J.D. Robb – Festive in Death

Book 39 in the In Death series, published September 9, 2014.
Genre: futuristic romantic suspense
Cover: fits the series



Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn't count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who'd been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler's enemies, she's also dealing with her Christmas shopping list plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband's upcoming holiday bash.
Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year's 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.


When Trina and her friend are ready for some payback at said friend’s horrible ex-boyfriend, they did not suspect to find him murdered in his bedroom. They might have been half-drunk, but Trina knows who to call when she stumbles upon a dead body. Detective Eve Dallas is not happy for being called out of bed in the wee hours of the morning, but the dead take precedence.
What she finds is a very handsome and fit man, bashed upon the head with one of his own trophies, and then stabbed in the chest with a kitchen knife. And the more she learns about the victim, the less she likes him. But even though he deserved to be locked up in a cage for a few decades, he did not deserve to be murdered, and so she and Peabody are determined to find out who killed him.
But it seems like everyone he knew, had a reason to hate and kill him.

Trey Ziegler was a personal trainer, and a good one. He also gave massages, and was willing to be “extra personal” and come to your home for some private lessons as well. So how did he come by the astounding amount of $ 165.000,00 in cash in his gym locker? Was he adding blackmail to his repertoire?

And that is not all Eve has to deal with, it is time for the annual Christmas party she and Roarke host for their mutual friends and business associates, and she still has a lot of shopping to do for gifts. But she manages just fine, with the help of her old friend Tiko. Eve also has to make a deal with Summerset, to get her gifts wrapped up in time, and she keeps discovering new rooms in their home. Why do they have a gift room? And why does she need to go shopping when it is stocked full with all kinds of gifts? At least now she knows where to find the perfect bribe for D.ickhead.


The mystery was a good one, and it took me a very long time to figure out the killer. There were some really nice suspects, but also some clearly bad people and I was so ready for one of those to be the killer.
I loved the parts about Eve and Roarke’s private lives, as usual, Galahad is wearing a collar with a Christmas bell on it, and he even seems to enjoy that. All Eve’s friends were present at the Christmas party, and she got to spend a few paragraphs with them all, and I enjoyed those.

What did amaze me a lot though, she never once investigated where Trey got his “special” tea and incense from. When looking at clients/victims, co-workers, competitors for this year’s trophy, why not investigate who his supplier is?

All in all, a very good book in this incredibly long running series, and it kept me up way past my bedtime on a Monday.

9 stars.

© 2015 Reviews by Aurian