Salvation in Death

J.D. Robb
(aka Nora Roberts)

Father Miguel Flores was serving Holy Communion at a funeral service for a respected member of Spanish Harlem. When he drank the wine, he died immediately in front of the large congregation. Someone had poisoned the wine.

Lt. Eve Dallas is called in to investigate. Who would kill a beloved priest. Everyone she and Detective Delia Peabody talk with praise Fr. Flores highly - the priests who also lived at this church, the local youth organizations, and members of the congregation including the dead man's family who wanted Fr. Flores to officiate at the funeral. The woman he rescued from an abusive practically canonizes him. An autopsy shows some irregularities, though. Yes, he died of cyanide poisoning. But an obliterated tatoo and some wound scars don't seem to match the man they have been learning about. What is hiding in the history of the man they are investigating?

Then a high profile evangelic preacher is poisoned in front of a full house of his traveling show for his Church of the Eternal Light. Are the murders related? The indicators are there. Is there a serial killer in New York targeting religious leaders? Why?

In Salvation in Death, J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts concentrates on the futuristic mystery and only has a small portion of the storyline devoted to the personal implications. It is well plotted and craftily weaved together. The reader may think he/she knows where the plot is leading, but another bump comes along and twists the investigation around at least 90 degrees.

Fans of the In Death series will enjoy this book. If you haven't read any of the series, you might get a little lost in the personal story, but there's enough explanation so you'll appreciate it, too. It could even make you want to read the rest of the series (27 books now, is it?).

Notice: Graphic violence, Strong indecent language, Strong sexual content

Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
"Midnight in Death" Silent Night
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgment in Death
Betrayal in Death
Seduction in Death
"Interlude in Death" Out of This World
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Remember When (written w/ Nora Roberts)
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
"Haunted in Death" in Bump in the Night
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
"Eternity in Death" in Dead of Night
Creation in Death
Strangers in Death
"Ritual in Death" in Suite 606
Salavation in Death
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
"Missing in Death" in The Lost
Fantasy in Death
Indulgence in Death
"Possession in Death" in The Other Side
Treachery in Death
New York to Dallas
Celebrity in Death
Delusion in Death
Calculated in Death
Thankless in Death