Sunday, November 19, 2017

Review: Treachery in Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Treachery in Death
Series: In Death
Author: J.D. Robb
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: February 22, 2011
Publisher: Berkley
ASIN: B004FPYZAW

Detective Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, are following up on a senseless crime—an elderly grocery owner killed by three stoned punks for nothing more than kicks and snacks. This is Peabody's first case as primary detective—good thing she learned from the master.

But Peabody soon stumbles upon a trickier situation. After a hard workout, she's all alone in the locker room when the gym door clatters open; and—while hiding inside a shower stall trying not to make a sound—she overhears two fellow officers, Garnet and Oberman, arguing. It doesn't take long to realize they're both crooked—guilty not just of corruption but of murder. Now Peabody, Eve, and Eve's husband, Roarke, are trying to get the hard evidence they need to bring the dirty cops down—knowing all the while that the two are willing to kill to keep their secret.


My rating:

Hiding in one of the rickety showers in an unused gym at Cop Central, Detective Peabody overhears two dirty cops discussing their side-business. She immediately turns to her superior, Lieutenant Eve Dallas, and her report soon opens a can of worms some would kill to keep closed.


I'm in awe of this author who, even after more than thirty books still manages to pleasantly surprise me, and this absolutely fantastic book.

Yes, there was murder, but this story focused more on the inner politics and workings of the police force, and especially on the juxtaposition between the crooked and the straight, and how loyalty can be earned by example both in the good and the bad way.

To me, beside the intense and gripping storyline of our favorite characters slowly but surely building a case against the bad seeds in the police force, this was an ode to Eve Dallas and her (good) example in leadership, and how loyalty can truly be earned instead of commanded, how respect can be earned instead of expected.

show/hide spoiler
When she stepped into the bullpen, Jacobson hailed her. “Lieutenant, can I have a minute?”

“Do I look like I’ve got a minute?” Then she cursed, shrugged. “My office.” She strode in, waited for him to follow, then shut the door.

“Okay, I interrupted you. Why am I interrupting you?”

“Long story, full details to follow,” Eve told him. “For now...” She turned to her computer, called up pictures and data on Marcell, Palmer. “These two men are planning to ambush me in the garage in a couple hours. Their orders are to stun me, toss me in my own vehicle, take me to my crime scene and kill me very dead.”

As Jacobson studied the images, his eyes went hard as stone. “Is that fucking so?”

“It is.”

“They’re soon going to be having a really bad day.”


Sometimes she's a tough character to understand and even to like, but she's a great character despite all her obvious flaws. And her men and women are willing to do to the line for her.

show/hide spoiler
Her own weapon was out as she pivoted and saw Jacobson stick his right in Marcell’s ear.

“Drop the fucking weapon, you fucking motherfucker or I’ll fucking scramble your fucking brains. Hands up! Hands where I can fucking see them, you fucking cocksucker. You fucking breathe wrong, you fucking blink wrong, and I will fuck you up.”

While Reineke and Peabody dragged Palmer out the other side, Eve stepped back, let Jacobson deal with Marcell.

“That was some very creative and varied use of the word fuck, Detective.”

“Fucker.” Jacobson snarled it as he shoved Marcell to the ground. “On your fucking face, you fucking shit coward. Stream my lieutenant in the fucking back? Fuck you.”

There was a distinctive snap followed by a scream.

“I seem to have misjudged my step, Lieutenant, and stepped on one of this motherfucker’s fingers. I believe it’s broken.”

“Could’ve happened to anyone.”


Well-written, well-paced, well-plotted with a core of steel, pride and resolve that echoed in the each and every good guy, this was a magnificent ode to the good cops everywhere, and our favorite fictional cop of the future.

“What’re you all still doing here? Don’t you have homes? Dismissed.”

To her utter shock Baxter shifted to attention, snapped a salute, held it. “Lieutenant,” he said, and every cop in the room followed suit.

Awesomely perfect!



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