Vengeance in Death (In Death, #6) by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #6
Published by Berkley on March 3rd 2007
Genres: Futuristic, Mystery
Pages: 388
Goodreads

“Revenge was always personal.”

FINAL DECISION: One of the best of the series. This one perfectly blends the personal story of Eve and Rourke with the mystery. This book gives readers more background on Rourke and the mystery is especially strong.

THE STORY: When Eve is called by a murdered who gives riddles to the scenes of crimes, she finds that her life and that of her husband are more closely involved in this case than she would like. With a clever murderer who is out for revenge, Eve must use every resource at her disposal to find the murderer before he reaches his ultimate goal — which might be her husband Rourke.

OPINION: This is one of the tent pole books in the series. This book is fantastic both in the mystery which is filled with drama and creepy and it is totally personal. Eve is completely dedicated to this case and it shows in her anxiety and her laser focus on what is going on.

This book is remarkable for its emphasis on Rourke’s story. Six books in and this is the first opportunity for readers to get a better idea of what Rourke’s past looks like. In the book there is both revelations about what Rourke was doing and also the very personal look at his relationships. This book gives Rourke a chance to revisit and reconcile some of his past.

Both the darkness and the contrast with current life makes this book intense and essential to the series.

Someone is out for revenge against Rourke and the personal insult and fear that possesses Eve makes this book work on various levels. Both Eve and Rourke are completely engaged which makes for a stellar entry. Although the two are married, this book allows more development in their relationship.

The mystery is also very dramatic and interesting in a race against time.

If I had to boil the series down to five books, this would be one of the ones I would pick.

WORTH MENTIONING: The first appearance of Ian McNab.

CONNECTED BOOKS: VENGEANCE IN DEATH is the sixth book in the In Death series. The mysteries in these books are standalones. However, there are overarching storylines about the characters. This book is connected to information learned in prior books and I think this book is much better being read in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.