More often than not, any good murder mystery has a subplot and quite a few twists and turns - enough to keep the story interesting and moving at a normal pace without confusing the reader.

This is the case with J.D. Robb’s eighth book in the In Death Series, CONSPIRACY IN DEATH.

As with her other books, we begin with Lieutenant Eve Dallas being called to investigate a murder. She finds that this isn’t just any murder. Although the murder of a street person wouldn’t be enough to cause a huge commotion, it’s the style of murder that has everyone scratching their heads in dismay. The man’s heart was removed. Not just cut out in a quick and careless fashion, but removed methodically and with surgical precision.

As Eve and her partner, Officer Delia Peabody arrive on the scene, it’s clear that the officers who discovered the body didn’t properly secure the area thus leaving the evidence potentially compromised. Being the professional that Eve is, she tongue-lashed the officers, Ellen Bowers and Troy Truehart trying to impress on them the importance of security. While Truehart took the verbal whip-lashing to heart and vowed to improve but Bowers did the opposite and began a course of action that would endanger Eve’s very job.

During the investigation, Eve found other murders with similar outcomes – the surgical removal of certain organs. Did Eve have a serial killer on her hands? Was this the job of the black market organ sales? The more Eve dug into the murders, the more she realized certain doctors and politicians were involved in some kind of conspiracy using the organs of the recently deceased. When the needed organs weren’t readily available, they made them available. After all, who’d miss the homeless and Licensed Companions anyway?

For Eve, the who didn’t matter. They were still human beings entitled to be treated with respect. She was determined to find and arrest whomever was responsible.

Unfortunately for Eve, the superior officer who was first on the scene, Officer Ellen Bowers, didn’t like Dallas. It’s indicated in the book that she was envious of Dallas rank and efficiency. Now, because of the tongue-lashing she received by Eve, Bowers became more determined to bring Eve to her knees. What better way to hurt Lt. Dallas than to bring a formal complaint against her and have her suspended from the police force? That’s just what Bowers accomplished. Things only got worse when Bowers is found dead. Dallas is the first one all eyes look upon.

Losing her badge made Dallas’ world crumble. Being a cop was all she knew. Being a cop was all she was – until she met Roarke. But even being his wife didn’t help dismiss the hurt and humiliation and downright dread of doom she felt after being suspended.

How was she to catch a killer and get her self-respect back when she couldn’t even go near headquarters?

Enter Roarke to the rescue. As J.D. Robb has done in the past, Roarke always makes himself available to help the woman he loves. Currently, he’s at a loss to know how since she has built a self-pitying wall around herself. He finally badgers her enough where her wall falls and she realizes that brooding and crying, something that isn’t in style for Eve Dallas, just makes Bowers’ victory sweeter. Dallas, thanks to Roarke, is more determined now, than ever, not to give up.

Roarke agrees to allow Dallas’ team, Feeney and McNab from EDD (Electronic Detective Division), Officer Delia Peabody and anyone else Dallas feel she needs, into his home. He offers to set up a room specifically for them to use as their unofficial headquarters until the case is solved and Dallas’ is returned to duty.

While J.D. Robb does an excellent job pulling you into this mystery, she lightens things up a bit tossing in the budding relationship between Detective Ian McNab and Officer Delia Peabody. It’s light, brewing and fun to watch two people fight as they become more and more attracted to each other.

It’s heart-warming to see the love Roarke has for his wife and just how far he’d go to protect and help her. His love is something Dallas’ still finds hard to understand but is all too happy it’s there.

J.D. Robb does an excellent job, once again, with her characters. They’re not just fictional people on pages of book. You get to know them. You get to like them – or in the case of Officer Bowers, not like at all.

Dallas and Roarke become the people you’d like to have as neighbors and Peabody is the girl next door.

Although the characters are no more than fictional pieces, J.D. Robb has the ability to make them real and make you want to read the next book.

I’m sure you’ll like Conspiracy in Death as much as I did. I’m sure that once you read it, you’ll look forward to reading the ninth book in the series.

I did. But that’s another review.

Thank you for reading.




Please, don’t forget to read my other reviews on the In Death series:

Naked in Death

Glory in Death

Immortal in Death

Rapture in Death

Ceremony in Death

Vengeance in Death

Holiday in Death


Recommended: Yes