J.D. Robb’s In Death series continues to break new ground with this 51st adventure featuring Eve Dallas with her crime-fighting colleagues, including her wealthy husband, Roarke. SHADOWS IN DEATH gets off to a quick start as Eve solves the murder of a married woman whose killer turns out to be a long-ago acquaintance of Roark’s, leading to more personal details about Roarke’s past.

Jorge Tween pays an Irish contract killer to murder his wife Galla when he discovers she is unfaithful. Roarke spots Lucan Cobbe at the crime scene.  Roarke knows Cobbe from his younger days when he and Cobbe both worked as thieves for Roarke’s dad in Dublin. With Roarke’s connections and determined police work, Eve compiles enough evidence to prove Tween paid Cobbe. Eve gets a confession from Tween, along with information on his link to Cobbe.

Expanding on the leads from Tween, Eve and her squad begin the search for Cobbe, who foolish taunts Eve and Roarke with a dead cat and a note “Curiosity killed the cat. Your next.” (sic) The couple lives with Galahad, a cat they spoil shamelessly. Based on a psychologist’s profile of Cobbe, it becomes apparent that he intends to kill Roarke for imagined transgressions back in the day in Dublin. Now two motives drive Eve to find Cobbe – to arrest him for Galla’s murder and to keep him from killing Roarke.

Ms. Robb manages to keep this story as fresh and compelling as the first 50 books, adding fascinating details about Roarke’s history and background before meeting Eve. The procedural elements of tracking Cobbe down in New York City add more than enough suspense to keep the pace steady. And, as always, Ms. Robb brings the characters to life with snappy dialogue and engaging situations. SHADOWS IN DEATH is an intriguing read, one to be savored.

This is a review of the mass market paperback edition.