Survivor in Death: 20 (In Death, #20)

by J D Robb

'Murder was always an insult, and had been since the first human hand had smashed a stone into the first human skull. But the murder, bloody and brutal, of an entire family in their own home, in there own beds, was a different form of evil.' On the surface Keelie and Grant Swisher seem unlikely targets for an assassin; an average couple living in a nice neighbourhood and working hard to raise their two kids. But when Eve Dallas is called to a multiple homicide at the Swisher family home, she discovers a blood-bath. There are five dead - including two children - in what seems to be a professional hit. The killers breached an elaborate security system, slashed the throat of each victim while they slept; and were in and out of the house in less than ten minutes. In fact they made only one mistake. They left a survivor...Nine-year-old Nixie Swisher's sudden urge for a midnight snack may just have saved her life. While her parents, brother and best-friend lay in their beds, oblivious to the threat, Nixie was downstairs in the kitchen getting a soda and saw far too much. But as Nixie is the only survivor of a seemingly motiveless attack, Eve knows that her priority is to keep her safe.
Offering her a temporary refuge is easy, but dealing with the emotional needs of a nine-year-old girl who has lost everything isn't. Eve can at least promise Nixie justice, but she's chasing professionals who don't like leaving loose ends. And leaving Nixie Swisher alive is one loose end too many...

• ISBN10: 0749907169
• ISBN13: 9780749907167
• Publish Date: 27 January 2005
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 1 April 2006
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[FranJessca @ A Book Lovin' Mama's Blog]

Survivor in Death is the twentieth book of J.D. Robb’s In Death series. Each book has a different homicide case that Eve Dallas and her team have to investigate. This case in Survivor in Death is going to hit close to home with Eve and Roarke. They will end up doing something that takes them out of their comfort zone. 

Storyline/My Thoughts: This time around, this book involves a whole family being murdered. The only survivor being the 9-year-old daughter who was supposed to be murdered, too. It’s up to Eve and her team to keep their witness/survivor from being kidnapped, or worst, killed. Instead of Eve allowing Child Services to take Nixie, the 9-year-old survivor, she takes her into her home. Summerset immediately helps make Nixie comfortable and protects her as his own child. On the other hand, Eve is confused about how to take care of Nixie. Thank goodness for the rest of her team on the force that can assist her.

Eve, Roarke, Peabody, McNabb, Feeney, etc., are determined to find the shadowy men that killed Nixie’s whole family. They are not sure who would want to murder Nixie and her family. They are confused about where to start until they finally make a break, but it’s much later in the book. Roarke is the most determined to find someone who can take care of Nixie. The family that was supposed to take her in decided to change their minds. It was a difficult decision for them to make, but there is a reason they did in the book. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read this book.

It took me a little longer to finish this book, unlike the previous books. The murder of Nixie’s whole family and her best friend took a back seat most of the time. The book was mainly focusing on having Nixie in Roarke’s and Eve’s house. It was funny at times to see Roarke and Eve trying to interact with a child. They are definitely not ready to have children. Poor Eve! She had a lot of issues interacting with Nixie. She tried to avoid Nixie as much as she could, but Nixie did not allow it.

I wanted the story to focus on finding the killers. It also felt rushed at the end when they did find the killers of Nixie’s family. This is why I gave the book 3.5 stars. I felt for Nixie in this book because of what she went through and will continue to go through. I’m happy that she does get some closure at the end of this book, and she does get to live with a family that will take care of her. This book may not be a favorite, but I still enjoyed being back with my favorite characters. I feel like all of them are family. =)

Standalone or Parts of Series: It’s part of the In Death series by J.D. Robb, and I would recommend reading in order.

Triggers: Murder/Death (family, children, law enforcement, etc.); Torture; Kidnapping

Would I recommend this book? Yes. I always will recommend the In Death series to readers that enjoy the Romantic Suspense genre. In each book, I fall for each character that J.D. Robb has created in this series. I love each character for different reasons. I want other readers to fall for the characters, too. =) I’m so glad I started reading this series in 2020 for the #InDeathReadAlong Challenge.

[Berls]

Another great one! I always enjoy Eve with kids, but this was different - in a great way. I liked seeing Eve and Roarke acting almost as parents - maybe it won't be so long after all for them to have one of their own? The mystery was good and it was neat seeing some old elements come into play. Eve was stumped longer than she normally is, which was also enjoyable. As much as I enjoyed it, I think I'm finally read to take take an In Death break :)

[mitabird]

3.5 stars

I thought Survivor in Death was just OK. There were moments when I laughed out loud and got misty-eyed, but I felt somewhat dissatisfied with the story as a whole. Eve seemed very cold to me. I understand due to her childhood, she'd have a hard time dealing with a kid victim. At times though, she seemed a bit heartless and that not the Eve I've come to learn. The normal camaraderie between everyone didn't feel as genuine this time. I didn't really care for the mystery either. I didn't like the idea behind the killings nor the fact that the killers were tied to groups from previous books. The ending seemed a bit contrived and convenient. I hope the next one is better.