CALCULATED IN DEATH, the 36th book in the In Death series, emphasized the police procedural. This story was very focused on Eve solving the case of the death of an accountant, mother of two and happily married. She also happened to be the sister-in-law of one of Eve's favorite judges.

This mystery finds Eve deep in the world of big business. Luckily, she has an expert guide in her husband Roarke who is the biggest of big businessmen. Eve has to follow the trail and untangle the threads that bind a number of companies together uncovering fraud, money laundering, and other scams while she is digging. Along the way another accountant is killed and one of the partners in an investment business too. Eve is pretty sure which over-privileged but not over-bright executive is pulling the strings but she has to set herself up as a target before they can catch the underling who is actually doing the killing.

This was a very enjoyable mystery and I loved the byplay between Eve and Roarke. This one showed how well they have come to know each other and how well they work in tandem. But I missed the contributions of the many characters we have seen in the series. The only other character who had a substantial role in this one was Peabody who was her charming self. We just had cameos by McNab and Feeney, Mira and Nadine Furst, and Mavis and Leonardo.

I liked the recurring references to the upcoming movie premiere and the necessity for Eve's appearance on the Red Carpet. You could just tell that Eve would rather be anywhere else. At least, she wanted to be anywhere else until she arranged to trap the killer there. I also liked that Eve was more nervous about having Trina do her hair and make-up than she was at the possibility that the killer would succeed in his plan to eliminate Eve and Peabody.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. I think it would also work for newcomers to the series as an entry point without having to read the previous 35 books. ( )

Crime

Calculated in Death
3.5 Stars

Eve and her team investigate the murder of an auditor whose death appears at first to be the result of a botched mugging. The evidence soon reveals that she was deliberately targeted, but which one of her clients was corrupt enough to kill.

This is one of the weaker installments in the series for several reasons. First, readers never get a solid feel for the victim. Yes, she was a beloved wife and a devoted mother, but she is very one dimensional, and it is difficult to summon up the emotional investment to really care about her demise.

Second, the suspect pool is limited making it easy to narrow down the culprit. Moreover, most of them are so obnoxious that any one of them would do. Furthermore, the fact that the nasty characters are all spoiled and useless men while the female suspects are hardworking overachievers makes the feminist agenda seem a bit forced.

Third, the financial aspects are mind-numbingly dull and my attention wandered whenever the money issues were raised. Given the nature of the crime, this occurred quite often.

Nevertheless, there are some engaging moments, especially Eve's ongoing love/hate relationship with Summerset, Peabody's excellent acting skills, and Galahad's affront at Eve's betrayal with another feline - shame on her!

Overall, not one of the best, but still a good read. ( )

CALCULATED IN DEATH, the 36th book in the In Death series, emphasized the police procedural. This story was very focused on Eve solving the case of the death of an accountant, mother of two and happily married. She also happened to be the sister-in-law of one of Eve's favorite judges.

This mystery finds Eve deep in the world of big business. Luckily, she has an expert guide in her husband Roarke who is the biggest of big businessmen. Eve has to follow the trail and untangle the threads that bind a number of companies together uncovering fraud, money laundering, and other scams while she is digging. Along the way another accountant is killed and one of the partners in an investment business too. Eve is pretty sure which over-privileged but not over-bright executive is pulling the strings but she has to set herself up as a target before they can catch the underling who is actually doing the killing.

This was a very enjoyable mystery and I loved the byplay between Eve and Roarke. This one showed how well they have come to know each other and how well they work in tandem. But I missed the contributions of the many characters we have seen in the series. The only other character who had a substantial role in this one was Peabody who was her charming self. We just had cameos by McNab and Feeney, Mira and Nadine Furst, and Mavis and Leonardo.

I liked the recurring references to the upcoming movie premiere and the necessity for Eve's appearance on the Red Carpet. You could just tell that Eve would rather be anywhere else. At least, she wanted to be anywhere else until she arranged to trap the killer there. I also liked that Eve was more nervous about having Trina do her hair and make-up than she was at the possibility that the killer would succeed in his plan to eliminate Eve and Peabody.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. I think it would also work for newcomers to the series as an entry point without having to read the previous 35 books. ( )

Not one of the best in the series, but still good. I love Eve and Roarke and can't wait to read what they get up to in each new book. ( )