cover image Devoted in Death

Devoted in Death

J.D. Robb. Putnam, $27.95 (384p) ISBN 978-0-399-17088-1

Bestseller Robb’s exciting 41st near-future thriller starring hard-driving Lt. Eve Dallas (after Obsession in Death) boasts a pair of memorable villains: Ella-Loo Parsens and Darryl Roy James, sadistic lovers who leave an unmarked trail of 29 victims from Arkansas to New York City, where they torture and kill a Metropolitan Opera cellist, Dorian Kuper. Dallas, a Manhattan homicide detective, has very little to go on to solve this crime. Next, the duo kidnap Jayla Campbell, who has the misfortune to encounter them on a deserted Soho street late one night. The twisted “love” of Ella-Loo and Darryl contrasts nicely with the love shared by Dallas and her husband, Roarke. Robb ratchets up the tension as Eve and her team race to save Campbell, as she agonizes while the clock ticks down. Robb delivers a smooth blend of violence and retribution in an entry sure to please her many fans. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.)