Stolen in death

In Robb's 62nd "In Death" novel (after Framed in Death), wealthy businessman Nathan Barrister is found murdered in his home following a break-in. When tireless Lieutenant Eve Dallas arrives at the gruesome scene, there is another startling discovery. A secret vault, filled with priceless stolen art and jewels, appears to be the robbers' goal. The only item missing is the Royal Suite, a set of emerald jewelry worth billions. In utter shock, the surviving family shares that the vault had belonged to the victim's late father. Its discovery was recent, and they'd been taking steps to quietly return its contents to the rightful owners. During the investigation, Dallas and her thief-turned-consultant husband, Roarke, discover that the Barrister family is not quite as perfect as they'd like others to believe and that this crime has connections to Roarke's past. When her life is threatened, Dallas becomes even more determined to find answers. VERDICT Robb offers an intricate thriller that explores echoes of its characters' pasts. The narrative is artfully crafted and perfect for "In Death" superfans or those picking up the series for the first time.--Linsey Milillo

Lt. Eve Dallas is sucked into a murder that may well be overshadowed by another crime--and by the news that Roarke, her billionaire husband, is implicated in both felonies in an unexpected and troubling way. Disturbed from her sleep, Aileen Carville arises to discover her wealthy husband, Nathan Barrister, coshed to death by a heavy amethyst from the collection of his late father, Zip Global founder Henry J. Barrister. His corpse is lying outside an open vault that everyone in the family insists they hadn't known about until a couple of months ago, and it's filled with priceless paintings and sculptures and jewels taken years ago from an A-list of museums, one of which--the Royal Suite, a legendary emerald setting--has evidently been stolen once again. The bombshell revelation that Henry must have commissioned the thefts himself leads to two questions--how did the thief who killed Nathan know about the vault and its contents, and what possessed Nathan's wealthy father to steal and hide all these goodies in the first place?--that are much more interesting than whodunit, though only one of them will be satisfactorily answered. Another bombshell revelation follows: Roarke's confession to Dallas that he stole the Royal Suite from London's Tate Gallery when he was still a teenager, years before he turned away from a life of crime himself. Since Interpol is much more interested in the theft than the murder, there's a real danger that they'll decide Roarke was once again the thief. So, Dallas faces the double challenge of solving the crimes and keeping her beloved husband out of the frame. The heroine's 62nd appearance is a hit-or-miss mystery best suited for readers already invested in her complicated life. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.