Salvation in Death

By J.D. Robb

Book Overview

Ancient church rituals meet cutting- edge crime solving in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that's Law & Order: SVU in the future (Entertainment Weekly). In the year 2060, sophisticated investigative tools can help catch a killer. But there are some questions even the most advanced technologies cannot answer. Ridley Pearson has praised J.D. Robb as suspense as taut and nerve-jangling. Her latest thriller sets a new standard for suspense, as the priest at a Catholic funeral mass brings the chalice to his lips and falls over dead. When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained potassium cyanide, she's determined to solve the murder of Father Miguel Flores, despite her discomfort with her surroundings. It's not the bodegas and pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her, though the neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband, Roarke. It's all that holiness flying around at St. Christobal's that makes her uneasy. A search of the victim as sparsely furnished room reveals little except for a carefully hidden religious medal with a mysterious inscription, and a couple of underlined Bible passages. The autopsy reveals more: faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo and evidence of plastic surgery, suggesting that Father Flores may not have been the man his parishioners had thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that hint at gang connections and a deeply personal act of revenge, she believes she's making progress on the case. Until a second murder in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers knocks the whole investigation sideways. And Eve is left to figure out who committed these unholy acts and why.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399155228
• ISBN13: 9780399155222
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Putnam Adult
• Length: 353 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.2" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Deep, dark, twisted!

Salvation in Death poses some very exciting twists and deep, dark secrets. It begins with a funeral mass with the young Father Miguel Flores, a priest in NYC's Spanish Harlem. As he goes through the mass for a very popular and wealthy older man, he gets to the communion and as he swallows the wine falls and dies in spite of numerous attempts to revive him. Fr. Flores was very popular and known for his attention to young and old. However, as Lt. Dallas and Det. Peabody begin to investigate his death more and more secrets and violent acts come to light. Jimmy Jay Jenkins, an evangelical preacher who founded the Church of the Eternal Light is killed in a similar manner. As Dallas with the help of her husband Roarke, partner Peabody and her whole team including Captain Feeney and his division start digging into the backgrounds of both religious figures, the danger escalates and Dallas has to race to find the killer(s?)! A really good read and with a lot of deep thoughts on religion as well as the criminal mind. I love this series and really enjoyed this offering. Valerie Matteson Ann Arbor, MI

Ahhh, thank goodness

Earlier this morning, I reviewed Nora Robert's most recent "original in paperback" book, and gave it three stars. Since then, I've sat down and ignored all else in my life to read this book. I finished it. I love it. Here is the character development I love. Here is an original storyline. Thank goodness. Once again, we learn more about how Eve & Roarke think and work together. Eve IS evolving and that's a good thing. I notice one other reviewer noted that the minor characters are not as in play here. It's true. I don't mind it every once in a while. Eve & Roarke (and Peabody) are the heart here, and while I enjoy the others, sometimes it's nice to focus again. I would miss them if they don't show up again soon, but... I don't mind. As always, I would advise a new reader to NOT start here. Probably, yes, you'd be mostly OK - some former cases are mentioned but not necessary for the plot - but you'd be missing a lot of nuances. Go to the beginning of the series and enjoy it all, but as a new installment, this is stellar.

Is Dallas Mellowing????

Was it just me, or did Eve seem to be mellowing in this book? If this was Robb's intention, then I applaud it. I like to see characters evolve, grow, change, develop. Dallas didn't seem to be clawed as horribly by her demons as in past books. More evidence of growth. Another reviewer mentioned that this book was more about the crime and less about the characters. That's okay. The characters are all compelling.