vrijdag 26 november 2010

J.D. Robb – Immortal in Death

The third book in the In Death series, published in 1996.


Immortal in Death

She was one of the most sought after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted – even another woman’s man. And now she was dead, the victim of a brutal murder. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas put her life on the line tot take the case when suspicion fell on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the façade of glamour, eve found that the world of high fashion thrived on an all-consuming obsession for youth and fame. One that led from the runway to the dark underworld of New York City, where drugs could be found to fulfil any desire – for a price …



Lieutenant Eve Dallas is getting married! She still cannot believe herself she said yes to Roarke. But she did, and now she has to face the consequences. She refuses to have Roarke pay for her wedding dress, so she has to go shopping. When Roarke finds out, she is going with her best friend Mavis, he blanches. After all, Mavis has a very flashy style. And Eve has not really what you can call a fashion sense, or much interest in what she is wearing.

Mavis takes Eve to her new boyfriend, Leonardo, an upcoming designer. Eve wants to run away as fast as she can when she sees the displays, but Leonardo surprises her. He is an enormous man, but as gentle as a teddy bear, and obviously very much in love with Mavis. The design Leonardo comes up with, is really great. No white or ivory for Eve, nor much frills and lacey bits. But classic lines and smooth fabric.

Then, in the middle of being measured, a very angry woman enters the room, and she takes a swipe at Eve with her lethal nails, and Eve has no choice but to deck her. It happens to be an ex lover of Leonardo, furious that he has the nerve to discard her. After all, she is Pandora, a super model, and she can make him, or break him! If she wishes too, she can ruin his coming fashion show, and make the money lenders demand their money back. He will give up his relationship with Mavis until she is done with him, or else!

Mavis chooses for Leonardo, as she is in love with him too, and cannot bear to sea him loose his future. They will just postpone their relationship till after the show. When he is a success, there is nothing Pandora can do anymore to hurt them.

Then Eve gets the call that one of her snitches is found floating in the river. Officer Delia Peabody recognized him as one of Eve’s sources, and called it in. Even though she already has a full caseload, Eve asks for this one. He was one of hers. And she asks for Peabody as her aide. She thinks Peabody has a lot of potential, and she wants to be a Detective. Helping Eve will sure teach her a lot of things about being a Detective.

Searching through Boomer’s room is a health hazard. It is really filthy, like he has been holed up for a few weeks there. But in they end, they hit pay-dirt. Under his mattress they find a bag with a blue powder in it, and a disk with a scientific formula. Testing in the lab takes to long, as it is swamped with work this hot summer, so Eve asks Roarke to use his system to find out what they are dealing with. And one of the components is just unknown, not from this planet. But they do know it is a powerful drug, and something of a regeneration formula too. But it is also highly addictive and poisonous. It will kill you after a few years of using this.

Then Pandora is found death in Leonardo’s loft, and Mavis finds her. And is also the main suspect, as her skin is found under Pandora’s finger nails, and her fingerprints are the only ones on the murder weapon. Eve just knows Mavis would not, could not have killed Pandora. But she has to do her duty and arrest her, while using all her skills and time to find the real murder, or murderers.
More people turn up death, but they are not so high profile as Pandora. But her suspects are.


And Eve is thrown in a plot of greed, drugs and high fashion. And still she has to prepare for her wedding, and sort out her own past now her nightmares are getting worse, and she actually starts to remember her childhood. And how horrible it was.

In the end, she finds she has friends in unsuspected places and it is her henparty where she finally finds out the truth, and the murderer.


Another great book, I really loved reading this one. It was great to learn more about Mavis and her Leonardo, who take so much place in the rest of the series, and of course Peabody, who will be a real co-star. She appeared very briefly before, and this is where she really enters the series. Of course there are Nadine and dr. Mira. But there is also the one woman Eve is really afraid of: Trina. And those glimpses in her private life are just precious to me. Of course, the mystery part is great, but it is the personal life and the development of that I really love reading about. And the reason you have to read a series like this one in order to fully enjoy it all.

8 stars.

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