicated with this hit man, and paid him a million euros plus expenses to rip a knife through his wife, the mother of a four-year-old boy, from crotch to sternum. And aided said individual by giving him the details of where she would be at the time and place of her murder.”



Reo closed the file, folded her hands on it. “There’s more, but golly, that should do it.”

Faced with the prospect of a life behind bars, Tween gives up Lorcan Cobbe.

Cobbe is a nasty character: he tortures animals as well as humans. Eve reassures a woman who let Cobbe adopt an orphan cat.

“You saw what he wanted you to see. You aren’t to blame for what he did. What was he wearing?”



“Wearing? Ah, jeans, I think.”



“Close your eyes,” Eve advised. “Picture him. You spent time with him, you wanted to evaluate.”



Undall closed her eyes. “Jeans, good ones. I accepted the donation—we can use it—because I could see he could afford it. Carbelli jeans, good boots, both black. A silk T-shirt, an amber color, and a black leather jacket. Real leather. He had a wrist unit—sport style.”

Eve’s team takes that information and cross-references the part of the city where they suspect Cobbe has a blot-hole with the nearby luxury stores. Proof-positive that Eve’s exposure to Roarke’s magnificent wardrobe has permanently altered her detecting techniques. There’s an obligatory scene where Roarke advises Eve what to wear.

“If you’re going to wear indigo—which is a deep navy, not black—with the accent of gray-influenced celadon—”



“What the hell is celadon? It sounds contagious.”



“It’s green—in this case a gray-green. As is this jacket.” He pulled one out. “With its indigo buttons. Take off that shirt.”



“I don’t have time for closet sex, pal.”



He pulled it over her head himself, then pulled her in, just held her. “Wish we did.”



She held him in turn. “Me, too.”

These exchanges never fail to amuse although is Eve quite so unaware of fashion? Or is she engaging in an unspoken ritual that is important to both?

See Also: Review of Golden in Death by J. D. Robb
Good luck, Cobbe, getting close enough to Eve to kill her but Summerset, the father of Roarke’s heart, is vulnerable. After Cobbe taunts Summerset by throwing a tortured cat into his bailiwick, Eve suggests they have dinner: imagine a chorus of We are Family. Summerset even makes a strawberry shortcake.

“I want to thank you for that.”



“What that?”



“Dinner with Summerset when I know you wanted to get up here, push into the work.”



“You needed it, he needed it. And I got plenty out of it, including cake.” But Roarke took her hands, just held them. “He saved your life. That counts with me. We all know it counts with Cobbe, too. He needs to be more careful.”

Shadows in Death’s footprint extends beyond New York. Inspector Abernathy of Interpol joins the team: “he had one of those rich, somehow fruity voices of the British upper class. Eve and Roarke spar with the dapper British lawman who “knows of” Roarke from days gone by. Eve tries to run interference but really, Teach your gramma to suck eggs. Roarke is far too wily to be drawn into obvious traps: preserving his international man of mystery façade is child’s play.


We learn Roarke had the opportunity to kill Cobbe in the past but chose not to. Does he have regrets? The Roarke who is married to Eve Dallas thinks differently about crime and punishment than he once did. He realizes some prison sentences are worse than death.

Kudos to J.D. Robb, you won’t want to put down Shadows in Death.

Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb is the 51st book in her fantastic In Death series. As I have noted many times, I am a big fan of this series, having read every single book, including novellas. Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke are the best couple in the literary world; they are so great together, not to mention their wonderful chemistry. Even though this is the 51st book, I still cannot get enough of them and this series.

Shadows in Death is somewhat different than most of Robb’s stories, as Roarke becomes the center of an old grudge, putting Eve, his Irish family, and himself in danger. Eve is called to the scene of a violent murder of a woman, and as she is in the process of investigating with Peabody, Roarke, who is standing not far away, notices a face he has never forgotten from his Ireland days as a youth. Roarke later tells Eve that this man is the one who killed the woman, as it was his motto, using sharp knives to gut his victims.

Eve, Peabody and their fantastic team, manage to learn that the woman murdered, was a paid hit, and early on we discover who ordered the hit. Once this person is arrested and offered a small deal to give all information on the hit man, who has committed more than 400 plus deaths worldwide, and has eluded police in all countries for 30 years. Lorcan Cobbe, is the villain in this story, and his hatred of Roarke becomes his goal to kill Roarke, Eve, and their Ireland family.

What follows is an intense, exciting, action-packed race to find Cobbe, as he continues to kill and threaten them along the way. What I loved was how all the members of Eve’s police team, were determined to help find the killer, as well as to protect Roarke and Eve. Over time, Eve has built such a fantastic team and their loyalty was awesome. I also enjoyed seeing Summerset again, as he knew of this terrible villain back in their Ireland days, also knowing his own life was in jeopardy. Eve and Summerset still have those fun zingers, loved seeing Galahad. It was also great to see Nadine, as I miss her.

The last 1/3 of the book was intense, and mindboggling, with the entire team, including the Commissioner, Feeny and Interpol inspector raced to stop the villain from hurting Roarke’s family in Ireland.

Shadows in Death was very exciting, tense, intriguing, nonstop action from start to finish, with never a dull moment. J.D. Robb once again gives us a fantastic addition to this wonderful series, which I hope keeps on rolling for many years to come. I thought that Shadows in Death was one of the best ones yet, which proves that J.D. Robb will continue to give us many more Eve and Roarke books. J.D. Robb created a masterpiece addition to this fantastic series.