Portrait in Death by J D Robb

After a tip from a reporter, Eve Dallas finds the body of a young woman in a Delancey street dumpster. Just hours before, the news station had mysteriously received a portfolio of professional portraits of the woman. The photos seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary for any pretty young woman starting a modeling career. Except that she wasn't a model. And that these photos were taken after she had been murdered. Now Dallas is on the trail of a killer who's a perfectionist and an artist. He carefully observes and records his victim's every move. And he has a mission: to own every beautiful young woman's innocence, to capture her youth and vitality - in one fateful shot...

I am so tempted to start this review by making just one statement - Nora Roberts writing as J D Robb is an absolutely exceptional author!

With this book we are now 15 or 16 instalments (or 18 including short stories/novellas) into the series at which point you would think that we would know our main characters in particular really well, but in this book, we see Roarke redefined as he finds out something from his past which shakes him to his core, and we see Eve really struggling to balance between being a wife and being a cop. For the first time really we see Eve have to put her husband before her work and look after Roarke. We have seen Roarke do this consistently, but it is significantly rarer for Eve to be the one in this role.

This book took me through a whole range of emotions. I laughed out loud at the interaction between the characters, particularly between the antagonistic relationship between Summerset and Eve. They snipe at each other, but the thing that ties them together is Roarke, and when he needs them they know that they can rely on each other to take care of him. I also continue to laugh at Peabody and McNab and the fact that Eve really doesn't want to know anything about their ongoing relationship!

I also cried quite a few times in this book (always awkward on the train). When Eve has to talk to the family members of the victims you know that for all her hard arsed cop routine, her heart is breaking. I also cried loads in a scene involving Roarke and the journey he undertook during this book. Can't say anymore because it is a huge spoiler but oh my goodness - totally moving!

Notice I haven't said anything about the mystery yet? That's not because it wasn't interesting, but only because to a certain degree it was overshadowed by the interactions between the characters.

One of the best In Death novels yet. Whilst I do highly recommend this novel, and it could be read alone, I think that just to see how far the characters have come it is best to start at the beginning of the series with Naked in Death.

Rating: 4.5/5

Two In Death reviews

If you only know how far behind I am in reviews......well, I think I have mentioned it once or twice so I won't go on with it this time, but seeing as I finished Interlude in Death today, I thought I should probably post something about the last In Death book that I finished back in November.

At the luxurious Roarke Palace Hotel, a maid walks into suite 4062 for the nightly turndown - and steps into her worst nightmare. A killer leaves her dead, strangled by a thin, silver wire. He's Sly Yost, a virtuoso of music and murder; a hit man for the elite. Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows him well. But in this twisted case, knowing the killer doesn't help solve the crime. Because there's someone else involved. Someone with a very personal motive. And Eve must face the terrifying possibility that the real target may, in fact, be her husband, Roarke...

For once, Eve should have a relatively easy case. Within hours of a young maid being murdered Eve knows exactly who the murderer is. What she doesn't know is why, and more particularly why he appears to be targetting people connected to Roarke. What does soon become clear is that at some point or another it is likely that Roarke is going to be one of the targets. So Eve needs to figure out how to stop a murderer, a man who seems to have the ability to come and go at will, before he gets to Roarke. Of course, Roarke being Roarke, he doesn't exactly start hiding. One of the more attractive things about Roarke is his supreme confidence in his abilities, whether they be to keep out of trouble, to be able to skirt around the edges of the law to get what he wants, or to take care of Eve. Not sure I would want to live with a man like that...but he is certainly ace to read about!

The gang is all here, Peabody and McNab, Feeney, Mavis. Amongst all the gruesome police procedural information, Robb still manages to make me laugh - especially at the antics of Peabody and McNab, and at Eve's reaction to the on-off relationship between them. The fact that Robb can do this throughout most of the In Death books is a real testament to ability to balance the crime and police aspects with the romance of the relationship between Eve and Roarke, the growing comraderie between the recurring characters and the necessary humour to stop the books from being bogged down and too clinical.

Added into the mix this time, a blast from the past in the form of Roarke's old friend, Mick, and we see a little more of the Roarke that owns nearly everything, more of the man who used to operate outside of the law but now has scaled back his operations in those kind of activities.

Another winner from J D Robb. Now I just need to start reading the books faster than she puts them out, which is a challenge in itself!

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, has taken romantic suspencse to an electrifying new level in her In Death series. Now she takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas off-planet, where she just might lose the man she loves....

Eve is resigned to the fact that she's been ordered to give a seminar at a police conference - and that she'll have to leave Earth to do it. But dedication to her job only goes so far, and when a legendary commander sets his sights on taking down her husband, Roarke, Eve will do everything in her power to stop him...

This is one of those books that was put out a few years ago, where you pay a small price for a novella that was previously published as part of an anthology but now it is being published by itself. I actually quite like these books when I get them from the library but I tell you what, the typeface in this one was tiny!

Given that the book was only 88 pages long I don't want to spend all time writing about what happened in the story, apart from to say that Nora Roberts/JD Robb has again done what she does best...write absorbing stories about fascinatingly complex characters, and makes many readers very happy.

Eve has been forced to give a speech at a crime fighting conference that just happens to be being held at one of Roarke's off world resorts. Roarke is hoping for an opportunity for a brief holiday while they are there, but firstly it takes Eve quite a while to recover from the inter planetary travel, and then, there is the body that is found in the hotel. It soon becomes clear that whoever the murderer is they are trying to frame Roarke. The fact that one of the legends of the force has decided that he is going to bring down Roarke once and for all can't be anything more than a coincidence can it?

There is quite a bit of discussion in this story about the relationship between fathers and their children, in particular their sons, which certainly helped to bind this short story into something more than we have a body, and now we need to find out who did it!

Many of the elements that I love about the In Death books were here. Eve is surrounded by her colleagues...no make that friends...including Feeney, Mira and Peabody (no Mavis and only a small mention of Summerset in this one (although of course, he is most definitely NOT one of Eve's friends)). Eve also butts head with the head of security, another strong and capable woman, and her wits are tested to the extremes, especially against a man who believes that women should not be in the police force, and who intimates that he has the power to either stall her career, or to advance it...for a price. A very high price.

JD Robb certainly manages to pack a lot into 88 pages!

I am sure I have commented on this before, but it is amazing to me that Nora Roberts is so prolific, and yet, for the most part, the quality of her storytelling doesn't suffer at all.

I am reading one of these books about every three months! Next up....Seduction in Death.

Judgment in Death by J D Robb

In an uptown strip joint, a cop is found bludgeoned to death. The weapon's a baseball bat. The motive's a mystery. It's a case of serious overkill that pushes Eve Dallas straight into overdrive. Her investigation uncovers a private club that's more than a hot spot. Purgatory's a last chance for atonement where everyone is judged. Where your ultimate fate depends on your most intimate sins. And where one cop's hidden secrets are about to plunge innocent souls into vice-ridden damnation...

When Eve is called into investigate a murder in a uptown strip joint, she isn't expecting to find a cop working a second job. When it becomes clear that the man was killed because he was a cop, things escalate. It's not helped by the fact that things also seem to be connecting back to an old business association between Roarke and a shady character who seems to be very good at evading justice, no matter how water tight the case.

As is normal with these books, Eve takes the investigation very personally, and we get a little more insight into her traumatic childhood. One thing that interests me is that whilst Eve (and more precisely Roarke) have access to all the information they need to be able to find out who Eve really is, they choose not to. If I knew someone who could find that kind of information, and do so without alerting the authorities that I was looking, I am pretty sure that I would want to know. Having said that, I guess it also does make sense that Eve doesn't want to, given how terrible her childhood really is. It really isn't a surprise that she has blocked so much of her past.

This book had a lot more of the hardened Roarke - the man who used to skirt on the edges of the law, who had more than one dodgy business, the man who could revert to violence at any time...and it was great!

The dynamics between Roarke and Eve as they continue to get used to being married, with everything that means, were really good in this book. There were variations between possessiveness and jealousy, as well as the tender moments and underlying care for each other.

There was a little less of the secondary characters in this book, although they were all there. Peabody and McNab are still hot for each other, Mavis literally adds colour to which ever scenes she appears in, and Summerset still gets up Eve's nose.

Another really entertaining read in this great series! I have requested the next one from the library. Now I just have to wait for it to come in!

Rating 4.5/5

Witness in Death by J D Robb

Opening night at New York's New Globe Theater turns from stage scene to crime scene when the leading man is stabbed to death center stage. Now Eve Dallas has a high-profile, celebrity homicide on her hands. Not only is she lead detective, she's also a witness - and when the press discovers that her husband owns the theater, there's more media spotlight than either can handle. The only way out is to move fast. Question everyone and everything...and in the meantime, try to tell the difference between the truth - and really good acting...

It almost seems as though every time I write a review of a JD Robb book, at some point or another I will say something along the lines of 'it's amazing how consistently well written this series is' and to be honest, I am not going to be saying anything different this time either!

Eve and Roarke are attending the opening night of a play at his newly renovated theatre. The play is Witness for the Prosecution, and the night is going well until suddenly it becomes apparent that something has gone horribly wrong. A man was supposed to act as though he had been stabbed, but instead....he has really been stabbed. Now the question is who had the motive to want him dead? Who had the opportunity? How the heck are they going to interview 3000 plus witnesses, and are the main players as innocent as they seem, or just really good actors?

Eve and Roarke again work well together, although as ever, the ghosts of the past are haunting Eve, particularly as the truth comes to light about the victim. Roarke's strength once again shines through, and the partnership that they are building is coming together beautifully.

The twists and turns of the plot were interesting, and whilst in some ways I had figured out where it was going, the final twist was clever enough to be somewhat of a surprise, even if the motiviation wasn't!

J D Robb has got the mix of action between the primary characters (Eve and Roarke) and the secondary characters like Peabody and McNab really well balanced, although there wasn't much of Mavis in this one!

As usual, I can't wait to get to the next one!

Rating 4/5

Loyalty in Death by J D Robb

#1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb's phenomenal series has captivated readers with it tantalizing blend of romance, suspense, and futuristic police procedural. Now, New York cop Eve Dallas returns to face her most ingenious foe -- a "secret admirer" who taunts her with letters...and kills without mercy.

LOYALTY IN DEATH
An unknown bomber is stalking New York City. He is sending Eve Dallas taunting letters promising to wreak mass terror and destruction among the "corrupt masses." And when his cruel web of deceit and destruction threatens those she cares for most, Even fights back. It's her city...it's her job...and it's hitting too close to home. Now, in a race against a ticking clock, Eve must make the pieces fit—before the city falls.

As for the other books that we have read in the In Death series, this post will be another buddy review from Kailana from The Written World and I. Kailana's thoughts are in blue and mine are in black.

Eve Dallas seems to really attract the interest of all the crazy people in New York City. They have a personal interest in taunting her and staying one step ahead of her. They are determined to be the ones that are going to bring down New York's top cop. Dallas has still not fully recovered from having her badge taken away from her, so she is determined to do whatever she can to redeem herself. There's no question that Eve is a target for many reasons, but it is a tribute to her skill that Robb manages to still keep each book fresh, and without becoming too cliched.

This book starts with a case that seemed open and close, a woman kills her boyfriend and admits to it. It is a simple case compared to other books involving her. (Which in itself should have been a dead giveaway - nothing is ever that straight forward in Eve's world!) Then, things start to heat up and it is really a different book from the other books in the series. She finds herself involved in an organization that is determined to wipe out a entire city, not the normal serial killers that she is normally hunting down. This time it is serial destruction with taunting messages to test whether Dallas can get to the bottom of the case before they bring another building down and kill a lot of people. In some ways I found it quite poignant that Robb suggested that the Twin Towers at the World Trade Centre could become a target of terrorists, especially given that this book was originally published in 1998, and interesting that some of the other locations that are well known in New York could also be targeted in such a way.

One of the things that bothered me about this book was I sort of found Roarke annoying. He just always has to be in the middle of things. I suppose that is what happens when he owns most of the world's buildings, but I just found his meddlesome qualities annoying in this book. It was like he is going out of his way taking care of Eve in this book and that she is not capable of taking of herself. She gets to the bottom of the case and I really enjoyed it for a nice light read, but Roarke annoyed me. I think it might have something to do with this not being my normal genre and I think Robb goes too far to have Roarke involved. At least he was not a suspect, but sometimes it would be nice to just have a character and not always someone involved in every case. I actually thought that Roarke's presence was more real in this case than it has been in the last couple of books, and certainly didn't find it annoying. I like that Roarke knows when Eve is pushing herself too hard, even before she knows it herself, and takes steps to ensure that she does take care of herself. Yes, he is sometimes domineering, but to be honest, I think he has to be, because otherwise Eve just would not listen, and would push herself to the point of collapse on a regular basis.

What I really liked about this book was that there was more going on than in her regular books. Normally she is just hunting one person, but in this book there is a lot more going on and the messages that the organization sends to her will get your brain thinking. There was a lot going on in this one, and I enjoyed the subplots in this one as well as the main story. The sexual tension between Peabody and McNab fairly crackled off the page, and provided much needed comic relief as they tried to hide their feelings from each other, and from those around them, and helped balance the seriousness of the main plot.

Another interesting book in the In Death series. I look forward to reading the next book. This is right up there with my favourites of the series that we have read so far! When are we reading the next one?



My Rating: 4.5/5

Conspiracy in Death by J D Robb

As with previous In Death books, Kailana from The Written World and I have done a joint review for this book. Kailana's thoughts are in red, and mine in black.

With the precision of a surgeon, a serial killer preys on the most vulnerable souls of the world's city streets. The first victim: a sidewalk sleeper, found dead in New York City. No bruises, no signs of struggle. Just a laser-perfect, fist-sized hole where his heart had once been. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is assigned to investigate. But in the heat of a cat-and-mouse game with the killer, Dallas's job is suddenly on the line. Now her hands are tied...between a struggle for justice - and a fight for her career.

Conspiracy in Death is following on from Midnight in Death if you read the short stories, or Holiday in Death if you do not. (Click on the titles for links to the earlier reviews!) It is still the winter months, as snow is mentioned several times through the course of the book, there is even one scene where Dallas and Roarke make snow people! Very cute little scene. Anyways, so a few weeks have passed since the last time Eve found herself in trouble, and she is on the move again.

This is the story of a very unusual case for Dallas. She responds to the death of a street sleeper, not exactly the high profile case that Eve normally finds herself on, but this is Eve and she speaks for the dead. She is determined to put this murderer to rest, and when other similar cases start popping up, she finds that she has a lot of dead to speak for. Only she did not bargain with the power of the murderer, he knows how to push the right buttons and take away the thing that Eve needs most.

Another In Death story...another great read.

For me the most interesting part of this novel was the effect on Eve when there was a chance that she could no longer be a police officer. It was very emotional to read this strong woman basically falling apart as the thing that she thinks makes her who she is taken away from her. There have been times in the earlier novels where we have seen Eve's feelings hurt, but this time it was more than that, it was a complete collapse that Roarke had to try and fight both for her and with her. This book is a growing book for Eve. She had a troubled childhood, and being a cop is the way that she has rose above her past. To Eve, her badge is who she is. If Roarke was not also a part of her life, it would be hard to see her surviving this aspect of her life, but Roarke knows the buttons to push to get her back up kicking butt.

I think it was interesting that the author chose to use Eve's professionalism as a police officer against her in this novel, especially in relation to the inept policewoman who makes the allegations against Eve. I have to admit that when a young policeman called Troy Trueheart entered the story, I actually thought that he was going to be a murder victim, but in the end it didn't happen! I guess it doesn't mean to say that he won't make appearances in future books! Troy Trueheart is a pretty funny name to include, but it offered a laugh. It was interesting for this book to show attacks on Eve's methods because she has been on the job something like eleven years, and this is the first time anything has ever happened to mark her record. It is hard when you reach the top and people resent you for it. I think Eve wrestled with a lot through this book.

This was very much an interesting book to read. In the other books, Eve might have her problems, but she is always at the top. In this book, she finds herself a very different one, and we see her grow as a person. It is impressive to see just how close she has come to the people that she works and interacts with after spending so much of her life alone and fighting to survive. This book is a typical Eve Dallas book, but at the same time, it more sentimental and inspiring than previous ones.

I look forward to reading the next one. Me too!

Rating: 4/5
Rating: 4.5/5

Holiday in Death by J D Robb

No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lt. Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours. Eve soon enters an elite world of people searching for their one true love - and one killer searching for his next victim. A world where the power of love leads men and women into the ultimate act of betrayal...

Kailana and I are continuing our series of joint reviews for the In Death books. My comments are in black and Kailana's are in blue. I actually finished this book on 10 December.

The next instalment in the In Death series after Vengeance in Death finds Eve just returning to work after recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty just in time for the holidays. The thing preying on her mind most though is what to get all of her friends for Christmas, especially Roarke in their first Christmas together. It is rather funny, every time she runs into people she knows, she has to ask them if she should buy them a Christmas present. Christmas is a new thing for her, she has never had people to buy for before, so it is an experience reading her thoughts on the holiday gift giving

Before she can even think about that, she has to deal with a serial killer who has decided to visit his victim dressed up as Santa Claus and who is planning to make each of his victims have some connection to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. This means that before he is done, there will be twelve victims, one for each day of the song. The killer leaves behind his trademark on each victim, a holiday ornament pertaining to the days of Christmas.

Soon the connection between the victims becomes clear - they have all been clients of an exclusive dating agency. Now it is a case of trying to infiltrate the agency and work out who the perpetrator might be as well as who his next victim will be - even if that means putting one of their own on the line. This book has Peabody's first undercover mission, which is interesting to watch. She does not appear to do blind dates very often, because she leaves one guy out of the running for quite some time. Have to read the book to see exactly what happened, though, of course.

I really enjoyed the way that the author managed to infuse some humour into this book. The scenes where Eve had banned Peabody from going shopping and yet kept on finding things to buy for herself were laugh out loud funny. It certainly helped balance out what could have been a very dark book indeed. This book did have more humour than the others, and I also enjoyed reading it. Robb seems to be adding more comical characters at this point in the series, anyways, which is making for interesting reading.

For me, this was the best book in the series so far. Same here! I really enjoyed this installment. I think that Robb has gotten more confident in the series at this point. I also read the other holiday story, Midnight in Death, which carries on the interest. I think I will enjoy the series even more if all the future ones are like this one.

Marg's Rating 4.5/5
Kailana's Rating 4/5

Vengeance in Death by JD Robb

He is an expert with the latest technology . . . a madman with the mind of a genius and the heart of a killer. He quietly stalks his prey. Then he haunts the police with cryptic riddles about the crimes he is about to commit - always solved moments too late to save the victims' lives.

Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the first victim butchered in his own home. The second lost his life in a vacant luxury apartment. The two men had little in common. Both suffered unspeakable torture before their deaths. And both had ties to an ugly secret of ten years past - a secret shared by none other than Eve's new husband, Roarke.

Eve is looking forward to going home on time after having wrapped up a relatively straight forward case, when she is contacted personally and given a riddle to solve that leads her to find the badly mutilated body of a man in his luxury apartment. When another man is killed, this time in one of Rourke's empty rental properties, it soon becomes clear that whoever is killing these people is working his way towards Eve and Roarke himself, and along the way seems determined to make it appear as though Summerset might be involved in the deaths. As much as Eve dislikes Summerset, she finds it hard to believe that he would murder people, so as she deals with the killer, she has to find ways to either prove that her husband's close friend and butler is either guilty or not, as the case may be.

I really liked in that book that Eve and Roarke went back to the mean streets of Dublin to meet some of the people from Roarke's past, reiterating that he is human (every now and again he seems to be almost too good to be true...just a little bit!).

This book also sees the introduction of a new character that was given a lot of page time, so I presume he will be back. At the end of the last book, Captain Feeney was invited to take his family to Roarke's home in Mexico. When Eve needs technical assistance, she is assigned a newcomer by the name of McNab. I think we are going to see more of him, and I will be glad to. He seems to have a little chemistry going with Eve's offsider Peabody.

What amazes me with Nora Roberts in both her books written under the JD Robb and the Nora Roberts name is that she seems to have the ability to produce a lot of books, at a remarkably consistent quality. At the moment I am averaging one JD Robb book a month, and I am definitely enjoying the ride!

Rating 4/5

Ceremony in Death by J D Robb

This is the 5th book in the In Death series, following on from Rapture in Death. Once again Kailana and I are doing a joint review of this one.

Conducting a top secret investigation into the death of a fellow police officer has Lieutenant Eve Dallas treading on dangerous ground. She must put professional ethics before personal loyalties. But when a dead body is placed outside her home, Eve takes the warning personally. With her husband, Roarke, watching her every move, Eve is drawn into the most dangerous case of her career. Every step she takes makes her question her own sense of right and wrong - and brings her closer to a confrontation with humanity's most seductive form of evil...

I actually finished this novel a week ago, started the post in draft...and then promptly forgot about it! Not quite sure what that says, other than the fact that I am forgetful! My comments are in black, and Kailana's are in blue.

Anyway, this book opens at the funeral of a fellow police office...a man who has seemingly died of natural causes in the prime of his life. When his granddaughter passes Eve a note to arrange a meeting, Eve starts to get suspicious about why. When the granddaughter ends up dead shortly after she talks to Eve and then another person is killed not long after talking to her as well, Eve is gradually drawn into a world where there are good and evil, witches and wiccans, power and sex, and ultimately danger and death for many people. It sounds like a good beginning, huh? A lot seems to happen in the opening pages, but I started this book, read the beginning and then put it aside for a while. I think Eve annoyed me in this book more than any other. I understand she is supposed to be tough and independent, but she does not back down at all in this book. Sometimes you just want to tell her it okay to believe in something. Her need to fight every thing gets a bit tiring from time to time. It hasn't been bad in others that I have read, but for some reason, she annoyed me in this book. Maybe because she breaks writing conventions and is not open-minded about what happens in this book at all.

It was obvious that there had been a lot of research done into the various practices and rituals of both the Wiccan's and the witches and I guess there were times during this novel when there was a hint of infodump, but for the most part it was well paced and interesting enough. In other words, zoning out periods.

There were a couple of stand out scenes in this book - I nearly cried my eyes out when Eve and Feeney had a falling out. I loved the fact that Eve is gradually realising that despite her terrible beginnings, it is possible for someone to build a family around them. I am not a "cry my eyes out" sort of person (no offense), but I agree that this was an interesting scene. By this point in the book I am getting over being annoyed with Eve's character and have started to once again enjoy the story. I think this is actually touching, with the argument, Eve's reaction to it, Roarke's reaction to it, and then the making up part.

The other interesting development for me in this story was the inclusion of Jamie, the younger brother of the young lady who is killed. He is an interesting character, with his ability with electronics, even being able to short circuit Roarke's security system. I wonder if he will continue to make appearance throughout the series, as there definitely would seem to be some scope for him to be included. He was an interesting character. You were never really sure what to make of him, but the kid has brains. If it wasn't for him, some very bad stuff might have not been prevented. He was determined to get the people that hurt his sister, which made for some interesting scenes. My favourite was when he broke into Roarke's yard, my there were some scenes as a result of that where you got to see other sides of Roarke.

Overall, I would say that whilst this wasn't the best of the series, it was still remarkably consistent in terms of it's quality. Not my favourite by her either, but enough that I will read more of the series. Every series has their slight faults, Robb is no exception. I must say though, was it just me, or does there seem to be even more sex scenes in this book than normal? I hope that doesn't become the norm...

Rating 4/5
Rating 3.5/5

Other Bloggers Thoughts:

Passion for the Page

Rapture in Death by J D Robb

This is my read for the July TBR challenge, which for this month was to read romantic suspense. As noted in a previous post, I am not really a romantic suspense read but I am working my way through the JD Robb so I have chosen to do Rapture in Death as my TBR challenge book. I have however added all of your suggestions onto my TBR list.

Kailana from The Written World and I are reading at least some of this series together so this is another joint review for us, following on from the one that we did for Immortal in Death. My opinions are in black, and Kailana's in blue.

They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common - and no obvious reasons for illing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eve's investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games - where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction . . .

Title: Rapture in Death

Author: J D Robb

Year published: 1996

Why did you get this book? I only started reading this series a little while ago, and so I am now working my way through the series. I got this book because it is totally different. I am not a romance reader, my genres are normal fantasy, historical fiction, and Canadian literature, so this series is something new for me. Plus, my friends read her, more so than some of the other authors I read, so I have a topic to discuss.

Do you like the cover? I had a completely different cover, which featured a noose and a blue woman on a gold background. Whilst it fitted the story in a way (and no there were no blue women in the book!) it wasn't terribly attractive. Yep, it is a very descriptive cover, but at the same time there is something artsy about it. Something else liked my cover too, because there is something sticky on it... Have to wash that off.

Did you enjoy the book? I did! I am going to be hopeful and say this is a series I will read all of, but one never knows. I enjoyed this book and hope to go on enjoying them!

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No and yes. I've already been to the library to pick up the next book in the series. Not a new author, no. This is my fifth book by her (remember, I snuck ahead for the first one). I plan to read book 5 as soon as Marg has her's from the library. I've already got it Kail!!!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really an option. If I was buying this series so far they are all keepers. A keeper. I have been buying this series second hand, and so far I have not found that I haven't got my moneys worth.

Anything else? -I really liked the fact that Peabody seems to be taking a much bigger part in this novel, and the fact that there is a friendship developing between Eve and Peabody helps to take some of the hard edges off of Eve. I imagine that Peabody was added just for that, to add some humour to what could be seen as a dark series of novels. There was humour before, but it was not central to the novel. I think Peabody as the comic relief was a good idea on Robb's part. I do hope though that Roarke doesn't keep on being suspected of being connected to the murder in every one of the remaining books. I like Roarke being the suspect, remember, I don't like romance novels, so when he isn't being the suspect he is generally at it with the main character, so it is nice to see him in roles that don't happen in bed. I think you really got to know Roarke in this book by the things that happened to him! I like that Lt. Dallas isn't the only one that is getting built up, we are learning about other characters as well. One thing that does bother me a little bit about some of these books is that there doesn't actually seem to be any real clues dropped along the way to help the reader guess who the murderer is. In this book it was obvious that the person that was the main suspect wasn't the killer because there was so much focus on that person, but I don't know that there was anything that could have given the game away as to the identity of the real killer. I have to disagree, I found the killer obvious. There was a moment where I doubted it, but then something happened and I knew I was right before the end of the book. I don't know if it was obvious or I just got lucky, but the person that ended up being the killer just made sense to me, and I think there were little clues. I did guess a few pages before it became clear (and then I peeked at the end to be sure! (Peeking is cheating! I don't know how you do it, I would hate to know the end before it is time. That's why I rarely read prologues, they give too much away!)) but it felt to an extent that the solution came completely out of the blue. I do like the way that the world building is happening, and how she puts in little facts such as the fact that someone has a tobacco license but that they had to have an anti-cancer innoculation in order to get that license! I think that Robb is trying to make a "perfect" world by this series. Perfection is not ever perfect, though, it is unattainable, but she shows that there are different ways to define perfect with this series. A lot of the stuff happening in this book I wish we had, though, I know that much. (Including Roarke!)

Rating 4/5


Other Blogger's Thoughts:

Passion for the Page

Immortal in Death by J D Robb

This is the third book in the In Death series, following on from Glory in Death. Just for something a little different, Kailana (from The Written World) and I decided to do a joint review. Apart from the fact that when I read romance, she reads fantasy, most of the time we have very similar tastes in our reading. We also tend to push our next reads on each other, so have been reading books simultaneously (or at least starting them simultaneously!!) but this time we got our act together and both finished the book at around the same time!!

Kailana's thoughts are going to be written in blue, whilst my thoughts will be in black! First, about the book:

It is 2058, New York City. Lieutenant Eve Dallas uncovers a world where technology can create beauty and youth, but passion and greed can destroy them.

She was one of the most sought-after women in the world. A top model who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted -even another woman's man. And now she's dead, the victim of a brutal murder.

Police lieutenant Eve Dallas puts her life on the line to take the case when suspicion falls on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the façade of glamour, Eve finds that the world of high fashion thrives on an all-consuming obsession with youth and fame-one that leads her from the lights of the runway to the dark underworld of New York City, where drugs can fulfill any desire, for a price.

I am happily working my way through this series slowly, and in this, the third book in the series, I was pleased to see that this time Roarke was not a suspect!! Mainly because we could not have the perspective groom in jail on the wedding day! Or because people like him too much to keep having to bite their nails, and hope that Eve leaves the poor man alone.

This time Eve is called in to investigate the death of one of her weasels, someone who is willing to give her information about what is happening on the streets.

Not long after, there is a seemingly unconnected death of a beautiful, high profile model, Pandora. She has a power that has gotten her to the top, a love of the high life and a poster girl for the one-night stand. She comes across as glamourous, but Eve quickly learns that there is more to her than meets the eye, especially when it seems as though her best friend Mavis is the prime suspect and Eve is called in as a friend and the primary investigator. When Mavis finds the body of Pandora, a beautiful woman who no one really likes, it seems inevitable that the clues will all point towards her - a classic set up. One of those predictable scenarios found in the most gripping cop novels.

When Eve has no choice but to arrest Mavis, she has to deal with her feelings in relation to betraying one of her few true friends, or as Roarke points out, her family. But Eve is a determined cop and with her battling it out for her friend, we know that justice will be served.

All of this is going on whilst Eve is trying to get ready for her wedding to Roarke. Roarke is taking care of most of the details, but there are a couple of things that Eve is determined to choose herself, and pay for herself, including the wedding dress… and all the things that her designer, Leonardo, seems to think that she needs. Since Leonardo is the one that connects Pandora and Mavis, being lovers to both of them, he turns out to be important to the novel in more ways than one.

As more bodies turn up that are brutalized in the same horrific manner, it becomes clear that there is a connection. It appears to be a new illegal drug, that is actually poisoning the addict slowly. A drug that is that is very pricey to produce because one of the ingredients is only available off-planet. Before destroying the user, though, it makes them appear and feel younger and sexier - definitely attractive to the masses, especially if they don't know about the side effects! Good for the significant other too because it offers a heightened sex drive! Watch out for the mood swings that follow, though.

In this novel, Lieutenant Dallas gets Officer Peabody added to her office, and we get to know the wise cracking officer who seems to be quite a good foil to Eve's apparent seriousness and troubled self, until you get under her stiff, cop-like exterior once you get to know her. We also begin to understand the relationship between Roarke and his butler, Summerset, when in a rare moment Roarke reveals an aspect of his ‘shady’ past to a very troubled Eve. If that is not enough deep psychological dealing for you, it is also the novel that Eve finally figures out the past that she has tried to forget for over twenty years, and then deal with the emotion that stirs up.

As far as the villain goes, as soon as he came onto the scene I didn't like him, but it didn't really seem as though we were really provided with all that many clues to point at him until all was revealed right at the end! But everyone knows that it is better to be in the dark than have the mystery solved in the first two pages. The whole fun of a Robb novel is the fact that there are usually twists and turns at every flip of the page.

My rating 4/5
Kailana's rating 3.5/5

Glory in Death by J D Robb

This is my read for the May TBR challenge, which for this month was to read something from your TBR pile that has some sort of military, police, etc theme or an ebook/book that originally appeared in ebook format. I went with the former!

Title: Glory in Death

Author: J D Robb

Year published: 1996

Why did you get this book? I have only recently read the first book in this series (Naked in Death) and as soon as I had finished it I put the next one on the request list.

Do you like the cover? I actually ended up with the large print version of the book which was published by Isis, so the cover above isn't the one that I got. Mine has a picture of a glass fronted sky scraper with the clouds reflecting in the window, and trees in front of it....pretty non descript actually.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? The author isn't new to me, although this is only the second book of the In Death series that I have read. I haven't read all that much Nora Roberts either really.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's a library book so keeping it isn't really a consideration, but if it wasn't I would think I would keep it...along with every other book in the series.

Anything else? It's interesting to see the struggles that Eve has as she tries to deal with the closeness that has developed between herself and Roarke and her growing feelings. The mystery was interesting, and pretty intense, but really for me the highlights are the relationships, and the imagination of how the world is going to be in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Naked in Death by J D Robb

I am only now getting into buying things off of eBay. So far I have bought a couple of books (both hard to find Jennifer Crusie books), and an MP3 player! Yes...I joined the 21st century. I don't think I am doing too badly really seeing as I only just got a CD Walkman six months ago! The first audiobook to get the MP3 treatment was Naked in Death, the first of the mega popular In Death books by Nora Roberts writing as J D Robb. And I have to say that it is an experience that I will be undertaking again! It was fantastic. I listened whilst I did the dishes, folded the clothes, put washing on! My house actually looked clean for.....oh, about two hours - something quite out of the ordinary given that if I am not on the net talking about reading, I am usually reading! Anyway, enough of that!

Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all - and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire - and a suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about - except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

It didn't take very much arm twisting to get me to pick up the first book in this series. I had been meaning to for a while but hadn't got around to it so when I was at the library a couple of weeks ago and saw this on audiobook I thought I would give it a go.

Set in New York in 2058, the author takes a lot of time in this books world building, establishing a world where technology has taken control, real coffee is as rare as gold and almost as expensive. When the granddaughter of a powerful senator is found dead, murdered using an antique handgun from the 1980's, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is assigned as the primary investigator despite the fact that she has just had a very shocking experience where she has had to kill a perpetrator. Because of her family, Eve is under a lot more pressure to get a result and at times it feels as though she is being manipulated by unknown sources either within the police force or externally. It seems as though there is a very obvious suspect - the extremely rich, successful and sexy Irish multimillionaire known just as Roarke, a man with a mysterious past!

There is a clue saying "one of six" left behind therefore when a second girl and then a third girl who was working as a licensed companion (ie prostitute) is found murdered, Eve knows that it is a race against the clock. The only link appears to be the professions of the girls, they didn't appear to know each other at all - very puzzling. However it then appears that the clues are pointing into the very highest level of power within the city and the country and it to Roarke that Eve turns to assistance.

Is it too early to say that I really liked Roarke and that I can't wait get to know him better. I loved the interaction between Eve and Roarke and the fact that even though Eve is a strong woman with very high emotional walls erected around her, Roarke is not afraid to show his own strength to give her what she needs, even if she doesn't know that she needs it!

Whilst I did really enjoy this book, there was one aspect of the storyline that disturbed me which I won't say anything about in case of spoiling. Now that I am aware that this is an issue that I will be prepared for and I won't be so affected by it going forward!

Overall a very enjoyable listen! Now, off to rip the next audiobook!

Rating 4/5