At this stage of the In Death series, twenty-seven books in, one of these is as good as another as far as quality goes. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Eve/Roarke books are formulaic, but there’s something to be said for Nora Roberts being able to maintain a readable formula for nearly thirty novels.

This time around Eve’s investigating the murder of a priest who was poisoned right in the middle of conducting a funeral service–a deeply perplexing murder, because who would off a priest? But the matter gets more complex as she soon uncovers that the priest was not who he appeared to be, and that he was in fact apparently in hiding.

On the personal front it’s the turn of stylish ME Morris to start developing a relationship, and it’s amusing to see Eve and Peabody issuing tart commentary on the detective who’s snared his interest. Aside from that, though, no huge developments in the statuses of any of the main characters’ lives take place, so the fun here is pretty much all with the investigation. Still, though, it’s an enjoyable read. Three stars.