DELUSION IN DEATH

Book 35 of the “In Death” series, starring Lieutenant Eve Dallas, starts off with a massacre in an ordinary downtown bar as the customers suddenly, against all reason, tear each other to pieces. It appears to be a terrorist attack via chemical means but is it just that or something more? Dallas and her team proceed to investigate and find that there is a link to the Urban Wars in the past.

Robb’s book is surely going to please avid followers of the series. All the familiar characters are there and there is insight into Eve’s past as well as that of Summerset. It’s a procedural investigation and the culprit is soon identified. It is then up to Dallas to entrap said culprit and force a confession.

The main problem with the book is that it seems to demand at least some familiarity with previous novels. What Urban Wars? Who is McQueen? Why does Dallas dream of her mother who she apparently caused the death of? What is the exact connection between Roarke and his butler? Is Summerset a surrogate father? I found all this frustrating and it distracted me from the novel. I never got a feeling of urgency, wondering if the clock was ticking down towards further death and carnage. And while there is a slight twist at the end, it was not enough to convince me to come back for more.