Book Review: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

New York to Dallas
In Death #33
Author: J.D. Robb
Pages: 416 Hardcover
Reading Level: Adult
Release Date: September 13th 2011
Review Source: Putnam
Available: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

Summary: (from goodreads) The new novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author, which takes readers deeper into the mind of Eve Dallas than ever before.

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.

The 41st Novel of the series In Death (including anthologies), the only one that doesn’t have those words in the title, is as expected great. An escapee pedophile and murderer that 12 years ago, rookie officer Dallas of the NYPD had brought him in, is now going after revenge against her. The similarities with her abusive past and this case is bringing out feelings and memories that had been buried all this time and that she has been fighting to overcome. All through the previous books she learns little by little pieces of memory from the terrifying and abusive past of when she was a little child of 8 years and was found traumatized, broken, hungry and covered in blood after killing the monster who was her Dad. The unconditional love of her husband Roarke and the motherly love and understanding of Mira, the department psychiatrist and profiler, has been the catalyst to open like flower petals those new memories and given her a way of adjusting and the tools for learning to overcome that past.

Isaac, the pedophile is using some of the knowledge he obtain in prison about her past to complete his new mission of revenge and keep going where he left off. Using one of the victims from the past, he is able to demand that Eve return to the city where she was found as a child, Dallas, Texas, and where she had been raped, abused physically and mentally and used as a mark by her Dad. During the developing of the story her wounds are reopen and her feelings become raw, while trying to keep her sanity and strength to be able to do her job and save the victims that are hers now. To top all, the partner that is helping this guy is someone very close from her past and has played a big part in her nightmares. Out of her comfort zone, it is important for her to grasp at anything that reminds her of who she is now and all that keeps her grounded, even away she uses her own people to help her along.

This book brings out raw emotions, the power of true love and great detective work all at once in these chapters. For those that follow the series you get a glance at the power that drives this detective to make her the best homicide detective of NYPD and get a deeper understanding of Eve Dallas the person. A very adsorbing and intense book, that pulls at the strings of your heart core and keeps you in constant expectancy of the outcome, all the way to the finish. In my opinion, this is one of the best installment, if not her best of the series, makes me wonder what J.D. Robb will bring next.