I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Faithless in Death
by
J.D. Robb
romantic suspense in a hardcover edition that was published by St. Martin's Press on February 9, 2021 and has 400 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Indulgence in Death, Treachery in Death, Kindred in Death, The Other Side, New York to Dallas, Unquiet, Celebrity in Death, Delusion in Death, Calculated in Death, Thankless in Death, Mirror, Mirror, Festive in Death, Obsession in Death, Betrayal in Death, "Wonderment in Death", "Possession in Death", Down the Rabbit Hole, "Midnight in Death", Devoted in Death, Brotherhood in Death, Apprentice in Death, Echoes in Death, Secrets in Death, Dark in Death, Leverage in Death, "Interlude in Death", Vendetta in Death, Golden in Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, Immortal in Death, Rapture in Death, Ceremony in Death, Vengeance in Death, , Loyalty in Death, Witness in Death, Judgment in Death, Seduction in Death, Reunion in Death, Holiday in Death, Purity in Death, Portrait in Death, Imitation in Death, Divided in Death, Visions in Death, Desperation in Death, Abandoned in Death, Creation in Death, Survivor in Death, Concealed in Death
Fifty-second in the In Death futuristic romantic suspense series and revolving around Lieutenant Eve Dallas of Homicide in the New York City of 2061.
My Take
I hope we never become like that Natural Order. It’s disgusting. Robb has got some nasty, horrible mind to be able to think up this cult. I’ll bet she had nightmares writing it!
They work hard to be totally inclusive of all their needs: food, medical care, schooling, religion, impregnating, etc. The children are color-coded according to race. ‘Cause god forbid there’s any crossing of the lines…*shudder*
Wow! Dallas is so skeptical…! A good thing she pointed out those gaping holes to me…I’d’ve, yeah, I’d’ve seen ’em if I’d been paying more attention, lol! And we know how Dallas feels through third person protagonist point-of-view.
I do adore how Roarke supports Eve in her work. As for Bella…that “peas” of hers just got to me. I laughed and cried. As for Officer Shelby, I love her! She’s a brave woman who knows what’s right…and I love how she outed that bitch.
That’s an interesting point to make about the Huffmans — respected — and the Caines — respected and liked.
I do wish we had more interaction with Peabody, McNab, the other detectives, Summerset, etc.
More wow is what Merit learns later in the story. Poor guy. Well, okay, lucky guy. Even more wow, Gwen’s mother gave her drugs to “get in the mood” for her husband’s desires. It’s so sad that there really are people out there who subjugate women. We’ve come a long way…and have longer yet to go.
Jesus, Gwen’s character is so incredibly horrible. I gotta confess, I’d kind’ve like to read another story about what she does to survive after Faithless in Death. I wanna wallow in her suffering…bwa-ha-ha…
Um, Eve uses bollocks?? I thought that was Roarke…guess I better go re-read some of the past stories…
This is one for the books — Dallas asks the FBI to join her investigation!
And you know Nadine will be writing another book, lol.
The Story
The details for that murder scene in Ariel Byrd’s studio don’t add up.
If only Gwen Huffman hadn’t lied about the little things, hadn’t waited an hour to report the death, hadn’t been the greedy, manipulative woman she’s been for so long.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is in command of the Homicide Division at Cop Central. Roarke is her gorgeous bazillionaire husband. Summerset is their majordomo. Galahad is their enterprising, fat cat.
The NYPSD Homicide Division
Detective Delia Peabody is Eve’s partner. Dallas is starting to get used to Jenkinson‘s electric ties and his partner’s, Reineke‘s, “matching” socks. Baxter is slick and has Trueheart as his partner. Detectives Santiago and Carmichael are also partners; there’s also an Officer Carmichael. Turns out Officer January Shelby is gay with some useful information for Dallas (Apprentice in Death, 43); Laurie is Shelby’s cousin. Commander Jack Whitney is Eve’s boss; his wife, Anna, is his boss. Poor guy, she’s always putting him on some kind of diet, lol.
Electronic (EDD) investigates…
…all things computer. Captain Ryan Feeney is in charge. His boys include the brightly dressed Detective Ian McNab, who is Peabody’s significant other and Callendar.
Tibble is the chief of police. Dr Mira is their chief profiler. Li Morris is the chief medical examiner. Dick Berenski is chief lab tech. Dr Garnet DeWinter is the forensic anthropologist. Officers Miller and Getz are the first to respond. Detective Yancy is their best police artist…and he’s wanting in. Harris is a very efficient 9-1-1 operator. Cher Reo is the assistant prosecuting attorney Dallas contacts most often. Lieutenant Lowenbaum (Delusion in Death, 35) commands a SWAT team. Detective Strong is with Illegals. Kyung is still the police media liaison. Jane Po is a child services caseworker.
FBI
Special Agent Anthony Quirk is missing. Special Agents Teasdale (Delusion in Death, 35) and Conroy, an expert on Natural Order, join the investigation. Other agents include Clyburn, Reese, Monica, Rosencroft, and Paulson.
Abernathy and Jonas at Interpol are also interested.
Ariel Byrd is a sculptor. Rodin is her cat. Julie Byrd is Ariel’s ecstatic mother; her daughter-in-law, Ally, just gave birth to Fiona. Julie’s son, Lucas, is also ecstatic.
Gwendolyn Huffman is a client of Ariel’s. Merit Caine, a lawyer, is Gwen’s fiancé; he works for Caine, Boswell, and Caine (Grandad, Mom, and Dad) and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Uma Hagger. Merit’s sister is on maternal leave from her job as in-house counsel for Atomic Publishing. A brother is following in Merit’s footsteps clerking for Hagger. Henry is Merit’s adorable cousin. Marjorie is Gwen’s wedding planner.
The disinherited Trace Huffman, a.k.a. Trace D. Huff, is a musician / performer / songwriter out in Vegas. Drs Oliver and Paula Huffman are Gwen and Trace’s parents and strong supporters of Natural Order. Felicity and Jonathan work at the reception desk of the House Royale where Gwen lives.
Hettie Brownstone, a dance instructor, is Ariel’s neighbor and has a daughter, Tasha. Ms Wasser is a manager at the bank. Chadwick Billingsly was Gwen’s first “serious” boyfriend in college. His great uncle Stu was a cop. Holly is Chadwick’s current love.
Previous lovers and victims
Robb is vague in her initial distinctions between these two groups, although some are a blend.
Savannah Grimsley is a potter in SoHo who knew Ariel. Vance Bloot is her roommate. Savannah’s brother, Keene, was working for the Order when he disappeared. The white Marcia Piper is a former model married to the white Lawrence “Larry” Piper, a VP of Natural Order’s social media division; they have three children. The African-American Idina Frank, a former teacher, is married to the African-American Anson, a genetic researcher who works at Natural Order. They have four young children, including Sasha, Harry, and Becca and Jasper, the twins. The pregnant Zoe Metcalf has a young son, Gabriel. Harley is her husband. Gina Dawber Mancini has Lollie and baby Westley, only Gina and Lollie are wearing ankle shockers. Steven Dawber is her jerk husband. Barbara Poole, a.k.a. Mother Rat, is married to Vince and are neighbors.
Eve and Roarke’s friends
The pregnant-again Mavis — “knocked-up, the return” — is Eve’s best friend and a famous singer married to Leonardo, a highly sought-after fashion designer. Bella is their toddler. Jem, a blogger, and Linc, a biochemist, are working a garden where Mavis and Bella do. They have a 22-month-old son, Ned, who is Bella’s “boyfriend”. Trina is the terrifying beauty consultant. Sima is a good friend of Trina’s. Mavis records at Jake‘s (of Avenue A) these days. Nadine Furst is a hotshot journalist and the host of Now, a popular news channel. Oh, and Nadine’s The Red Horse Legacy is about to come out!
Dochas is…
…a women’s shelter built by Roarke and Dallas. Moira, Natalie, Desi, and Gracie work there.
An Didean is…
…a shelter for troubled kids, also built by Roarke and Dallas. Rochelle is in charge.
Natural Order is…
…a hate organization run by Stanton Wilkey, a charismatic lunatic raised by an abusive, alcoholic father, Joshua. They preach no sex unless married — no mixed marriage, no same-sex marriages, no relationships. Outlaw licensed companions. Abstinence and no premarital sex. Races may not mix. Women are second-class. Realignment is brainwashing for those who disobey the tenets. Part of their property includes Utopia Island with sovereign nation status.
The plain, dowdy Miriam is Stanton’s repressed daughter. Um, I mean, she’s his personal assistant and domestic staff manager. She was allowed online college. Samuel and Joseph are her brothers. Aaron is the youngest…and gay. Rachel Wilkey, née Charles, is Wilkey’s legit wife. Rachel’s birth family — her parents and older brother Morgan Charles — still live on their ranch in Montana. Patricia Hemstead was forcibly impregnated. Fiona Vassar is Wilkey’s breeding wife; Seth, Cassie, and Robbyn are her children.
The Hispanic Cisco drives the cart. Some members — James Burke, Wayne Marshall, and Cody Klark — set fire to a church in Texas. Ella Alice Foxx breaks the case. Gayle Steenberg is married to Carl — they’re the “mean version of American Gothic. She’s a domestic/trainer, ie., torturer. Their children escaped with one son, Detective Leroy Russ, a cop in St Paul. Mother Catherine, a.k.a. Mother Bitch and Catherine Duplay, is another torturer and is married to Dudley. Mother Deborah, a.k.a. Mother Sweet Smile, teaches classes. William Henley is in security, a cleaner. He’s divorced from Amber Johnstone (lucky girl!) and is now married to Wendy Livingston. Wendell Phiffer is a forensic specialist whose parents are Francis and Lydia, employed by the same Purity Labs and Research. Hester Angus works as a midwife. Deborah, educator, and Lloyd (IT) Beyers live in the compound. Karyn Keye is an ob-gyn nurse practitioner. Wexford. Harstead. Congressman Orland and Senator O’Connell are also supporters.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a slightly gradated gray background on the top with the expected graphic from the perspective of Ariel’s art studio overlooking an orange-tinted city skyline. At the very top, in black, is an info blurb. Below that, the author’s name in an embossed red takes up the top half of the cover. A small white badge with an inner, thin silver circle promotes an inside poster. The title is in an embossed, distressed white font.
The title is too true, for Wilkey and his followers are Faithless…in Death.
