J. D. Robb - In Death Series: Books 38-39: Concealed in Death, Festive in Death

CONCEALED IN DEATH: In a decrepit and long-empty New York building, a man begins the demolition process by swinging a sledgehammer into a wall. When the dust clears, he finds two skeletons wrapped in plastic behind it.

The man is Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s billionaire husband, Roarke, and he summons her immediately. His latest real estate project is going to be on hold for a while, because by the time Eve and her crew are finished searching the premises, there are twelve murders to be solved…

After a little digging reveals that the place housed a makeshift shelter for troubled and homeless teenagers back in the mid-2040s, Eve tracks down the people who worked there. Between their recollections and the brilliant work of the force’s new forensic anthropologist, Eve begins to put names and faces to the skeletal remains. They are all girls. A tattooed tough teenager who dealt in illegal drugs. The runaway daughter of a pair of well-to-do doctors. They all had their stories. And they all lost their chance for a better life.

Everyone has something to hide. And when Eve discovers a stunning connection between the victims and someone she knows, she is even more driven to reveal the secrets of the place that was called The Sanctuary—and to find the evil concealed in one human heart.

FESTIVE IN DEATH: Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn’t count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

And hanging from it was a note: Santa Says You’ve Been Bad!!! Ho. Ho. Ho!

Naturally, the vengeful ex-girlfriend who called in the body was the first suspect. But as Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers, she was only one in a lineup of women who’d been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat, who’d shown a suspicious preference for wealthy, slightly older women who could afford to finance his lifestyle—and his wardrobe. Not that the perp had to be a woman—the victim’s enormous self-regard and arrogant behavior had ticked off plenty of guys, too.

While Dallas tries to sort through the list of Ziegler’s enemies, she’s also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband’s upcoming holiday bash. How do she and Roarke even know two hundred fifty-six people? She’d rather serve warrants than hors d’oeuvres any day.…

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to avoid the relentless good cheer around her, put aside her distaste for the victim, and solve the mystery of his death—a mystery that only deepens when a small fortune in cash is found inside Ziegler’s gym locker.

There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year’s 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.