Seduction in Death

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Well, last time I read this, I gave it 5 stars, but I didn't write any notes about it, so I'm not really sure if I liked it more, or if it's just a case of ratings inflation that happens once in a while.

NYPSD homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas is up against a pair of killers this time, loosely based, I believe, on a real story from some years ago. It's two privileged young men (this isn't a spoiler--we know this from the beginning) who are playing a game, seducing and killing women they've selected through internet chat rooms.

Because we know whodunit from the beginning, it's not so much a mystery as it is horror. It's horrifying because it seems so real, and because you know there are people out there whose minds work the way these killers' minds do. Eve also twigs to the two-killer thing right away, so it's more like watching a chase than watching the slow unraveling of clues. It's an effective story, don't get me wrong--it's just different. Which is a good thing in a series as long-running as this one. Seduction in Death, by the way, is the 15th in the series, if you include the 2 novellas.

There are also interesting developments in the ongoing series story--Peabody and McNab in particular, and a somewhat startling new romantic attraction between Dr. Dimatto and LC Charles that was very thought-provoking.

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