Author: J. D. Robb

Throwback Thursday Review: Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted February 13, 2020 by Holly in Reviews | 6 Comments

Throwback Thursday Review: Fantasy in Death by J.D. RobbReviewer: Holly
Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #30
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Kindred In Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, Immortal in Death, New York to Dallas, Celebrity in Death, Brotherhood in Death
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: February 23rd 2010
Genres: Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 368
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Bart Minnock, founder of the computer-gaming giant U-Play, enters his private playroom, and eagerly can't wait to lose himself in an imaginary world—to play the role of a sword-wielding warrior king—in his company’s latest top-secret project, Fantastical.
The next morning, he is found in the same locked room, in a pool of blood, his head separated from his body. It is the most puzzling case Eve Dallas has ever faced, and it is not a game...

NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is having as much trouble figuring out how Bart Minnock was murdered as who did the murdering. The victim's girlfriend seems sincerely grief-stricken, and his quirky-but-brilliant partners at U-Play appear equally shocked. No one seemed to have a problem with the enthusiastic, high-spirited millionaire. Of course, success can attract jealousy, and gaming, like any business, has its fierce rivalries and dirty tricks—as Eve's husband, Roarke, one of U-Play's competitors, knows well. But Minnock was not naive, and quite capable of fighting back in the real world as well as the virtual one.

Eve and her team are about to enter the next level of police work, in a world where fantasy is the ultimate seduction-and the price of defeat is death...

*** Every Thursday, we’ll be posting throwback reviews of our favorite and not-so-favorite books. Enjoy! ***

This review was originally posted on February 22, 2010.

The last few In Death books have kind of been off for me. It isn’t that I didn’t enjoy them, it’s just that I didn’t enjoy them as much as I expected to given the previous 5 billion books in the series. I went into this book with some trepidation because of that.

I really enjoyed Eve’s case. A young entrepreneur is found decapitated inside his locked holo room. Security indicates he was the only one inside the room, and in fact his whole apartment. Investigation shows the weapon to be a broadsword. Eve knows it takes two to murder..one to do the killing and one to die. Since he didn’t cut his own head off, there hasn’t be a missing factor.

Some cases are better developed than others, and some are just more interesting to me personally. I’m not sure if this falls into the former, but it definitely falls into the latter. I was truly interested in seeing Eve puzzle her way through the case. It wasn’t long before I figured out who the killer was – it generally doesn’t take me long – but that wasn’t the appeal of this case anyway. It wasn’t the who, but the why and, more intriguing, the how.

As for Eve and Roarke’s relationship, I wasn’t as impressed. After taking a minute to reflect on the overall relationship arc, I’ve decided that’s to be expected. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m happy about it, but I am going to work on being more forgiving. They had a couple arguments, but they seemed kind of contrived.

The focus in this book was more on the case than the personal relationships, but most of our favorites made appearances or were mentioned. There is quite a bit of humor in this book. Eve is still battling it out with the Candy Thief, which always cracks me up. But Roarke is what killed me in this scene:

She took a tool from her desk, then squatted in front of her recycler. After a few twists, she removed the facing and pulled an evidence bag from the back.

“Your guile and wit contest causes you to keep candy in the recycler, with the trash?”

“It’s sealed.” She broke the seal with a little pop and whoosh to prove it, then took out one of the three chocolate bars. She tossed it to him, then bagged the remaining two with a fresh seal before hiding them again. She glanced back to see him studying the candy.

“If you’re going to be so dainty give it back.”

“There was a time I rooted through alley garbage for food, without a thought. Things change.” He unwrapped the candy, took a bite. “But apparently not that much.”

Not only is this particular quote hilarious, but the scene it comes from shows some vulnerability in Roarke, and Eve’s way of taking care of him. Relationships and how they work is one of the underlying themes of the book. Eve puzzles over the various relationships in her life throughout.

Another example is Eve’s relationship with Peabody. Peabody and McNab have to go to a gaming conference and Peabody brings a gift back for Eve. It just illustrates how well they know each other (and offered the added bonus of amusing me):

“What is it?”

“It’s a toy gun. A derringer – like cardshaprs and saloon girls carry in western vids. It’s like a clutch piece.”

“Hmmm.”

“And check it.” Peabody cocked it, and a sultry female voice purred out of the barrel. Put those hands where I can see them, cowboy.

“It has all sorts of audio streams- male, female. I figured you’d want the female. Plus -”

She aimed it at Eve, pulled the trigger even as Eve said: “Hey!”

The little gun let out a brave little bang. Next one goes lower, and you won’t be poking a woman with that stick of yours for the rest of your miserable life.

“Isn’t it cute? You could play saloon girl and Roarke could be high-stakes gambler, then…and that’s entirely none of my nevermind.” Peabody offered a big smile.

“Yeah, it’s cute, no, it’s none of your nevermind.” Eve took the derringer, recocked it. You’d better hightail it before that tail’s sporting another hole.

“It could use better dialogue, but it’s apt enough. Hightail it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Peabody? Thanks.”

Eve studied the gun, shook her head. Unable to resist, she shot her computer, her AutoChef, amused by the lame insults that followed.

That was another thing about partners, she decided. They knew what would make you laugh, often before you did.

And just because I love Peabody’s crush on Roarke (this comes from later in the book):

“Roarke might be late. He’s working on something for me.”

“Wouldn’t mind if he worked on something for me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hmm? Oh, just talking to myself,” Peabody sang. “You know how it is.”

Eve strolled over, clipped the back of Peabody’s head with the flat of her hand.

“Ow.”

“Oh, sorry, just an involuntary reflex. You know how it is.”

There is an inconsistency I found. Eve is telling Roarke about the first time she took a life as a police officer, as it segued into how she murdered her father. She’s talking about how she felt when she killed him (her father) and she says:

She let out a breath. “I’m the one who aimed and fired. Fifteen years between. It took me that long to be sure, absolutely sure, I wouldn’t feel that excitement, or that guilt, or that hardening when I had to take another life.”

But until Eve met Roarke, she didn’t remember having killed her father. So this didn’t ring true for me. There was also some inconsistency in the language. Some of the things sounded more modern-day and weren’t in keeping with the time period and the way Robb has written prior books. For example:

[…] She pushed in, slamming her fist in his face. Blood erupted from his nose.
“That’s how we do it in New York!”

Although a good line, this isn’t how Eve normally talks. It kind of pulled me out of the story, because I can’t imagine her saying it.

Still, I enjoyed the book. As Casee noted awhile back it seems like some books focus on the personal relationships and some focus on the cases. This book falls into the latter category.

3.75 out of 5

See a full list of the series here.

This book is available from Putnam. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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Review: Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted March 30, 2016 by Casee in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: Brotherhood in Death by J.D. RobbReviewer: Casee
Brotherhood in Death by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #42
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Kindred In Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, Immortal in Death, New York to Dallas, Celebrity in Death, Fantasy in Death

Publication Date: February 2, 2016
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

JUSTICE IS SERVED.

Edward Mira is a powerful man, with a lot of enemies. But when the former senator is violently abducted, Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects his kidnap is more personal than political. Someone is seeking justice; the bloodier the better.

Edward's cousin Dennis was injured during the abduction - and that makes things very personal for Eve and her husband Roarke. Dennis is a beloved friend, married to NYPSD's top profiler Charlotte Mira.

But as Eve delves deeper into the case, dark secrets emerge that could tear the family apart. Edward Mira has friends in high places - and they all seem to be hiding something. As her investigation takes a shocking turn, Eve finds that not all victims are innocent, and that some bonds are forged not in friendship, but in blood.

Brotherhood in Death wasn’t what I was expecting, yet it made complete sense by the middle of the book.

Dennis Mira and his cousin, Edward Mira, are in a dispute over their grandparents house. Dennis made a promise that the house would never be sold. Edward on the other hand is doing everything he can to sell the house. When Dennis heard that Edward was meeting a Realtor, he headed to the house immediately. When he got there, he heard arguing. When he called out, the arguing stopped. After entering the house, Dennis goes into the study and sees Edward badly beaten. When he goes to help, Dennis is knocked in the back on the head, sending him into unconsciousness.

When he awakens, Edward is gone and he has a hole in the back of his head. He immediately calls his wife who is none other than Dr. Mira (if you read this series and don’t know Dr. Mira, you must live under a rock). Dr. Mira immediately calls Eve even though it’s a missing person case instead of a murder.

Eve is sure that Edward Mira will turn up dead within 24 hours and it turns out she’s not wrong.Tortured beyond belief. It doesn’t take Eve long to put the pieces together, including the fact that at least two women are responsible for his brutal torture. The only question is why? When another, then another ends up as dead Senator Mira, Eve is finally slapped in the face when what the women are doing and why. You’ll have to read the book yourself 😉

I love the In Death series. Eve and Roarke are one of my favorite romance couples. I especially like when they fight, which is sick, I know. But how do you go through a marriage with no bumps along the way? I like reading about the bumps Eve and Roarke go through because they always fall back on logic. As an illogical person, it’s something that’s fascinating to read. Even after years of being married to Roarke, Eve still doesn’t understand the rules of marriage. The give and take. It’s not because she doesn’t try, she just doesn’t know.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5

four-stars


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Lightning Review: Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted May 8, 2012 by Holly in Reviews | 4 Comments

Lightning Review: Celebrity in Death by J.D. RobbReviewer: Holly
Celebrity in Death by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #34
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Kindred In Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, Immortal in Death, New York to Dallas, Brotherhood in Death, Fantasy in Death
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: February 21st 2012
Genres: Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 384
Add It: Goodreads
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

#1 New York Times bestselling author J.D. Robb knows that some roles are to die for…
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she’s managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It’s a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks as though she could be her long-lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody—drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director’s luxury building.
Talented but rude and widely disliked, K.T. Harris made an embarrassing scene during dinner. Now she’s at the center of a crime scene—and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster to step into the role she was born to play: cop.

Eve and Roarke are at a party celebrating the release of The Icove Agenda, a movie based on the case Eve and Peabody solved in Origin in Death. Eve isn’t excited to be there, but the blooper reel they showed was enough to keep her entertained..until the party is interrupted by murder. The actress cast to play Peabody is found murdered. The problem? The list of suspects is pretty much confined to those at the party. Since no one seemed to like her, narrowing it down isn’t easy.

I really enjoyed this installment. My favorite books are the ones where Eve and Roarke are at odds, and though that wasn’t the case here I found the case interesting and the usual cast of characters engaging. There was quite a bit of humor laced throughout, more than in some of the later releases. It was a nice change of pace. The whodunit was pretty easy to figure out but I enjoy watching Eve puzzle her way through the evidence.

I have to give J.D. Robb credit. Even after 34 books this series is engaging. There are times I get frustrated with it, sure, but I can’t deny the readability of each book.

4 out of 5

See the full series list here.

This book is available from Putnam. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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Review: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb

Posted September 14, 2011 by Holly in Reviews | 0 Comments

Review: New York to Dallas by J.D. RobbReviewer: Holly
New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #33
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Kindred In Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, Immortal in Death, Celebrity in Death, Brotherhood in Death, Fantasy in Death
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: September 13th 2011
Genres: Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 400
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

The number-one New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb presents an intense and terrifying new case for New York homicide cop Eve Dallas, one that will take her all the way to the city that gave her her name-and plunge her into the nightmares of her childhood.

When a monster named Isaac McQueen-taken down by Eve back in her uniform days-escapes from Rikers, he has two things in mind. One is to pick up where he left off, abducting young victims and leaving them scarred in both mind and body. The other is to get revenge on the woman who stopped him all those years ago.

I expected this to be an emotional roller coaster, but sadly it fell kind of flat in that area. Although a decent entry in the series, I’m kind of bummed that it didn’t pack the punch I was looking for.

A pedophile Eve put behind bars 12 years ago has escaped and is targeting Eve. While this isn’t new for Eve – criminals often escape and want revenge against her – the bad guy in question is particularly smart. Not to mention depraved. The nature of his crimes is really stirring up some bad memories for Eve about her childhood. As she struggles to get a lead on where Isaac is, Eve uncovers some shocking and painful information. Now they must race against the clock to save another innocent life – and Eve must fight through a deep emotional morass to see justice done.

While the premise of the case was interesting, I did find it to be somewhat lacking in action. A lot of the book was spent with Eve recreating scenes in her head, or repeating the same information ad nauseum to her team, commander and Roarke. I would have liked to see a little less talk and a lot more action.

The big revelation is one I saw coming from the moment the blurb was released. I think it was because I was expecting it that I didn’t find it as gripping as I expected it to. I don’t wish to spoil it. I will say I think fans of the series will be glad to know another loose thread is tied up. Which makes me wonder yet again if Robb is gearing up to close out the series.

There were some truly great scenes and some great one-liners. Although I didn’t feel the emotional punch I was expecting, I found quite a bit of unexpected humor in the pages. I like how each character changes and grows. I like that Eve has come to rely on Roarke. She can now ask for his help, or tell him when she needs him. It’s good to see her come so far. On the other hand, I still miss the tension between them.

While this wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, it was a good entry in the series. The characters continue to change and grow and the relationships continue to fascinate. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed.

3.5 out of 5

The series:

Click here for a full list of the series in chronological order.

This book is available from Putnam. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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Lightning Review: Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Posted January 6, 2010 by Holly in Reviews | 1 Comment

Lightning Review: Immortal in Death by J.D. RobbReviewer: Holly
Immortal in Death by J. D. Robb
Series: In Death #3
Also in this series: Creation in Death, Strangers in Death, Suite 606, Salvation in Death, Kindred In Death, Naked in Death, Glory in Death, The Lost, Rapture in Death, New York to Dallas, Celebrity in Death, Brotherhood in Death, Fantasy in Death
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 1996
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 320
Add It: Goodreads
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Ripped Bodice | Google Play Books
four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

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 was dead, the victim of a brutal murder. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas put her professional life on the line to take the case when suspicion fell on her best friend, the other woman in the fatal love triangle. Beneath the facade of glamour, Eve found that the world of high fashion thrived on an all-consuming passion for youth and fame. One that led from the runway to the dark underworld of New York City where drugs could fulfill any desire -- for a price . . .

 

This is one of my favorite In Death books. I think because this is the first time we really see Eve open up. She shows a lot of emotional growth here, plus she opens the door to new friendships.

It was easy to figure out who the killer was, but I still enjoyed the basic plot and watching Eve and her team work it out. I was disappointed in the timeline of the investigation though. It seems strange that both Eve and Roarke would be working right up until the night of the wedding.

All of Eve’s past is revealed in this book, and I found it just as shocking and horrific this time around. I hate that she pushes Roarke away, and yet that’s one of the most real parts of the book. After everything she suffered I’d be upset if she reacted differently.

Overall I’m just as impressed this time around.

4.5 out of 5

For a full list of the books and their reading order, see here.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

four-stars


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