Review

New York to Dallas is the latest installment in J.D. Robb's bestselling In Death series and takes its main character, Eve, from the safety of New York to the one place she never wanted to revisit…Dallas.

After Isaac McQueen – Eve’s first big collar – escapes from prison he begins taunting her. She follows where he leads and ends up in Dallas. McQueen kidnaps one of the girls Eve saved before and uses her to get to Dallas.

Eve has been to Dallas before and thought she had taken care of her past. Hunting down McQueen – a man who treats girls much like her father treated her – brings the past rushing back and Eve must deal with the flashbacks while trying to find him.

I enjoyed this adventure with Eve and Roarke. A lot happens to Eve and I felt like there was some character growth for her and for Roarke. I think that in New York to Dallas, Eve finally realizes how much Roarke loves her and how special their bond truly is. There are two passages that really stood out to me while reading the book. They both deal with the romantic relationship between Eve and Roarke.

His lips curved in easy amusement. “You do love your rules.”

“When I know about them, and understand them. I know I give you a lot of grief about owning the world, or buying up planets. It’s not that I don’t get how much work, time, responsibility it takes to run everything you run. I do. So I know you’re putting a hell of a lot on hold for me. I don’t take it for granted.”

“Eve.” He waited a beat. “I once stood in a field in Ireland, alone, a little lost, and wishing for you more than I wished for my next breath. And you came, though I never asked you, you came because you knew I needed you. We don’t always do what’s right, what’s good. Not even for each other. But when it counts, down to the core of it, I believe we do exactly that. What’s right and good for each other.”

“There’s no rule to that, Eve. It’s just love.”

Just love, she thought when he stepped out. She may have been going into her own personal hell to face a killer, but right at that moment she considered herself the luckiest woman in the world.”

“He loves me. Roarke, I mean. He loves me.”

“Oh, so very much.”

“Nobody did before. Before Mavis, she just wouldn’t give up and leave me alone. And Feeney. But he’d feel weird saying the whole love thing, so…” She mimed zipping fingers over her lips.

“But Roarke doesn’t feel weird about it. He’s full of it, the love, I mean. And when he loves me, things that never worked in me did – do. It was easier when they didn’t work, but it’s better when they do. You know?”

The only thing missing for me was Peabody. I love the way Eve and Peabody interact and missed it in this book. Other than that one tiny thing, New York to Dallas is a fantastic addition to the In Death series!

Reviewed by Carrie