Memory in Death

Arrived in proper time . Book was as advertised Good shape

Prior to becoming an ongoing book reviewer, I was routinely following this fantastic series. Then I happened to find this book and took the chance to see how the series is going. I was pleasantly surprised when this book happened to contain several flashback scenes which will give "new" readers an understanding of the early lives of the married duo who rank first as major characters...The first thing you should know is that both of these individuals were, first, street kids and lived a rough life. Both continue to reveal those pasts with their rough language and the ability to think like criminals might think, since they were often forced to steal, for instance, food, or respond to people in an aggressive manner that often matches that of the criminals now being hunted and charged...You see, Dallas had become a cop, striving to prevent what she had gone through. Now she holds the rank of Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the Homicide unit.Roarke, on the other hand, was not only streetsmart, but had used criminal activities to gain sufficient funds to turn legit and become one of, if not, the richest man on and off Planet Earth... Yes, the series is set in the future and readers will enjoy reading about the advancements made, while recognizing that people were just the same--choosing to live a regular life or to become someone who seeks both money as well as power as their main goal... I often wonder whether Roarke would have continued with his early activities, if he had not seen Eve "across a crowded room" and fell deeply in love, so much so that he nows carries a button from her coat in his pocket wherever he goes...Maybe he fell so hard because he quickly learnd that Dallas cared nothing about how much money he had, and rarely dressed to illustrate her husband's vast wealth... In fact, readers will find that the primary part of her life, after she had become secure in knowing her husband's love, is catching bad guys! And she has a fantastic, ongoing support team that has been with her for many years. This makes it easier for fans to come back to the series and feel like they are right at home in this future world where bad guys still roam freely...And, in this book, we see a part of the past life of Eve, while at the same time, learn of how cruel people can actually be... But, nothing had prepared Eve when one of her Foster Mothers boldly walked into the police station, claimed she was Eve's mother and expected to be escorted right into her office...It had been so bad a memory that Eve almost vomited her last meal. She went into PTSD remembering the nightly cold showers she was forced to take, remembering that she was hungry all of the time, but most of all, remembering what this woman said to her in private moments when nobody else could hear her cruel words and threats...To have her waltz into Eve's office, acting as if nothing had happened in the past other than "Trudy's" care and support as if she was a real mother, turned Eve's stomach. Trudy was asking her to meet for dinner with her, her son and his new wife... Dallas the cop took over and spoke to her, then pushed her out of her office, after which she fell apart, found Peabody, her partner, and left the office, to go home and hide in bed...Where Roarke found her...Of course, readers hear exactly how Eve was treated by the foster mother. So much so that, when, the next day, Trudy barged into Roarke's office, he was ready for her... Let's just say that his street talk quickly came out where Roarke made it quite clear that if she continued to contact his wife, he would "take action..."And after getting back to her hotel, she immediately began just how she would have her vengeance. And she started by buying a new pair of socks, and stopping at a bank for heavy coins, which she filled once back in her room... and started to use that, now weapon, to beat across her body... while she began to rehearse just how she would tell her story to the police...Meanwhile Dallas and Roarke were hosting their annual Christmas party, so had been busy in preparation and party events, during the time that...Trudy... was murderd... Wow, this twist was totally unexpected and turned the story into a murder mystery that Dallas would handle, after talking with her boss and verifying there was no way that either Eve or Roarke could have done it, especially since her boss was at the party!During the investigation, Dallas learned that there were other girls who had left Trudy's home and were later blackmailed in some way... Eve's anger kept buildig, but somehow having seen her body had worked to ensure that Dallas, the cop, as now back and on the job. And, perhaps, it was finding out about the blackmail of a number of women who had made something of their lives, was the drive Eve used to ultimately put things together...For me, having this book as a reminder of the early lives of both Dallas and Roarke brought back into their lives, made this, in my opinion, one of her finest books...

Loved this book. It was a great read from start to finish. I love all her books and I really love them because the characters are the same in each In Death books.

This book is filled with the steps of working a crime through the detective. Her thoughts are quick and the story moves fast. The glimpse of the future and the love story fun.

A not so welcome blast from her past shows up at Eve’s office; and then ends up dead. The holidays get in the way of murder solving in an engaging way. Usual great characters but the plot was too predictable as who dunnit was clear long before the end.