| | |  | | Home » Kindred in Death | | | | | | | Description: | | When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.
Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.
When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| J.D. Robb | | Hardcover:
| 384 pages | | Publisher:
| Putnam Adult | | Publication Date:
| November 03, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0399155953 | | Product Length:
| 9.8 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.94 inches | | Product Height:
| 1.25 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.27 pounds | | Package Length:
| 9.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.3 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.25 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 112 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 80 found the following review helpful:
 A new breathtaking and horrible case - the series just get's better and better!!!Nov 03, 2009
By S. - "abouthappybooks.com"
The horrible rape/murder of young and innocent Deena, daughter of Captain Jonah McMasters, shocks the whole NYPD. Instead of enjoying some much needed time with Roarke Eve has to deal with one of her worst cases.
It's soon clear to her that Deena was just means to an end and that her unspeakable suffering was a way to take revenge against her father, who's head of the NYPD drug squad.
Eve and her team work 24 hours to solve the case because they know that killing Deena was only the first act. Searching in McMasters past brings them closer to the killer but not near enough to prevent a second horrible rape/murder. Now it's up to Eve and her team to outwit the murderer and rescue his next victims.
"Kindred in Death" is an awesome book but it was still hard to read for me. The murders are just so brutal and horrible and because I'm a big sissy I had to force myself to read through the really bad parts. The book plays within a few days but there are so many bad things happening that it seems longer. The search for the killer is breathtaking and I couldn't lay the book down before they finally had him.
One thing was clear after the first few pages. There will never be justice for the torture, rape and murder of an innocent, young girl and of a bride just days before her wedding. Sometimes life just sucks and to accept it is not always easy.
The books focuses mainly on the case but there are still some private and funny moments (thank god for that). I especially enjoyed reading about the preparations for the upcoming wedding of Charles and Louise. Of course Eve doesn't understand or even cares about all the small details regarding the wedding and it's so funny when she has to deal with them. But still she is a loyal and good friend for Louise when it come's to the important things (even if it means that she has to deal with Trina).
Roarke is like he is 99% of the time - just perfect. He and Summerset are very affected by the murders because they remind them of what Marlena had to endure. Roarke works hard to help Eve deal with the case and her own memories.
For the first time in the series Eve seems to get a better handle on her violent and disturbing dreams. She realizes that compared to Deena she was lucky enough to be able to defend herself against her father. Because of that she finally seems to understand that killing her father was not bad at all. To be honest I had to cry when reading this scene because it's something I wished for Eve to realize for so long.
It's also nice to meet Jamie Lingstrom again and to see how his life has changed. He's still so sure about being a cop after college. I guess this time Roarke will have to accept defeat because he just can't lure Jamie with his money.
So all in all "Kindred in Death" is an awesome book and J.D. Robb continues to amaze me. Even after 30 books the series just get's better and better and is never boring or just average.
But still I'm very relieved that "Fantasy in Death" (coming January, 2010) will deal with a different kind of murder.
29 of 32 found the following review helpful:
Excellent (though grim) installment in a first-rate series.Nov 03, 2009
By R. B. Bernstein
"R. B. Bernstein, Adjunct Professor of Law, New York Law School"
KINDRED IN DEATH is an excellent (though grim) installment in a first-rate series, one of the best ongoing mystery series I know. This is not a book for the faint-of-heart; the details of the crimes are hard to take, though they are not excessive. J. D. Robb never indulges in gore or cruelty for gore's or cruelty's sake. Nothing is here that is not necessary to the evolution of the plot, the development of the characters, and the telling of the tale.
With each installment, Robb further deepens our understanding of the character of Lt. Eve Dallas, her husband Roarke, the other police detectives with whom she works, and the other regular characters. I don't know how she does it, but she manages to do it with subtlety and skill. Sometimes it takes just a small detail inserted in just the right place to open up a whole unexpected dimension of a character.
Of course this review won't give away any plot elements. Suffice it to say that the title makes good sense when the last page is turned; that the plot is eminently fair; and that Robb both obeys and honors the late Isaac Asimov's rules for mystery and detective stories set in the future. In fact, Asimov would admire these books.
All in all, a deeply satisfying book and an excellent addition to an excellent series.
11 of 12 found the following review helpful:
FAMILY MATTERS --- IT'S PERSONALNov 11, 2009
By Trueheart
The strength in Robb's In Death Series is in Eve Dallas' personal journey towards finding kindred spirits, kin and family. In an earlier novel, Eve justified her ploy to use herself to lure a murderer out of his craven cover by saying she could count on one hand the people who care for her and about whom she cares. Shaken, Roarke asks her how many cases she has had and how many dead she has "stood" for. Hundreds! Roarke knows that Eve cares profoundly and that she has never forgotten each face and name. We, too, care deeply about Eve and can not forget her.
Through out the In Death series, this brilliant, courageous, difficult and troubled heroine gathers kin, friends, love and family, the ultimate forces behind all of the books. Dr. Mira often reminds Eve that the cases are personal, a fact which drives Eve to right the wrongs, give dignity once again to the dead and restore them to their family. Indeed, family factors into this novel when a lovely daughter of a police captain is raped and murdered. Eve knows first hand the horror of the abuse this innocent suffered. Now she examines the dynamics and dysfunction of the murderer's family and other family units. What drives one terrorized child to kill and another equally terrorized to stand for the dead as Eve does?
On this quest Eve learns about herself. But this courageous defender is tentative and inexperienced in outward displays of affection. Brilliant and confident, Eve stands for the dead, yet awkward and vulnerable she stands before those who love her. Usually Robb surrounds Eve with people who love her, but this interaction is somehow lacking in this novel; the novel is more procedural and less personal. Indeed, Kindred is not perfect, but when one loves the characters, it matters less. But still I wanted more.
I wanted more interaction with Peabody and others, for a family and kindred baseline, a foil to the plot line. Eve and Roarke seemed on their own, missing the personal insights and touches friends provide. I wanted a car chase, of all things, featuring Eve's fully loaded, low profile car, a present from Roarke in Promises. Actually, I even wanted more of the Greek chorus-Summerset. He pushes the spitfire Eve to be a better person. I waited the entire book for a good Summerset dig. The funny exchange occurred when he remarked on Eve's banged up face: "I see you have had your monthly facial, Lieutenant." I laughed, at last, at the dialogue as I usually do throughout all of the novels.
Still Mira supported Eve. In one scene Dr. Mira escorts Eve on an interview and compliments Eve for her kindnesses. Amusingly, Eve shows off before Mira with a chase and take down of a petty thief, winning Mira's amazement and approval. Is it coincidence that Mira's name begins with M-for mother, or am I searching for a symbol? Wonderful scenes between motherly Mira and unfolding Eve appear in all of the books and in this one also. Mira matters to Eve. Even Mira's daughter reveals to Eve that Eve is a child of Mira's heart. Who could doubt Feeney's (F for father) protective, nurturing relationship to Eve and his developing kinship with Roarke, "son-in -law" and mutual defender of all things Eve. However, to some extent, the novel lacked Feeney's presence.
In Kindred, Robb surrounds Eve with families, some dysfunctional and dangerous, willing to destroy their own, and others growing and changing positively. Ultimately we needed to see more of Peabody's free- ager family or of Mira's, including Mr. Mira and grandchildren, or of Mavis, Leonardo and baby Belle Eve, all kindred souls who enfold Eve with their warmth, comfort and stability. In fact, we needed more of Charles and Louise whose wedding ceremony should have been the focus of the novel. Nevertheless, Robb's series is fantastic, and I eagerly await the next novel. I love Roarke and Eve, two self described "lost souls" who did cement their love and family ties while hosting Louise and Charles' wedding, a marriage of two kindred spirits held amidst their extended family- their kindred.
36 of 47 found the following review helpful:
 Something's OffNov 14, 2009
By MoSha
Just finished the book. I bought it the day after its release. I kept putting it down because, well, something's not the same. In my impatience for this book to come out (I had begun to believe the J.D. Robb series was the best of all Nora Robert's books lately) I re-read all the In-Death novels over again; I have them all including the anthology ones. Starting over again has taught me one thing: something's not right. Eve just seems to have regressed as a character instead of having evolved or ascended. In the earlier books, she didn't take things such as family, friends, femininity, and love for granted--she just seemed to be at a loss for dealing with them because she hadn't had to in the past. Now...she's just foul-mouthed, surly, controlling, and selfish (at times). I'm not sure if its Robb's ploy to authenticate the character as a tough girl, but its not working; its annoying.
Also, I say Robb because I'm starting to think just like some that the In-Deaths are being ghost written; and if they are, this is a new writer. I study Nora Roberts. I have always admired her writing since I picked up my first book by her in 1996. Not only is she prolific, but she has a way with the written word. Kindred was down right sloppily written. The characters' dialogues were confusing at times and not as witty. Roberts also has a style. Well, the style has changed, from the writing right down to dialogue tags and the the dialogue itself. Not, sure if I'm making any sense on that point, but, as I've said before...something's off.
Next book I'll wait for the paperback. I'm used to these books having a central crime plot, but also having sub-plots involving her delicious cast of supporting characters as well as the main characters Eve and Roarke. But that wasn't there this time around. Eve and Roarke's relationship was more an after-thought (with him being her little lackey--I never see her going into Roarke Industries doing a mail-call or answering phones)and Eve's relationships with her friends, especially Louise (as she was her maid-of-honor) was just unbelievable. If these characters were real, I'd have an easier time believing Eve Dallas didn't have any friends because she didn't have the connection that is usually there (see her interactions with Nadine, Peabody, Mavis, Trina, etc.)It's always about Eve and her dead people. She didn't even have her usual dreams (which was conveniently explained away to Mira)or her usual pseudo-psychic connection to the killer.
Anyway, if you ever happen to read this Ms. Roberts, I believe you are one of the best authors of all time. I just hope that the In-Death series continues along the same path it started. Please don't let it die out because you've snatched the life out the characters. If if does end, let it be in a blaze of glory and not as a snuffed out flame...
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Intriguing, brilliant and twisted story that advanced the charactersNov 12, 2009
By S. Dargin
I loved this book for many reasons. It gives you continuity of the characters, shows growth of the characters, made me laugh, made me cry, and was an intriguing, brilliant and twisted story line that was revealed at just the right pace. Several times, I was guessing where it was going and ended up being surprised.
I enjoyed some of the newer characters, for example the 90 year old grandmother who was a potential victim, what a hoot. Imagine her as Eve in the future.
The relationships are intertwined and complex. Here are several not plot revealing, situations that stuck out for me as advancing the characters: Roarke doesn't tell Eve he is giving young and brilliant e-detective Jamie a scholarship. Eve's unconscious questioning of motherhood and what might be her own destiny. Eve's nightmares continue in this book, but they are changing and she now has power over them. Peabody is interviewed by the victim on the impact of her being a free ager and a cop in NYC. Roarke becomes more human, he is shown as being tired and frustrated and not always getting his way, while still being the perfect mate for Eve. Eve really steps up and into her power in this book. All the other regulars are woven into the story perfectly too. I kept waiting for Nadine to show up, and she did, exactly where she was needed to be.
This book is a great story, that captures the multiple faucets of humanity regardless of the fact that it is set in the future and in the center of the world, NYC, as Eve muses at one point. It is my favorite in the series and I've read them all in order. The only book I've rated a 5, so far.
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