• Kindred in Death

  • In Death, Book 29
  • By: J. D. Robb
  • Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
  • Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (3,295 ratings)

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Kindred in Death  By  cover art

Kindred in Death

By: J. D. Robb
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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Editorial reviews

Like the In Death series' lead characters, Dallas and Roarke, narrator Susan Ericksen and author J. D. Robb are a match made in heaven. More than 30 books into this series, these two halves of the perfect audiobook whole have become the gold standard for how to keep listeners coming back book after book.

Erickson's narration has the strikingly confident acting chops of a charismatic lead actor in a great long-running television series. She knows and inhabits her cast of characters decisively, while carefully mining the little diamonds of growth and change that Robb seeds into these stories.

From Dallas' driven, prickly authority, to Roarke's potent charm, to Peabody's nerdy earnestness, and the handful of unique, well-drawn secondary characters, the cast here is entertainingly diverse but hasn't grown too large for listeners to catch on quickly to who's who. And kudos to Ericksen for making it easy by capturing each voice clearly, and using finely tuned pace and timing to bring out all the wit, blood-chilling suspense, and sizzling romance in Robb's storytelling.

Great villains are also a trademark of this series. The bad guy here is a master manipulator, a chameleon who slips and slides through the city, killing with a cruelty that shakes Dallas to her core. Ericksen gives him a guileless menace that rings terrifyingly true. Watch for a terrific 90 degree twist near the end that provides that perfect combination of thrill and 'a-ha!' to round out this plot.

Robb's In Death series is, like all the great police procedurals, built on rich character development. Dallas is sexy, acerbic, absolutely tenacious, and destined to rub people the wrong way. Roarke is drop-dead gorgeous, filthy rich, and utterly in love with his wife. This is partnership as the ultimate romantic relationship, and a crime-fighting team that's unstoppable.

In July 2009 The New Yorker magazine featured a long overdue profile of the immensely successful Nora Roberts (a.k.a. J. D. Robb). So if you're a first-time listener coming to see what all the fuss is about, the In Death series is about to become your favorite new way to kick back and enjoy a great story well told. Nancy Carter

Publisher's summary

In this novel from number-one New York Times-best-selling author J. D. Robb, the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious 16-year-old daughter, who stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaits them inside. Deena has been brutally murdered in her bedroom, and her body shows signs of trauma that horrify even the toughest of cops, including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who is specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

The evidence piles up, and Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest the perpetrator. But little do they know that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them, using a variety of identities.

Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes, but for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring the killer to justice.

©2009 J.D. Robb (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Kindred in Death

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Painful to listen to

I quit listening after a few hours. The narration of the main characters partner was irritating. I found the characters melodramatic concerning their work and personal lives. The repeated, detailed desciptions of the brutal crime were overdone and her suppositions as to the criminals actions and intent was overly dramatic. I would not recommend this book.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Love the series but...

I've listened to all of the Death series several times and thoroughly enjoyed them each time. This one is a bit over the top when it comes to the first crime & crime scene description. It almost seemed like the brutality was rehashed and rehashed throughout the book to lengthen the story instead of adding to the plot or suspense.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • MJ
  • 11-09-09

Good book in a great series

Although I'm a real fan of Eve, Roarke and the other characters, this book was more somber than most--a really awful crime, without much of the usual witty repartee that make these books so enjoyable.

Still a worthy entry in the series, and Susan Ericksen did her usual wonderful job as a narrator, really bringing the characters to life. If you haven't gotten into the ID series, this may not be the place to start, but if you're already a fan it's very definitely worth a listen.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

J.D.Robb cleverly keeps up the suspense.

After 29 books on the same theme, and roughly following the same format, J. D. Robb still cleverly keeps up the interest and suspense throughout this book. With it's technical banter which she makes either understandable or gives the reader permission to disregard (by being disregarded by the leading character) she gets across the importance of a phenomenally high technology in crime fighting. She uses subtle and tasteful humor, to develop characters and keep up readers interest. The extremely difficult background of the leading character Eve Dallas, deals with the current real life difficulties of many people who go through a negative foster care experience. Exposing the short falls of this very current issue (and several other socially important issues in other books) which need more airing as done in this series, she encourages more societal introspection into this aspects of our culture. She ably deals with the subject of sex both very distasteful,(as done by perpetrators) and tasteful leaving much to the imagination in more acceptable sexual acts, as performed by Eve Dallas and her Hunk, Oh I mean husband. Another theme, that of a very "Tom Boyish" woman working in a traditionally men's world is also well done and will appeal to many women's righters, as does Eve's sidekick Peabody who with her very feminine style also ably gives another face to this subject. With plenty of action, and intricate plot nuances, regular "who done it" fans are kept busy trying to keep up with or guess about the next move. All in all very entertaining and thought provoking.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

"Kendrid in Death" great book!

Loved the book and is a great addition to the series. Loved the series! Each book is a great stand alone piece but reading them in order provides more contenuity and a 3D picture of the characters. It felt like I knew these people personally. Since the setting is only 50 years in the future, a lot of the technology is believable. An excellent escape!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Terrific..as usual

I loved it. Listening to Susan Ericksen narrate is almost as good as watching a movie! She has brought Robb's characters to life for me. I always thought that using my imagination when I did my own reading would be much better than having the novel read to me.That has generally been proven to be correct other than when one of Robb's books is released. MacNab didn't have a big part in this one and I sort of missed his character. I've been looking forward to the release date of this latest episode and now I have already been to the Robb website to find out when the next one can be expected. I highly recommend this series written by Robb if you like mystery and adventure. I also can honestly say that Susan Ericksen really does do the characters justice.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Killer Murders Family Members of Law Officials

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

As in all of the In Death books, the action begins in the first pages and continues right through the last. I recommend all of the In Death books. In Kindred, the real tension builds waiting to see how many victims Eve can save. The challenge is too see how long the reader can stretch out the reading so that it will last more than one day.

What did you like best about this story?

That Jaime comes back in this book bringing his wonderful computer skills to help the electronics squad assist Eve and her detectives catch the serial killer as fast as possible.

Which character – as performed by Susan Ericksen – was your favorite?

Susan Ericksen uses distinctive voices for all of her characters. She made me laugh while narrating the Judge's mother's lines. J. D. Robb's narration makes me chuckle, but somehow, Erickson's reading increases the humor, or tension, or sorrow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I wanted to figure out who was the killer and why. But, contrarily, I hate to finish a book that I have anticipated for months, in only one day. If I am lucky, I can stretch it out for two days. Any time I listen to a new In Death book, I have to go back and listen to a couple older ones again. Which is why I re-read Kindred. I re-listened to it after listening to Festive In Death.

Any additional comments?

I would be very disappointed if they ever change the Narrator from Susan Ericksen. Her interpretations of the characters' accents and idioms really bring them to life.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Annoying narrator

Let me first say that I had to give this book at least one star so that my review would post. But if not for that software glitch I would give it ZERO stars, or negative stars. Is that possible? Negative stars? Should be.
I have never stopped listening to an audio book before - but I did this time. The so-called Irish accent of the love interest is unbearably grating on the nerves. I doubt very much that I will read anything by this author again, and certainly I am going to avoid this narrator like Swine Flu.
I can't even tell if the story is any good because the narration is so terrible that I found it impossible to connect to the plot.
I wish I had read the other reviewer's words before I hit the purchase button.
Save your 9.95 - there is a reason this book is on sale. Don't waste your money or your valuable listening time. Life is too short for bad books.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Peabody's coming into her own

I have read most of the Eve Dallas books and listened to them all. I think this book shows growth of character in the Peabody character. It seems as though she is coming into her own as a detective and not just Eve's shadow.

The gathering of information seem to take center stage in this book with the hunt and arrest of the criminal taking a back seat. The initial screw up in arresting the criminal was a good twist and infused a bit of realism in the usually smooth apprenhension plans. I say the book is worth a listen!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great book

I love the Eve Dallas Series. The person that wrote the other review must not be a fan of the series. I could listen to a book on the Death Series once a week. I couldn't wait for this book to come out. I was upset it took so long. Once I caught up and listened or read them all I was lost waiting for another book. I must admit either you like the Death series or you don't. I think some people think it should be more futuristic or sci-fi; it is very balance and very entertaining. I have thoroughly enjoyed each book. This book did not disappoint me. I enjoyed every minute. I am impatiently waiting for Missing in Death later this month and hope she has two more to come out in December.

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3 people found this helpful