Rating: 3* of five The Publisher Says: In the new Eve Dallas police thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb, what looked like a lover's quarrel turned fatal has larger—and more terrifying—motives behind it... The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wine glasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don't add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body—but why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things? As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within—and soon they're getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group and a stunning criminal conspiracy. I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU. My Review: Ruh-roh, Raggy...the Moonlighting Syndrome is bitin' hard. Eve and Roarke are gettin' a bit stale. The cultist who seems normal as a victim kept me trying to stay engaged, since I'm all about bashing on cults. Among people like me, not deeply invested in the series, Roarke takes a lot of brickbats for being Too Much: too rich, too pretty, too cultured, too talented. Unfair, say I. Roarke is a bigger version of what someone not worn down by wage slavery, tired out by not-optional Life stuff could be. He's the poster child for a post-scarcity lifestyle I want to see come true. (read less)

Rating: 3* of five The Publisher Says: In the new Eve Dallas police thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb, what looked like a lover's quarrel turned fatal has larger—and more terrifying—motives behind it... The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wine glasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd (read more)

52 books into the series and J. D. Robb continues to amaze me at her creativity and story-telling ability. In FAITHLESS IN DEATH, she has Eve take on a religious cult. Given its publication date of 2021, I find it amusing that one could, if one so desired, look at a certain red-hatted fan base as the inspiration for said cult. Inspiration only, as The Natural Order is not harmless and goes way beyond our red-hatted compatriots. As always, Ms. Robb keeps a good balance between the darkness of the cult and the lightness that includes Eve and her chosen family. You need that because what Eve uncovers is as dark as it gets. Not anywhere nearly as graphic as previous books in the series, but there should be trigger warnings for the more sensitive reader. We get to see what Mavis and Leonardo have been up to for the first time in a while, and Eve and Roarke's reactions are priceless. Having listened to a majority of the series in the last two years, you would think I would be tired of the series. Yet, while FAITHLESS IN DEATH follows the same formula as the rest, it continues to surprise and delight in not only what Eve must discover but how and why. No two stories are the same, and that is one of the reasons I keep listening to the series. Plus, none of the characters remain stagnant, as is often the case in detective series. Instead, Eve is far from the relationship-adverse, hard-edged loner we first meet, just as Roarke is no longer the aloof and cagey businessman. If anything, Eve and Roarke are a great example of a relationship that grows and matures over time, just as Eve's ability to solve the unsolvable crime is a reminder that there are still good guys out there fighting for those who can no longer speak for themselves. The series provides hope in a world that feels too hopeless at times. (read less)

52 books into the series and J. D. Robb continues to amaze me at her creativity and story-telling ability. In FAITHLESS IN DEATH, she has Eve take on a religious cult. Given its publication date of 2021, I find it amusing that one could, if one so desired, look at a certain red-hatted fan base as the inspiration for said cult. Inspiration only, as The Natural Order is not harmless and (read more)