Quiz Passions in Death J. D. Robb

Passions in Death Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

Think you know every twist of J.D. Robb’s Passions in Death? This 20-question quiz covers the full story—from the bachelorette party murder to the final confession. Questions are divided into four sections: plot and sequence, character motivation, theme and symbol, and synthesis. Each question is either multiple-choice or short-answer. After you finish, check the answer key for brief explanations.

Plot and Sequence Questions (8 questions)

  1. Where does Erin Albright celebrate her bachelorette party?

    • a) The Blue Line
    • b) Down and Dirty club
    • c) Tippler’s bar
    • d) Central Park

  2. What weapon is used to kill Erin Albright?

    • a) A knife
    • b) Piano wire
    • c) A blunt object
    • d) Poison

  3. Who discovers Erin’s body in the privacy room?

    • a) Crack, the club owner
    • b) Pete, an employee
    • c) Shauna Hunnicut
    • d) Eve Dallas

  4. What item does the killer deliberately leave at the scene to hurt Shauna?

    • a) A garrote
    • b) Erin’s communicator
    • c) The overnight case with Maui tickets and pink shoes
    • d) A bouquet of tiger lilies

  5. What alibi does Greg Barney provide for the time of the murder?

    • a) He was at work at the men’s shop
    • b) He was at Tippler’s bar until 9:30 PM, then bought flowers
    • c) He was with Becca DiNuzio at home
    • d) He was at the gym

  6. Who does Eve Dallas arrest for assault at Erin’s memorial?

    • a) Greg Barney
    • b) ChiChi Lopez
    • c) Becca DiNuzio
    • d) Shauna Hunnicut

  7. What key piece of evidence makes Eve certain that Greg Barney is the killer?

    • a) His confession
    • b) The smirk he gave at the memorial
    • c) His purchase of Erin’s artwork
    • d) His fingerprints on the garrote

  8. What stolen item does Eve find hidden in Greg Barney’s drawer?

    • a) Erin’s art supplies
    • b) A red jewelry box belonging to Shauna
    • c) The pink shoes
    • d) A photograph of Shauna

Character Motivation Questions (5 questions)

  1. Why does ChiChi Lopez blame Shauna for Erin’s death?

    • a) She thinks Shauna manipulated Erin into changing her lifestyle
    • b) She believes Shauna physically killed Erin
    • c) She wants to cover up her own guilt
    • d) She thinks Shauna stole Erin’s art

  2. What drives Greg Barney to murder Erin Albright?

    • a) He wants Erin’s artwork to increase in value
    • b) He believes Erin ruined Shauna by making her leave his traditional worldview
    • c) He is in love with Erin and jealous of Shauna
    • d) He wants to take over Erin’s apartment

  3. Why does Eve feel a personal connection to this case?

    • a) She knows the victim from a previous case
    • b) She has a nightmare merging Erin’s murder with her own wedding-eve attack
    • c) She is also planning a wedding
    • d) She used to work at the Down and Dirty club

  4. According to Dr. Mira’s profile, how does the killer behave?

    • a) The killer is purely impulsive and hot-tempered
    • b) The killer wears a mask, acting from jealousy with cold planning and hot passion
    • c) The killer is a narcissist who wants fame
    • d) The killer is a woman acting out of revenge

  5. Why does Roarke fire a longtime employee in Chapter Twenty-One?

    • a) The employee embezzled money
    • b) The employee insulted Summerset
    • c) The employee was late repeatedly
    • d) The employee stole from Roarke’s safe

Theme and Symbol Questions (4 questions)

  1. What does the overnight case with Maui tickets and pink shoes symbolize?

    • a) Erin’s love and the dream she wanted to give Shauna
    • b) The killer’s carelessness
    • c) Evidence of a robbery gone wrong
    • d) A distraction to mislead the police

  2. How does Eve’s nightmare about her own wedding-eve attack connect to the story’s theme?

    • a) It shows her empathy for Erin’s lost pre-wedding joy
    • b) It foreshadows the identity of the killer
    • c) It reveals Eve’s fear of commitment
    • d) It is a random anxiety dream

  3. What does the “tribe” concept represent in the novel?

    • a) The tight-knit group of friends who support Shauna and Erin
    • b) The police detectives working the case
    • c) The suspects orbiting the victim
    • d) The biological family of the victim

  4. What does the use of a garrote (piano wire) symbolize about the murder?

    • a) The killer acted in a fit of rage
    • b) The crime was cold, premeditated, and impersonal
    • c) The killer wanted to avoid leaving evidence
    • d) The killer had a personal grudge against the victim

Synthesis Questions (3 questions)

  1. Compare the motives of ChiChi Lopez and Greg Barney. Which statement is most accurate?

    • a) Both act out of jealousy and rejection, but Barney’s motive is deeper—it is about control and preserving his worldview
    • b) Lopez is motivated by greed for Erin’s art, while Barney is motivated by love
    • c) Both are equally violent without clear motives
    • d) Lopez wants revenge, while Barney wants to possess Erin

  2. How does Eve and Roarke’s marriage parallel the victim’s relationship with Shauna?

    • a) Both couples share deep trust, passion, and commitment, though Eve’s marriage is established while Erin’s was just beginning
    • b) Both couples are about to be married
    • c) Both couples are same-sex
    • d) Both couples are detectives

  3. What lesson does the novel convey about passion?

    • a) Uncontrolled passion can lead to destruction, but healthy passion enriches life
    • b) Passion always leads to death
    • c) Passion is only positive
    • d) Death ends all passion

Answer Key

  1. b) Down and Dirty club. Erin’s bachelorette party is held there, in a rented privacy room.
  2. b) Piano wire. The autopsy confirms Erin was strangled with piano wire from behind.
  3. b) Pete, an employee. He found the body after noticing the privacy room door was not fully closed.
  4. c) The overnight case with Maui tickets and pink shoes. Eve realizes the killer left it deliberately to destroy Shauna’s dream.
  5. b) He was at Tippler’s bar until 9:30 PM, then bought tiger lilies from a flower stall.
  6. b) ChiChi Lopez. She slapped Shauna during the memorial, and Eve arrests her for assault.
  7. b) The smirk he gave at the memorial. Eve saw him smirk when Lopez slapped Shauna, which she had enhanced by EDD.
  8. b) A red jewelry box belonging to Shauna. Eve found it hidden in Greg’s drawer along with piano wire.
  9. a) She thinks Shauna manipulated Erin into changing her lifestyle and blames her for Erin’s death.
  10. b) He believes Erin ruined Shauna by making her deviate from his traditional, heterosexual worldview; he killed to “save” her.
  11. b) She has a nightmare that merges Erin’s murder with her own wedding-eve attack, creating empathy for the victim.
  12. b) Dr. Mira says the killer wears a mask, acting from jealousy with a combination of cold planning and hot passion.
  13. a) The employee embezzled money, and Roarke fired him for it.
  14. a) Erin’s love and the dream she wanted to give Shauna. The case was a surprise honeymoon reveal.
  15. a) It shows her empathy for Erin’s lost pre-wedding joy and highlights the parallel between their relationships.
  16. a) The tight-knit group of friends who support Shauna and Erin, including Angie, Becca, and Donna.
  17. b) The garrote symbolizes cold, premeditated murder, contrasting with the passionate emotions involved.
  18. a) Both are jealous and feel rejected, but Barney’s motive centers on controlling Shauna’s life and preserving his worldview.
  19. a) Both couples share deep trust and passion, but Eve and Roarke are already married, while Erin and Shauna were about to marry.
  20. a) Uncontrolled passion can lead to destruction, but healthy passion enriches life, as seen in Eve and Roarke’s marriage.

Want to explore more? Read our full book summary, see reader questions and answers, or understand the ending explained.