When Lieutenant Eve Dallas examines a body in a downtown Manhattan alleyway, the victim’s injuries are so extensive that she almost misses the clue. Carved into the skin is the shape of a heart—and initials inside reading E and D . . .
Ella-Loo and her boyfriend, Darryl, had been separated while Darryl was a guest of the state of Oklahoma, and now that his sentence has been served they don’t ever intend to part again. Ella-Loo’s got dreams. And Darryl believes there are better ways to achieve your dreams than working for them. So they hit the road, and when their car breaks down in Arkansas, they make plans to take someone else’s. Then things get messy and they wind up killing someone—an experience that stokes a fierce, wild desire in Ella-Loo. A desire for Darryl. And a desire to kill again.
As they cross state lines on their way to New York to find the life they think they deserve, they will leave a trail of evil behind them. But now they’ve landed in the jurisdiction of Lieutenant Dallas and her team at the New York Police and Security Department. And with her husband, Roarke, at her side, she has every intention of hunting them down and giving them what they truly deserve . . .
Reading an In Death novel is like being wrapped up in a warm blanket on a cold night. These books are comfort reads (even with the gruesome crimes and deaths) because you know by the end Eve will have caught the bad guy with the help of her crew, and her amazing husband, Roarke (the most perfect hero in all of romance, so says me).
Devoted in Death is the 41st book in this futuristic series by JD Robb, aka Nora Roberts. It takes place in the beginning of 2061, which is only 2 years or so from the first book, Naked in Death, which was published in 1995. If you’re a fan of the In Death series, Devoted in Death is pretty much the same like every other book prior. A horrible homicide, or homicides have happened, and it’s up to Lieutenant Eve Dallas to speak for the dead, and find the people responsible for ending innocent lives.
What’s a little different here, is right from the start we know who the killers are. It’s a sick couple, Ella-Loo and Darryl on a crime spree across the US, landing in NYC (I wonder if they’re loosely based on the main couple from the movie, Natural Born Killers). Ella-Loo and Darryl are low class trash who are very dedicated to one another. After killing someone, which is an accident, they hide the body. They get off on the killing and are hot and horny, so much so that they become blood thirsty and want to kill (moving to torture) more people because they find it to be great foreplay for them.
Eve is back on the job after a long vacation at someplace warm with Roarke. Her first day back, she’s called to investigate a body of man who was tortured, with the initials E&D carved in his body. After investigating further, Eve finds out that this isn’t an isolated case, and there are more bodies, over 20 of various men and women who died the same way. And when a woman is snatched off the street, Eve and her crew are on a race against the clock to stop the serial killer couple from killing again.
Devoted in Death is very easy reading with the emphasis on the case, more so than the personal lives of Eve and Roarke, although we do get snippets of their personal time. Eve and Roarke are still in the honeymoon phase, so they make love whenever they can, which is plenty here to please readers. The good old candy thief strikes again, and many secondary characters, such as Peabody, McNabb, and others round out the story. The way the case evolves is fascinating. I was hooked by how Eve was able to figure out who Ella-Lo and Darryl are, and why they’re addicted killing. Roarke is more of a tag along here for Eve, but because he’s so amazing (I have a bad Roarke crush), he’s very noticeable throughout the story. Eve’s snark is more toned down, but she’s more lovey-dovey with Roarke, proving that these two are so in sync with one another.
Devoted in Death is a solid read and pretty good police procedural (many mentions of auto chefs has me dying for one of my own!). Again, In Death fans will eat this latest up. (Putnam)
Final Grade: B