Desperation in Death by J.D. Robb – a Review

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Description:
New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas that she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband, Roarke, may be able to help, considering his ties to the city’s ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she is desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.

Review:

Desperation In Death by J.D. Robb is the 55^th book in her magnificent In Death/Eve Dallas series. I have noted this many times that I love this series, as I have read every single book, as well as all the novellas of this series. I also love Eve and Roarke, who I still consider the best literary couple. Desperation in Death is another very good addition to this series.  I will never have enough of this series, and marvel how Robb continues to give us fascinating stories at 55 books later; though this book is one of the darker books in this series, with lots of twists and turns.

Eve is called to a scene where a dead teenager is found; as she notices the clothes/undergarments on the dead girl, she begins to suspect that the girl was a victim of a sex trafficking organization. Eve and Peabody begin a search of another missing teen, who was injured and ran away; they are determined to find the missing girl, before the villains find her.  As the case continues to get darker, it causes Eve to remember her own past, as she is mentally and emotionally distraught; with Roarke and Peabody trying to keep her calm.  We learn more about the missing girl, Dorian, and her now dead friend, Mina; as they escaped the “Pleasure Academy”, only to have Mina push Dorian to safety, bringing her own death.

It was sad and dark, as we see how the young girls are being kidnapped at a young age, and forcefully trained to be a sex slave. Eve pulls everyone together, including other departments to help find the so-called academy and Dorian.  Roarke, who we know, always helps Eve on her cases, and this is no different; but he is concerned how this case is affecting Eve.

I always love to see all the many recurring characters, such as Peabody, Nadine, McNab, Mira, Mavis, Feeney, Reo, Summerset, Galahad, and Eve’s entire police team. Closer to the end, Dorian will eventually open up to Eve, and help find the villains and the Academy; giving her own justice, as well as all the girls rescued.

What follows is an intense, exciting, non-stop action filled race to find the people running the awful sex trafficking Academy. The story is grim and tragic, with the last third of the book being very tense and exciting, with edge of your seat suspense. 

With 55 books and many novellas, Eve has changed drastically from being alone to having so many friends and teammates she cares about.  J.D. Robb once again gives us another masterpiece to this wonderful series, which I hope keeps on rolling for many years to come. Desperation in Death is another masterpiece to this amazing series, which is always so very well written by J.D. Robb.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher