Abandoned in Death
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4.4 • 212 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Homicide detective Eve Dallas must untangle a twisted family history while a hostage’s life hangs in the balance—in Abandoned in Death by New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb.
The woman’s body was found in the early morning, on a bench in a New York City playground. She was clean, her hair neatly arranged, her makeup carefully applied. But other things were very wrong—like the tattoo and piercings, clearly new. The clothes, decades out of date. The fatal wound hidden beneath a ribbon around her neck. And the note: Bad Mommy, written in crayon as if by a child.
Eve Dallas turns to the department’s top profiler, who confirms what seems obvious to Eve: They’re dealing with a killer whose childhood involved some sort of trauma—a situation Eve is all too familiar with herself. Yet the clues suggest a perpetrator who’d be roughly sixty years old, and there are no records of old crimes with a similar MO. What was the trigger that apparently reopened such an old wound and sent someone over the edge?
When Eve discovers that other young women—who physically resemble the first victim—have vanished, the clock starts ticking louder. But to solve this case she will need to find her way into a hidden place of dim light and concrete, into the distant past, and into the cold depths of a shattered mind.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In J. D. Robb’s spine-chilling thriller, a deranged killer seeks revenge for his childhood trauma by targeting innocent young mothers. When Lauren Elder is found murdered in a New York playground with a note that reads “Bad Mommy” on her body, homicide detective Eve Dallas and her team must once again delve into the mind of a twisted killer. Abandoned in Death empathically explores issues of childhood trauma within the framework of a suspenseful police procedural. Robb (aka legendary author Nora Roberts) pulls fans and newcomers alike into her long-running In Death series by excavating her characters’ psyches and ratcheting up the tension. This is one gripping pageturner.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When a young woman's body turns up at a Manhattan playground in bestseller Robb's solid 54th thriller set in mid-21st-century New York (after 2021's Forgotten in Death), Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York City Police Security Department and her team investigate. Under the victim's folded hands is a sign written in crayon in a childish scrawl reading "Bad Mommy." The victim's clothing (ripped jeans and a short, spangly top), elaborate makeup, body piercings, and tattoos all seem in line with styles from the late 20th century. Other women in their 20s have also recently disappeared, and Eve and her colleagues realize they're looking for a serial killer, and that if they don't catch him soon, another innocent will die. Chapters that follow the police alternate with ones from the killer's perspective that shed light on his "Bad Mommy" issue, creating some suspense. For fans, the details of Eve's life with her sexy, supportive, and staggeringly wealthy husband Roarke, such as the renovation of their house, will be of even more interest than the somewhat stock mystery plot. This outing's not for newcomers.
Customer Reviews
Loved it.
I listened to the audio book this time and really enjoyed it. Great story.
Abandoned in Death
Like all of LD ROBB’s books I loved and enjoyed this story. Can not wait until I can get into another one!!!!
Abandoned in Death
Yep another powerful “in death” story by my favourite author. I love how she takes us into the mind of the intense Lt Dallas as the engine that moves the story along from a questionable beginning to an explosively satisfying conclusion.
Kudos
Babajudy