Tag Archives: J. D. Robb

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Dark in Death

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Dark in Death by J.D. Robb

Dark in Death (In Death, #46) by J.D. Robb (Goodreads Author)
Amy Caudill‘s review 

When a delusional aspiring novelist seeks to prove herself a better writer than her idol, she turns the bestselling author’s work into real-life murder.

In this latest book in the In Death series starring a cast of characters headed by Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYPSD in the not-very distant future, the antagonist believes her would-be mentor has stolen her manuscript, and begins a plot of revenge.  Taking the penname of A.E. Strongbow, the murderer, who we see only in shadows for the majority of the book, begins to act out the main scenes in her rival’s series, which is a set of bestselling police procedurals with similarities to J. D. Robb, otherwise known as Nora Roberts, own work.

 The misguided would-be writer plans to conclude her “series” of murders with the innocent author, Blaine Delano, and Dallas herself, as Dallas forces Strongbow to “write” her in by deliberately antagonizing her during a TV interview.

Unfortunately for our antagonist, Dallas and her team begin to figure out the intent of the criminal and alert her planned victims.  Reading, or in the case of some, re-reading the book series that is her inspiration helps the police pinpoint her probable next targets and warn them.  A near miss where Strongbow leaves evidence behind leads to a trail of clues that help pin down her identity, and then location. 

Still, in the end the fate of the killer comes down to a victim that fights back, and the timely arrival of Dallas, her husband Roarke, and her partner Peabody.  Once in interrogation the killer is only too happy to gloat about her success, and can’t comprehend her murder spree is done before she gets to write the final chapter.

Dark in Death, as always with this series, is highly entertaining.  One does not need to have read other novels in the series to enjoy it, but prior exposure does help the reader understand the relationships between the vast cast of secondary characters and situations in the series. The story flows even as events become complicated, and the scenes between the principals, Dallas and Roarke, Dallas and Peabody, and Dallas and her police squad and friends serve as relief from the often gruesome deaths that figure prominently in each book.

 I award this book 4 stars and recommend it to any readers who enjoy a good police procedural with a side of science fiction and romance.

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Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Shadows in Death

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Shadows in Death by J.D. Robb

Shadows in Death (In Death, #51) by J.D. Robb (Goodreads Author)
Amy Caudill‘s review

Once again Eve Dallas is pitted against a vengeful and hate-driven murderer, only this time the culprit is not a previously unknown killer, but rather a childhood rival from Roarke’s past. 

The man who desperately wanted to be the acknowledged firstborn son of Roarke’s criminal father, despite genetic evidence; who resented Roarke for his recognized parentage; has decided it’s time he claims what Roarke “stole” from him, the name of Patrick Roarke.  The once vicious child thug has become a successful contract killer, and a job in New York seems serendipitous, especially when Roarke appears at Eve’s side at the sight of Lorcan Cobbe’s latest completed assignment.

As usual, there are sci-fi elements in the story coupled with the suspense and murder, as the foundation setting is the not-too-distant future, in a world that has survived and thrived after a social upheaval known as the Urban Wars.  However, the sci-fi elements are limited to technology that is not too fanciful or advanced, since at best the setting is only about forty years in the future.  The main focus is on the police procedural, along with elements of suspense and murder, and held together by the glue of the relationship dynamic between Roarke and Dallas.

This novel, the fifty-first in the series, is less than usual about solving a mystery, since we know the culprit very early in the story, but more about a manhunt coupled with the strength of the relationship between the main characters, as well as their relationships with the supporting cast. 

The NYPSD have embraced Roarke, Eve’s husband, and a frequent “civilian consultant,” as one of their own, and respond to the threat against him as they would to a fellow officer.  There is something very gratifying about seeing a huge group effort affected against the sadistic killer.

The conclusion gives long-time readers the satisfaction of seeing justice served with a side helping of teamwork, loyalty, and cooperation on an international scale.  However, those new to the series can still enjoy the various elements of the police drama, as well as the romance and friendship between various characters, as this ensemble effort showcases the some of the best of the larger universe. 

This is a definite must-read to those who enjoy strong female characters in a mystery-thriller environment with just a little bit of science fiction elements.  I award this story five stars as I am amazed the series is still going so strong after fifty-one (and counting) books.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Vendetta in Death

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Vendetta in Death by J.D. Robb

Vendetta in Death (In Death, #49)
by J.D. Robb (Goodreads Author)
Amy Caudill‘s review

In this 49th installment of the futuristic cop series, Eve Dallas takes on a serial killer that uses the moniker Lady Justice to justify her personal brand of torture and murder.

Eve is set against a foe that attacks men that have used and abused women.  She targets rapists, adulterers, thieves-those who Eve would normally seek to lock “in a cage” or an off-planet prison.  Unfortunately, these men have become victims, and Lt. Eve Dallas always stands for the victim, no matter whom or what they were in life.

Luckily, Eve doesn’t have to go it alone.  She has a whole crew of supporting characters, from the detectives and police officers under her command, to her family and friends that are there to lend a hand or a friendly ear when she needs one.  When she has to face off against the granddaughter of a legendary movie star, she’ll have plenty of help to take down the criminal and save the latest victim, all under the auspices and the rules set by the NYPSD. 

At this point in the series, the characters, from Eve and Roarke, to Peabody and McNab, even Feeney and Summerset are so familiar.  While some circumstances may change and events may alter lives in some way, the characters remain true to their core values. The readers have seen so much of their lives, read as they’ve changed and grown, that it’s easy to feel like we know them; that they are old friends.  

However, the stories are still totally absorbing; the way Dallas’ mind works; the way she puts herself into the shoes of the killer she’s chasing, is always fresh and exciting and is a credit to the author for her ability to continue to reinvent the characters with each new novel. 

While there is continuity in the series, a reader new to J. D.  Robb’s work need not be daunted with the thought of traversing that many books, as each story is a self-contained novel.  Still, once one becomes hooked, it’s hard not to grab the next one or go back and discover what other cases are available.  It certainly will take a while for most readers to run out new material, as the series also includes a number of short stories in collections.

I give this book five stars, and recommend it to any readers interested in sci-fi, police drama, and action stories with powerful female characters.

Amy Caudill’s Reviews : Leverage in Death

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Leverage in Death by J.D. Robb
Leverage in Death (In Death, #47) by

J.D. Robb (Goodreads Author)
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Amy Caudill‘s review

The New York City of 2061 may have flying cars and off-world colonies, but crime is still the same for Lt. Eve Dallas, the NYPSD cop with the tragic past, and her multi-billionaire husband, Roarke, who has a checkered past of his own and tech skills that make Batman look like an amateur.

In the latest volume of this long-running series by author Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb, our heroes investigate a family man who is coerced into committing an atrocious crime- going into his workplace wearing a suicide bomber’s vest.  The true villains think they are oh-so-clever, but get greedy and target multiple other victims, until Eve and Roarke find clues to their identities and then go in for the arrest.

While the main plot is thrilling as always, with lots of false starts and leads that don’t pan out and crooks that aren’t necessarily guilty of the major crimes; what I love the most about this series is the amazing continuity in the storylines.  This continuity is largely fueled by the large supporting cast of characters that surround the main power couple.

Minor characters come and go in background plot and occasional main storyline features, but their subplots extend over multiple books and long-term arcs for the series.  The addition of these extra characters as they grow, develop, and live their lives “off-camera” as it were, adds a sense of time and normalcy into the frequently fast-paced murder investigations.  Case in point: this novel features two men who are involved in the kidnapping of three different families, as well as bombs that kill eighteen people, and all the action takes place over three days.

While Eve and Roarke’s lives are exciting in the extreme, they would appear as static, superhuman but unrealistic facsimiles if the reader was not allowed to see their interactions with other characters; to see Eve complain about dressing up for an event with friends, to see Roarke’s love of hanging out with the e-geeks, makes them seem all the more human, and amazing.

I award this novel five stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes strong, female detectives, or police dramas that contain equal amounts of plot and action.