Creation in Death, the most recent J.D. Robb novel, is a nicely-paced, straight-ahead police procedural. The killer responsible for a series of torture murders nine years ago is back, and Eve Dallas and the rest of the police department race the clock to find him before he finishes killing his victims.
For all that I quibble with aspects of this series, it is hugely readable, and this one is particularly so, with a very effective sense of urgency and tension. I also liked what it does with the character of Ariel, and the nice moment it gives Morris.
Obligatory quibbles: the author forces Eve to silently ignore an obvious follow-up question (I mean so obvious that even I was waiting for it) to drag the story out a little longer. (Possibly also to act stupidly later for extra tension, but I’m not as sure about that.) And I wasn’t quite convinced by one of the personal conflicts that accompanies the main plot.
But, on the whole, I think this is probably one of the better books in the series, and I enjoyed it a lot.