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In Death #33.5
Chaos in Death
A fantastic Eve Dallas short story set after New York to Dallas.
Eve Dallas' latest case is starting off a little more bizarre than usual - a police sketch of a killer based on eye-witness testimony reveals he has green skin, swollen red eyes, goblin ears, and a dislocated jaw-structure that defies the human form. Is it a mask? Is it make-up? Or is the explanation more sinister?
Dallas faces off against multiple suspects - all of them students of medicine capable of precisely slicing the ears, noses, and eyes of the three victims. But who had the motive? More importantly, what kind of rogue science are these healers practicing?
Eve Dallas' latest case is starting off a little more bizarre than usual - a police sketch of a killer based on eye-witness testimony reveals he has green skin, swollen red eyes, goblin ears, and a dislocated jaw-structure that defies the human form. Is it a mask? Is it make-up? Or is the explanation more sinister?
Dallas faces off against multiple suspects - all of them students of medicine capable of precisely slicing the ears, noses, and eyes of the three victims. But who had the motive? More importantly, what kind of rogue science are these healers practicing?
4 pages, Audio CD
First published September 27, 2011
111 people are currently reading
6643 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Robb
177 books35.3k followersJ.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Stolen in Death (St. Martin's Press, February 2026) will be the 62nd entry in the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 395 reviews
October 10, 2020
3.75 stars
August 19, 2018
Eve - the Goddess!
June 9, 2019
Since I did not read the novellas on my first read through of this series Chaos in Death was all new to me and I really enjoyed it.
Of course it was too short but it was still everything I expect from J.D. Robb. There was the usual great story with lots of particularly nasty murders. All the important characters got a mention however brief. And Roarke got the chance to come to Eve's assistance and hit someone really hard.
All good. I liked it!
Of course it was too short but it was still everything I expect from J.D. Robb. There was the usual great story with lots of particularly nasty murders. All the important characters got a mention however brief. And Roarke got the chance to come to Eve's assistance and hit someone really hard.
All good. I liked it!
January 3, 2020
3.5 stars-- this was a really strong novella... up until the end. That ending... wow. But aside from that, this was a really fun mystery with nice character moments
October 31, 2021
4 to 4 1/2 stars
May 14, 2020
There’s a monster loose in New York killing with an inhuman feral glee. Everything leads back to an addiction treatment center working on a cure. What else have they been working on?
January 26, 2019
Her novellada olduğu gibi biraz bilim-kurgunun zorlandığı bir hikayeydi. Bunları okumayı da ayrı seviyorum gerçekten.
October 22, 2017
3 stars - Futuristic/Romantic Suspense/Mystery/Crime/Science Fiction/Thriller Novella
“A man of amazing sexual prowess, great sensitivity, stupendous abs, and the face of an angel. Toss in a wicked sense of humor and stupendous wealth, who adores the very ground I walk on. Oh wait, you already have him.”
Nadine had been right, Eve thought, in her summary of him. Oh, she’d left a few things out, but all in all. He did have the face of an angel, a fallen one, with the wings well-singed, but that only made him more compelling. That and those wildly blue eyes, the silky black hair. He wore one of his sharp business suits, but there was no asshole vibe here as with Billingsly. This was power, success, sex, and danger all rolled into one streamlined package with Ireland gilding his voice.
“A man of amazing sexual prowess, great sensitivity, stupendous abs, and the face of an angel. Toss in a wicked sense of humor and stupendous wealth, who adores the very ground I walk on. Oh wait, you already have him.”
Nadine had been right, Eve thought, in her summary of him. Oh, she’d left a few things out, but all in all. He did have the face of an angel, a fallen one, with the wings well-singed, but that only made him more compelling. That and those wildly blue eyes, the silky black hair. He wore one of his sharp business suits, but there was no asshole vibe here as with Billingsly. This was power, success, sex, and danger all rolled into one streamlined package with Ireland gilding his voice.
June 7, 2020
Another weird case for Eve and the gang, involving a demonic-looking, insane killer, scientists and former junkies.
People can do stupid things for stupid reasons and even experienced, tough cops, who think they've seen it all can be surprised.
Enjoyable as always.
Next comes Celebrity in Death where a movie based on one of Eve's investigations premieres!
Previous book reviews:
✦ New York to Dallas (In Death #33) ~ ★★★★ (11/07/2015)
✦ Treachery in Death (In Death #32) ~ ★★★★ (16/05/2015)
✦ Possession in Death (In Death #31.5) ~ ★★★★ (20/04/2015)
✦ Indulgence in Death (In Death #31) ~ ★★★★ (19/04/2015)
✦ Fantasy in Death (In Death #30) ~ ★★★★ (21/02/2015)
People can do stupid things for stupid reasons and even experienced, tough cops, who think they've seen it all can be surprised.
Enjoyable as always.
Next comes Celebrity in Death where a movie based on one of Eve's investigations premieres!
Previous book reviews:
✦ New York to Dallas (In Death #33) ~ ★★★★ (11/07/2015)
✦ Treachery in Death (In Death #32) ~ ★★★★ (16/05/2015)
✦ Possession in Death (In Death #31.5) ~ ★★★★ (20/04/2015)
✦ Indulgence in Death (In Death #31) ~ ★★★★ (19/04/2015)
✦ Fantasy in Death (In Death #30) ~ ★★★★ (21/02/2015)
April 14, 2019
A group of friends are brutally murdered, the scene a horrific sight, that would have been enough to keep Peabody and Eve busy, but then a woman reports seeing something that sounds like it belongs in a sci-fi book/vid - now the question is are they looking for a monster of myth or one that is an example of the darker and more insidious contours of some humans, or something in between the two?
I wasn’t so sure about this little novella when I first started, but then found myself pretty absorbed. It is a tiny little morsel but one I happily devoured. However, saying that I do wish the ending had been fleshed out a little more.
Happy to report reading the novellas out of order is not dampening my enjoyment of them.
One problem is that this novella, rather than appeasing my craving for Eve and Roarke and their world, has made me want more, so I’m moving onto book 39.
I wasn’t so sure about this little novella when I first started, but then found myself pretty absorbed. It is a tiny little morsel but one I happily devoured. However, saying that I do wish the ending had been fleshed out a little more.
Happy to report reading the novellas out of order is not dampening my enjoyment of them.
One problem is that this novella, rather than appeasing my craving for Eve and Roarke and their world, has made me want more, so I’m moving onto book 39.
June 16, 2017
I dunno if I've ever rated an In Death story as less than 4 stars before... (Note: Apparently I have twice before.)
This story was probably best served as a .5 instead of being given the full-length novel treatment. But I wish it had been a liiittle bit longer. I felt like most of the time, there was more confusion than suspense. It's all very science-related, but there's no actual science - that's where this story loses 2 stars in its rating. Every suspect is a scientist, there are experimental medicines, weird things being cooked up in the lab, a science experiment gone wrong that results in the death of like 6 people. But there is not one bit of explanation on any of the science. It's like writing a human character that jumps from the street to the top of a skyscraper without ever mentioning how. Super powers? Trampoline shoes? Magic? Alien tech? Nothing. Just, they did the thing and the end. I hated that. Actively.
Also, still with the analysis/anal thing. Has it always been like this and I've just forgotten during the last year of not reading this series? If so, how did it not drive me insane before?
This story was probably best served as a .5 instead of being given the full-length novel treatment. But I wish it had been a liiittle bit longer. I felt like most of the time, there was more confusion than suspense. It's all very science-related, but there's no actual science - that's where this story loses 2 stars in its rating. Every suspect is a scientist, there are experimental medicines, weird things being cooked up in the lab, a science experiment gone wrong that results in the death of like 6 people. But there is not one bit of explanation on any of the science. It's like writing a human character that jumps from the street to the top of a skyscraper without ever mentioning how. Super powers? Trampoline shoes? Magic? Alien tech? Nothing. Just, they did the thing and the end. I hated that. Actively.
Also, still with the analysis/anal thing. Has it always been like this and I've just forgotten during the last year of not reading this series? If so, how did it not drive me insane before?
July 24, 2025
This was a very disturbing installment in the series. It directly follows the events in New York to Dallas, and we get to see how Eve is coming along in her recovery from those events. The premise had kind of been done before, and was likened to a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type of scenario. Overall, I think it was a necessary installment, but I feel it could have been refined a bit more.
February 14, 2024
Eve still recuparates from her injury in Dallas and struggles to deal with the latest revelations about her early years in life. Roarke is losing his patience and wants to deal with them immediately and leave it behind. And among this difficult period, Eve is chasing an evil creature part "the joker" and part "the hulk". Great times.....
February 28, 2019
Shorter and not as good as many others in the series. Eve's still a badass but the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde plot kinda bored me. Still my favorite series ever. Just a touch of Eve and Roarke, but that Love's the stuff of legends when he takes his fists to Mr Hyde's face to help his woman 😂
February 7, 2017
I love the characters in this series, but I thought the premise of this one was stupid.
March 21, 2018
This one was REAL weird. Much more paranormal/sci fi/fantasy than any of the previous books. It was just weird. And a little ridiculous, to be honest.
September 14, 2025
"Do you know why the saints are all dead? Because dead's the only way you can pull it off. Livings messy, and everyone living has some dirty little secret."
September 22, 2022
This is probably one of the few series where I love not only the books but also the novellas. While they aren't as long, they still pack a punch.
Eve is still working on healing from everything that happened to her in New York to Dallas so we get to see a little of that in here as well. We don't get the whole crew in this one, but we see Nadine, Peabody, McNabb, and Mira.
This was an interesting case. I didn't pick up on who it was either. I thought I knew but I was wrong.
Love this series!
Eve is still working on healing from everything that happened to her in New York to Dallas so we get to see a little of that in here as well. We don't get the whole crew in this one, but we see Nadine, Peabody, McNabb, and Mira.
This was an interesting case. I didn't pick up on who it was either. I thought I knew but I was wrong.
Love this series!
August 7, 2018
Chaos in death by J.D Robb follows on from book 33 in the In Death series. A short novella giving us an In Death version of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.
November 4, 2017
It was Fun, fun, fun.
I'm in Love, love, love.
I want More, more, more!!!
I'm in Love, love, love.
I want More, more, more!!!
July 23, 2017
So, this was too far on the sci-fi end for me. The actual mechanics behind the case were eye-rolly .
However, I'm giving three stars because I feel like all the character reactions post from New York to Dallas are spot on in this. So, good character work, terrible case work.
However, I'm giving three stars because I feel like all the character reactions post from New York to Dallas are spot on in this. So, good character work, terrible case work.
April 4, 2019
Just needed a quick dose of Eve & Roarke. We haven't seen a novella from the series for a while now?
November 30, 2020
Loved this novella (#33.5) in J.D. Robb's "In Death" series!
December 28, 2023
This was absolute insanity and I loved it.
March 23, 2023
Chaos In Death is a novella available either as an individual ebook, or, as a bind up in print or ebook, that also includes the novella Possession in Death. I read it as part of the bind up but I'm reviewing both stories separately as I'm reading the whole In Death series in order and these stories don't follow each other chronologically.
Three people have been brutally murdered and of course Eve and Peabody are on the case ready to catch the murderer. The slight snag is that their only witness has described a monster right out of a horror story as the killer. Eve is sure they must be skilled with make up and prosthetics but the question is why would they disguise themselves that way? Aww the killing spree continues and the killer seems to be devolving Eve is in a race against time to find them.
What I love most about these novellas is that they're always a little bit weird and creepy. They have all the characters I love, plenty of suspense and action but the answers are never completely straightforward which always throws Eve for a loop as she's very much a black and white kind of person who if she can't see it then she doesn't believe it. This was another great instalment that left me ready to dive into the next book.
1st read - November 2019
2nd read - November 2021
3rd read - March 2023
Three people have been brutally murdered and of course Eve and Peabody are on the case ready to catch the murderer. The slight snag is that their only witness has described a monster right out of a horror story as the killer. Eve is sure they must be skilled with make up and prosthetics but the question is why would they disguise themselves that way? Aww the killing spree continues and the killer seems to be devolving Eve is in a race against time to find them.
What I love most about these novellas is that they're always a little bit weird and creepy. They have all the characters I love, plenty of suspense and action but the answers are never completely straightforward which always throws Eve for a loop as she's very much a black and white kind of person who if she can't see it then she doesn't believe it. This was another great instalment that left me ready to dive into the next book.
1st read - November 2019
2nd read - November 2021
3rd read - March 2023
May 9, 2018
4.5
This time, lieutenant Eve Dallas is searching for a killer who have so much fun massacring people that he dance around his victim's corpses. Her investigation reveal clues her and her team certainly never uncovered before.
Eve's social awkwardness never gets old. That's why I live for those interactions during and between her cases. Something about this novella remind me a bit of the movie American Psycho (can't say the book since I've never read it and you know that things can get changed when coming into the big screen). Probably had something to do with the killer's absurd behavior and pleasure with offing people. I must say I was so sure from the start who the murdered was but I was wrong.
This time, lieutenant Eve Dallas is searching for a killer who have so much fun massacring people that he dance around his victim's corpses. Her investigation reveal clues her and her team certainly never uncovered before.
Eve's social awkwardness never gets old. That's why I live for those interactions during and between her cases. Something about this novella remind me a bit of the movie American Psycho (can't say the book since I've never read it and you know that things can get changed when coming into the big screen). Probably had something to do with the killer's absurd behavior and pleasure with offing people. I must say I was so sure from the start who the murdered was but I was wrong.
August 1, 2025
3 stars.
August 2025 - re-listened.
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May 2024 - re-listened.
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Mar 2023 - re-listened. This is one of my least favorite novellas.
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April 2020 - re-listened during self-isolation...
This is the Jekyll and Hyde novella, but it always falls a bit short for me. Maybe it's because we didn't get to know the initial victims as well as we could've due to the length of the book.
August 2025 - re-listened.
________________
May 2024 - re-listened.
________________
Mar 2023 - re-listened. This is one of my least favorite novellas.
________________
April 2020 - re-listened during self-isolation...
This is the Jekyll and Hyde novella, but it always falls a bit short for me. Maybe it's because we didn't get to know the initial victims as well as we could've due to the length of the book.
April 29, 2020
Otro gran libro de J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). Siempre que necesito algo diferente, que no sé qué leer, que estoy atascada, esta serie de libros me salva.
Es un poco más corto de lo habitual y algo más...extraño. Mi teoría (aún sin confirmar) es que esta historia fuera parte de un libro de relatos de "terror", bueno, realmente, pensé de Halloween...jajajaja...La novela no es terror, pero tiene un par de aspectos a lo Dr Jekyll y Mr Hyde.
Es un poco más corto de lo habitual y algo más...extraño. Mi teoría (aún sin confirmar) es que esta historia fuera parte de un libro de relatos de "terror", bueno, realmente, pensé de Halloween...jajajaja...La novela no es terror, pero tiene un par de aspectos a lo Dr Jekyll y Mr Hyde.
September 29, 2020
Eve's suspect in the murder of three recovering drug addicts may not look human, but he has to be, right? Eve, Peabody and company have their work cut out for them in this creepy novella.
It's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Eve Dallas style, and a wonderful take on the well-known story. Robb makes the more fantastical elements of the story work perfectly with the no-nonsense sci-fi crime style of the series as a whole. One of the best of the In Death novellas.
It's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Eve Dallas style, and a wonderful take on the well-known story. Robb makes the more fantastical elements of the story work perfectly with the no-nonsense sci-fi crime style of the series as a whole. One of the best of the In Death novellas.
June 12, 2019
Chaos in Death
4 Stars
In the aftermath of her ordeal in Dallas, Eve investigates the horrific murders of three homeless people with a connection to a research laboratory dedicated to finding treatments for drug addiction.
Like many of the novellas in the series, this feels like an epilogue to the full length New York to Dallas as we see characters coping with the consequences of the McQueen case. It was particularly satisfying to gain some insight into Roarke's feelings and how difficult it is for him not to wrap Eve up in cotton wool to keep her safe - not that she would allow it anyway...
The mystery itself is intriguing and enjoyable mainly due to the focus on issues related to the morality of technological developments and the field of genetic engineering. These always remind me of the notion of scientists doing something because they can rather than because they should.
In addition, the literary allusions to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray appeal to the academic in me and add an extra layer of enjoyment to the story.
All in all, definitely one of the best novellas in the series thus far.
4 Stars
In the aftermath of her ordeal in Dallas, Eve investigates the horrific murders of three homeless people with a connection to a research laboratory dedicated to finding treatments for drug addiction.
Like many of the novellas in the series, this feels like an epilogue to the full length New York to Dallas as we see characters coping with the consequences of the McQueen case. It was particularly satisfying to gain some insight into Roarke's feelings and how difficult it is for him not to wrap Eve up in cotton wool to keep her safe - not that she would allow it anyway...
The mystery itself is intriguing and enjoyable mainly due to the focus on issues related to the morality of technological developments and the field of genetic engineering. These always remind me of the notion of scientists doing something because they can rather than because they should.
In addition, the literary allusions to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray appeal to the academic in me and add an extra layer of enjoyment to the story.
All in all, definitely one of the best novellas in the series thus far.
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