Visions in Death, by JD Robb

Not counting the two short stories, Visions in Death is book 20 in JD Robb's In Death series.

A brand-new novel in the number-one New York Times-bestselling In Death series set in 2059 New York City. As technology and humanity collide, Detective Eve Dallas searches the darkest corners of Manhattan for an elusive killer with a passion for collecting souls...

On one of the city's hottest nights, New York Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas is sent to Central Park-and into a hellish new investigation. The victim is found on the rocks, just above the still, dark water of the lake. Around her neck is a single red ribbon. Her hands are posed, as if in prayer. But it is the eyes-removed with such precision, as if done with the careful hands of a surgeon-that have Dallas most alarmed.

As more bodies turn up, each with the same defining scars, Eve is frantic for answers. Against her instincts, she accepts help from a psychic who offers one vision after another-each with shockingly accurate details of the murders. And when partner and friend Peabody is badly injured after escaping an attack, the stakes are raised. Are the eyes a symbol? A twisted religious ritual? A souvenir? With help from her husband, Roarke, Dallas must uncover the killer's motivation before another vision becomes another nightmare. . . .

20 books and I'm still not bored with this series. Sure, I don't have the passion for it that I had for the first books, when I'd preorder the books and pounce on them the minute they got here, but I still always enjoy my visit to Eve and Roarke's world . These books have now become comfort reads for me. I save them for those times when I just need to read something I know I'll like, and Visions was no exception. A solid B+.

Yes, this is another serial killer book, and I know, I know, what are the odds Eve would get that many serial killer cases assigned to her in the space of a couple of years? Slim to none, but ok, I'll ignore that. It's an interesting one, and it has Eve coming into contact with some very interesting secondary characters. Some are one-scene characters, others have a bigger role and there are even a couple of scenes with characters who hadn't appeared in the series for a while. All are fun to read.

I was especially interested in the psychic angle the title of the book refers to. There had been a mention of how paranormal stuff is treated in the books' universe in at least one of the books (I can never remember the title, it's the one in which Peabody's family comes to visit her. Loyalty in Death, maybe? Peabody's father is psychic and accidentally takes a look into Eve's mind), but we get a bit more insight here into how certain paranormal things have become accepted and even regulated by the government.

Of course, the best part of the book is, as always, the interaction between the longtime cast of characters... Eve, Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Mavis, Leonardo, Nadine, Charles, Louise... all get some time here and never in a way that makes you feel that they're just being trotted out to appease readers who demand a look at their favourites. Each and every one of them plays a part either in the police procedural part of the book or in the character development.

That said, while these interactions are lovely to read, there's nothing vital going on here, especially between Eve and Roarke. The only area where there is important development is in Eve and Peabody's relationship, with Eve finally confiding in her about certain things in her past.

Now I want to read Survivor! I just wish this series hadn't gone to hardcover! Hmmm, I wonder if a certain person I know broke down and ordered a copy I can borrow...