Entertaining. ( )

Stale, Disappointing

I have been a faithful reader of the “In Death” series by JD Robb. This one is my last. It feels like I’ve already read it. Nothing new. Stale to the point of boring. If Robb is not inspired to do better, she should have ended the series. ( )

Lt. Eve Dallas is summoned to the site of a high-end, A-list party hosted by stars of Broaday and Hollywood, because one of them has dropped dead, quite suddenly, with the scent of almonds around him.

Eliza Lane is an actor who has winning awards, primarily on Broadway but also in Hollywood, for twenty-five years. Her husband, Brant Fitzhugh, is a knock 'em dead screen star, but has also performed successfully on stage. Fitzhugh is one of those actors who is personally liked by everyone, because he's so kind, so generous, so humane, so likeable.

It's quickly confirmed that the almond smell is cyanide, and it was in the champagne cocktail he had just toasted his wife with as she performed a duet with the co-stair of play she's opening in, in just a few days. Yet he has no enemies. None at all. Not even his ex has anything negative to say about him. Even that canonical prime suspect, his wife, Eliza Lane, is obvously in love with him, and they are both individually and together quite wealthy and secure. Neither has been unfaithful. No major arguments. There's no aparent motive.

Lane doesn't seem to have any real enemies, either, but there are at least some complaints about her. Too tough, too demanding, has fired several assistants along the way. And the drink that killed Fitzhugh was originally intended for her--but Fitzhugh stood at the bar and told the bartender exactly how to make it, and if he'd added poison, why would he then drink it?

Eve, Peabody, and all their colleagues, start digging into the case. They look into everyone around Lane and Fitzhugh, Medical examiner Morris does a very thorough and careful autopsy. Forensic technician Dickie Berenski, often called "Dickhead" for a reason, makes only a token protest about how quickly Dallas wants her results, before admitting he's a fan, too, and pulling out all stops.

And as they dig into the past--Lane's past, not Fitzhugh's--they find some interesting details.

The play she's due to open in, Upstage, is about a mother and daughter and theater. Twenty-five years ago, Eliza Lane was the understudy for the role of the daughter, when the actor in that role died of a drug overdose, which was rule to be an accident. Lane took over th role and won her first Tony. The mother of the original actor, Debra Bernstein, blamed Lane for her daughter's death. She's held a grudge ever since, and has tried many times to gin up bad publicity for Lane. That's the first real clue, rather than just uneasy doubt, that Fitzhugh maybe wasn't the target.

But of course it's not that easy. It is in fact very complicated and confusing, and there's another death coming.

Another excellent visit with Dallas and friends. Work on the house that Mavis & Leonardo, and Peabody & McNab, are renovating together, continues apace, and we get some lovely details. Roarke gives Dallas a third anniversary gift that only someone who knows her as well as he does could even think of. We get another unexpected detail about Summerset's background.

It's a lot of fun, and Susan Ericksen does her usuall excellent job of narration.

I bought this audiobook. ( )

Famous, well-liked actor, Brant Fitzhugh is dead, poisoned during a party given by himself and his wife, renowned actress, Eliza Lane. Either of them could have been the intended victim, but Fitzhugh's body is the one in the morgue. Eve is called in and immediately begins the process of finding suspects and narrowing them down. Clues begin to emerge that point to an incident in Lane's past that led to her becoming the star she is today, making it seem as though she must have been the intended victim of the killing. Attention from the media puts pressure on Eve and Peabody to close this case, but Eve begins to wonder if things are as cut-and-dried as they seem.

Encore in Death takes the reader into the world of theater and movies and examines the lifestyle and personalities of those who succeed in those professions. As always in the In Death series, the procedural aspect of the story as well as the occupations involved are well researched and add authenticity to the plot and characters. There is a bit of a pacing issue as the story slows in the middle, and although the twist is an interesting one, I'm not sure it rings true in this case. Overall, however, Encore in Death is another successful entry in the In Death series. ( )

When a mega vid star dies of cyanide in the middle of a party by sipping the drink of his mega Broadway star wife, Eve is called in to unravel the clues and bring the murderer to justice. Only, most of the suspects are actors who lie for a living.

Not being sure who the intended victim was, Eve and her team have to explore all the angles. Brant Fitzhugh didn't have enemies. Even his ex-wife loved him. Eliza Lane, however, wasn't that nice. She was demanding, a micromanager, and a perfectionist. She had an obsessed fan and a number of bitter rivals. And the drink was made for her.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked the way the police tracked down the evidence to find the real culprit. I love the way Eve interacts with her team of dedicated homicide detectives. Her relationship with Peabody is growing to be more of a relationship between equals with each book. I also love seeing Eve's relationship with Roarke develop as the series progresses. ( )