J.D. Robb’s Bonded in Death is the sixtieth book in her “In Death” series, but it may be the best in the series. She’s still at the top of her game, bringing Lieutenant Eve Dallas a crime from the past.

When Giovanni Rossi was killed in a limo in New York City, the murderer made one gigantic mistake. He planted a facsimile of Eve Dallas’ business card on the victim. It’s obvious he wanted Dallas on the case for some obscure reason. When Dallas learns the death is personal to her household, she’s determined to track the killer who waited years to murder.

Long before Eve was born, the world went through the Urban Wars, the Urbans. In 2016, the European Urbans were going bad. At the time, The Twelve was an underground unit that fought Dominion and other violent fringe groups during the Urbans. They took an oath to be there for each other. With Giovanni Rossi’s death in New York, The Twelve were down to eight. And, one of those was a medic, the man who eventually took in a young thief, Roarke, who became Dallas’ husband. That man was Summerset, Roarke’s majordomo. And, neither Roarke nor Dallas knew about Summerset’s past. When they learn about his past as one of The Twelve, they’re determined to protect the man who takes care of their home. And, they’re determined to protect the remaining eight from a killer out for revenge.

Bonded in Death is a strong entry in this series. It’s fascinating to read about the Urbans, and to learn more about Summerset’s past. The historical aspect, and the glimpse into the past makes this my favorite in the series.

J.D. Robb’s website is https://jdrobb.com/

Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb. St. Martin’s Press, 2025. ISBN 9781250370792 (hardcover), 368p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher through NetGalley, with no promise of a review.