Obsession in Death

Obsession in Death
by J.D. Robb

Book 40 (not counting novellas) in this series. I previously reviewed #39, Festive in Death. I do not think it is any secret that I adore this series. As I have said before, it is as much, if not more, a character study, as it is whodunit. So, while each story presents a discrete mystery, and could likely be read as a stand-alone, I really wouldn't, because otherwise you probably won't have any incentive to care about these characters.

Obsession picks up shortly after Festive left off adn Eve is looking forward to closing out the year, and what better way to do that than with a murderous obsession fan? I kid, but it is a bit ridiculous. And I have to admit the prologue and first bits of dialogue didn't have me convinced. It honestly started to have me worried that Robb was turning our Eve into the same sort of creepy, supernatural, paragon as Johanson did her Eve. Fortunately I am fairly sure that has been averted, but it will definitely be something I will be watching for in the future. because of the nature of the plot-line (searching for an obsessive stalker) the focus was greatly on Eve's relationships, and other's perceptions of them. Not to say the mystery was short changed, the villain was just as much a cipher to me as she was to Eve and her team, and by the end, both horrible and almost pitiable. We get plenty of Peabody, Roarke, Mavis, and Mira, as well as the rest of her team. So, despite the rocky start, and slightly false note at the end (in my opinion at least) with the villain, overall I consider this a strong entry, particularly for such a long character driven series, so I am giving it 4 stars.