by J.D. Robb
Part of In Death, book 46
First published 2018
Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates when someone drives an ice pick into Chanel Rylan's neck during a February screening of Psycho in midtown Manhattan. The killer vanishes into the Times Square crowds, leaving Chanel's best friend to discover the body. The murder seems both calculated and personal until Eve receives an unexpected lead from a thriller author who recognizes the crime from her own published work. A recent sex worker strangulation also matches a scene from the same writer's books. Eve realizes she faces a killer who uses fiction as a blueprint for real murders. If her theory proves correct, two victims represent only the beginning of a deadly series. Eve and her husband Roarke must analyze mystery novels for clues while their cat Galahad keeps them company by the fireplace. Time runs short as the murderer prepares to cast another unwitting victim in a twisted adaptation. Eve races to stop someone whose creative inspiration has turned lethally destructive.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, cat-and-mouse, detective-fiction
Setting: Manhattan, Times Square
Period: February
372 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder