It was a good read. I think after 54 books in this series - you have a general idea of what is to come. It was a nice twist to have the the Before story parts in it. Not something I would like to see all the time though. (Slight spoiler) The only part I found weak was the concern for her friend...if there was no link I am not sure why it was part of the story so many times.

Like the book

“Maybe a thistle—Scottish symbol—because McNab. But maybe a rainbow.”
“You could do two rainbows. One on each ass cheek.”

“For someone who dresses so well, you have a sketchy knowledge of fashion and its history.”
“Roarke’s always putting stuff in my closet.”

“Isn’t she gorgeous?”
Eve saw what appeared to be the result of a strange mating of a trout and a very angry, possibly constipated old man. She said, “Wow.”

“Friends are a pain in the ass more than half the time.”
“Aw.” Peabody beamed a smile. “That’s down from what you probably thought a couple of years ago. That would’ve been more like eighty percent, not fifty.”

“We’re not getting a butler, unless it’s Summerset.”
“He’s yours.”
Mavis spun to Eve with a laugh. “As if.”
“No, seriously. I’ll make him your housewarming present. I’m supposed to do that, right?”

“It’s basket for the eggs, not box.”
She turned in her seat. “I’ve seen eggs in boxes. With the little…” She outlined a dip in the air with a hand. “To hold them in.”
“You gather them up from the hens in a basket.”
“How do you know that? When’s the last time you snatched an egg from a chicken, ace?”

“If he and I had partnered up back in the day? Ah.” Roarke let out a sentimental sigh. “The possibilities.”
“Cop here. Still a cop standing right here.”
“Darling Eve, you can’t fault a man for imagining.”
“Imagine me busting your ass and slapping the cuffs on you.”
Now he grinned, now he grabbed her. “A different sort of imagining altogether.”

“How appalled would he be if he knew she thought of this as his Roarke-cop mode?
Very, she concluded, so she’d save that for when she wanted to annoy him.”

“We have to get rid of the evidence.”
“Evidence?”
“Torn shirts. We can’t just dump them somewhere.”
He found it oddly endearing when she actually buttoned—two buttons—what was left of hers.
“Summerset will find them, so they must be destroyed.”

“She breathed, exhaling tension (or trying to) as instructed. She let her mantra play in her head, which was—her secret—fuck this, fuck this, fuck this.”

“Cops don’t need perfect lips.”
“It’s possible—not outside the realm of possibility—that my perfect lips could so dazzle a bad guy I’d have him cuffed, charged, and transported before he recovered.”
“When that happens, I’ll personally buy you a lifetime supply.”

“Peabody said nothing for nearly thirty seconds. “Dallas, Lieutenant, sir, you are my hero. I am mentally kissing you on the mouth.”
“Keep it in your head or my boot meets your ass.”

“So did he spill the truth because you scared him out of it with that tie?”
Jenkinson gave a closed-lip grin and fluttered the orange tie covered with purple insects with bugged-out eyes.”

“If being a fuckhead was a crime, I’d have to lock up half of New York. And occasionally arrest myself.”

“She’s not the first to go off the tracks over some asshole with a good line and a pretty face.”
When Roarke grinned, and laughed, she shook her head. “You’re hardly ever an asshole.”
“Flattery like that will get you a pepperoni pizza.”

“It’s kind of fun, sitting around a campfire, eating s’mores and telling stories.”
“Stories about what fun it is to sit and sleep somewhere you’re lower on the food chain than the big-ass bear who decides you look tasty?”
“Well.”
“Or those fun stories about how something decides to slither into your tent while you’re sleeping and coil around your throat?” Eve cocked her eyebrows at Peabody. “Those stories?”

“Looks like you can, and you’re stuck with McNab’s skinny ass.”
“Last night in bed—”
“Oh no. No.” Grim, Eve flipped back her jacket, laid a hand on her weapon harness. “I will draw my weapon, place it between your eyes, and fire. At the rate you’re driving, no one’s going to notice when we come to a dead stop.”

“So, what’s the story with Quilla?”
“Why?”
“Wondering.”
Now Eve looked up. “You’re too old for her.”
“Come on. Too young for a beer, but too old for the cute girl?”
“Yes. Go away. Working.”

“She ate a fry, decided it was a potato miracle, so ate another.”

“You saved my girl, my precious girl. You’re an angel. A goddess!”
“I’m a cop, Ms. Covino. If I could just—”
Ms. Covino pulled back, eyes very like her daughter’s, red-rimmed but fierce. “I want you to hurt this man who took my girl.”
“I understand, but we’re the police. I’m not allowed to physically harm a suspect.”

“I hear everybody else, and nine times out of ten I know who’s coming by the sound of their walk. But you slide around like your feet don’t touch the ground.”
“Darling, I walk on air when I’m near you.”

3.5

Hats off to Nora (aka J.D. Robb) for somehow still being able to keep this romantic suspense series set in futuristic NYC fresh and interesting even 54 books in!! I confess listening to the audiobook version isn't my favorite. For some reason the narrator just does not do it for me. I also think I'm getting a little tired of all the slang in these books.

That said, I was still entertained and kept guessing on how the mystery would shake out. It was fun seeing Peabody and McNab get to build/design their dream house. Roarke and Eve are #couplegoals and I will always love reading about their scenes together. If you haven't read this series yet it is definitely worth your time (even 54 books later! And yes, I have read EVERY single one! #cantstopwontstop)

Mary Kate Covino wakes up in shackles in a dark room, abducted by a man who half the time seems rational, meticulous, and devious. The other half the time, he is a spoiled, angry child who wants her to be his Mommy. Once Eve Dallas and her team find a dead woman in a local park in make up and clothes not her own with a sign written in crayon that says, "bad mommy," it is determined that there are at least two other women being held against their will, one of whom is Mary Kate Covino, and the race is on - find the abductor before he kills again. All the while, Eve is being bombarded with details involving the house that Mavis and Leonardo are renovating along with Peabody and McNabb.

Abandoned in Death is another enjoyable entry in the In Death series. The procedural elements in this book are outstanding and make for a fascinating ride as the evidence and clues are introduced with exceptional pacing. Humor is injected at several points in the story that include some laugh out loud moments as Eve's down to earth style contrasts with those of almost everyone around her. The only downfall of this book is the lack of personal connection to the case, despite the story line involving Mavis and Leonardo's house. Overall, Abandoned in Death is not the best book in the series but still a solid entry.

Thanks to St. Martin's Publishing Group for providing this advanced reader copy.
@jdrobbauthor #AbandonedInDeath #JDRobb @StMartinsPress #StMartinsPress