by J.D. Robb
Part of In Death, book 61
First published 2025
Lt. Eve Dallas races through Manhattan before dawn to a crime scene that doubles as twisted performance art. Two gallery owners discover a dead young woman arranged in their doorway, her body costumed and positioned to mirror a centuries-old Dutch master painting. The killer remains an unknown artist whose talent goes unnoticed while he watches inferior creators claim the recognition he craves. He has promised himself that by morning, all of Manhattan will finally pay attention to his work. Dallas begins tracking this murderer who uses corpses as his canvas and crime scenes as his gallery. The investigation pulls her into the world of high-end art collectors and gallery owners who can elevate unknown artists to stardom with a single decision. She must decode the killer's artistic references and psychological motivations before he creates another human tableau. The case forces Dallas to confront how desperation for recognition can transform creative ambition into deadly obsession.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, obsession, twisted-killer
Setting: Manhattan, New York
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder