Golden in Death by J. D. Robb

Golden In Death by J.D. Robb is the 50th installment in the Eve Dallas series. A well-liked pediatrician receives a mysterious package in the mail containing a cheap trinket with a golden egg inside. When he opens the egg, a fast-acting and deadly poison is released. Eve Dallas is called to the scene and once it is cleared by hazmat she begins looking into the death of a man who seemed to have no enemies. The lab works to identify the poison while Eve tries to find the sender and look for anybody in the doctor's life who may have wished him harm. Eve is having no success when suddenly another person dies by the same method. Now Eve knows that she is dealing with a depraved killer. But are the victims random or is there a link in their past and someone out there with an ax to grind?

The first part of the book sees Eve searching for the connection between the victims. None of the people in the victim's lives appear to have any motive let alone the ability and skill to pull off the complicated murders. Once Eve finds the thread that connects them and begins pulling on it the action really begins to pick up. The story really begins to hum once Eve identifies a suspect and starts applying the heat. Eve pursues the evidence with a combination of doggedness and intuition that leads to an exciting conclusion.

Eve Dallas is a great character who is easy to root for and her relationship with her enigmatic and very wealthy husband Roarke adds an interesting dimension to her. Her partner Peabody, as well as a cast of somewhat eccentric but interesting and useful secondary characters, make for a fun read. The suspects and their privileged background are well-drawn and add to the pleasure when Eve puts the screws to them. The interviews and interrogations are especially fun!

Susan Ericksen does an excellent job of putting voice to all of the characters. They are distinct and easily recognizable. She does a great job of reflecting both the privileged and not-so-privileged backgrounds of the characters through their voices. She also does a subtle job of reflecting the personalities of all the characters involved that reflects the way they are written and makes it easy for the listener to identify them as sympathetic or not. Her skill enhances the story without overpowering it and makes the audio version a great way to enjoy this book.

50 books into the series there is already a substantial fan base for Robb. They are written in such a way that it is easy to jump in and out of the series and new readers will have no problem jumping in even on book 50. This is another great installment in the Eve Dallas series sure to please long time fans as well as newcomers.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.

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