CONNECTIONS IN DEATH

4 stars out of 5

There's not quite enough here of Lt. Eve Dallas's hunky husband Roarke for me to put this one - the 48th in the series - on my short list of favorites. Besides that, both Eve and Roarke seem a little lackluster - almost as if they'd rather be anywhere other than in this story - and the setting amid rival gangs isn't quite as attention-holding for me personally as are other scenarios. Otherwise, though, it's got all the goodies I've come to know and love. Eve bickers with Roarke's majordomo Somerset, plays it cool with her stylish friend and competent co-worker Peabody, programs her personal Auto Chef to deliver great coffee (the year is 2061, after all) and Roarke is continuing, for the most part, to resist trying to run every aspect of Eve's life like choosing the clothes she must wear each day (for the latter, thank you, God).

This one begins as Roarke is about to open a sort of haven for wayward young girls called An Didean and hires child psychologist Rochelle Pickering to run it. Rochelle's brother, Lyle, is living with her while he gets his personal house in order; he's a recovering addict and has refused to rejoin his old local gang, the Bangers. Before Rochelle can start her first day on the job, though, Lyle is found murdered in her apartment; early evidence shows he'd apparently returned to his drug habit and overdosed. Devastated, Rochelle insists that her brother would not - and had not - strayed. Her boyfriend, Crack, tags Eve's 'link, asking for her help.

Their more in-depth look determines that Lyle's death was a murder, so now they set out to find the killer or killers. When a witness who lives in the building provides a description of what went on, they strongly suspect it was a gang-related hit. Needless to say, Eve's team, with a little bit of help from super-tech-friendly Roarke, delves into the gang world both electronically and in person.

As I said in the beginning, this is not a world of which I want any part, not even to read about - so for me it leaned a tiny bit toward ho-hum, which is an unusual pronouncement for me to make of this series. Still, the plot is well done well and held my attention and the characters both familiar and fun - and of course, I'm already waiting for the next one.

Connections in Death by J.D. Robb (St. Martin's Press, February 2019); 365 pp.