"Saint or sinner??"

Dr William Icove is a well respected doctor, specializing in the world of modern reconstructive surgery he is admired everywhere, but when he is found murdered at his desk it will take Eve Dallas and her partner Peabody to find out why the good doctor has died. Logic would point the finger at his son as a likely suspect, things get even more suspect when Dr Icove Jr is found murdered too.

Eve knows that no one is ever that clean and digs deep to find out what Drs Icove and Icove Jr were into before they died. What she finds is doctors who think they can defy the laws of humanity in the search for perfection. She also must butt heads with Dr Mira, who doesn't want to admit that Dr William Icove is not as saintly as everyone thought.

While solving this case Eve and her hunky husband Roarke must deal with an influx of relatives as Thanksgiving rolls around. How are they going to deal with a household of people? It is cute to see the usually unflappable Roarke get nervous about the holiday.

ORIGIN IN DEATH by J.D. Robb shows why this series is a must read for me. ORIGIN was the first book since CEREMONY IN DEATH that literally freaked me out. The subject matter is enough that I could actually see this happening. I just love Eve, Roarke, Peabody and everyone else in this series and it was great seeing Roarkes' relatives from Ireland again. One of my favorite scenes has got to be when Eve is driving home and mentally rehearsing what she is going to argue with Summersett, I think she looks forward to these confrontations. :)

I know I can always count on J.D. Robb to deliver a compelling story with laughs mixed in and ORIGIN IN DEATH delivers that and much more. I know fans of the IN DEATH series are going to love this as much as I am.

Reviewed by Barb Hicks
Posted August 2, 2005

Set in 2059 in New York City, the number-one bestselling In Death series has given fans a searing glimpse into near-future law and order. Now, as scientists work to expand the limits of technology, Detective Eve Dallas tracks the cunning, cold-blooded killer of a father and son.

Summary

A pioneer of modern reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, Dr. Wilfred B. Icove, is found dead in his office—murdered in a chillingly efficient manner: one swift stab to the heart. Struck by the immaculate condition of the crime scene, Dallas suspects a professional killing. Security disks show a stunningly beautiful woman calmly entering and leaving the building—the good doctor's final appointment.

Known as "Dr. Perfect," the saintly Icove devoted his life to his family and his work. His record is clean. Too clean for Dallas. She knows he was hiding something and suspects that his son—and successor—knows what it is. Then, like father, like son, the young Dr. Icove is killed . . . with the same deadly precision.

But who is the mystery woman—and what was her relationship with the good doctors? While her husband, Roarke, works behind the scenes, Dallas follows her darkest instincts into the Icoves' pasts. What she discovers are men driven to create perfection—playing fast and loose with the laws of nature, the limits of science, and the morals of humanity.