Synopsis: 'When Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas confirms that the consecrated wine contained potassium cyanide, she’s determined to solve the murder of Father Miguel Flores, despite her discomfort with her surroundings. It’s not the bodegas and pawnshops of East Harlem that bother her, though the neighborhood is a long way from the stone mansion she shares with her billionaire husband, Roarke. It’s all that holiness flying around at St. Cristóbal’s that makes her uneasy.

A search of the victim’s sparsely furnished room reveals little— except for a carefully hidden religious medal with a mysterious inscription, and a couple of underlined Bible passages. The autopsy reveals more: faint scars of knife wounds, a removed tattoo—and evidence of plastic surgery, suggesting that “Father Flores” may not have been the man his parishioners had thought. Now, as Eve pieces together clues that hint at gang connections and a deeply personal act of revenge, she believes she’s making progress on the case. Until a second murder—in front of an even larger crowd of worshippers—knocks the whole investigation sideways. And Eve is left to figure out who committed these unholy acts—and why.' From https://indeath.fandom.com

Review: What a wonderfully tangled story with interesting characters. I really liked the manner in which the church was treated...respectful, but cut no slack. ( )

When a priest is poisoned at the altar during the funeral Mass for a long-time parishioner, Eve Dallas is on the case in this 27th novel in the In Death series.

Father Miguel Flores was hiding a number of secrets despite his open, friendly nature. It is up to Eve to ferret them out and find out who wanted him dead. Her search takes her back into the past when gangs held more power in the area and two bombings killed a number of people.

The second case was also a poisoning. Jimmy Jay Jenkins, the founder of the Church of Eternal Light, which he's parlayed into a multi-billion-dollar industry dies while preaching at a sold-out rally at Madison Square Garden. Except for the method and that both of them were men of God, the cases aren't related and Eve quickly solves this one.

However, Miguel Flores' death leads to secret identities, a long con, and multiple deaths. Another excellent entry into a long-running series. ( )

I've been told by so many people how wonderful this series is, but I could not STAND the main characters and the writing was really bad for a top author, especially the so-called sex scenes. ( )

Salvation in Death
4.5 Stars

While the character development in this series is excellent and the interactions between Eve & Roarke and the rest of the gang are wonderful, it is the mysteries that truly capture me as a plot driven reader.

The storyline in this installment is rather convoluted with numerous characters and plot twists to keep track of. That said, the nature of the crimes and the revelations concerning the victim are very enjoyable. In fact, the victim is one of the most intriguing in the In Death books so far, and although it could be argued that he received his just desserts, there is a small part of me that hoped he would be redeemed in some way.

All in all, another engaging "who-dun-it" from J.D. Robb.

( )

When a priest is poisoned at the altar during the funeral Mass for a long-time parishioner, Eve Dallas is on the case in this 27th novel in the In Death series.

Father Miguel Flores was hiding a number of secrets despite his open, friendly nature. It is up to Eve to ferret them out and find out who wanted him dead. Her search takes her back into the past when gangs held more power in the area and two bombings killed a number of people.

The second case was also a poisoning. Jimmy Jay Jenkins, the founder of the Church of Eternal Light, which he's parlayed into a multi-billion-dollar industry dies while preaching at a sold-out rally at Madison Square Garden. Except for the method and that both of them were men of God, the cases aren't related and Eve quickly solves this one.

However, Miguel Flores' death leads to secret identities, a long con, and multiple deaths. Another excellent entry into a long-running series. ( )