Saturday, March 4, 2023

Encore In Death Review

Author: JD Robb
Series: In Death
Publisher: St Martins Press
Release Date:  Feb. 5, 2023
Purchase: Amazon

4.5 Stars

Review:
Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh are the Hollywood IT couple at the top of their game.  Tonight is their night to shine . . . or at least her night as they throw a big party to celebrate the revival of the play that launched her to stardom.  Brant will be leaving the next day for six weeks in New Zealand as he starts a new vid project.  This is a couple that has apparently beaten the odds by maintaining a loving relationship in Hollywood.  Brant gets Eliza's signature drink from the bar and makes his way over to her.  But instead of drinking, Eliza has him hold her drink as she and her costar perform an impromptu duet.  Being the loving husband he is, Brant offers a toast to his beautiful wife, takes a sip of the drink meant for her and collapses on the floor - dead within seconds from apparent poisoning.  Chaos ensues until Lt. Eve Dallas and her partner Detective Delia Peabody arrive on scene to take control.  The story that ensues is a sea of red herrings with little motive, and a whole lot of acting.  And yet, as Eve works the case, the clues and evidence begin clicking in place until her Aha moment when she nails it.

Encore In Death is another classic Eve Dallas police procedural.  I never tire of following along as Eve unravels clues to solve a case.  Her mind is a fascinating place to be.  I'm a huge fan of Peabody and was happy with her enhanced role in this one.  I was never 100% sure of the villain in this one, but I did have my suspicions which proved true in the end.  Plenty of Roarke time as well as the signature humor I've come to expect in this series makes for another fantastic addition to the series.  Highly recommended.

Synopsis:
It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance—but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party.

From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him—even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd—and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…

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