The best thing about February is always a new In Death book. This time we’ve got number 54 in the series – Abandoned In Death. Eve’s latest case is a race against time to find the killer while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance.

This latest case wasn’t as gripping as I’d expected. The storyline dragged a bit and was kind of repetitive. I missed having that feeling of depth to a great story.

J.D. Robb did this story a tad different, writing it in two time periods, the past and the present, merging together at the end. This difference added value to the whole story, including that incredible twist about who the killer was. I did not see that one coming.

Though I love the In Death series, the newer books after the first 46 books haven’t had the same greatness as the earlier ones. Some have been more misses than hits. Others like Faithless In Death were pretty amazing additions to the series.

That said, I still enjoyed getting my much-needed dose of Eve and Roarke along with all my favorite secondary characters. And who can regret some Bella and Mavis time, right?

I discovered this series when I was pregnant with my first son- he’s now a senior in high school. Typically a couple books in the series come out each year, and I always read them right away. I have no idea how J.D. Robb keeps up her writing pace; I do know I am grateful for her work ethic and creativity!

I believe these can be read stand-alone, and, that said, I’d recommend staring at the beginning for the full experience.

I love the combination of familiar faces and new mysteries with each book. They take place in NYC in the future so there is new tech and some world building. Homicide Detective Eve Duncan, her partner, Peabody, her department, and her billionaire husband Roarke, and their community of friends do an amazing job interacting and working as a team to solve the mysteries. Their relationships and history add to the story. There are definitely some personality quirks that we see in each book, but this adds to it for me.

Abandoned in Death has a possible serial killer who is kidnapping women. Eve and her team race the clock to figure out who it is so they can save the current victim. I loved the profiling as they figured out the perpetrator. And I loved the glimpses of everyone’s lives. Another winner!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wait with bated breath each February and September for the new 'In Death' title to drop and I'm rarely, if ever, disappointed.

As a veteran reader, you know what to expect going in. You know you'll meet old friends, adversaries and new murders that need Lieutenant Dallas, Peabody and the rest of Eve's crime fighting team, to stand for the dead.

I really thought I'd cracked this one. JD Robb is so good at drip, drip, dripping red herrings that certainly led me down, what I thought was the right path. I gloried in my ability to see what was so clearly in front of me. I was ecstatic! I WAS WRONG!

I have never been gobsmacked into such complete and utter silence as I was when Eve, the decorated NYPSD Lieutenant showed me the error of my suspicions.

As always, JD Robb captures the reader not just with the story but also with the interactions between her beautifully diverse characters. These interactions will undoubtedly make you laugh, shriek, shake your head in absolute wonder and maybe even have you shed a tear or two.

Another fabulous addition to the 'In Death' family.

I always admire J.D. Robb’s In Death novels because homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas never forgets the victims. Yes, I enjoy police procedurals, and the emphasis on the search. That’s certainly a part of these books. But, so many crime novels focus on the killer, and forget the victim. There have been times I’ve forgotten who the victim was by the time I finished a book. As in her other books, Abandoned in Death, the fifty-fourth in the series, emphasizes the victims and their loved ones. Dallas knows she shatters lives when she has to notify the family that someone is dead.

J.D. Robb is one of those authors who can still suck readers in when the subject matter is uncomfortable. Missing women, and a search for a “Bad Mommy”, are certainly not enticing subjects. But, Robb is so skilled at wrapping a complex, fast-paced search into story with an interesting setting and backstory. Best of all, she always brings back a cast of well-developed characters that readers have grown to love. Abandoned in Death is another engrossing book from a master.

Abandoned in Death by J.D. Robb is the 54th book in her fantastic In Death/Eve Dallas series. I have said this many times that I loved this series, as I have read every single book, as well as all the novellas of this series. I also love Eve and Roarke, who I still consider the best literary couple. Abandoned in Death is another very good addition to this series. I will never have enough of this series, and marvel how Robb continues to give us fascinating stories at 54 books later.

Eve and Peabody are on the scene at a playground in New York, with a woman’s dead body on a bench. They are concerned, as its too close to her friend Mavis’s neighborhood; as Bella (Mavis daughter) always loves to play there. The dead woman was made perfectly up with makeup, hair, nails, tattoo, and dressed in clothes styled from decades ago; and a sign around her neck “Bad Mommy”.

Eve, Peabody, Roarke, Mira, and her fantastic team discover more missing woman, and time is of essence, as the murderer has already killed one, with two known to be missing. These hit close to home for Eve, as she remembers her childhood and abuse, and recognizes the murderer is acting out his bad childhood with his mother, and uses his victims to be what he always wanted, a good mother.

Eve and her team, including Dr. Mira slowly begin to unravel events in current and in the past, as they realize they are dealing with a psychopath. Early on we got to see Eve remember her harsh childhood during her dreams, and we also get a glimpse also in the past, to see the villian’s mother and how she abandoned the child. When another woman is found dead under the same circumstances, everyone is working overtime to find the killer before he strikes again.

What follows is an intense, exciting, baffling and surprising race to find the murderer. The story is grim and tragic, as Eve pulls all the stops to find the guilty party. The last third of the book was very tense and exciting, with edge of your seat suspense. We get to see many of the wonderful recurring secondary characters, including Roarke, Peabody, Mira, Feeney, Nadine, McNab, Reo, Louise, and her fantastic team. With 54 books and many novellas, Eve has changed drastically from being alone to having so many friends and teammates she cares about. Abandoned in Death is another great addition to this amazing series, which is always so very well written by J.D. Robb.

JD Robb never disappoints. Abandoned in Death gives us a look into a man struggling with his upbringing, specifically his mother. He ends up obsessed and wants to make her pay... over and over again. Really, what do you say about a Robb book? It's a masterpiece and I read it in record time. I can't recommend this series more.

One woman dead. Two missing. Time is a factor if either of them will be found alive. Detective Eve Dallas is facing a very difficult case. As always, her attention is more than riveted to solving this latest murder. The fact that the woman's body was found at a playground near her dear friends Mavis and Leonardo's neighborhood presses Eve even more. There is one clue that is rather curious - a note that says "Bad Mommy."

What could that pertain to? Well, between Eve and her team, as well as resident Dr. Mira, Eve begins to unravel events that took place decades previously. Actually. as the book opens there is a very sad case of a mother who was prepared to give up on life and this including taking her young son with her. What happened in that case, to the woman, to the child, and what does that have to do with the current case?

I have read thousands of books in my lifetime and for the life of me I could not come close to finding a similar plot line. A plot that took some time to unfold for Eve. Her skills of deduction, along with occasional help from her billionaire hunk husband Roarke, proved invaluable when it came to desperately try to find the other two missing women.

This 54th book in J. D. Robb's amazing series was a one-sitting read from start to finish. Impossible to put down, especially when the feeling of working alongside Eve as she connected the past with the present events. The sense of urgency never once let up.

I have read each and every book in this series - including the novellas - and I must say that Robb never ceases to surprise me. To engage me. To keep my attention from beginning to end. It is with eager anticipation that I look forward to reading Desperation in Death, set for release in September, 2022.

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