Bonded in Death by JD Robb

Posted February 4, 2025 in review Tags:

Bonded in Death by JD Robb
Pages: 364
Length: 13 hours 50 min

Series: In Death #60
Genres: Suspense
Setting: New York City, NY
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Narrator: Susan Ericksen
Also in this series: Naked in Death, Glory in Death, Immortal in Death, Rapture in Death, Ceremony in Death, Vengeance in Death, Holiday in Death, Conspiracy in Death, Loyalty in Death, Witness in Death, Random in Death , Passions in Death
Also by this author: Naked in Death, Glory in Death, Immortal in Death, Rapture in Death, Ceremony in Death, Random in Death , Passions in Death

Goodreads

The #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war…

His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes…

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset—fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets—may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear—because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must—not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain—and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…

Bonded in Death continues the In Death series and I am not exaggerating when I say this is one of my all time favorite series. I adore the characters and the plot is always interesting. In this edition, we get extra focus on a background character: Summerset!

When a killer comes to NYC to murder an Italian, he leaves a business card for Eve Dallas. Little does she know this murder is closer to her than she thinks! I loved getting to hear all about Summerset during the war. His friends added nice supporting characters that really helped flesh out the story. The identity of the killer is figured out early on, so the suspense comes from what he is willing to do to kill The Twelve and what Eve is willing to do to prevent that. Since Eve and Summerset have always had a slightly adversarial relationship, it was really fun to see them in different roles. Because the story is focused on Summerset, we don’t get as much “pop ins” by other supporting characters like Mavis and Nadine, but it was such a great story I didn’t think about that until I was finished.

Nora Roberts/JD Robb’s books are a masterclass is writing for sure. The plot is always interesting, there are surprises, and the characters are always dynamic. Bonded in Death was another 5 star edition in the In Death series.

If you haven’t listened to this series, I must tell you that Susan Ericksen is phenomenal! She is one of the best narrators around. She does accents perfectly and every character has a unique voice. 5 star narration!