Review: Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Leverage in Death

Author: J.D. Robb

Series: In Death, #47

Published: September 2018, St. Martin’s Press

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary:

Lieutenant Eve Dallas
puzzles over a bizarre suicide bombing in a Wall St. office building in
the latest in the #1 New York Times bestselling series…

For the
airline executives finalizing a merger that would make news in the
business world, the nine a.m. meeting would be a major milestone. But
after marketing VP Paul Rogan walked into the plush conference room,
strapped with explosives, the headlines told of death and destruction
instead. The NYPSD’s Eve Dallas confirms that Rogan was cruelly coerced
by two masked men holding his family hostage. His motive was saving his
wife and daughter―but what was the motive of the masked men?

Despite
the chaos and bad publicity, blowing up one meeting isn’t going to put
the brakes on the merger. All it’s accomplished is shattering a lot of
innocent lives. Now, with the help of her billionaire husband Roarke,
Eve must untangle the reason for an inexplicable act of terror, look at
suspects inside and outside both corporations, and determine whether the
root of this crime lies in simple sabotage, or something far more
complex and twisted.

My thoughts: While this is the 47th book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series, this is actually the first time I’ve read any of the books in this series. I’m actually a huge Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb) fan, especially her romantic suspense books, but for some reason, I’ve never had any inclination to pick up this series. I think it’s because I knew it was futuristic and that had turned me off but I didn’t realize it was also police procedural, which I happen to love. So this time, when I was sent a copy of the newest book, I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did!

As you know, I tend to be a stickler when it comes to reading series – I like to start at the beginning and read a series in order. I feel that’s where you get the most out of the character development and any plot threads that are carried over make the most sense. However, that’s not always practical, as I’ve come to realize, and I’ve lightened up on this “rule” which in this case was a good thing, being that it was book 47! My newest thinking is that if I come across a “new-to-me” series and the book is later in the series, I just jump in. If I really like the book, I can always go back and start at the beginning of the series, and either re-read the book I already read or skim it to refresh my mind as to what happened. If I don’t end up loving the book, then no need to go any further.

So, with this book, as I know most books in a series tend to stand on their own, I felt I would be ok jumping in. I know there are probably a ton of things that had I read the whole series up to now, I probably would have understood better, but for the most part, I didn’t feel too lost. 

I like Eve and definitely want to know more about her. She certainly makes for an interesting and compelling main character and I loved her drive. She feels for the cases she’s working on…she was desperate to figure out what was going on before any more deaths occurred. And I liked that she is able to work with her man, Roarke – she can keep an arm’s length when needed, but it was nice to see them work together, too. 

This book is full of action and it is also very detailed. Yes, it is set in the future – though it’s not as far into the future as I had thought, and so the futuristic stuff isn’t all that out there when you think of how far we have come – home computers were just becoming a thing when I was a kid, and now everyone has their own laptops and such. 

The case that Eve was working on really kept me intrigued. I liked that it wasn’t one that I felt was easy to guess at. It delved into areas I wasn’t really familiar with, but didn’t feel it got too bogged down with all that unnecessary jargon. It had just the right balance as the story warranted. I also liked that the heaviness of the murderers were balanced with the upcoming Oscars and the headache that seemed to present for Eve…that definitely led to some humorous scenes and added some much needed levity!

I enjoyed my first foray into J.D. Robb’s world and think that I will certainly be back. This is the type of series that I can see me coming back to as I have time, or just needing a “guilty pleasure” type read now and again. I don’t think I could read these books back to back in order to catch up and I have no desire to do so. The books are out there, and I will take my time reading, or maybe even listening to, them as I find the time. I certainly don’t want to burn out on them, that’s for sure. But I will be back because I want to see how it all started!