Posts Tagged ‘J.D. Robb’

“Calculated in Death,” J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts)

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

Pros: Fun tale with some intriguing twists, enjoyable turns, and interesting characters
Cons: The “impulsive” bad guy was a little too predictable at the end
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

Eve has a difficult new case to crack. It isn’t particularly gruesome, but the victim was a mother, a wife, sister-in-law to a judge, and much beloved by those around her. For once, Eve can’t find any hidden enemies, resentful spouses. Yet everything indicates that this woman was specifically targeted, and her death wasn’t the mugging-gone-wrong it was supposed to look like. Investigating the murder takes Eve deep into the confusing world of accounting, investing, and big business, where she’s sure to anger some very wealthy, very well-connected players.

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“Delusion in Death”, J.D. Robb

Monday, August 20th, 2012

Pros: Trademark snappy dialogue; fascinating mystery; continuing character development
Cons:
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

Eve’s latest case is a terrifying one. A toxic brew of chemicals was released into a bar, and everyone went mad. The death toll was horrific, and the deaths themselves more so. The chemicals are fast-acting and deadly, allowing the killer to strike quickly and decisively—anywhere, anytime. It’s an act of terrorism by its very definition, but when the killer strikes a second time, targeting people who overlap strongly in their occupations, employers, and area of residence with the first victims, Eve becomes convinced that the killer is going after personal enemies, despite the wide swath of destruction.

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“Celebrity in Death,” J.D. Robb

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Pros: Good rationale for personal involvement this time; backs off of the dark personal stuff a bit; enjoyable murder mystery
Cons:
Rating: 5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Also posted on Epinions.com

 

A movie is finally being made based on one of Eve’s prior cases, and she’s the guest of honor at a dinner party attended by the stars, director, and producers. While her partner, Peabody, is delighted to experience Hollywood glamor, Eve almost hopes for a murder to get her out of it. Be careful what you wish for, Eve—the evening isn’t yet over when K.T. Harris, the actress playing Peabody, is found drowned on the roof. No one particularly misses her; she was beyond rude, she stalked those she supposedly cared about, and she used blackmail and violence to get her way. In fact, the problem isn’t finding a suspect—the problem is sorting out which one of many might have done it. And this isn’t easy when all of the suspects are such good actors, and quite accustomed to circling the wagons to keep outsiders at bay. Things become more urgent, however, when another person turns up dead, and Eve begins to suspect a larger pattern at work…

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“The Unquiet,” J.D. Robb et al

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Pros: Enjoyable stories of odd happenings
Cons: Some predictableness; due to the length of the stories, some characters lacked depth
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

The Unquiet contains five novellas by different authors, all tales of “uncanny suspense and disquieting romance,” as the back of the book says. It includes stories set in the past, present, and future, with notes of horror, tragedy, and humor. The thing that links them all is a sense of something not-quite-right with the world.

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“New York to Dallas,” J.D. Robb

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

Pros: Interesting bad guy and race against time; some great side characters; we get to see the original case that made Eve the cop she is
Cons: Too many coincidences; too much small world syndrome; too much Eve trauma
Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

Way back when Eve was a rookie, she had the misfortune to stumble across a gruesome crime scene—and the good fortune to rescue the victims of a madman. That madman has spent the years since then behind bars—until now. Somehow he escaped, and the prison was too busy trying to cover its ass (excuse me, “conduct an internal investigation”) to notify Eve. Now he wants revenge on the cop that stopped him so many years ago, and he’s decided that the city of Dallas, scene of Eve’s own most horrific memories, is the place to achieve that goal.

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“Promises in Death,” J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

Pros: Fascinating plot, fun dialogue, and great characters
Cons: Too many coincidental ties; too much angst and introspection
Rating: 3 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

Eve has to face the worst: not only was a cop killed in her city, but it was her friend Morris’s lady love. Who would want to kill Detective Amaryllis Coltraine? She was a solid, by-the-books cop, but she didn’t handle big cases. She didn’t live the job the way Eve does. Nearly everyone liked her, even her snitches. Eve simply can’t find anyone who’d want revenge. She’s going to have to, though, because it looks like that person might target her next—and because she’d do anything to get justice for Morris.

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“Treachery in Death,” J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Pros: Full-bore dive into the “dirty cop” plot; significant Peabody character development
Cons: Some transparent excuses to let Eve go head-to-head with the bad guys
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Expected publication date: 2/22/2011

 

Peabody finally has her detective’s shield, and Eve just told her she’s going to be the primary detective on their latest case, a robbery/homicide. As Peabody says, it’s pretty much a slam-dunk. But it also leaves Peabody thinking that if she’s going to go toe-to-toe with perps, she’d better get into shape. Not wanting to put herself next to all the hardbodies in the bright, shiny, new gym, she goes down to the abandoned old one. Unfortunately, she isn’t the only one who finds the lack of people there useful.

Two cops, Garnet and Oberman, are talking in the very same locker room that Peabody’s hiding in. It’s quickly obvious that whatever they’re up to, it’s very, very illegal, and they’ll most likely kill Peabody if they find her…

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“The Other Side,” J.D. Robb et. al.

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Pros: An interesting variety of takes on the spiritual side of life
Cons: Stories range from fantastic to awful
Rating: 3 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group

 

The Other Side is a book of five stories by bestselling authors, in which all of them attempt to poke into the ghostly and/or spiritual. There are plenty of shades of mystery and romance to go around as well, depending on the story, and some erotic material as well. I found two stories to be outstanding; two to fall somewhere in the middle; and one… well. I’ll come back to that.

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“Indulgence in Death,” J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

Pros: Dialogue and narrative are in snarky rare form! Great characters & fun plot
Cons: Could use a little less of the now-repetitive introspection
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review book courtesy of Penguin Group
Also posted at Epinions.com.

 

Top New York murder cop Eve Dallas is taking a vacation. That’s right, an actual vacation. It’s the anniversary of her marriage to beyond-wealthy businessman Roarke, and they’re off to spend some time with the family he’s recently rediscovered in Ireland. Of course while she’s there she stumbles across a dead body—murdered, naturally—with her usual knack for trouble. The only strange part is that this becomes a mere footnote to her vacation as she helps the locals wrap up the case and heads back home—-where, naturally, a particularly bizarre case almost immediately comes to her attention. In the era of 2060, who the Hell would shoot a limo driver through the back of the neck with a crossbow? And why?

Unfortunately, the limo driver is hardly the last body to crop up. Each kill is odder than the last, each victim extremely successful and remarkably free of known enemies. Each one emerged from humble beginnings to reach the top of his or her field. Each one is killed with consummate skill and a highly unusual weapon. It almost seems worse when Eve figures out who must be doing it—because they clearly believe they can get away with it, they’re doing it almost entirely for the thrills, and they’ve neatly pulled her into their game before she’s even realized it. Now she has to race to figure out how to pin things down before another body is found—possibly her own.

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“The Lost”

Friday, September 18th, 2009

Pros: Enjoyably mysterious tales
Cons: One ending that left me a little flat
Rating: 4 out of 5

Review book (uncorrected proof) courtesy of Penguin Group.
Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

The Lost is an anthology of four stories in “a world where the rules of love, of time, and of place can be forever lost.” Or in other words, reality is just a little bit flexible and mysterious!

The anthology starts off with an Eve Dallas story from J.D. Robb, Missing in Death. I’m once again reminded of Nora Roberts’ uncanny skill with words, as she manages to establish her unusual future setting in just a half-page of personality-filled writing. Also as usual, there are plenty of quotable lines in her tale of a disappearing corpse, a missing witness, and some unusual—and dangerous—technological developments. As always, her hard-boiled detective Eve Dallas is a joy to watch, and there’s plenty of Roarke, Peabody, and other major characters to satisfy fans and interest new readers.

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