VISIONS IN DEATH

Half a century into the future, Eve Dallas (Remember When, 2003) stalks a homicidal psychopath.

Summoned from a swanky Chicago party to a lakeside murder scene in Central Park, Lieutenant Dallas picks her high-heeled way over rocks and reeds to view the victim: a nude female, eyes gouged out with surgical precision. There are other ritualistic signatures in the killing: the vic’s hands arranged in a prayer position, a red ribbon around her neck. She was Elisa Maplewood, a domestic on Central Park West and single mother of a four-year-old, employed by the rich wife of an often-absent businessman, who also has a four-year-old daughter. Slowly, Eve puts together the threads of an ordinary, blameless life in New York, circa 2059. Everyone liked Elisa, apparently, though the list of possible suspects is long. Alibis are quickly checked out, along with the few clues (one advantage to a futuristic setting: skipping over tedious technical detail and adding ingenious gizmos that speed the plot along), but Eve is no closer to a killer. Roarke, her gorgeous, brooding, megamillionaire husband, offers what comfort he can, though he knows that Eve, herself once the victim of terrifying violence, is haunted by the strange case. The vivid account of the murderer’s methods given by a psychic, Celina Sanchez, does nothing to ease her mind. Nightmares trouble Eve’s sleep, and the days go by with no real leads—until Lily Napier is found murdered in the same ritualistic way. The killer’s profile is clear: a young, physically powerful man with a savage hatred of women, most probably a victim of severe physical and psychological abuse. Yes, Eve gets her man—and to do it risks her life without a moment’s hesitation.

Smoothly crafted thriller with elements of real horror, plus an unexpected twist for added kick: stellar suspense from bestselling Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb.