Desperation in Death (In Death Series #55)

by J. D. Robb

Overview

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil…

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250278234
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/06/2022
Series:	In Death (Eve Dallas) Series
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	57,655
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

J.D. ROBB is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over 230 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

Hometown:

Keedysville, Maryland

Date of Birth:

1950

Place of Birth:

Silver Spring, Maryland

Website:

http://www.noraroberts.com/

Editorial Reviews

07/04/2022

Set in 2061, bestseller Robb’s solid 55th novel featuring Lt. Eve Dallas, head of the New York City Police Security Department (after Abandoned in Death), takes Eve and her partner, Det. Delia Peabody, to a crime scene in Manhattan’s Battery Park, where a 13-year-old girl has been impaled through the chest with a spear of wood. Eve presses her identi-pad to the victim’s right thumb and up pops the name Mina Cabot of Devon, Pa., who vanished from her home months ago while returning from soccer practice. The case leads Eve to other murders, abductions, and the disturbing world of child trafficking, besides stirring up traumatic memories from her own past. Since the principals behind these abhorrent crimes are identified early on, and Eve and company do little investigating as such (electronic devices readily provide needed information), the pleasure, as always, lies in watching Eve stride into danger and triumph over her arrogant adversaries—and in the rapport between Eve and her sexy, supportive, and staggeringly wealthy husband, Roarke. Robb once again delivers exactly what her fans expect. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Forgotten in Death

"Forgotten in Death shows how a pro does it." - NPR

"The book’s real pleasure lies in watching Eve stride into danger and triumph over evil. That Roarke is happy to support his wife’s desire to go out and kick butt adds to the appeal. Series fans will be delighted." - Publishers Weekly

"Robb continues to deliver expertly paced, cleverly plotted, and snappily witty suspense." - Booklist

"Forgotten in Death draws you in quickly and keeps you glued to the pages...it's hard to believe how each one gets better and better. An amazing read, from the depth of callousness at the hands of the killer, to the honor of the cops investigating the deaths. If you want a read that will hold you spellbound, leave you tearing up, laughing, angry yet satisfied, then you want to get Forgotten in Death in your hands and hold on for the ride." - Fresh Fiction

From the Publisher

2022-07-08
The latest update from 2061 pits Lt. Eve Dallas against a crew of professional-grade child traffickers.

All too soon after Dorian Gregg is taken under the wing of Mina Cabot, another 13-year-old Pretty One who’s been snatched from the street and imprisoned in the malignant Academy, their friendship ends when Dorian hurts herself during their nocturnal escape attempt and Mina heroically sacrifices herself and ends up dead. Terrified of every stranger she meets, Dorian falls in with a bunch of street kids who show her more kindness than she’s seen in years. Meanwhile, Dallas and her partner, Det. Delia Peabody, identify the dead girl as Mina, realize that she’s been held captive in luxurious servitude for months (who’d have the interest or the resources for that?), get wind of her vanished companion, and begin a frantic search that will harness the full resources of the NYPSD; Dallas’ billionaire husband, Roarke; and those street kids. Locating Dorian, who was criminally neglected by both her mother and the who-cares Child Services employee assigned to her case, turns out to be less trouble than returning her to something like a normal life, a transition for which Dallas draws freely on her own traumatic history. Robb strains to generate suspense from Dallas’ duel with an illegal organization as formidable in its way as her own legal one, and a good deal better organized. For better or worse, though, this is a full-throated but not especially original indictment of child trafficking wrapped up in a futuristic procedural.

Target audience: readers interested in the differences between Pretty Ones, Servants, Breeders, and Pets.

Kirkus Reviews

J.D Robb’s latest futuristic thriller finds Eve Dallas hunting for the people who kidnap young girls, train them as consorts for men, and auction them to the highest bidder. Narrator Susan Ericksen’s performance vibrates with energy as she portrays old and new characters in this series. Mina and Dorian are victims of the crime ring: one’s dead, one’s missing. Ericksen’s portrayal of Dorian’s mother is stunning. Eve investigates her because she has continued to collect her “professional mother” stipend but never filed a missing person report when Dorian ran away. Ericksen’s venom gives listeners an authentic look at this coldhearted dragon. Fans of the series will appreciate Ericksen’s masterful development of old and new characters in this latest Eve Dallas novel. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2022 - AudioFile