DESPERATION IN DEATH begins by describing how the Pleasure Academy grooms 12 to 13-year-old girls to perform sexual favors and other activities to please their masters. The girls are well cared for – clothed and fed – in a multi-story building that two of the girls discover sits over a tunnel. Mina, #232, and Dorian, #238, plot to break out through the tunnel as they are held captive after being kidnapped. Periodic auctions get prices of $5 to $15 million for each girl.
When Mina and Dorian make their escape, security kills Mina while Dorian manages to hide and avoid recapture. Police discover Mina’s body, and Eve Dallas and Peabody begin investigating. Eve discovers Mina is a missing person, a suspected abduction in Pennsylvania several months earlier. Lab tests find Dorian’s blood on Mina’s clothes, so Eve begins a search for her; Dorian is in the system and a suspected runaway.
Eve and Peabody begin to piece together their suspicions of a sex trafficking ring that kidnaps 12 and 13-year-old girls, trains them, and then sells them. In the meantime, Dorian finds shelter with a loose group of young people under the guidance of a fellow named Sebastian, who happens to be friends with Mavis, a friend of Eve’s. Sebastian arranges for Dorian to meet with Eve, and soon the police have details about the Pleasure Academy, including the management and staff.
J.D. Robb’s 55th In Death novel lays out a complex mystery around a sophisticated sex trafficking operation. The author’s characters bring life to this horrifying portrait of just how devasting greed and the lust for power impact young lives. Ms. Robb also uses this story to provide more background into Eve’s story as a young girl assaulted by her father before she killed him in self-defense. And Eve’s history offers a strong connection and understanding between Eve and Dorian.
As usual, the team assisting Dallas and Peabody – Dr. Mira, Commander Whitney, McNab, Nadine, and Roarke – provides the support necessary to resolve this investigation. Author Robb’s storytelling skills continue to build strong plots filled with engaging characters and fascinating twists delivered at a suspense-driven pace. DESPERATION IN DEATH is an exceptional entry to the In Death series.
The #1 New York
Times bestselling author presents a gripping new
thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a
conspiracy of exploitation and evil…
New York, 2061: Girls are being abducted and trapped in a
living nightmare called the Pleasure Academy, where they are
trained for a life of slavery and their souls are slowly but
surely destroyed. Lt. Eve Dallas might not have ever found
out about it if it weren’t for Mina and Dorian, who
hatched a desperate escape plan. Unfortunately, Mina was
killed during the attempt—and now Dorian is injured,
terrified, and wandering the streets of New York.
The victim’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty
products convince Dallas that she was being groomed,
literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and
that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation
expects windfall profits. Her billionaire husband may be
able to help, considering his ties to the city’s
ultra-rich. But Roarke is also worried about the effect this
case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface
she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her
head clear--because above all, she is desperate for justice
and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.
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