the setup…
Jake Kincaid and his legendary rock band Avenue A never forgot their roots and return twice a year to play at Club Rock It, the place where it all started. One of those nights is reserved for the under twenty-one crowd and sixteen-year old Jenna Harbough has convinced her parents to let her attend with her two best friends. An aspiring musician, she fantasized that she’d be able to get Jake to listen to her demo. As she and her friends were enthralled in the concert, Jenna feels a sharp jab in her arm and sees the guy who did it as he moved on. Not thinking much of it, she continued partying until it was clear she was in distress. She headed to the outside alley for air, only to run into Jake who was taking a break. He comes to her aid but Jenna dies in his arms. Girlfriend Nadine Furst immediately reaches out to Lieutenant Eve Dallas, the city’s top homicide cop and her friend who is on vacation. It doesn’t take long for Eve to figure out Jenna might not have been targeted, especially when the same thing plays out again one day later.

the heart of the story…
How do you find a killer who selects his victims randomly? It was fascinating to see Eve and her team disassemble clues and form a path and profile to likely suspects. Of course, hubby Roarke applied his serious tech skills, this time absolutely a critical need. This was the finest in police procedurals, especially how they were able to hone in on a profile, sift through mounds of data, elevate relevant information and quickly set sights on the right target. Throughout all the insanity of these random murders, there were some tender and lovely moments to balance things out.

the bottom line…
This was a fast moving story because time was of the essence to stop the madness. I love a good police procedural and this was one of the best. As it impacted people close and important to Eve, she had an opportunity to show how she’s grown and evolved in how she handled that aspect. There were also some old friends who resurfaced, reminding me of the breadth of beloved characters relevant to this series. Lest we not forget the great house project, too, always fun to get updates. Another winner in a series that continue to find a way to stay relevant and fresh. 4.5 stars

Random in Death by J.D. Robb is the 58th book in her fantastic In Death/Eve Dallas series. As I have noted previous times, I am a huge fan of this wonderful series, having read every book and novellas. I also love Eve and Roarke, who I still consider the best literary couple. Random in Death was another fantastic addition to this series. I will never have enough of this series, and marvel how Robb continues to give us fascinating stories at 58 books later.

The story starts off with Eve and Roarke enjoying a quite evening at home, when she receives a call to a scene of a murder at a music concert. Sixteen- year-old, Jenna Harbough was at the concert with friends, enjoying her favorite band, when she feels being stabbed on her arm. Within minutes, she begins to feel sick, and stumbles out side and dies; as she was injected with a vicious cocktail of a various combination of deadly drugs. Jake Kincaide, lead singer to the band and Nadine’s boyfriend, tries to revive her to no avail; it is Nadine who calls Eve to hurry to the scene. After interviewing everyone at scene, the lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body with the needle having major infectious agents.

The following day, at a different venue, another teenager is injected with a syringe needle, highly infected and she too dies. Eve and Peabody, as well as Roarke are scrambling to find the killer before another young girl is murdered. Slowly, Eve tries to put the pieces together to reveal possible perpetrator, especially after a third girl was injected, but she survived, as her extra jacket limited the injection; and she was saved, with her and her friends giving some idea what the person looked like and what they wore.

With Eve in full control of the case, she and Peabody do everything to identify the real killer. With the team helping out, they needed to explore the dark mind of a young teenager, who was a psychopath, who hated girls who ignored him. When they get closer, they rush to find the killer, who is now after a 4th girl. Will they save her?

I have to say I love Eve and Peabody together, and I also love when Roarke goes with her on some interviews. I always enjoy spending time with the many recurring characters, such as Peabody, Nadine, McNab, Mira, Mavis, Feeney, Reo, Summerset, Galahad, Charles and Louise.

What follows is an intense, exciting, non-stop action filled race to find out who the real killer was; with edge of your seat suspense. To say too much more would be spoilers, and this is too great of a story to ruin it for you.
Random in Death was a compelling, captivating, horrifying thriller from start to finish. J.D. Robb once again gives us another masterpiece to this wonderful series, which I hope keeps on rolling for many years to come. Random in Death is another masterpiece to this amazing series, which is always so very well written by J.D. Robb.

I loved this! This series is just the best to me. This time Eve and team are focused on murders that are seemingly random, no commonality can be found between the victims. The police procedural is interesting, and a lot of the recurring characters are in it. Some good progression on one of the sideline stories too. I cannot wait for the next one in the series.

OMG I so love the way that Lt. Eve Dallas' mind works!

Following the death of a teenage girl at a rock concert with friends, Lt. Dallas and her team set out to find the murderer.

Along the way we meet well loved characters and colleagues that we've gotten to know. Even though all 'In Death' books are standalones, it certainly gives a richer reading experience when you can greet characters like long lost friends.

Relentless as always, Dallas and Peabody spearhead this continually evolving case. Whilst gathering seemingly inconsquential information, Dallas is digging to get into the head of the killer, a style and strategy that works over and over again.

Like much of this author's work, it's the dialogue both to herself and to those she works with, that sets this particular series apart for me.

You very much come to rely on Eve's process to guide you through each and every case, ultimately finding those responsible.

I love this series, the characters and colleagues, but most of all I love how Eve and her ever increasing circle 'stand' for the victims!

Another not to be missed 'In Death' experience.

I loved reading this book! I love this series, ever since I picked up the first book off my mom's shelves. Reading this latest installment, where the victims were chosen at random...it was a challenge for Eve and the gang to overcome to find out who the villain was!

In this case, finding all the evidence, mining all the details to figure out the M.O. was the most important piece in catching this killer. They remark upon it later, but they fit in a lot of casework in not a lot of time and that pace was pretty relentless to stop the killing!

The victims in this case, are some of the most heartbreaking, they're young, they had so much life ahead of them, and their only "crime" was being what the killer hated, and being there in the right place at the wrong time. Which is so infuriating!

One thing that I really wanted, was the moment when they realize, they've been caught, they're going away for a very long time, maybe not even coming out. Alas. Especially because of the attitude of this one, if it wasn't a killer, then it'd be the average person that you just want to throttle because they're like that. Oh, well, can't have it every time!

This was another fantastic installment in the series and I can't wait for more!

I am never disappointed in this series. I am always happy to see the latest instalment.
A strong female protagonist with stellar writing is a winning combination in my opinion.
I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

The In Death series is one that no matter how many books you've read each new installment feels new and fresh. Also, although I always prefer to start a series at the beginning, I really think you could start at any point in this series, fall in love with the characters, and fall into the world J.D. Robb has built.

Like any of the other cases, Eve has worked she and her team have their work cut out for them with this one. A young girl has been murdered in a crowded club, and she's not the last. Everyone is up against the clock to find this monster before he can strike again. This book kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see them catch the killer, and the writing is so well done you feel like you are in the middle of the bullpen or following Eve as her shadow experiencing all the things she does as she tracks a killer. I loved getting to catch up with my favorite characters and seeing what kind of eye-bleeding tie Jenkinson is currently sporting! This is one of my all-time favorite series, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series, I'm definitely in the mood to do a reread!

This was a true blue police procedural and I ate it up. We do get some nice character moments with Jake & Nadine, since Jake is on the scene where the first murder happens, so that was nice for us long term series readers and is what makes a really enjoyable installment in this series. But I always appreciate the mystery being at the forefront, and this struck the right balance for what I like best for an In Death book

Hard to believe this is book 58! The freshness, the plot twists and even Eve and Roarke themselves are still new, still delivering the suspense, the intrigue and characters you care about! This is a police procedural that always hits on relative issues. Even though the In Death Series is in the future, it is not sci fi woo woo. To be a teenager and excited for a concert with your favorite band, pretty much everyone can relate. Too lose your life from a needle jab with a horrific cocktail is a frightening thought. We see Peabody (Eve's partner at work) McNab (Peabodys partner in life) Feeney (Eve's first mentor, first boss) and so many more, Jake, Nadine, Mavis, Leonardo to name a few. A solid read that pulls on different emotions and entertains. You can color me giddy! I scored an ARC for J.D. Robbs "In Death" series. I also buy and own every single In Death series book. They are all 4's and 5's. I suggest starting with book 1 and read the series in order if you want to understand the true strength and integrity of Eve, the depth of Eve and Roarkes life and more. Thank you for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #RandomInDeath #J.D.Robb #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

Random in Death by J.D. Robb is a thriller that is hard to put down. Eve Dallas and Roarke along with the rest of the team work together to catch the young murderer.

This book was compelling from beginning to end. The author, as always, does a great job of detailing the crime and the investigation. The perpetrator is slowly revealed, but their horrible crimes splash across the page immediately from the beginning of the book. As Eve Dallas begins to peel away the layers of this crime, the reader will be transfixed, both by the complexity of the investigation and the potential for more crimes that would surely be coming.

The characters just flame to life, and the personalities of the victims, their friends, and the perpetrator are so well described.

I listened to the audiobook as well, and the narrator Susan Ericksen portrayed teenagers in such an authentic way. She was able to expertly portray drama, horror, grief, sadness, and love in such a powerful way.

Eve Dallas's personal life is subtly layered throughout the book, but never takes over from the crime and investigation.

This thriller is horrifying, enthralling, and captivating throughout. J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) has done it again. She has turned out another quality book that will keep you mesmerized.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Trigger warning: Sexual assault

So this one didn't really work for me. I realized why after I got done and it honestly was that the whole story felt rushed and didn't really work. I think Robb was trying to work in the "incel movement" as a thing still in 2061 which fine, but we didn't get to sit with the story at all. Also, it started to feel like people were just in scenes and taking up room. I also skipped over anything talking about the house renovation, Nadine, Jamie, Quilla, etc. These characters have become so unlikeable and unrealistic to me I just cannot anymore. So all in all, this was a solid 3 star, "In Death".

"Random in Death" has Dallas getting called in by Nadine when Nadine's rock star boyfriend holds a dying teen in his arms after one of his sets. Initially the press thinks he did it (which lasts like 5 seconds by the way, so not really a thing) but Dallas realizes that something happened to the girl and she was given a drug that killed her fast. Coincidences are the watch word in this novel since this victim has a connection to Charles and Louise (which is the first time I think we've even had dialogue from them in like 7 or 8 books). Dallas and Peabody investigate.

Eh. I don't know. Dallas was fine to me. So was Roarke. There was a really almost dumb fight they had which added nothing and could have been cut. There were sweet/funny moments though that I won't spoil. But I just get tired of three years in and Dallas still acts weird about Roarke giving her money when she runs out.

Peabody was annoying again in this one. Her acting like a teen over love is old as hell and it's aggravating. Not that she should be somber all the time. But I was with Dallas over her acting like a fool over Jamie and Nadine dating. Who cares. Shut up.

Summerset was great. It was also great to see Charles and Louise, but they really didn't add anything sad to say. Also Feeney was wasted as anything.

I officially am bleh on Mavis and her family. At this point it just becomes a paint by numbers scene we get. And the house renovation is on my last nerves. We all know we are going to get the longest ever descriptions about this stuff and I just don't care people. I lost interest in Nora Roberts actual book talking about an inn renovation. I don't read "In Death" for that.

The "bad guy" in this one felt very one note and lame. We get their point of view that once again started to feel like filler to me.

The flow of this one was wonky to me. As I said, it felt like a lot of stuff was put in here to fill out pages, but not a lot mattered in the end. And it just felt like there were just scenes. For example, we find out that Feeney hates murders that involves kids so he wants to be involved. I swear he was in like two scenes. You don't even have Dallas talking to him (awkwardly) about it like she usually would. Dallas calls her FBI pal and it goes nowhere. I was all, why was she even inserted in this if it didn't matter? Even DeWinter pops in and once again it was like why is she here? It just seemed so Dallas could be aggravated by her? I don't know. And once again I am begging Robb to just give Nadine and that mess a pass for a while. At this point, no one else would not be screaming to the heavens about the relationship that Dallas has with Nadine and some defendant wouldn't be using it in court too. It's just unrealistic. And I do not want to keep hearing about the Icove case. Nadine writing screenplays about Dallas never made any sense to me since we know that the Dallas we got to know would be okay with her life being put out there like that. I just get annoyed every time we hear about how Nadine won all the awards again. Eyeroll.

The ending was weird in my opinion. It just lingers weirdly and there's just I don't know, it felt very abrupt and like there had to be some pages missing.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Random in Death by J.D. Robb. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

I always have the same issue with Eve Dallas mysteries. I don't really enjoy the banter between the characters when the crimes are first discovered, but I become engaged in the mystery once I get past the first few chapters. This happened with this book as well. I loved the crime/mystery and thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I give it a solid 3.5/5 with the thought that if I hadn't already read so many of the previous books in the series, the opening character introductions wouldn't feel as repetitive. If you are looking for a light mystery series, I highly recommend this series of books.

Another great addition to the In Death series. The books with kids always get me since I've been a mom, so there were a few times I had to put this one down, but, ultimately, I enjoyed it. It was a satisfying ending, not super dragged out and hit all the points I love about the In Death novels.

Losing someone you love is painful. Losing a child, even more so. But when you lose a child and find that they were specifically chosen as a random victim… devastating!

And so begins our newest book in JD Robb’s In Death series. Random in Death hits close to home for police detective Eve Dallas. With her friends caught up in the mix, Eve has to determine whether the people she has come to care about could possibly be a part of something so horrific.

Random in Death is one of the more police procedural type books. The mystery is interesting and great to follow as we watch Eve and Peabody work through their suspects and evidence to determine who could be targeting the innocent.

Random in Death is a little steamier than some and the language of it is more salty but it is a very interesting if peaceful story. It has loads of triggers and hits close to home so be prepared with a box of tissues.

Another intriguing case for Eve Dallas and her detectives and as always with a murder, they are up against time. The bad guy in this was one scary person. He’s super smart, young, and cruel. Also, the victims seemed to have been chosen randomly and killed fast in a seemingly unnecessarily cruel way. However, with their awesome detective work, Eve and her team is able to crack the case and bring it to the most satisfying conclusion. I always enjoy the fast-paced drama of these In Death cases and this latest installment was no exception. I will also mention that a lot of everyone’s favorite minor characters show up in this book and that was fun.

This book releases January 23, 2024.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for this ARC.

Eve Dallas is suddenly called out to a murder by her friend Nadine. A sixteen year old in a Manhattan night club died. The long beloved band, Avenue A was performing at its annual gig at the place where it all began for an audience of teens. Jenna died in the arms of the band's lead singer, Jake Kincaid. Nadine, his girlfriend happened on the scene and called her friend Eve. Roark and Eve arrive at the scene. It becomes clear Jenna died from an injection of toxic substances with some inexplicable choices of ingredients, given that it killed her almost instantly. Yet, Jenna' is not the kind of person who has used drugs, interacted with problematic people or involved herself in dangerous activities. She has one passion. She is a singer-songwriter who hoped to get a demo song to the lead of Avenue A.

Soon, the team realizes they have a serial killer on their hands. There is a small amount of forensic evidence and a lot of work to do in zero time. Radom in Death is a well plotted, keeps you reading thriller/police procedural with the pizzazz of technology and options available in the future that is just enough different from now to spice things up. The crimes and the story could take place now, so nothing is confusing. The clues are there and the stellar team moves along to the conclusion. An entertaining novel. Recommend.

In this 58th book of the In Death series by J.D. Robb, we find Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Detective Peabody hunting for the worst type of killer -- the one who randomly picks his victims. These victims are teenaged girls who are out in a crowd of people just having a good time, until they're not. Death comes quickly to these victims and clues to the killer's identity seem hard to come by until all the little pieces come together to give their police artist, Yancy, the details needed to complete a facial profile. As Dr. Charlotte Mira, NYPSD psychiatrist and profiler, helps Eve put together the killer's profile, they realize they are dealing with a young man who is on a vendetta that they have to stop. This is a fast-paced story where, with the help of Eve's husband, Roarke, and her entire bullpen, the search for the killer is nonstop to catch him before he picks his next victim, and when they find his home and all the frightening evidence - they know that he is just hours ahead of them. The final chapters are "unputdownable" as we watch Lieutenant Dallas on the hunt to catch and put this killer away. One of the things I so enjoy about this series is to see the growth of the characters, especially the way that the relationships that Eve always fought so hard against having, are becoming so important to her, and yet doesn't change the quirkiness that is Eve. The main characters of this series, as well as those that help to fill in each story, are unforgettable as their own type of character. This is a series that I always highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #RandomInDeath

Jenna is having the time of her life. She is at an Avenue A concert with her best friends, a demo in her pocket and just made eye contact with the guitar player. Life was great until she fills the jab. Now Lieutenant Eve Dallas is standing over her body looking for answers.
J.D. Robb continues Eve Dallas stories in Random in Death. Robb’s writing makes this a perfect addition to the series or as a read alone. Even with 57 books ahead of it, Robb is able to make it new and different while catching up with old friends. Robb has a way of developing characters that leaves you with feeling like they are old friends. She sets the scene with descriptions that leave the reader feeling that they are looking through Dallas’ eyes. Random in Death is the perfect mix of suspense, crime, murder, romance and the future. Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In J.D. Robb's latest crime thriller, "Random in Death," the renowned Lieutenant Eve Dallas is faced with a sinister case that unfolds with relentless intensity. The narrative kicks off with Jenna, a teenager with dreams of music stardom, attending a New York club to catch the legendary band Avenue A. Little does she know that this seemingly ordinary night will spiral into a chilling tale of murder.
The pace of the story is nothing short of exhilarating, and Robb masterfully weaves a web of twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when Jenna, after an electrifying encounter with the guitarist Jake Kincade, collapses in an alley. What initially seems like a tragic twist of fate quickly reveals a sinister plot as it's discovered that Jenna was injected with a deadly cocktail.
The portrayal of Eve Dallas's investigative prowess shines through, and the meticulous unraveling of the case adds layers of suspense and intrigue. As the investigation progresses, the toxic mix of substances found in Jenna's body and the infectious agents on the needle raise the stakes for Dallas and her team.
What sets this installment apart is the relentless pace and the constant influx of twists that keep the adrenaline pumping. The story doesn't let up, delivering a suspenseful and engaging experience from start to finish. As a reader, I found myself captivated by the intricacies of the investigation and the unexpected turns that Robb skillfully introduces.
In conclusion, "Random in Death" is a pulse-racing addition to the Eve Dallas series, showcasing J.D. Robb's ability to craft a suspenseful and thrilling narrative. The twists and turns never cease, making it a must-read for anyone who enjoys a crime thriller that keeps the heart pounding until the very end.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own