Thanks to the Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this eARC in audiobook format.

In the latest installment of the “In Death” series, J.D. Robb delivers another imaginative gripping tale with “Passions in Death.” This fifty-ninth book in the series continues to showcase Robb’s mastery in creating intense futuristic crime-solving drama.

Note: If you have not yet read a novel in this series, please note the word "futuristic" in above paragraph. If not, you will be scratching your head over words like "tubes" being used instead of "bottles", "tag" rather than "text" and so on. You will catch up easily regardless of which novel in this series you pick up.

The story begins with Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her enigmatic husband, Roarke, racing through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club. What was supposed to be a joyous pre-wedding celebration turns into a nightmare when one of the brides, Erin Albright, is found brutally murdered.

I love the inclusionary aspect of this book; the wedding was between two women, there was a transexual character, etc. Awesome! Being gay myself, I always find this incredibly refreshing.

The author's intelligence and her wit are both RAZOR sharp (note her observations about such things such as "seasonal" sales, and so on).

Eve Dallas remains a compelling protagonist, with a complex personality and unwavering dedication to justice. Her relationship with Roarke adds depth, providing moments of tenderness amidst the chaos. 

As I haven't read from this series in ages, Peabody (Eve's delightful sidekick) is a charming character.

Passions in Death” delves into the darker aspects of human nature, exploring themes of passion, violence, and the thin line between love and obsession.

Robb’s writing is as sharp as ever, with a perfect balance of suspense, action, and emotional depth.

I loved so much about this novel and I can't wait to read more.

Small distractions (for me) - a graphically described sex scene (relatively easy to bypass) and a TON of suspects to keep in mind.

The author must be a genius to juggle all the possible motives and suspects in this narrative, as well as numerous supporting characters.

Likewise the narrator, Susan Ericksen does an AMAZING job with the voices she created for ages ranging from children to adults. I highly recommend the audiobook as Susan helps us visualize each character (and remember who is who) by giving each person a unique audible identity. I will be searching for books narrated by Susan Ericksen in the future.

“Passions in Death” is a testament to J.D. Robb’s ability to keep a long-running series fresh and engaging.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the “In Death” series, this book is a must-read.

It is what it is, of course, but I particularly enjoyed the fact that they just solved a crime without making additional victims die so they could determine a pattern. There are reasons to do that, but it's refreshing to skip it from time to time.

This is a review of the audiobook Passions in Death by J.D. Robb as narrated by Susan Eriksen. I had not read any of the prior Eve Dallas titles in this series but it worked fine as a standalone book. The story takes place about 40 years in the future in Manhattan. Two soon to be married brides are celebrating their upcoming nuptials with a girls night out. The night then ends with one of the brides dead in the club and then steps in Lt. Dallas to solve the crime.

I thought the narrator did a good job in telling the story from all the characters perspective. I did find the story to be a little bit predictable but it did hold my interest through the end.

The In Death series is a collection of novels written by Nora Roberts under the pseudonym J.D. Robb. The setting is mid-21st-century New York City and Passions in Death occurs in 2061. The books feature New York City Police and Security Department (NYPSD) lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire industrialist husband, Roarke. Other recurring characters, who also appear in this book, #59, in the series, include Detective Delia Peabody, Detective Ian McNab, Captain Ryan Feeney of the Electronics Detection Division (EDD) and Nadine Frost, a reporter. Eve’s friend Mavis Freestone makes an appearance as does Charlotte Mira, Eve’s friend who is a psychiatrist and profiler. Eve and Roarke’s cat, Galahad, also returns.
Passions in Death begins with a pre-wedding party at the Down and Dirty Club on a quiet Monday where Erin Albright and Shauna Hunnicut, the brides, are joined by a couple of dozen of their friends and are having a wonderful time dancing and drinking. Erin is a successful street artist and Shauna works as a shoe store manager; a store where the couple first met. The club offers private rooms and one is available on this off night for the business and Erin secretly books the room. It happens to be the same private room where Eve had once been assaulted but had managed to successfully fight back against her attacker who was later brought to justice. During the party, Erin, who had arranged for an overnight case to be ready in the room, goes to prepare for a big surprise she has for soon-to-be wife Shauna. She has packed a grass skirt, coconut bra and leis to reveal to Shauna that she had paid for a honeymoon in Hawaii, a trip that was Shauna’s dream. Erin had provided her accomplice in the surprise the swipe to the room after the first person she had asked to help her had been unexpectantly called out of town.
Having not returned to the party, one of the friends goes to the private room and finds Erin has been garroted to death. The overnight case is missing. There are no witnesses. Thus begins the hunt for the killer. Was it one of Erin’s friends or past lovers? Was it a revenge killing or one of passion? Did someone want to profit from her art work if she was deceased? Who knew about the private room? Who had delivered the overnight case? The four detectives, with the assistance of Roarke, are determined to find out. They question Erin’s studio colleagues and her friends.
There is a fair amount of background information on Eve throughout the series, much less so on Roarke. Eve had been placed in a foster home after being found as a child in an alley in Dallas with physical injuries and evidence of physical and sexual abuse. She has flashbacks of the abuse in each of the novels including this one and they center on her father. Roarke is an immigrant from Dublin, Ireland and owns a highly secure older mansion off Central Park.
The In Death series are science fiction romance police procedural mysteries, Yes, that’s quite a mouthful for a description of a novel, If you are a fan of a good mystery and or light romantic themes but not sure about the science.fiction component of the stories, I encourage you to give these books a try. They are easy reading and agreeable to the senses. Roarke engages Eve’s interest with his offering of real coffee when he first realizes his attraction to her but in the 2050’s there is no real coffee unless you are as wealthy as Roarke. The same for chicken, meat, lobster and wine. People eat soy dogs and veggie hash..There are flying cars, high speed trains that can hover, and a tunnel under the ocean from America to Europe. There are gadgets such as the auto chef, an automatic food maker. Pills to become more alert or to sober-up are readily available. The futuristic setting is presented in a way that is entertaining and just adds a different dimension to the stories.
I have read many of the books in this series and have many more waiting to be read in my Kindle library and listened to in my Audible library. I have been a great fan of the In Death series and look forward to the rest in the collection. It was great revisiting the characters I have come to know and enjoy, always appreciating the relationship between Peabody and McNab and the love between Eve and Roarke. All of the humor, elements of friendship, and references to the future were present in Passions In Death, The storyline, however, did not meet all expectations. There was no real excitement, little action, no breath taking suspense. The case was cut and dry with no surprises and the dialogue continually rehashed the clues and the details that had been uncovered about the suspects. Even when it appears the killer has been uncovered, time goes on until the last interview is held.. Despite what I found to be flaws, I feel that this is a fine first read to introduce you to the characters and the setting and the usual loving banter and teasing between Eve and Roarke. You will want to visit with them again.
The audiobook is excellently narrated by Susan Erickson.
I want to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Passions in Death is yet another wildly entertaining, suspenseful read in J.D. Robb's In Death series. Full disclosure: this is my favorite series and I've read every book in it. Though, in my opinion, each book can easily be read as a stand-alone. The series just keeps bringing the sassy strength of Eve Dallas combined with one heck of an unputdownable mystery, with plenty of heart, that keeps you guessing until the big reveal.
I read the audible version, read by narrator Susan Ericksen. Her performance brings all the energy and pulls you right in to the story. She does a wonderful job portraying all the different characters, as well.

When a wedding surprise goes wrong, Lt. Eve Dallas is ushered to the Down and Dirty club to help solve the crime. even though there are multiple people present, nobody was in the room when the bride was murdered. Dallas has to start from scratch and try to solve the case.

Passions In Death is the 59th installment of the series. I've read a lot of the books in this series and I thoroughly enjoy the cases that Dallas has to solve. I'm used to these books being full of steamy sex scenes but I was happy to see there weren't many steamy scenes and when there was going to be some passion, the book just alluded to them. I find not having these scenes keeps the focus on the story. Even though this book has many books before it, I found that it can be a standalone as well, the author does a good job of filling in the past story.

I enjoyed this book, it was engaging and entertaining. I've always found the little quips by Peabody to make me laugh out loud.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can not fairly rate this book because I found the narrator so gruff and aggressive sounding that I couldn’t make it past a few minutes in. Looking forward to reading this via kindle when it releases.

Dallas has returned and brought old friends and memories (nightmares) with her. The journey to the killer is the best part of the book, love, friendship, obsession, jealousy, and murder, the whole gambit. This series always delivers (not all or 5 stars, but for sure over 3/4). Having read them all I always look forward to Eve and Rourke-her colleagues and mysteries that you can follow and enjoy the discoveries that keep you reading/listening. The narration is great, the same narrator embodies the personality of Eve Dallas to perfection. Thank NetGalley for another great read/listen.

Another 5 star read from this fabulous author and magnificent series.
Favorite line: "It's nice being married." Eve Dallas, Dr Mira, and Roaroke all at different times

The murder of a bride to be in the Down and Dirty - a favorite spot of the series and owned by Crack, leads Dallas and Peobody down a road to questions and concerns about a group of ride or die friends.
Only, one of them isn't ride or die.
The story is about 2 women who are going to be married in a few days, the murder of one of the brides to be and then the investigation in to te backgrounds of the people closest to them.

The story is a timely one, and without given away any spoilers, one of the characters has a decided Project 2025 view of the world.
Thank you for allowing me to sneak hear at this great book via audio
5 well deserved stars.

NARRATOR IS REASON FOR ONLY ONE STAR! Narrator for this book was awful. One of my favorite series and I could even make it half way through. I will read the actual book and update my review after.

It’s so rare to truly enjoy so many books about the same couple, but somehow J.D. Robb has accomplished the impossible.

I absolutely love Eve and Roarke. Especially Roarke. His dedication to Eve is what I love to read in a hero.

Eve makes for an interesting investigative heroine. I’m always intrigued by how she investigates every murder in this series. I find everyone I’ve read or listened to so far, fun to follow along.

This particular case was sad. The death was so senseless and the reason behind it even more so. When the culprit is caught, I wanted him to pay for what he did. It was just so sad.

Susan Ericksen's narration is a standout feature of this audiobook. She infused emotion and suspense into the story, and her skill in bringing a diverse group of characters to life was fantastic. Each character, with their unique personality and accent, is given a distinct voice, and cadence, making it easy to distinguish them in the large cast. Ericksen's performance of the sarcastic humor and banter between Eve and Peabody and her energetic performance of Peabody perfectly complement the characters. She played Peabody and Eve exactly as I've always pictured them! I varied my listening speed between 1.25 and 1.5 and everything was clear and easy to understand. I've been a longtime fan of this series, but this was my first time listening to one on audiobook, and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This is book 59 in the Eve Dallas series. I love every one of these books. JD Robb has never disappointed me.
In this book we revisit the Down & Dirty where a celebration goes wrong. Dallas, Peabody, with help from spouses and their team, work diligently to track down the murderer.
I love the recurring characters in these books. Characters that make Dallas step outside her comfort zone, like Mavis and her daughter Bella. Eve is not known for her softness but she’s head over heels for that little girl. Roarke is the dream husband, as always. Galahad, the cat, is at his thieving best in this book. Keeping food away from him reminds me of when I tried to put things out of the reach of children, and figured out there was no such place.
I highly recommend this series. I had the audio of this one, and I believe it’s the same narrator on all the ones I’ve listened to. The audio versions are well done. I can easily spot a character by the voice.
I did receive this as an ARC from NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

JD Robb's books have been quite stale of late, but this one came out on top of all recent predecessors. It was a fun story with a great twist and the usually adorable/enjoyable dynamics between Eve and her husband, friends, and coworkers. I enjoyed the variation on who the killer was, as I went into this assuming it would be a similar situation to others in the series. This was a great addition. And as an audiobook? Fantastic! The narrator did all the voices perfectly, especially Peabody, and her accent for Roarke was much appreciated since I can never hear it perfectly in my head. My only complaint is when will Mavis finally have that dang baby?!

Susan Ericksen does a wonderful job with the narration in the In Death series. Each character is unique and when a new book comes out, this series is one of the few that I wait until I have the audiobook to start. The case was interesting and not one that I figured out right away which made it hard to put down (or stop listening in my case). It'll be a sad day when this series comes to an end.

I love JD Robb series!!! This bad a$$ homicide detective in a futuristic New York City. I love all of the characters and the friendships they have built. I love the challenge of trying to figure out who the murder is before the characters do. The narrators spoke well and conveyed the emotions and energy of the book.

I have read all of J D Robb’s books and Passions in Death is the 59th.
I can recommend to every reader the entire series.
Listening to the last few audiobooks makes the characters and their specific voices come alive.
The narrator does a fine job of carrying the same characteristics and intonations from book to book so each character is easily identified.
The character development of Roarke the gorgeous gazillionaire with Eve the cop is rich and deep.
Hard for me to believe that they have only been married three years as so much has gone on their lives both personally and professionally.
The murder affected Eve deeply as it was reminiscent of her own previous assault in the same location
The suspense was not its usual whodunnit in this series.
I enjoyed the sensual scene between the two and their emotional connection.
Returning characters offer personality quirks adding to the fun of the storyline.

J.D Robb never misses! I absolutely loved this latest installment of the In Death series. The case was interesting and kept me hooked, and went in a completely different direction than I originally thought. As always, I love when we get to witness the small intimate moments between the other core characters and the family scenes are my favorites.

The narration was once again amazing, listening to this stories is like listening to a friend telling you a story. I highly recommend.

4.5 stars
Another great installment in the “In Death” series! My favs are always ones that check in with everyone working together to get things done. I guess that applies to almost all of them, which is why I’m still reading them at #59! 😂
I don’t always follow/care that much about the side/new characters in each of the murder mysteries but this book’s events grabbed my interest and kept it from beginning to end. It was nice to see Crack again too!
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy

This is the first J D Robb book I've read, or in this case, listened to. This one was not for me. It's not a bad book, it didn't "wow" me though. I love the books she writes under Nora Roberts. This one reads as a typical whodunit. I did get a bad cop drama vibe from it. I will say there were funny parts to it. I may try to read the next book instead of listening to it. That may help.

Thank you to NetGalley, MacMillan audio, and JD Robb for the opportunity to listen to this book.