SHADOWS IN DEATH

Shadows In Death by JD Robb
Book 51 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Shadows In Death:

Lt. Eve Dallas is about to walk into the shadows of her husband's dangerous past.

As it often did since he'd married a cop, murder interrupted more pleasant activities. Then again, Roarke supposed, the woman lying in a pool of her own blood a few steps inside the arch in Washington Square Park had a heftier complaint.

When a night out at the theatre is interrupted by the murder of a young woman in Washington Square Park, it seems like an ordinary case for Detective Eve Dallas and her team. But when Roarke spots a shadow from his past in the crowd, Eve realises that this case is far from business as usual.

Eve has two complex cases on her hands - the shocking murder of this wealthy young mother and tracking down the shadow before he can strike again, this time much closer to home. Eve is well used to being the hunter, but how will she cope when the tables are turned? As Eve and the team follow leads to Roarke's hometown in Ireland, the race is on to stop the shadow making his next move . . .

Source: Info in the "About Shadows In Death" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49127524-shadows-in-death on 16/06/2020.

Buy Link(s):

 

Review:

The bad news is, that there is no Bella. The good news is that the staying power of JD Robb's story telling quality is still going strong!

The readers are told exactly who the perpetrators are, right at the outset. So this book is not so much as looking for who the murderer is, but, how the investigation was carried out to bring down the murderers with side stories on the way, like, Roarke's past coming to the fore.

I probably have said everything I have to say about this book in my reviews of previous books in this series. However, that doesn't make it any less true that the story telling quality is compelling. The character development is wonderful. The world building is beautiful! 51 books down the line and I am still a fan! Even though Shadows In Death is not the greatest book in the series, it is still an enjoyable read!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (10 hrs & 59 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

FESTIVE IN DEATH

Festive In Death by JD Robb
Book 39 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Festive In Death:

Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn’t count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who were loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler’s enemies, she’s also dealing with her Christmas shopping list — plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband’s upcoming holiday bash.

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year’s 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

Source: Info in the "About Festive In Death" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821249-festive-in-death on 16/02/2019.

Re-Read Review:

I love that this book opens with Trina, who Dallas fear with something close to a phobia! What does that say for my psyche? Yeah, I know, sucker for a teddy bear!

As the title "Festive" denotes, this In Death episode centers around the holiday season, and Dallas does not like Christmases much! It is fun to see her squirm! Sadistic much?!

Another reason that this book is my favourite in the series, is because it is not only Lt. Eve Dallas who knows who the killer is. But it turns out that her favorite suspect is not it after all, which is a deviation from the usual pattern in these books. Kudos to this installment!

Susan Ericksen sound like she sort of have a cold with this book. I could hear the thickened sinuses. But, she still reads with her usual gomp. Blocked nose or not, Susan Ericksen is still a star narrator.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (13 hrs & 25 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

FORGOTTEN IN DEATH

Forgotten In Death by JD Robb
Book 53 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Forgotten In Death:

In the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer.

The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change — and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found.

Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains — in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing — unearthed by recent construction work. She isn’t happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke — not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away…

Source: Info in the "About Forgotten In Death" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56394277-forgotten-in-death on 29/05/2021.

Narrative Review:

I was hoping that we would see more of Bella in this installment seeing we did not see much of her in the last book! and we had a very tiny And brief glimpse of her at the start and then nothing! Not enough to feed the Bella addiction!!

This book made me cry in true Nora Roberts fashion! Broke my heart, it did!!

I complained with previous books that only Lt. Eve Dallas ever knows who the perpetrator is right from the start. It is sort of, not true this time. The perpetrator(s) were actually found out only at the end. I like that a whole lot better than "only-Dallas-ever-knows-who-the-perpetrator-is" routine.

I am hoping that Jamal Dell, his brother and cousins will show up again in subsequent books. I agree with Roarke, they are entertaining, enterprising, and interesting characters.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (13 hrs & 25 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

FAITHLESS IN DEATH

Faithless In Death by JD Robb
Book 52 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Faithless In Death:

In the new Eve Dallas police thriller from #1 New York Times-bestselling author J. D. Robb, what looked like a lover's quarrel turned fatal has larger — and more terrifying — motives behind it...

The scene in the West Village studio appears to be classic crime-of-passion: two wine glasses by the bed, music playing, and a young sculptor named Ariel Byrd with the back of her head bashed in. But when Dallas tracks down the wealthy Upper East Side woman who called 911, the details don't add up. Gwen Huffman is wealthy, elegant, comforted by her handsome fiancé as she sheds tears over the trauma of finding the body — but why did it take an hour to report it? And why is she lying about little things?

As Eve and her team look into Gwen, her past, and the people around her, they find that the lies are about more than murder. As with sculpture, they need to chip away at the layers of deception to find the shape within — and soon they're getting the FBI involved in a case that involves a sinister, fanatical group and a stunning criminal conspiracy.

Source: Info in the "About Faithless In Death" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53138105-faithless-in-death on 17/08/2021.

Buy Link(s):

 

Re-Read/Listen Review:

This is another typical "only Lt. Dallas knows who the perpetrator is" kinda book. That is a little tiring. But, this being a JD Robb book, it is still a good read.

As I was listening to Peabody working on her PPC to run Merit Andrew Caine, in Dallas's DLE Urban while Dallas drove on the way to Cop Central, Samsung's GalaxyZ Fold3 5G came to mind. This story is supposed to be futuristic. Science fiction. When the first book in this series came out in 1995, it was futuristic enough. Now, though, it does not feel futuristic anymore. It feels contemporary. The PPC is here. The science is no longer fiction.

Susan Ericksen is as wonderful as ever!

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4
Pace = (13 hrs & 42 mins listening time)
Plot = 4.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

FTC Disclosure:
The ebook and audiobook copies of the book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.