A bachelorette party at the Down and Dirty turns from a rowdy night out to a horrible tragedy when one of the brides is murdered. Everybody loved Erin and her fiancée – they have a tight circle of friends and no one can imagine who would do this. But someone in their inner circle did. Lieutenant Eve Dallas doesn’t know Erin Albright, but she will come to as she stands for her and finds the killer in Passions in Death.

Within the more case-centric In Death stories, there are two kinds of tales: one where it’s a race against time and others like this one that have a more measured pace. This story is the latter and it’s a nice breather to the more tense installments while also being a compelling story on its own. The crime Eve, Peabody, and company are trying to solve is engaging because the victim at the heart of it seems so likeable, was on the verge of a joyous occasion, and as Eve notes, it was a crime that was committed not just of passion but of a meanness, a pettiness that adds its own flavor of cruelty. I liked watching Eve and Peabody do the legwork, consult others and work the case. I especially liked that Eve was torn between suspects and her reasoning kept me switching back and forth as well.

At fifty-nine full-length books into the series, Eve and Roarke are fairly settled into their marriage but that doesn’t mean things are less interesting. I love watching them grow together and this case puts them in a more reflective mode over marriage and partnership. J.D. Robb doesn’t bring us any dramatic highs or lows in this story and that’s just fine by me. The longer I sit with it the more I like this story.

Most of the In Death books can be read on their own, but I will warn that if you don’t like spoilers then you should be up-to-date before starting Passions in Death as past cases (and whodunit) are mentioned. I admit, being a longtime fan is also why I so enjoyed the quieter character moments, the bonds of love and friendship weaving throughout the background of this story. It’s not just Eve and Roarke who continue to grow, it’s their circle as well. Any time spent in the world Robb has created is a delight and this trip was no exception.

A joyful pre-wedding party celebration turning into a murder scene will immediately pull readers into the story in Passions in Death, the fifty-ninth book in J. D. Robb’s well-written futuristic police procedural set in August, 2061 in New York City. This series features homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, and her husband, Roarke, along with an assortment of regular secondary characters. The two brides, Erin Albright and Shauna Hunnicut, and their friends are having a girls’ night out five days prior to the wedding. One bride has a surprise for the other and has rented a private room to prepare for the big reveal. However, someone has a surprise planned for her. Dallas and Peabody arrive on the scene, but useful witnesses are hard to find. Can they find the murderer?

Time spent with Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, and their colleagues and friends is always entertaining. Eve is honorable, honest, a detailed planner, has strong moral principles, and has a strong sense of duty to victims and their families. Her need to serve and protect comes through in every book, but the underlying impetus for this is best understood by reading this series in order. Her ability to think through scenarios and latch onto the most likely one is uncanny and fascinating to see unfold. It’s compelling to see how Eve’s mind works getting a better and better picture of the killer.

As always, the interactions between Dallas and Roarke as well as with their friends and her homicide team are enjoyable and bring different facets of her personality to light. I thought the scene between Dallas and Roarke when he was angry about a work-related issue added insight into how far their relationship has come during the series.

Murder, suspense, and drama immediately pull readers into the storyline. The author continues to use prose to elicit a strong emotional response from readers. She also is skilled in using humor to bring out character personalities as well as to offset some of the more serious aspects of the story. Complex plots, strong characters, excellent pacing, and delightful relationships are a constant in this series. Woven through the novel are threads of friendship, standing for victims, complicated relationships, ego, justice, trust, anger, found family, jealousy, manipulation, and much more.

Robb is an excellent storyteller who combines a clever plot with gripping scenes, lots of solid police investigation, and engaging characters with depth. Besides the investigation, Dallas’s strong investigative techniques and her relationships with Roarke, her friends, and her colleagues drive the narrative. It has the right balance of mystery, police investigation, romance, and creative twists. While it was a little too easy to discern who the killer was, the full motivation took some time to become apparent.

Overall, this novel was an emotional and twisty tale with great characterization that kept me engaged throughout the story. If you enjoy intriguing near-future police procedurals with a strong female lead, then I recommend this series. I can’t wait to read the next book.

St. Martin’s Press and J.D. Robb provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for September 03, 2024.

So this is the 59th "In Death" book. I honestly have to say when Robb just focuses on "small" murders the series really works better. I think having Eve go "international" and always catching some serial killer who has eluded people for decades just doesn't work anymore. At this point, you think the feds would be begging her to join and or have her do cold cases or something. Ahem. I digress.

"Passions in Death" has some really great parts. We have the return of Crack and Rochelle. They are honestly my favorite couple in the series at the moment. We rarely see Charles and Louise anymore. And I am heartily sick of Nadine and whathisface. So with "Passions" we have a double bridal party at the Down and Dirty, one of the brides turns up murders which makes things all kinds of personal for Crack and also Eve and Peabody.

High points, honestly all of the characters sing in this one. You just feel like you are getting more time with everyone. And for once everyone is doing their duly appointed jobs. You don't have Eve just going by to give face time to Mira. Mira is actually there to point out what the profile is saying and what she thinks because Eve is (shockingly) stuck between thinking two people could have murdered one of the brides. And honestly you are left guessing almost to the end (which one again thank you!).

I won't lie, I skipped the house talk/renovation anytime it was mentioned. McNabb and Peabody were actually okay, once again, because you get to see them at work and you can see the sweetness between them (there's a sweet scene where Eve seems them walking and holding hands). It's very reminiscent of how Eve won't let Roarke kiss or touch her near the other cops.

Even Summerset had some funny parts (he and Galahad man).

The secondary characters we get to meet via the brides were great too. I don't want to spoil, but once again, I think that it's great how Robb is incorporating a lot of things going on right now into her futuristic books and I appreciated it a lot.

The flow was great and the setting of New York in 2061 doesn't feel that far away anymore. Even though we don't have all of the tech that Eve and Roarke do.

There's a side story that is tossed in about Roarke's work that was really not necessary (sorry, not sorry) and there's another side story about buying Mavis baby gifts that made my eyes glaze over. That still wasn't enough for me to knock this down because this is one of the latter series books that I can see myself reading again and again. I just kept going I needed one more scene with the murderer and or to see things five years in the future because I loathed the person that much.

Murder at a bachelorette party? At the Down and Dirty? Oh yes. Who would want to kill the bride? Why would they want to? There are plenty of questions but not many answers as Dallas and Roarke go to meet Crack at his request (because you know, Crack knows who to call!) to find the murderer. There are plenty of suspects, but none of it make much sense. But never fear, Dallas and Peabody are on the case and it’s just a matter of time before it will be cracked open and solved, but it is a surprise! Totally recommend this book, especially for fans of Dallas and the sexy Roarke.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title for an honest review.

I love this book. It’s a little different in that Dallas has some problems finding the killer. This book doesn’t have as much of the relationships of Dallas “tribe” which I missed. We haven’t seen much of Mavis & family, Trina etc. I really liked the storyline of this book, it feels personal. #PassionsinDeath #NetGalley

I am never disappointed in this series. I am always happy to see the latest instalment.
A strong female protagonist, intriguing supporting characters, along 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.

I have followed this series for many years and enjoy the futuristic setting and characters. Eve is a strong FMC, and I adore her partner, Peabody. Their banter is so funny, and I laughed out loud several times. I cannot get enough of Eve's relationship with her swoony husband, Roarke. And I loved that Crack returned in this one. Getting to visit these characters is always a treat.
The setup of this mystery intrigued me initially, and I genuinely tried to love it, but it just fell flat for me a little bit. Much of the dialogue and the rehashing of the suspects and motives were repetitive, and there was little action, so it went around in circles somewhat. It's still enjoyable but not my favorite of the series. However, I am still a devoted fan and will read anything J.D. Robb writes.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

*3.5 rounded up

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - June 24, 2024
Publication Date - September 3, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @jdrobbauthor, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

Passions in Death is an enjoyable, slower-paced mystery! I did find that there are lots of acronyms that people unfamiliar with police or medical terminology might not know. If you are used to mysteries and thrillers, you shouldn’t have a problem following along. My favourite part of this book was any time Roarke and Eve spent time together. I liked their relationship and how they bounced off each other. The pace picked up more in the second half of the book and a lot more started to happen. Even though I guessed who did it early on, solving the case was still satisfying and everything wrapped up nicely!

If you like mystery, 2SLGBTQIA+ rep and female investigators, you should give Passions in Death a try!

Get excited to read Passions in Death, available September 3! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

You can never go wrong with the In Death series IMHO. I attribute J.D. Robb's writing skill to a little frustration we the reader felt, as we were feeling Eve's frustration trying to decipher how and who killed a bride to be at her bridal shower. Having it take place at the Down n Dirty - Cracks place, in the same room Eve was assaulted is just more angst on top. The icing as always is family, Eve's cop family, her family with Roarke, her friends she let in over the years and watching them all grow in their own universe within Eve's is a win. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book early. I freely share my thoughts and opinions. #PassionsinDeath #InDeath #J.D.Robb #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

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I found this novel to be very interesting and an insight into police investigations. The plot revolves around the murder of a woman at her pre wedding celebration with friends. Once Eve Dallas gets involved, the intrigue begins as we learn about the backgrounds of friends and business associates of the deceased. However, I found this process dragged on and on and was just too long and drawn out.
I thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das mittlerweile 59. Buch (!!!) in der In Death - Buchreihe mit Polizistin Eve Dallas im Mittelpunkt enthält einen soliden Mordfall, der mich vor allem in den beiden ersten Dritteln gut unterhalten konnte und mich auch berührt hat.

J.D. Robb ist es gelungen, ein sehr klares, lebendiges Bild vom Opfer zu zeichnen, wodurch meine Emotionen beim Lesen involviert waren. Ich habe mit der Verlobten des Mordopfers definitiv mitgelitten. Fälle, in denen nette Menschen aus Missgunst oder ähnlichen Gründen ermordet werden, nehmen mich beim Lesen der Buchreihe immer besonders mit.

Die Auflösung des Falls fand ich nicht ganz so mitreißend, wie das teils in anderen Teilen der Reihe der Fall war. Insgesamt hat mir der Band aber trotzdem gut gefallen und die Lust auf weitere Romane in der Buchreihe ist bei mir nach wie vor vorhanden.

🖤🖤🖤🖤

Für wen?

Wer die leicht futuristische Buchreihe um Ermittlerin Eve Dallas kennt und gerne liest, kann unbesorgt zugreifen und sich auf einen soliden, teils emotionalen Fall freuen.

Wer die romantic suspense - Reihe nicht kennt, sollte ganz am Anfang anfangen, sonst fehlt einem zu viel an Hintergrundwissen: Übersicht zur Buchreihe

The 59th Eve Dallas story is more of a police procedural than many of the earlier books in the series. It begins when Eve is called to the Down & Dirty because one of the brides at a pre-wedding girls' party has been found garroted in one of the privacy rooms. It so happens to be the same room in which Eve was attacked the night before her wedding to Roarke.

As Eve sorts through all the friends of both Erin and Shauna who have formed a tight tribe since the two women met and fell in love, Eve believes that the killer was either one of the circle of friends or connected to it. As she sorts through alibis, she finds most of the guests are alibied but soon narrows the suspects to one of Erin's former lovers or Shauna's high school boyfriend.

Both suspects seem to have the personality to have committed the crime, but neither stands out as a clear-cut favorite suspect. It takes lots of looking into the suspects pasts to find the favorite and then it is equally difficult to find a way to prove it.

I like seeing how Eve and Roarke's marriage is growing as they grow to know each other better. Roarke doesn't have a big role in solving this case since money isn't really the motive. But he is always there for Eve and Eve has a chance to be there for him too when he has a problem at work.

Fans of the series will enjoy spending time with Eve, Roarke, Peabody and the other long-time characters in this episode. However, this is a tighter story and most of the side characters remain firmly off to the side.

This book will have you on edge. Such a fast-paced thriller with many twists and turns. I like how with this series (which has 59 books!!) can still be started at anytime in the series. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy of this book.

I echo Eve Dallas’s sentiment, what a “stupid murder!” It was also a very sad case. We have the list of suspects, now Dallas & Peabody have to figure out who did it. And it’s always interesting and fun to follow Eve’s reasoning & her deduction techniques. I find that her mind work in strange ways sometimes. And if you’re a fan of all the minor characters like I am, then this book will have a treat for you with appearances from Eve’s bestie and her family.

This book releases September 3rd, 2024.

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

Passions in Death plunge us into the gritty streets of Manhattan on a sweltering August night. The story starts with Lt. Eve Dallas and her enigmatic husband, Roarke, speeding to the Down and Dirty club. What was meant to be a joyful pre-wedding girls' night out has taken a horrific turn, leaving one of the brides, Erin, murdered in cold blood. The scene is a shocker—Erin is garroted and lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by the remnants of what was supposed to be a celebration.

The murder scene is especially haunting for Eve. The private room where Erin was killed holds dark memories for her, a place where she once fought off an assault. This personal connection drives Eve's determination to bring justice to Erin, a young woman who had her entire future stolen from her in a heartbeat.

As always, J.D. Robb masterfully blends elements of suspense, crime, and raw human emotion. The investigation is complex, with scarce helpful witnesses despite the club's crowd. Eve's sharp instincts and relentless pursuit of justice guided her through the labyrinth of hidden passions and calculated violence that define the crime.

Roarke's unwavering support and the dynamic between him and Eve add depth to the narrative, showcasing their powerful partnership personally and professionally. Their interactions provide moments of reprieve and warmth amidst the tension and darkness of the investigation.

The themes of love, betrayal, and revenge are intricately woven into the plot, making this installment particularly gripping. Robb's skillful storytelling ensures that each twist and turn keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning pages to uncover the truth behind Erin's Tragic Death.

Passions in Death is a compelling addition to the In Death series, offering a perfect blend of intense drama, meticulous detective work, and the ever-evolving relationship between Eve and Roarke. It's a must-read for fans of the series and anyone who enjoys a well-crafted, emotionally charged mystery.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of Passions in Death by J. D. Robb in exchange for an honest review. This series can be very addictive as the characters are easy to relate to and the plots the plots follow a formula with new pieces for each book. I've enjoyed seeing Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, Mavis and Feeney evolve through almost sixty books.

A pre-wedding night turns to murder. This leads to Lt. Eve Dallas and Roarke racing to the scene at the Down and Dirty Club (a club owned by their friend). One of the brides is viciously murdered and no one seemed to see anything happening.

The level of violence leads Eve to believe that it was premeditated and nothing will stop her from solving this case.

Was thrilled to get this ARC! Passions in Death is another fast-moving, intelligent mystery by J. D. Robb. As in her ongoing In Death series set in the future, this book features Lt. Eve Dallas and her thoughtful, precise method of solving murders. An excellent read if you’ve followed the series but equally satisfying if you are new to these stories and want to read as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Just didn't work for me

The premise was good - a woman was killed at her pre-wedding party, but this just didn't catch my attention. Maybe it was that this was set in the future far enough that there was technology mentioned that I was unfamiliar with (and came with no explanation, but not that hard to figure out). I had spent the day before I started reading this moving my spouse's childhood train set and I kept thinking that the book seemed like it was slightly off the tracks. I wound up skipping a big chunk in the middle but read the end. I wasn't impressed enough to go back and read the missed section.

I have liked other books by this prolific author. I don't know if it is just this book that didn't click with me or if the series has played itself out.

This is one of my all time favorite series - Eve Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, and the rest of the gang are a wonderful fictional family and in this installment, a hate crime has taken place and it is up to Eve and the gang to bring the guilty party to justice.

A beautiful pre-wedding celebration ends in tragedy when one of the brides is murdered in a brutal fashion. Eve heads the careful, thorough investigation as she always does. We know Roarke will help, we know there will be a "moment" with Summerset, we know that Peabody will always be wanting something sweet. And we know Eve will catch the killer. It is all about the journey with these books, about hanging out with familiar characters and seeing them grow and become an even closer family in their own way.

Incredibly grateful for having been able to preview this book!