I loved this book, very engaging and charming, lots of little stories from Eve's friends, I was very happy to see Mavis again. In such a long series some books must be worse than the others, but this one was really good. Five stars. ( )

Eve & team investigate a murder that leads to an "organization" that thrives on bigotry, human trafficking, kidnapping, & wealth. The investigation leads to international crimes and the biggest bust of her career. Coordinating multi state & countries it takes everything to have a successful bust and put everyone in cages. Flashbacks to Eve's childhood spur her on. Trina, Peabody, & their men celebrate some new beginnings & Roarke is his usual anchor. The book holds a lot of shades of truth and could be ripped from today's headlines. ( )

Eh.

Faithless in Death
4.5 Stars

A seemingly straightforward investigation into the death of a young artist takes a life-altering turn when the victim's connection to a fanatical religious cult becomes apparent.

As with any long series (and Robb's is certainly one of the longest), it is not surprising that In Death has had its ups and downs. Nevertheless, the last few installments have returned to the original plot-focused storytelling that appealed so much to me at the outset.

In this book, the case is front and center as Eve and her team confront one of their most horrific investigations yet (and that is saying a lot considering the Icove and Red Horse storylines). The emphasis is on the police procedural elements and the truly evil villains whose crimes are amongst the most awful that one human can inflict on another.

Yes, there is less character development and little romance, but after 52 books, these can no longer be considered a priority for me.

Overall, an excellent addition to the series. My one caveat is that there are some secondary characters who deserve their own HEAs and it would be great if Nora wrote a romance for them.
( )

Eve's next case starts out simple. What looks like a lover's quarrel leaving a young female sculptor dead in her studio quickly becomes a much deeper and darker case. First of all, why did Gwen Huffman wait more than an hour before calling in the discovery of the crime? And why did she call her lawyer-fiancé before she called the cops?

Gwen's lies and inconsistencies quickly alert Eve and Peabody to the idea that something is being hidden but neither could have imagined the scope of her secrets. As they investigate Gwen and her background and contacts, they discover that she is part of a cult called Natural Order. It hates anyone who isn't straight, anyone who is mixed-race, and women generally.

Founded by Stanton Wilkey who Roarke describes as "a charismatic lunatic", it has been growing in great secrecy for years. Eve's friend reporter Nadine Furst tried to investigate it when she was a young reporter with no success. All attempts to get the details, including the FBI's attempt to get an agent undercover, have been unsuccessful. But when Eve goes to interview Wilkey, she is surreptitiously passed a note which indicates things are even worse than everyone feared; a young woman is being held captive after being abducted and having her identity erased.

As Eve investigates possible killers of the young sculptor, she also discovers the members of the cult are imprisoning women and forcing them into marriages and motherhood. This triggers all sorts of reminders of her own childhood and deepens Eve's determination to destroy this cult and its members. Luckily, her contacts in the FBI and Interpol are also determined to do the same thing.

While this story deals with a deep and dark crime, there are still happy notes. Mavis and Leonardo have bought a house with the intent to grow their family. The house also has a sort of guesthouse/mother-in-law suite that they intend to rent to Peabody and McNab. Roarke found the house, which is a real fixer-upper, and is helping with the rehab. There are also the usual problems with idioms this time including "lo and behold," "a flash in the pan," and "irons in the fire" that added some humor to a story with lots of darkness.

Fans of the In Death series will enjoy this latest episode and be glad to spend time again with Eve, Roarke, and the family they have built around themselves. ( )