J.D. Robb takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the world of dirty cops and death in the fifty-seventh In Death mystery, Payback in Death. Fans of the series and the characters won’t want to miss this one.

Eve and her husband Roarke celebrated their third anniversary in Greece, and then in Ireland with Roarke’s family. She’s still enjoying the relaxation when a call comes through requesting her attendance at a scene. Captain Martin Greenleaf was retired from the Internal Affairs Bureau. At first glance, his death appears to be a suicide. But, his friend, Lieutenant Webster, found him, and went through all the proper channels to ask for Dallas to take the case. He believes it was murder, and, it doesn’t take long for Eve to feel the same way.

Dallas and her partner, Peabody, follow all the proper steps. They look at ex-cops who may have threatened Greenleaf or his family. Then, they look at cops who might have committed suicide. Does a family member view Greenleaf’s death as payback for the loss of someone who committed suicide, someone Greenleaf, in the killer’s mind, might have driven to suicide?

Although she’s doing everything by the book, an out-of-control IAB detective blames Dallas for everything, and accuses her of trying to cover up Greenleaf’s death. It’s one more distraction as she deals with a complicated investigation. Eve Dallas has one question. Why did someone want Greenleaf dead?

Payback in Death is everything readers have grown to expect in an In Death novel. Eve Dallas and her team poke and prod at every clue. She drags Roarke into the case, with his knowledge of financial workings. It’s a solid police procedural. But, what truly makes these books special is the family Eve has built, her team at work, her assorted friends, her life at home. She’s reluctant to acknowledge it, but when she looks around at the people who are special to her, with their idiosyncrasies, their passions, she knows she has something special. So do the fans of this series.

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

Payback in Death by J.D. Robb. St. Martin’s Press, 2023. ISBN 9781250284099 (hardcover), 368p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent a galley through NetGalley, with no promise of a review.