Secrets in Death

At the start of bestseller Robb’s entertaining 45th novel set in a near-future New York City (after Echoes in Death), homicide cop Eve Dallas is having a drink at Du Vin, a lower Manhattan bar owned by her entrepreneur husband, Roarke, when gossip reporter Larinda Mars staggers in her direction. Eve catches the woman, whose right sleeve is soaked in blood, as she collapses, but despite almost immediate medical help, Mars dies. The subsequent police interviews with staff and patrons reveal only that the killer, probably male, exited the bar right after slicing Mars’s brachial artery. Eve soon discovers that Mars was heavily into blackmail; the list of potential suspects includes everyone from Mets star third baseman Wylee Stamford to talk show queen Annie Knight. Robb fleshes out the main action with such tantalizing puzzles as the reason for Mars’s extensive plastic surgery and the location of the hidey-hole she must have kept. Robb continues to impress with her ability to make the same murder mystery formula fresh. 750,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Sept.)