Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb

Eve and Roarke are just back from vacation and are attending a super-fancy party. Eve isn't supposed to go back to work until Monday but (as is no surprise to regular readers) gets pulled back in early when she and Roarke see a naked, bloodied woman almost get hit by a car. They manage to get her to the hospital in time to save her life but her husband is already dead. 

After a dinner party, Daphne and Anthony Strazza were attacked and then, while he was tied up, she was beaten and raped by a man dressed as a devil. As usual with the "In Death" series, there are layers to the story. Daphne is twenty-four and married to a man nearly twice her age. She doesn't seem to be able to make decisions for herself and her husband, though known as a brilliant surgeon, is also known as something of a... well, he's an asshole. So was this attack tied to Daphne and her husband? Or is it tied to two similar attacks?

A nice addition to the In Death series

Four stars

In Death #44

Follows Apprentice in Death

Followed by Dark in Death

This book came out February 7, 2017

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Oh noes! Eve's best friend Mavis has been found standing over a dead body. The body just happens to be that of the woman who threatened Mavis' current luvr. The woman was supposed to model Leonardo's clothes but she threw a tantrum when he started dating Mavis.

Eve has to not only work on clearing Mavis and Leonardo but also getting prepped for her marriage to the gorgeous and mysterious Roarke.
Peabody gets her first love interest in Illegals cop, Castro.
Fun read.

Four stars

In Death #3

Follows Glory in Death

Followed by Rapture in Death

This book comes out September 8, 2026

Ebook ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle

The book opens with Alice Radstone returning to the Hotel of Dreams. Except this time, she's there on purpose. It's been ten months since she escaped a ward for the criminally insane after being dubbed "The Mad Bride." Everyone thought she had killed her husband, but she has no memory of that night. Nor has she any memory of that husband.

Owen March is feeling guilty. He helped a very wealthy man track down Alice, but he's beginning to thingk that the story he was told is a lie. He's going to make sure that Alice can return to her regular life a free woman. And to do that, he'll have to keep her safe by marrying her.

Is this book a little bonkers? Oh yeah. Did I still enjoy the ride? Mostly. It stretched my disbelief suspension to the max but I overall had fun.

Three and a half stars

Ghost Hunters #18

This book comes out June 30, 2026

Follows It Takes a Psychic

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Redshirts by John Scalzi

I think knowing the conceit of this book, since it was recommended to me by at least two people, took me a little bit out of the story itself.

Andy Dahl is about to join the spaceship Intrepid. He's going to added on with four other people, two he knows. But there's something strange on board the ship. The crew tend to scatter whenever the officers come around. And four is a large number of people to replace at one time. As Andy and his crewmates begin to explore, they begin to realize that not all of them will survive to a happy ending.

Three and a half stars

This book came out June 5, 2012

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb

The book opens with two people entering a hotel room. They have a direct line of sight to a nearby park, the place where their target is ice skating. By the end of the prologue, three people are dead, the target and two more.
It's up to Eve and her team to work on discovering who the LDSK (long distance serial killer) is/are and what the thread is among the people they've murdered.
It was really interesting to me that Eve seems to pick up almost immediately on the fact that this isn't just random killings, that someone seems to be targeted. I was also a little bummed that we didn't get much character movement in this novel. It was pretty much the same team without much except Bella's birthday going on behind the scenes. Not like the last book where we got a nice glimpse of the Miras, especially Dennis.

Four stars

In Death #43

Follows Brotherhood in Death

Followed by Echoes in Death

This book came out September 6, 2016

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite

It is supposed to take hundreds of years for the Fairweather to reach its destination. There were supposed to be no additions to the living creatures who boarded; their memories would just be inserted into new bodies. There aren't even supposed to be cats and dogs. So why is Dorothy's nephew asking her questions about babies?

I don't know how Waite manages to build so much world into such short snippets but she does, adding on to what she already started in the first of this series. I don't think you have to have read Murder by Memory but I would anyway.  

Four stars

Dorothy Gentleman #2

Follows Murder by Memory

This book comes out March 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Murderbot is still trying to stay under the radar. It would, in fact, prefer if people would forget it existed. But the investigation around GrayCris is still ongoing. Murderbot has decided to go to Milu to uncover what GrayCris was really doing there. Then, humans get on the same transport along with a robot that Murderbot gets to know. And when they're attacked, this SecUnit gets involved. 

Short but with a lot of action. 

Three and a half stars

The Murderbot Diaries #3

Follows Artificial Condition

Followed by Exit Strategy

This book came out August 7, 2018

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Murder on a Moon Trek by Diane Vallere

Sylvia Stryker has a Plunian mother and human father. Her family business is ice mining but she longs to be a part of the Intergalatic Cruise Ship Security team. Perhaps sneaking on board a ship and posing as the uniform lieutenant is not the way to do that but it's a way she can get on board ship. She just has to lay low. 

Too bad practically the first thing she does is discover a dead body which brings her right into the focus on the ship's Head of Security. Then she discovers two of the ship's crew passed out. What is going on on this ship? Neptune, the Security Head seems to believe her but still puts her in a cell. 

There is a lot going on in a relatively short book which introduces not only a number of characters, but a whole world. That means the end is a little rushed but I'd like to at least read the next book to see how the series builds. 

Three and a half stars

Sylvia Stryker Space Mystery #1

Followed by Scandal on a Moon Trek

This book came out December 17, 2017 (reissued February 5, 2026)

ARC kindly provided by Polyester Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Stolen in Death by J. D. Robb

Nathan Barrister, by all accounts a pretty nice guy despite growing up with a wealthy, entitled father, is found dead, bludgeoned in his own home. Nearby, a door opens into a vault that no one in the family knew existed. It turns out Nathan's father bought a number of stolen art items and hid them in the house. No one knew about them. Well, someone knew about them because Nathan is dead and an expensive item is missing. According to the log they find in the room, there is only one item missing. An item that Roarke knows well...

Eve and her team need to solve the murder, try to recover the missing item, and finally deal with a foe who has been haunting her since early in the series.

Robb's books have a familiar cadence without being exactly duplicative. In this book, we don't know who the killer(s) are at first but get to know the players before the truth is finally revealed. 

Four stars

In Death #61

Follows Framed in Death

Followed by Fury in Death

This book comes out September 2, 2025

Ebook ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as hard copy from library June 2026

Home by Martha Wells

The last book left Dr. Mensah in a bit of a pickle. She probably needs therapy, but she can NOT tell anyone what happened. Meanwhile, she's getting cheeky emails from SecUnit requesting more and more outlandish equipment. 

Short, definitely need to have read the previous books to get the most out of this story.

Three stars

The Murderbot Diaries, #4.5
This short story came out May 5, 2020

Follows Exit Strategy

Followed by Network Effect

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Deception Cove by Jayne Castle

I quite enjoyed this addition to the Castle canon. The story falls close on the heels of The Lost Night with Harry's brother Drake becoming the hero.
Three years ago, Drake was in an explosion that made him unable to see in the daylight. In fact, any strong light causes pain. But he can see quite well in the dark and even people who are trying to make themselves invisible.
Alice North is an unusual woman. In a society that focuses on family, she was raised an orphan. Also, she is a strong enough light talent that she can literally shift light enough to make it appear as though objects disappear.
Drake and Alice meet one night when (like many of the Castle books) Alice's latest place of employment has been shut down and she is now in the midst of being attacked by two street thugs. Alice handles it herself and Drake is duly impressed (and attracted, this is a romance after all). He then propositions her. A Marriage of Convenience that will help keep her ex-mother-in-law off her back and let Alice earn some money. In exchange, Alice has to travel with him to Rainshadow and help take down the paranormal storm that is raging out of control.

What does Alice have to lose? A chance at enough money to keep her going for awhile, even some fabulous riches, get her mother off her back and all she has to do is honeymoon at the same place her last new husband tried to kill her. Piece of cake. 

Three stars

This book came out August 27, 2013

Rain Shadow #2, Ghosthunters #10

Follows The Lost Night

Followed by The Hot Zone

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

Framed in Death by J. D. Robb

An artist has decided that he needs new inspiration. His idea? To take licensed companions and pose them in the manner of old paintings. Then, he paints them. And, in doing so, he will surpass the masters.

Eve is off on a new murder. This time, while we do see in the mind of the killer, we don't know who he is from the beginning. 

As with other books in this series, the personal lives of our favorite characters are moving ahead. Mavis, Leonardo, Bella, Peabody, and McNab have moved into their house. Jenkinson is settling into being a detective. And there are glimpses of all the characters we expect to see. 

Four stars

In Death #61

Follows Bonded in Death

Followed by Stolen in Death
This book comes out September 2, 2025

Ebook ARC kindly provided by St. Martin's Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as playaway May 2026

The Lost Night by Jayne Castle

Rachel grew up in a sort of New Age commune but escaped to the "real" world. She discovered quickly that life wasn't really for her either so she went back to Rainbow Island. There are dark things happening on Rainbow Island, including Rachel losing 12 hours of her life. And Harry Sebastian showing up. 

The great-grandson of a pirate, Harry's talent comes from the dark end of the spectrum. That can make him pretty scary. Which means, despite his attraction to Rachel, he's probably not going to act on it. But he still needs her help since she's the key to unlocking the strange things that are going on in the Preserve.

Three stars

This book came out September 4, 2012

Rainshadow #1, Ghost Hunters #9

Follows Canyons of Night

Followed by Deception Cove

Hard copy of mine

Opinions are my own

It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle

Leona Griffin used to be a para-archaeologist. Now, she verifies antiquities. That's the reason she's here to night, at the Society's new member ball. She's going to verify that the offerings people bring are authentic. She's distracted by two things: the first being a man that keeps looking at her but no one else seems to notice, the second is a dustbunny that seems to want her help. 

It is the strange man, Oliver Rancourt, who helps her when the evening starts to fall apart. First, as she is verifying antiquities on stage, she's put to a test, second, one of the antiquities is an artifact known as Pandora's box which the host seems overly eager for her to open, then there's the raid, and the dead body. Overall, not a very good night. 

The two make it out but it's just the beginning of their journey. Soon, Leona is joining Oliver in heading to a small town, Lost Creek. It seems to keep coming up in his investigations and also seems to be attached to the night at the Society. 

This story was fine. I spent a lot of time trying to remember who characters were from previous books in the series. I think new readers would have fewere issues because there is some linking information but not enough to be helpful. There is also sort of an abrupt bridge from the beginning of the story to the end. I'm not sure why Leona would have gone to a small town with a man she just met even for a mysterious stone. There are bookish "reasons" but I was mostly thinking "you're willingly going to a secondary location." 

Three stars

Ghost Hunters #17

This book comes out June 3, 2025

Follows People in Glass Houses

Followed by Enter the Nightmare

ARC kindly provided by Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Audible December 2025

Canyons of Night Ghost Hunters by Jayne Castle

Best of the recent Jayne Castle books though it may not make as much sense if you haven't read the other two books in the Looking Glass Trilogy.

Charlotte Enright has always been enamored of Slade Attridge, ever since he saved her from some summer boys and then took her into the Preserve (a mysterious and beautiful area on their island) when she was young. She's back on the island, taking over her aunt's business. Her aunt supposedly dealt in rare antiques but ended up being more of a hoarder than anything else. Apparently she was searching for one particular object she could never find.

Slade is back on the island against his will. He thinks he is losing his psychic powers and is only back temporarily to help fill in until they can get a new police chief. 

Someone else is looking for the object that Charlotte's aunt seems to have found. Someone who is willing to kill to get it. 

Sets up the possibility of more books on the island, perhaps involving the shortly mentioned friend of Charlotte, Rachel who also has had a heartbreaking past.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 30, 2011

Rainshadow #0

Arcane Society #10

Harmony #8

Follows Midnight Crystal

Followed by The Lost Night

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

Rarely am I sad that a novella ends. Especially one that is creating a world. I really do wish that this had been a full-length novel though and hope that we see more in this series. Waite starts this series in a trope that is familiar (spaceship) but with some twists (libarary books that hold "people"; drinks that can evoke specific memories.) 

Dorothy Gentleman went to "sleep" some three hundred years ago. In this world, that is not long as your "self" can be recreated from books that are housed in the library and then downloaded into new shells that take on your own features. She is abruptly woken up when the ship's AI, Fairy, senses someone has destroyed Dorothy's book. As one of the ship's detectives (and the aunt of the person spearheading this ship), Dorothy was one of the few people who had a backup. Unfortunately, the other reason Dorothy has been awakened is because there has been a murder.

Five stars

Dorothy Gentleman #1

This novella came out March 18, 2025

Followed by Nobody's Baby

ARC kindly provided by MacMillan and Edelweiss

Opinions are my own

Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

The last of the Dreamlight Trilogy, the lines of Winters and Jones cross lines once more. Now, Adam Winters has become the Head of the Frequency City Ghost Hunter guild but he needs the help of the newly appointed Head of Jones and Jones. It appears that the Winters curse of becoming a Cerebrus (a crazy three-talent)has finally hit him and he needs a dreamlight reader, Marlowe Jones to help him. While they're meeting for the first time, someone takes a potshot at them, trying to chase them into the Underground Jungle. People can get lost and go crazy down there. Luckily, Winters is a full spectrum talent and is able to get them out of there. Now they just need to find the Dreamlight Lamp (before some rogue triplets do) and use it to stabilize the Underground Jungle in order to save their entire world.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 1, 2010

Ghost Hunters #6 

Dreamlight Trilogy #3

Arcane Society #9

Harmony #7

Follows Obsidian Prey

Followed by Canyons of Night

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle

So good until the end.

Lyra Dore made the find of an amber prospector's life and was ecstatic until her boyfriend at the time, Cruz Sweetwater, claimed the find for his family company, Amber, Inc. She was understandably upset. 

So now she can't believe that he's on her doorstep wanting help to get some of his men out of a trap that's been sprung, keeping them locked in the jungle. Even after she's done, he just won't seem to leave. His entire family claims that he loves her, but can she trust the man who left her taking not only her find but her heart?

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 25, 2009

Ghost Hunters #6 

Follows Dark Hunter

Followed by Midnight Crystal

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Passions in Death by J.D. Robb

A group of women are out on the town to celebrate a wedding. Before the night is over, one of the brides-to-be is dead in the Down and Dirty. Crack's club. 

Erin had worked hard to be able to save for her and Shauna's dream honeymoon. Her accomplice was supposed to bring in a coconut bra, grass skirt, and the shoes that had brought her to fiancée. When she walked into the private room, she was garroted.

This is an "In Death" where we don't know who the killers are ahead of time. We work through the case with Eve and Peabody. And it pretty much comes down to two people fairly soon. 

I liked this book. I love the whole series and think that Robb is still able to keep some things fresh while still maintaining a rhythm 59 books into the series.

Four stars

In Death #59

This book came out September 3, 2024

Follows Random in Death

Followed by Bonded in Death

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby May 2026

Silver Master by Jayne Castle

Celinda Ingram has moved to a new city in order to avoid a scandal. But now there's a police detective and a private investigator sitting at her desk. Is she going to have to move again?

It turns out that the PI, Davis Oakes, has been retained by the local Guild (a collection of hunters, thought by some to be similar to the mob) to recover an artifact that Celinda unknowingly bought. She is more than willing to turn it over but her dust bunny has other ideas. Davis doesn't want to let her out of his sight because this job is the first major operation since he recovered from a major psychical coma. 

The two are instantly attracted but they have bigger things to worry about since there are some very bad men after the artifact and them.

Three stars

This book comes out August 1, 2007

Ghost Hunters #4

Follows Ghost Hunter

Followed by Dark Light

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own