J.D. Robb’s Born in Death is the book where poor Mavis finally gets to give birth. (She’s been pregnant since book 15, Purity, and this is #23. This is what happens when books take at most a month each.) I got it out of the library a couple of weeks ago.
The problem with writing in the mystery genre is that, paradoxically, the genre itself sometimes removes suspense. When one of Mavis’s friends disappears, it’s pretty clear that since we’re already halfway through the book, the disappearance must be related to the ongoing mystery, and given the existing setup, it’s not hard to guess how. I found the book a little flat as a result.
As for the plot itself, I have one quibble and one internal debate. The quibble: I would have preferred just a little more attention to a key underlying assumption of the underlying conspiracy. The debate: whether the stuff that made it traumatic for Eve was gratuitous.
However, Mavis finally has her baby, and it’s all heartwarming and stuff, which is what I was reading the book for anyway, so I can’t complain too much.