ORIGIN IN DEATH
by J.D. Robb
Penguin Group, Inc.
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
ISBN 0-399-15289-X
Hardback, 339 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery

While Eve Dallas and her partner Peabody are interviewing a witness at the Wilfred B. Icove Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery, the body of Dr. Wilfred B. Icove, Sr. is discovered. Due to the way Icove was murdered, Eve suspects a professional hit by the last person to come in contact with Dr. Icove, a mysterious young woman. As Eve investigates, she begins to suspect that there is something off about Dr. Icove's practice, and when his son is found murdered in the same manner as the father, Eve delves deeper into the doctors' pasts. What she discovers not only sickens but shocks Eve, who, with the help of her husband, Roarke, intends to put a stop to a secretive illegal, immoral, and unethical scientific experiment that involves cloning.

J.D. Robb aka Nora Roberts has written an engaging thriller here about a subject that is presently being debated among the scientific community and which, due to DNA advancements, may very well come to pass. Eve's edgy manner of dealing with people, balanced by Roarke's understanding and love and Peabody's perky demeanor, continue to bring freshness to a well-grounded series. Recommended.