Witness in Death

J.D. Robb
(aka Nora Roberts)

7/21/2002

Agatha Christie's play Witness for the Prosecution has been brought to stage once again in 2059. Eve Dallas and her husband Roake are attending the opening night of the production at his newly refurbished theater. It appears to be a star studded evening. But at the end of the play, one less star is shining. Richard Draco, the brilliant actor playing Leonard Vole, was stabbed by Areena Mansfield, playing his wife. Of course, that is the ending scene of the play. Except the prop knife is replaced with a real knife. Before Mansfield can stop, she really stabs Draco in the heart. He dies before medical attention can get to him.

Dallas finds herself pulled into a world of glitz, glamor, and egos that is unimaginable. It seems everyone in the cast of the play could have reason to hate Draco. Drugs, sex, money, and love are all intertwined as she digs deeper into his secret and not-so-secret life. The other actors are not the only ones who hated Draco. Linus Quim, the prop director, hates all actors. Dallas' friend Nadine Furst, the news anchor, also has a history with him. The stand-in's mother apparently had history. An unknown woman named Anja Carvell is tied in as well. Who else could wish Draco dead? As far as Dallas can determine, almost every person who knew him.

Once again J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts has delivered a compelling dark futuristic mystery. Most of us "regular folks" like to see the world of the rich and famous with their dirty laundry airing. Dallas discovers a lot of behind-the-scene secrets about Draco and the acting profession. Roberts has created a believable world in our future. She sees humankind continuing with the good and evil that presently exists. She takes these emotions and twists and turns the story so the reader is not sure which facts are relevant and which are not.

Robb also has the continuing human story that is the backdrop for the series. These keep the books from getting too dark. I am anxious for the next book to see what is going to happen with the Peabody triangle. Dallas' past is once again forced to the forefront of her consciousness. I know from future book descriptions this will become more focused. How does Dallas deal with her own bleak past?

You can find more about this book at .

Notice: Sexual situations

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
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
"Haunted in Death" in Bump in the Night
Creation in Death
Strangers in Death