Survivor in Death

I've lost track of how many books are in J.D. Robb's In Death series--I think it's somewhere around 20. Survivor in Death is a strong installment: 4 out of 5.

Eve Dallas faces an unique challenge in Nixie Swisher, a nine-year-old girl who escapes an attack that kills the rest of her family. As a witness, Nixie is clearly in danger, and she develops a bond with Eve. Therefore, Eve brings her home and begins the search for the killers of Nixie's family.

I was intrigued by the mystery. I won't say much about it to avoid spoilers, but these are not the crazed serial killers we've seen in some of the past books. This aspect of the plot comes together nicely.

People who read the In Death series often enjoy the mystery more than the personal relationships or vice versa. I read it for the personal interaction; I love seeing Roarke and Eve's relationship develop, and there's more of that here. I don't recommend starting with this book, though, if you haven't read the series before. Instead, start with Naked in Death and move forward, or you'll miss wonderful dynamics of Eve and Roarke's developing relationship.

In Survivor in Death, it's not surprising that Nixie's presence leads to interesting interaction. Nixie is just a little too close in age to how old Eve was when she became an orphan. (Trying to be cryptic here, just in case.) This brings numerous emotions to the surface. Furthermore, Eve isn't particularly maternal. Like Eve, Roarke is reminded of his painful childhood because of Nixie. In general, however, he tends to be more at ease with the girl.

Many of the standard secondary characters make appearances. I also enjoyed seeing a few characters from past books. Survivor in Death was worth the wait.

Alyssa