Conspiracy in Death

March 29, 1999
"For some, death wasn't the enemy. Life was a much less merciful opponent." So opens the eighth and latest installment (following Holiday in Death) in Robb's (a.k.a. Nora Roberts's) futuristic crime drama series. Moody, angst-ridden Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates a series of "sidewalk sleeper" murders. The medically skilled killer is harvesting defective human organs from New York City's homeless population. When Eve gets too close to solving the crime, she becomes the prime suspect in the death of a fellow cop and loses her badge, which nearly destroys her emotionally. But this feisty heroine isn't down for long; she rallies and returns to form as the maverick cop readers know and love. Followers of the Death series will see a slight softening in Eve's character as she puzzles over a pregnant woman--a possible nod toward the end of this series (Loyalty in Death will follow this title). Until then, Robb has once again delivered an engrossing, first-rate read.