If you watch television enough, you get the impression that no police department is happy when the Internal Affairs Bureau investigates one of their own.

Although I don’t personally know any police, I can imagine some truth to the theory. After all, would you want to ride with someone who is constantly watching your every move when that person is supposed to be watching your back?

Ceremony in Death begins with the death of a police officer that had been admired and loved by most of his colleagues. Eve is asked, by her supervisor, Commander Whitney, to investigate the officer because of some unfavorable reports. Although the death looks natural, the Commander still feels an investigation is warranted.

Dallas is hesitant to begin an investigation into one of her own and Whitney assures her this investigation is not just necessary but top secret.

The investigation takes her into the world of the occult - a place she had never been and wasn’t even sure actually existed except in the minds of others. As she must face the reality of witchcraft, she realizes there are two groups of witches: those who deal with herbs and healing and those who deal with black magic.

What Dallas finds is, people from both groups are dying.

She knows there is a connection to these deaths and the death of police officer Frank Wojinski.

Yet someone is trying to warn her off the case. The warning is made clear enough - when she finds a dead body outside the home she shares with her husband, Roarke.

She wasn’t comfortable before investigating a police officer, now she’s even more uncomfortable knowing that the killer knows where she lives.


J.D. Robb is a master at story telling and this book is no exception. She uses research and imagination to tackle the world of the occult and the police watchdogs, the Internal Affairs Bureau.

As you read this book, you can see that while each character blends well with each other, they maintain their own individual personalities.

Dallas is still the rough, by-the-book cop who is still learning to bend the rules in order to catch a killer.

Officer Delia Peabody is a fun person to get to know. She’s a free-ager who believes in herbal magic and the simpler way of life.

Roarke is the self made man in every sense of the word. He’d had a hard life and made the best of it and never stops showering the best of it on his darling Eve.

Somerset is Roarke’s best friend and housekeeper and can’t for the life of him understand why Roarke would marry a cop.

Mavis is Dallas’ best friend. A singing star with the personality of a whirlwind. She’s energetic and bubbly on a constant basis.

The reason I mention so many of Dallas’ friends is to show you the complexity of personalities in the book. Every one is different and every one loves Dallas - yes, even Somerset though he will never admit it.

J.D. Robb does an excellent job mixing and matching the various personalities to make this book work and work it does! The action never stops just as the love and understanding between Dallas and Roarke never stops growing.

I think that this book is an excellent addition to the In Death series and a book that will be enjoyed by all who read it.


Recommended: Yes