Forgotten in Death

Forgotten in Death by J.D. Robb, 2021, detective mystery.

Detective Eve Dallas is called to a worksite owned by the Singer family where a homeless woman has been killed and dumped in a trash dumpster. She liked to write down crimes in her diary and may have seen something she wasn’t supposed to. Then on another worksite owned by Roarke, the skeletal remains of a woman and fetus are found hidden behind a brick wall in the cellar. Another murder is thrown in later related to the first.

Each case is taken separately and spread out in the book with links thrown in as Eve conducts her interviews and gathers evidence. She visualizes the crimes to show the reader what could have happened. This is one technique in a detective novel and better than summarizing everything up in the final chapter. She still has to prove her theory is the way the crime happened, and in this way, she can discover an error and change the narrative, giving the reader a different suspect.

Each crime has additional layers. The homeless woman escaped an abusive husband, something Eve can relate to regarding her father, and feels obligated to seek justice for her by making sure he goes to jail. She also contrasts happily married couples with unhappy wives and cheating husbands. Add in mobsters and family dynasties for the rich and powerful to fill out the pages.

Old friends and police staff show up for brief appearances with Roarke and Eve valuing their home and quiet time away from crimes. This is a blueprint for those writing detective stories but be sure to throw in your own voice and a few surprises to make the story your own.

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