Veena’s review of Bonded in Death (In Death, Book 60) by J.D. Robb
Police Procedural published by St. Martin’s Press 04 Feb 25
A killer wants to draw Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s attention to the murder of Rossi Giovanni and is looking for vengeance against a secret group called the Twelve. And surprise, surprise, Summerset was once a member of the Twelve and is now on the kill list.
Soon the remaining members of the Twelve are ensconced in Roarke’s home and Eve, with detective Peabody and the rest of the EDD and Homicide gang, is on the job trying to stay one step ahead of the killer and keep the rest of the group alive.
As Eve interviews each member of the Twelve, trying to gain insights into the mind of the killer who was once one of them, we finally get Summerset’s backstory and the heroic way in which his wife Alice died trying to save the rest of her compatriots.
Get ready for an exciting story with solid police work that enables Eve to stay one step ahead of the killer. I am, as always, amazed that so many books deep into this series the author can keep readers coming back for more. In fact, I actually went back and read a lot of the books in the series to refresh myself on how some of these characters, who are a part of the story now, were introduced.
Grade: A
Summary:
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…
