This entry in J. D. Robb’s In Death series is actually a bridge novella to be read between “Memory In Death” and “Born In Death.” After many novels and just as many high-profile cases, we leave the year 2059 behind. It is early January 2060 and bitterly cold and nasty in NYC.Eve Dallas and Delia Peabody are staring down at the corpse of Radcliff C. Hopkins III, who has been shot nine times with a 9mm, one of those times by direct contact to the forehead. For Eve, the first problem with this scenario, other than the fact that the man has been dispatched with decided overkill, is that 9mm firearms aren’t in circulation any longer. In fact, guns of all types are banned and have been for several decades.The second problem with this scenario is the building in which the victim is found. Back in the 1970’s, Rad Hopkins’ grandfather had owned the building. A music producer, Hop Hopkins had run a highly successful club called Number Twelve on the premises until his death from a drug overdose. Since then, the building has had a multitude of short-term owners and is now in significant disrepair. It also has such a reputation for being haunted that even Roarke wouldn’t buy it when it went up for auction several months prior.The third problem is that Eve finds, in a section of wall recently cut open in the club’s upstairs living quarters, a skeleton. This skeleton has a bullet hole in the forehead, holds a beautiful, well cared for diamond clip in one bony hand and a very clean but recently fired 9mm gun is by the other.To add to all this, Eve, as she peruses the skeleton, is assaulted by sudden and crippling cold. And she hears the husky lilt of Bobbie Bray, a legendary songstress who had performed almost exclusively at Number Twelve. At least she had until the day she disappeared without a trace from that very apartment 85 years ago.So, now, Eve has two murders on her plate. She also has a crime scene that emanates otherworldly manifestations that literally reach out and touch the various detectives and sweepers as they work. And none of these many instances of voices or touches can be justified logically; there are no electronic devices, jammers or scanners nearby, or even far away, that relate.Because this novella has scarcely a hundred pages, all the normal action and all the discussions that we are used to in the full size entries are compacted. Unfortunately, this story feels more like an expanded outline for a major novel than a piece originally meant, from the start, to be a novella. And this is the first of Robb’s novellas that have relegated Roarke to a cardboard cutout of himself. Frankly, it feels as if his only reason for being in the story is to force Eve to consider the possibility that spirits do exist amongst us.POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW:For those of us who regularly read paranormal suspense and urban fantasy as well as more traditional mysteries and police procedurals, the suggestion that a ghost haunts a building seems quite reasonable. And when Roarke and Peabody repeatedly try to get Eve to even consider the possibility, we see it as the typical fight between being open-minded and being a member of the Flat-Earth Society. However, bridge novellas always have a distinct purpose in a series. And just like the subdued tones of Bobbie Bray’s plaintive melodies slip through the rooms of Number Twelve, that purpose slips into the reader’s consciousness.In the end, after the murderer is taken down, Eve bears injuries that could not have come from mortal means. She experienced effects upon her body that cannot be accounted for by human or electronic means. She saw a presence that cannot be explained by a hologram. But she cannot accept or even explore the idea that these effects and injuries could have been caused by a ghost, the spirit of a dead soul.For if Eve considers that idea for even a moment, then she would have to reconsider the source of her nightmares. She would have to admit that those dreams where her father comes back to taunt her with both words and actions, those nightmares that have become almost impossible to awaken from without Roarke’s help, may not be nightmares at all! And that is a possibility that Eve cannot entertain on even the most superficial level. She just can’t.
Nice little story centered around a dead 1960's singer & cultural icon. Her boyfriend/manager owned Number 12, which sounds like a fictitious name for Studio 54. She was mysteriously killed in her early 20's and since then the Number 12 building where she found her fame is supposedly haunted. In Eve's time, it is the home to a murder which uncovers her bones. Lots of info and back story packed in. The best part is Eve dealing with the haunted building and (view spoiler)[the climatic scene where the ghost replays her murder after all the communications equipment blanks out and cold energy prevents Roarke, Peabody or Feeney from going to Eve's assistance. Eve even ends up with bruises & scratches from the ghost (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about Haunted In Death (2007)?
This was just in time for Halloween. More than 80 years ago the owner of nightclub 12 went crazy and locked himself in the apartment upstairs for 10 years after his girlfriend, legendary singer Bobbi Bray disappeared. Since then, business after business has failed here as rumors of the curse grow.Now Eve has been called to the scene to find the grandson of that owner dead in the former 12, the temperature is dropping, someone is singing, and there’s still another body to find.I really enjoyed the story here. It was a decent little mystery with a nice overtone of ooky. Robb always manages to put in some relationship action or character development , no matter how small and she didn’t disappoint with this one.
—Judy Hall
I tend to side with Eve's beliefs that there is no such thing as ghosts, which makes for quite an entertaining story when she works a murder case in a haunted building, surrounded by people who revere the woman who became the ghost. The person who was murdered present-day almost seems like a plot device to get things started (and occasionally moving along) since Eve isn't a cold case detective... The story tries to surprise the reader at the end when you find out who the murderer is, but I had figured it out already. Still, the ghost's final appearance is enjoyable and well-written. Worth the read.
—Carina
3.5 StarsHaunted in Death forces Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team to face something that people often fear more than murder: ghosts. Rad Hopkins is shot multiple times at the abandoned club that his grandfather made a pop culture phenomenon almost one hundred years ago. Mr. Hopkins was determined to restore Number Twelve back to its former glory, but he was stopped by a mysterious killer with possible supernatural help.I liked the uniqueness of this crime in the series. Because of the gun ban, most of the murders that Eve deals with don't involve shootings. I thought this was an interesting tidbit that didn't take over the story, but really helped in the formation of this futuristic world. I was able to figure out the murderer pretty quickly which was different for me. I did wish that the killer had been more developed or at least not so obvious.The ghost story element was both fun and creepy. It was interesting to see pragmatic Eve deal with the superstitions of her partner, friends, and even her husband, Roarke. I also enjoyed the way that Robb handled the paranormal element. Susan Ericksen continues her amazing narration in this series which always makes me eager to keep listening.
—Jennifer
