*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb

Brotherhood in Death (In Death, #42) by J. D. Robb
Also by this author: Devoted in Death (In Death, #41), Festive in Death (In Death, #39), Apprentice in Death (In Death, #43), , Echoes in Death (In Death, #44), Secrets in Death (In Death, #45), Dark in Death (In Death, #46), Leverage in Death (In Death, #47)
Series: In Death #42
Also in this series: Naked in Death, Glory in Death, Immortal in Death, Apprentice in Death (In Death, #43),
Published by Berkley, Brilliance Audio on February 2nd 2016
Genres: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths
Pages: 388
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0399170898
ASIN: B019S99GCG
Goodreads

Sometimes brotherhood can be another word for conspiracy...
Dennis Mira just had two unpleasant surprises. First he learned that his cousin Edward was secretly meeting with a real estate agent about their late grandfather’s magnificent West Village brownstone, despite the promise they both made to keep it in the family. Then, when he went to the house to confront Edward about it, he got a blunt object to the back of the head.
Luckily Dennis is married to Charlotte Mira, the NYPSD’s top profiler and a good friend of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. When the two arrive on the scene, he explains that the last thing he saw was Edward in a chair, bruised and bloody. When he came to, his cousin was gone. With the mess cleaned up and the security disks removed, there’s nothing left behind but a few traces for forensics to analyze.
As a former lawyer, judge, and senator, Edward Mira mingled with the elite and crossed paths with criminals, making enemies on a regular basis. Like so many politicians, he also made some very close friends behind closed—and locked—doors. But a badge and a billionaire husband can get you into places others can’t go, and Eve intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate . . . and a new case that no one saw coming.

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Am I the only one who ever wonders how authors who write lengthy series’ come up with fresh material? And do narrators ever grow tired of reading the stories in a long-running series? Having just finished listening to #42, Brotherhood in Death, by J.D. Robb, I stand in awe of this author’s ability to keep blessing her readers each year with two – yes, two! – new books and the occasional novella in the In Death Series. Now, before I go all fan girl, let me tell you a bit about this latest book.  In her unfailing duty to stand for the dead, Lt. Eve Dallas may find herself standing for innocent victims as well as those who have gotten what they deserve. In Brotherhood in Death, the victims have not only gotten what they deserve, but the dark brotherhood and the secret rites they share pulls Eve back into her own darkness, compelling her to identify more with the perpetrators than the victims. As expected, we find familiar characters from earlier books. Peabody and McNab, Feeney, and the NYPSD gang are on scene to witness a very special ceremony for another recurring character and to help track down the guilty parties.  Eve has her eye on the suspects early in the story, so the suspense lies in finding proof before they take out every member of the Brotherhood in their quest for justice. Dr. Charlotte Mira and her husband Dennis (Eve’s guilty secret crush) have featured roles because Dennis Mira is a cousin to one of the victims and, with his inimitable artlessness, stumbles into the crime. The cousin is married to a really vile and obnoxious woman I wanted Eve to slap, but I had to settle for knowing the woman was married to a man just as vile and obnoxious as she. Mavis and Leonardo are only mentioned briefly and Summerset just makes a cameo appearance. . .I missed the usual abrasive banter between Eve and him. Of course, my very favorite fictional cat, Galahad, weaves in and out of the story just as he weaves in and out of Eve’s legs and her heart.

I was able to satisfy my curiosity about how a narrator feels about performing a long-running series when I ran across this interview with Susan Ericksen. In response to that very question, Ms. Ericksen responded as follows:

It’s WONDERFUL to do a series. In the In Death books, I know that world and those characters like the back of my hand. And I have a strong sense of ownership about them after 40 or so books. I often feel like J.D. Robb may be the biological mother of these books, but I am the adoptive mother. I think that deep sense of knowledge about the books really adds a depth to the recordings, because there’s so much background and tone and history that I bring to the character’s interactions. Also, I think I really understand the style of the books, and the world wherein the stories all take place. The slightly futuristic world- it’s not abstract for me, I’ve “lived” in it for years now. Very cool.

Click on the link above to read the complete interview with this very accomplished narrator who also happens to be married to another narrator, David Colacci.

Now for the fan girl part. . .I love this series and I love listening to Susan Ericksen read the stories. Could she make Roarke sound any sexier? I just want to fan myself every time he says “Darlin’ Eve” with that lyrical sound of Ireland in his voice.  How does this story compare to other books in the series? I think that is something that is just going to be peculiar to each reader and how a story pulls him or her in. I will say this, Brotherhood in Death is one book that you just won’t get if you haven’t read the others in the series.  In most of the others, you can piece together the back story with information that is provided throughout the book, but not this one.  It’s just too emotionally bound to Eve’s past. I don’t think I’ll ever want the series to end and, if you love it as I do, you will likely find this latest installment a worthy continuation of the Eve and Roarke story.