Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Calculated in Death

Series: In Death bk 36

Author: J.D. Robb

Genre: Murder Mystery, Futuristic, Romantic Suspense

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone’s hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta’s murder was the work of a killer who’s trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta’s office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke’s world of big business to figure out who’s cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer’s violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. .

When it comes to murder mysteries no one does it better than J.D. Robb. On top of the mystery of trying to figure who the murder is we get to see the people we’ve come to love just as much as Eve and Roarke….though lets be honest we all want out Roarke.

The latest case to fall on Lt Eve Dallas’s desk is that of a mugging gone wrong…or so it seems. It doesn’t take Eve very long to figure out that the mugging was in fact staged and the victim not a random person. As she pulls in her team to solve the murder she quickly realizes she needs the help of her expert civilian consult in all things money related aka Roarke.

I have to admit this book had be guessing right up until she figured out who the murderer was. And then as she began to pull the pieces together as to the why and how, and how to she was going to nail him for everything.

I really enjoyed this book and the twists and turns it took…there were a couple of conversations I really liked this one being my favorite though…

“They all live within their considerable means, or so it appears,”Eve said as they got off on her level of the garage. “And according to what we’d call their privileged or semi-preivileged lifestyle. And that lifestyle includes spouses, fiancées, lovers exes, LC’s – and you bet your ass, sidepieces.”

“You don’t really think that mouse bait Pope has a sidepiece.”

“That type can surprise you and bang like a drum.”

“Have you ever been banged by mouse bait?”

“No.” Their footsteps echoed. Somewhere on a higher level, someone gunned an engine. “But Mavis dated this guy for a while back in the day who looked like one of those garden gnomes. She said he went at it like a rabid mink. Don’t trust appearances.”

“That’s true.” Peabody jumped in the car. “Take McNab. He’s aborable, but he’s got that skinny frame. But he can go like a turbo thruster.”

“Jesus, Peabody. I don’t want to hear about McNab’s thrusting abilities.”

“They’re exceptional. Just the other night, he-”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t.” Eve slapped a hand at the corner of her eye when it twitched, then bared her teeth at Peabody’s muffled chuckle.

“You did that on purpose.”

“I just wanted to see if it still worked.”

“It’ll always work. Just like my boot will always fit up your ass.”

It’s because of conversations like this between Eve and Peabody and the relationships she has built with the other members of her family that I keep coming back to this series.

One of the things I liked a lot about in this book is that we get to see a slightly different side of Roarke, and I really liked that. He showed Eve a side that I’m sure she’s seen before but is new to us the reader. I enjoyed seeing how Eve reacted to this side of him and how it made her that much better as a person.

I will say though that of all the endings to these books what happens at the end of this book in regards to Eve and Roarke is by far my favorite of all the books. It’s so them and one hundred percent perfect.

If you’re a fan of this series then you won’t be disappointed with the latest installment. Calculated in Death lives up to the promise Robb gave us when she hooked us on this series back in book 1 Naked in Death.

If you haven’t yet picked up this series then I suggest you give it a try.

Grade A