Review: Purity in Death by J.D. Robb

As you read (or listen in my case), more of the case unravels until you reach the end with a fully formed, highly unique case. It’s genius really! ~ Under the Covers

When Louie Cogburn experiences headaches so painful they feel like an ice pike going through his head, he reaches his final precipice. After being holed up in his apartment, he can’t escape it no matter how loud the keeps his music up. The pain remains and becomes more intense as time goes on.

Distressed neighbours complain and once someone knocks on his door, Louie snaps, swinging a baseball bat at the person until a cop arrives and must stun him twice in order to stop his rampage. In the end, the two stuns kill him, putting the officer in immediate evaluation.

Eve Dallas is called in when the officer panic and since Eve is a trusted confidante, she guides Truhart through it all. Meanwhile, more deaths occur, following the same complaints on intense headaches and crazy rampages. The only clue is a message on a computer screen that states: ABSOLUTE PURITY ACHIEVED.

This is one of my favorite books of the series. Robb creates a case that in puzzling at first glance and when you think you know what is happening, she enters another clue that keeps you wondering. It takes true talent to be able to string readers along like that and I think Robb does it with ease and skill. As you read (or listen in my case), more of the case unravels until you reach the end with a fully formed, highly unique case. It’s genius really! It’s almost as if she works backward, knowing exactly what is going to happen at the exact right time to achieve a solid set up.

I must rave about Susan Erickson, the narrator of this series. She is hands down one of the best narrators in the business. I would rather listen to an audio than read the books myself even though it’s quicker that way. She creates such distinct voices for each character that I know exactly who is speaking without missing a beat.

If you’re daunted by the sheer number of books in this series, an easy way to get through them is listening to the audiobooks. They are entertaining and brings to life the characters that Robb has put to paper. Erickson simply makes them feel more authentic and three-dimensional.

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[about-author author=”J.D. Robb”]