Concealed in death by J.D. Robb

cover image

Eve Dallas series, bk 38. Piatkus, 2014. ISBN 9780749959401.
(Age: 16+) Crime. Thriller. Serial killer. When Roarke swings a sledgehammer into the wall of a derelict building that he plans to renovate and uncovers the bodies of two young girls, Eve Dallas steps in. Another ten bodies are uncovered, all wrapped in plastic and hidden in wall cavities and Eve begins the process of finding who owned the building and who could possibly have gotten away with the murder of 12 girls. The place, named The Sanctuary, had once been a home for troubled teenagers and gradually with the help of Garnet DeWinter, a forensic pathologist, and a clever reconstruction artist, Eve puts names and faces to the twelve victims.
The Eve Dallas books are always well written and entertaining. The mystery in this one was quite suspenseful, and even though it was possible to guess who was the person most likely to have committed the murders fairly early on, Robb manages to put an unexpected twist into the last chapters that is quite surprising.
The usual characters appear; gorgeous billionaire Roarke is able to help out in his clever way; Peabody is stalwart and often lightens the mood with her dialogue, and Eve's relationship with Denis and Mira is shown in some depth. The addition of a new character, the very beautiful Garnet DeWinter, forensic pathologist, allows for a bit of sarcastic repartee from Eve and provides some new interest to the series.
Readers who have enjoyed previous books will not be disappointed.
Pat Pledger

booktopia