The setting is New New York in 2061. We still get some technology that would make my eyes bleed if I thought about it too much, but it works. Eve Dallas was abused and raped as a child. Her memories come to the surface time and time again in Desperation in Death when she's in charge of a young 13 year old homicide victim. The reader really gets to see the character development in Eve and Roarke as they walk through this particular case. The bring in the whole team which is one of my favorite parts is when we see all the characters working together as a cohesive unit. From the beginning, things just don’t add up for Eve. This child had to have been well cared for, but she’s been missing for several months. Her hair is perfectly styled with expensive products – even her nails are perfectly manicured. But then, there is the sexy undergarments. Why would this young girl be wearing expensive silk underthings? When Eve identifies the girl as Mina Rose Cabot, a child missing from Devon, Pennsylvania – a child who was much loved – Eve knows she isn’t just looking for a murderer – she’s looking for a child abductor. There is a second set of bloodstains on Mina, and they belong to Dorian Gregg, a runaway from Freehold, New Jersey. Is Dorian lying dead somewhere and just hasn’t been found yet? Is she injured? Was she recaptured? Or, is she the one who took Mina’s life?

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil… New York, 2061: The place called the Pleasure Academy is a living nightmare where abducted girls are trapped, trained for a life of abject service while their souls are slowly but surely destroyed. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway who’d been imprisoned there, might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina was the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate. This is a heavy topic and a very serious one, but there is still opportunity for some very funny one liners between Peabody and Eve. The author never loses sight of her characters and they stay true to themselves at all times. As usual the police work is thorough and interesting. Altogether a well balanced and very well written book which is totally absorbing, but what else would we expect from this experienced and talented author. Reading the newest J.D. Robb book always feels like a chance to catch up with dear friends, while said friends are trying to save the world. And I don’t know that I’ll ever tire of that. Desperation in Death is the 55th full-length installment in the In Death series, and I’m still just as attached to Eve and Roarke and Peabody and the rest as I could ever hope to be. I absolutely love seeing how they’ve grown and changed over the years. While this particular installment dealt with some incredibly difficult and heartbreaking topics, and was very hard to read in some places, it was handled with care and was well worth reading. This was a hard one to put down because it involved young children at risk and I needed to reach the outcome. The police procedurals were outstanding, requiring the aid of so many teams within the NYPSD working together with absolute precision for a common goal. That meant seeing so many of the characters I’ve come to love having substantive roles in the story. I keep thinking that one day this series will become stale after so many books but it isn’t letting up. This one will remain forever memorable for the subject and emotional toll it took on everyone involved. The possibility of that academy in real life terrifies me.Intense! Desperation in Death is not the easiest read. There are many triggers, so readers beware. (My tags should show what many of the triggers are, but this novel in particular will have many triggers.) The prose is well-written and engaging. This time Eve’s passion for justice and those that need help pushes the story beyond finding a single murderer, to taking down those that prey on children. The plot is thought-provoking and tragic. While this book has some action, it is mostly a police procedural. The action is concentrated at the beginning and the ending. It is appalling in places and uplifting in others. Robb details the abuse that the girls experience from the very beginning, so when one of them turns up dead, I feel like readers can connect more with the victim. I think this may disturb some readers due to the subject matter, but the details are glossed over. But I did just want to give a warming just to be safe. So good to catch-up with so many of the beloved cast of friends gathered throughout this installment in the In Death series. Sebastian, who first caught my attention in #38 Concealed in Death, is once again featured. Although his character is slightly questionable, I like him and hope to see more of him in future installments. And Baby Bella is growing up so fast and her sparkling interactions with Eve and Roarke just up the desire to see them start a family – but it may not be in the cards. There was a little friction exchanged between the Mr. & Mrs. this go-round – and those “marriage rules” be damned! Finally, an emotionally positive “talk” between Eve and Summerset. Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian is injured, terrified, and wandering the streets of New York, and Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.

Desperation in Death by J. D. Robb (pseudonym for Nora Roberts) brings murder, suspense, and anguish to a well-written futuristic police procedural set in New York City during the spring of 2061. What happens when children are abducted and exploited? Mina and Dorian, two young girls trapped in an horrific situation, and desperate enough to plan an escape. The plan was a sound one, but when they were out on the streets, Dorian fell and suddenly Mina was running, leading them away from Dorian, so she could escape. But Mina didn't have the same fortune as Dorian, and it was her body that Lieutenant Eve Dallas stood over, feeling a fury building inside. What isn’t quite working for me after so many books is that Eve is beginning to just sound like the boss bitch and she’s exhausting. I don’t know how anyone can stand her most of the time even though we see that she’s boss bitch with a big heart who cares so damn much about her victims.Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion. High Fives to Robb on another wowzer! Desperation In Death was just as amazing as I had hoped -- fully satisfying. Superbly well-drawn, fast paced and filled with chills, spills and thrills. Could not put it down. Although Desperation in Death is set in the future, there are not as many features shown on display for the reader to geek out over in this novel. One exception is the really fast helicopter that Roarke owns that gets a few members of the team from one place to another. Most of the Naked In Death series feature futuristic technology and ideas, which is something I enjoy.

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of this concept, so this book isn’t my favorite of the series. However, I do think that Robb did a good job of bringing Eve’s past and her experiences into it as well. Of course, the story is written well and in an interesting way where we know who the bad guys are, but we don’t know everything about them. As the story unfolds, more truths are revealed. OMGoodness! This 55th addition to the series is just as fresh, thrilling, engrossing, and suspenseful as the first one. The characters are some of the most intriguing and interesting I’ve ever read and they grow personally and professionally with each new book. You also couldn’t ask for a better cast of supporting characters – from the hard-hitting reporter, Nadine Frist, to the ebullient singer, Mavis Freestone, to the cops in Eve’s squad at Cop Central, they are all outstanding. I really enjoyed this story because all of those supporting characters – and more – played key parts in solving the mystery and taking the bad guys down. I have read every book in the series – some of them several times – and there isn’t a clinker in the bunch!Robb continues to deliver expertly paced, cleverly plotted, and snappily witty suspense." - Booklist The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil… Another entry that follows the formula that’s worked pretty well for the past 54 books so no big surprises that the story is about Eve Dallas figuring out who did what to who and why, along with her team that never seems to have anything else to Dothan work on her case of the moment.

This story starts when Mina Cabot and Dorian Gregg, abducted teenagers, attempt to escape the Pleasure Academy where they have been imprisoned for months and trained for a life of service and exploitation. Unfortunately, the plan isn’t the success they desired.Add to that the usual Fifty-esque diet and clothing scenes and you've got an installment that, while much better, doesn't quite hit the five-star mark. With two girls having been abducted, and one escaping, Sadly, as the girls were escaping, one of them died. Detective Eve Dallas is in a frantic race against time to find out who abducted the girls. It doesn't take long for Eve to realize that exploitation is behind the abductions and Eve cannot help but remember her tragic past when it comes to said abuse.