Secrets in Death (In Death, #45) by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #45
Published by Piatkus Books on September 5th 2017
Genres: Futuristic, Mystery
Pages: 400
Goodreads

FINAL DECISION: In a series that balances the story of Eve and the mystery of the day, this one is better for me on the Eve side. It fills in some gaps from previous books and focuses on relationships.

THE STORY:  Eve is present at a murder when one of New York’s biggest gossip reporters walks into the hot nightspot where Eve is having a meeting and dies. Annoyed that someone has committed a murder right under her nose, Eve begins her investigation and discovers that the victim was doing more than gathering gossip for her show and that she had secrets of her own. Eve’s investigation also uncovers secrets that those around her have been keeping — including Eve herself.

OPINION: I prefer the In Death books that focus on Eve and her relationship with Roake and her friends. To me the mystery is secondary. For me, this book was a success.  In a book about a gossip reporter who uses the secrets of others, this book goes about uncovering the secrets that those around Eve are keeping.  Are they huge secrets? Not really, but it does allow some loose ends and questions about the series to be answered.

For fans of the series, this book ticks all the boxes that you might expect. I place it in the middle of the series books. Not part of the superlative books, but certainly fun and satisfying.

I’ve said this before, that I really enjoy seeing Eve discover herself. She is changing and her relationships are changing and for someone who has followed this series since the beginning, I enjoy seeing that she is finding some happiness.

WORTH MENTIONING: Still waiting for find out the identity of the candy thief.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  SECRETS IN DEATH is the forty-fifth book in the In Death series. This is a standalone mystery, but there are continuing character arcs that go throughout the series. At this point, I don’t know how a person could read these books without knowing the overarching storyline, but then again, I read the books for those arcs rather than the mystery element.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.