CALCULATED IN DEATH

One tends to forget how many books JD Robb has written in this series and this may be because the series is so well written and enjoyable.  One of the good things about this latest book (and something that others might find infuriating) is that this is much more of a police procedural than some of the other books in the series have been of late.

The murder of Marta Dickenson is brutal and her grief stricken husband can’t begin to understand why she was murdered could it have been a mugging that went wrong?  Marta Dickenson was a well-regarded accountant and a devoted wife and mother so who would want her dead?  Eve Dallas thinks otherwise especially as some of her files are missing.  Not used to dealing with the world of finance Eve uses Roarke’s expertise to help her delve deeper into what happened and to track down the killer of an innocent woman.  Unsurprisingly a number of other murders take place before the killer is trapped by Dallas.

Calculated in Death is very much a case based novel and it is satisfying to see Eve slightly out of her depth as she deals with multiple murders that take place within the murky world of corporate finance.  That is not to say that we do not see the dynamics that take place between Dallas and Roarke, we do but they do not dominate the book.  Instead, what we have is a futuristic police procedural where the focus is on the murders that have taken place and the way in which the case is solved. 

There is also some very interesting byplay between Dallas and her erstwhile partner Peabody that ensures that Calculated in Death still has that wit about it that ensures that the reader is not too bogged down.  Entertaining, as always Calculated in Death is bound to thrill and seduce more readers to its side and the series as a whole with very little effort.   Maybe it is because Calculated in Death is much more of a police procedural and not so overwhelmed with dealing with the dynamics of the relationship between Dallas and Roarke is why it works so well and is such an enjoyable read.  It certainly has my vote!