J.D. Robb's futuristic In Death series is back with her 60th installment, Bonded in Death, and it's as good as all the books before it. In this installment, Eve investigates the death of Giovanni Rossi, found murdered in the back of a limo, clutching one of Eve's business cards and a cryptic note about seeking vengance on The Twelve. Who is this secret group that the dead Italian senior citizen belonged to? Thanks to the help of her homicide team, Roarke, and their butler Summerset, all becomes clear. Together, they work to stop the killer's vendetta.

This book takes us to the Urban Wars of the mid 2020's and a long held grudge. We come to learn about the work Summerset, and a group of allies, did in London at this time. While fans of the series already knew some of Summerset's back story, it was interesting to learn even further and to discover more about the Urban Wars. I've read the entire series and highly recommend it. The well crafted characters, including a long list of recurring ones, feel like family and I'm always eager to see how they're doing. 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait for the next book.

Thank you to J.D. Robb, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC. Opinions expressed are my own.

Once again, this author has crafted a story that pulls me in from the very first page. The writing is sharp, fast-paced, and layered with so much emotional depth that it feels like the plot takes on a life of its own. What really stands out to me is how the tension keeps building, not just from the twists and turns of the story, but from the characters' personal struggles. It’s that perfect balance between heart-pounding suspense and deep, human connection that makes this book so hard to put down. It’s rare for a book to keep me guessing right up until the very end, and yet, with this one, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The writing style is always a standout, so effortless and immersive, yet full of sharp moments that cut straight to the heart. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

It never ceases to amaze me that even 60 books I to this series, J.D. Robb still has the ability to keep the reader hooked. Great storytelling and strong well-written characters keep this reader coming back for more.

Continuing my streak of being Nora’s #1 fan, this might be one of my favorite of the In Death series to date (and that’s saying something, given how many of them there are). I loved getting more of Summerset’s background, more of the Urban Wars, and I personally love a world where I already know the characters well, it’s like a comfort show.

Typical J.D. Robb book -- I really enjoy this series, but I am definitely ready for some progression with the characters personally. I also loved the introduction of the new characters in this one. If you're a fan of this series, you will enjoy this book!

Someone is dead and somehow they have called Dallas to find out why this person is dead. How do they connect with Dallas? And all of a sudden we may learn more about Somerset. This was great background to things we hadn’t learned before. Great book!

Followers of this series are going to be surprised and love this book! It is good and some things revealed might shock some readers. As always, I love revisiting these characters. Great job to the author; I didn't see it coming!

This is one of mt favorite series. I have now started again from the beginning for a second time having read them all once. While the plots and outcomes are similar they keep your attention. I really like how the characters developed through the series b

What a fantastic addition to the series! Bonded in Death, the sixtieth book in J. D. Robb’s well-written futuristic police procedural set in New York City, is one of the best in the series. This series features homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her husband, Roarke, and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, along with an assortment of regular secondary characters. This time we get more of Summerset’s background and history along with a fascinating murder. Summerset is the man who became a father to Roarke when he was a young boy on the Dublin streets.

Giovanni Rossi arrives in New York, but he was a part of a small, secret organization consisting of twelve individuals during the 2020’s. He arrives in response to an old colleague and dies soon after being picked up at the airport. Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the case frustrating. Rossi had just arrived from Rome. His widow doesn’t know why he left, and the police still don’t what killed him or why. When Summerset, learns of the crime, he’s shocked and reveals how he knows the victim.

Time spent with Dallas, Roarke, Peabody, and their colleagues and friends is always entertaining. Eve is smart, tenacious, determined, focused, brave, and believes in what she does. However, her way doesn’t usually include the social niceties. It’s compelling to see how Eve’s mind works as she gets a 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. While this book didn’t include a lot of interactions with their friends, it included several people important to Summerset.

Murder, suspense, and drama immediately pull readers into the storyline. The author continues to use prose to elicit a strong emotional response from readers. While this one included some flashback scenes, Robb made the transitions smooth and the content riveting. While the killer is known early in the book, the story is about the investigation and search for him or her as well as the relationships people have formed.

Skilled in using humor to bring out character personalities as well as to offset some of the more serious aspects of the story, I didn’t want to put the book down. Strong characters, excellent pacing, and delightful relationships are a constant in this series. Woven through the novel are threads of friendship, standing for victims, found family, betrayal, greed, love, connections, bonds, hate, jealousy, justice, trust, anger, and much more.
Robb is an excellent storyteller who combines clever plots, intense scenes, lots of solid police investigation, and engaging characters with depth. The narrative has the right balance of mystery, police investigation, romance, and creative twists.

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 February 04, 2025.

Bonded in Death is book 60 in the In Death series. I have not read every book in the series but I have read a few and this one did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Bonded in Death is releasing February 4 2025. Thank you so much to Netgalley and J.D. Robb for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

I don't want to sound like a broken record but it is well known that I am a HUGE fan of Ms. Roberts/Robb - and I especially love this series. Seriously - this is the 60th book in the series and I've read every one - so that should be a hint. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to read and review the latest ARC and I was so excited that I dropped everything else and jumped right in.

Recently, in the last couple of reviews I mentioned that it has felt like we were bringing back some of the greatness that we fell in love with in the very beginning of the series. That is not to say that the series as a whole is not fantastic, but after so many books and so many plot lines....well, it would be only natural to see some possible downward progression. Anyway, about 5 or so books ago, the minute I finished the book I thought, "Oh my gosh! This was GREAT!"

I felt the way I remembered feeling in the beginning - only it was better because now we had a completely established world and amazingly developed (and loved) characters. This continued to be the case for the next several books. This book however, while not being awful, seemed to fall into the other category. Without going into spoilers, let's just say that we get a departure from the norm in terms of the case that Eve is in the middle of. There are POV's from two different time periods - one of them being almost 40 years prior - during the Urban Wars.

The only thing that I will say about this is that first of all - the entire case - it was just too easy. The Unsub (who was supposed to be brilliant, cunning, smart...you get the hint, right?) Well, he really wasn't. There were several instances that just felt "off" to me and only succeeded in pulling me out of the story. I did enjoy that this case seemed to bring EVERYONE that we have come to know and love, together in one form or another and I always love it when that happens. But, in that same vein....why? Not everybody really needed to be involved so that in itself was unusual.

Sommerset's past comes up in this book. Quite a bit of it, and that is interesting because I thought I already knew a lot about his past. I didn’t.
That is a definite positive. BUT....when all is said and done, the entire case, the bad guy, his motivations, his planning.....it didn't really make sense. It was like trying to fit a puzzle piece into a hole where three sides fit, but that last side just wasn't right. And it was just TOO EASY. I know I mentioned that already, but....come on. This was a case of a truly dumb criminal and that just felt insulting.

So, why the 4 stars? Well, duh! Because I LOVE this series. I am thrilled every single time that I get to jump back into this world and get to visit with all of the characters that we have come to know, and watch grow. It takes talent to be able to build a world so brilliantly and so completely that stepping back in feels like pulling on a warm sweater and cuddling in front of a warm fire. THAT is the feeling I get every time I get to visit with Dallas, Roarke, Peabody and the gang and that brilliance deserves at least 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on February 4, 2025.

Wow, this book is amazing. Lots of tension, fast-moving, yet there’s also emotions. The plot, story is interesting, & the characters are great. #BondedinDeath #NetGalley

<i>Bonded in Death</i> marks the 60th entry in the <i>In Death</i> franchise and it definitely lives up to, and may surpass, the previous 59. We’re skillfully taken back to the beginning of the end of the Urban Wars and to a dedicated group of twelve who are part of the Underground, centered in London. Fast forward to September of 2061 when a retired Italian cybersecurity man boarded a plane from Rome to New York, responding to a message from a comrade from those days, calling on an oath The Twelve had made after they were betrayed. Within minutes of landing, he’s dead, killed by a gas that has long been outlawed but that was often utilized during the Urbans. Left between two of his fingers? A fascimile of Eve Dallas’ card and a message that makes clear that killing Wasp was just the first attack meant to wipe out those of The Twelve who remained.

Knowing that Summerset had been a medic during the Urbans, Eve thought to tap him for information on that time period, only to discover that he was, in fact, one of The Twelve. Messages go out to the other remaining members and before she can blink, Eve’s home is turned into a safe house for a group of former Underground operatives. Characters come to life quickly and completely and the perpetrator of this latest tragedy is quickly identified. The most obvious suspect, unfortunately, died five years ago in a Manchester prison, where he was serving a life sentence for war crimes committed during the Urbans. Threads are located and carefully pulled and tugged, utilizing not just our usual cast of detectives and e-geeks, but a group of former spies who haven’t lost their skills. With their help, Eve fleshes out a profile of our killer and begins hunting him down ruthlessly.

In an effort to avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that many things happen during the course of the story. Bombs are diffused, handguns are shot in public, innocent bystanders are almost taken out, and a young boy ends up kidnapped and held by our villain. Eve, however, with the help of her usual crew and the addition of the remainder of The Twelve, weaves those threads together to form a complete picture of the bad guy. And, in the end, with help from her entire team and the Commander, manage to take the suspect down. We get a brief visit with Nadine at the beginning and an even briefer update on The Big House Project (almost ready for move-in!) but most of the story focuses on the work being done to track down our killer with information coming out about the Underground and what each of The Twelve did then and how it relates to the now. The story was thoroughly engrossing and beautifully crafted. Summerset becomes even more well-defined as we find out more about his past, his wife, and his work during that turbulent time in history. I can’t wait to see what J. D. Robb has in store for #61!.

This was a wild roller coaster ride. High impact velocity. This is a very case centric book. This book is Eve Dallas at her best. She was hard hitting and fully locked on catching the murderer. I enjoyed how she systematically went through all the clues. We learned so much more about Summerset and his life before he met Roarke. This case has given Eve and Summerset a better understanding of each other. This is one of my favorite In Death books. JD Robb did an outstanding job of writing as to honor and celebrate the publication of her 60th In Death book. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Bonded in Death, book 60 in this series, is by far my favorite book.
I've been reading this series since 1998, and Eve Dallas never disappoints me.
In this book, someone is targeting The Twelve, a group of comrads from the Urban Wars.
The group consists of people Dallas knows, so once again this becomes personal.
I love watching Dallas process her thoughts, her character is so well done, that I can picture her sitting at her desk, feet up, having a coffee, and wondering who stole her hidden candy bar.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
I'm happy to recommend it to other readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read Bonded in Death by J. D. Robb.

This is a series that continues to surprise, and never gets stale. J.D. Robb is THE master of character development with a cast of the most well-loved characters being written today.

Bonded in Death gives us some history regarding Summerset, who he was in his younger years, and the amazing group of people he had as "chosen family" - back in the day, and still.

One of my favorites in this series.