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.

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.

CONNECTIONS IN DEATH

Connections In Death by JD Robb
Book 48 of the In Death series
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
Genre: scifi crime fiction
Format: ebook & audiobook

About Connections In Death:

Homicide cop Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke, are building a brand-new school and youth shelter. They know that the hard life can lead kids toward dangerous crossroads — and with this new project, they hope to nudge a few more of them onto the right path. For expert help, they hire child psychologist Dr. Rochelle Pickering — whose own brother pulled himself out of a spiral of addiction and crime with Rochelle’s support.

Lyle is living with Rochelle while he gets his life together, and he’s thrilled to hear about his sister’s new job offer. But within hours, triumph is followed by tragedy. Returning from a celebratory dinner with her boyfriend, she finds Lyle dead with a syringe in his lap, and Eve’s investigation confirms that this wasn’t just another OD. After all his work to get clean, Lyle’s been pumped full of poison — and a neighbor with a peephole reports seeing a scruffy, pink-haired girl fleeing the scene.

Now Eve and Roarke must venture into the gang territory where Lyle used to run, and the ugly underground world of tattoo parlors and strip joints where everyone has taken a wrong turn somewhere. They both believe in giving people a second chance. Maybe even a third or fourth. But as far as they’re concerned, whoever gave the order on Lyle Pickering’s murder has run out of chances…

Source: Info in the "About Connections In Death" was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40122012-connections-in-death on 16/02/2019.

My Thoughts:

After all these years I am still a fan of this series, lows and highs and all. We didn't see any Bella in this book, which is a disappointment... I've also been waiting to see who got the facefull of blue dye, the chocolate thief finally revealed, in this book. But the only mention of it is when Roarke gave Eve some chocolates and she suspected it was her stash. I hope it gets revealed in the next book.

This instalment of the In Death series, it is not a "big bang" kind of story like the Icove Agenda. But more of a soft, everyday policing kinda feel, but still has very good outcome for society.

I've been noticing lately that the last few books in this series has Roarke getting involved with Eve's work more and more. In this book, he is beside her almost all the time now. Not that I am complaining. It is just getting me worried that this might not be good for the series. Hopefully, I am worrying for nothing. JD Robb is an accomplished writer after all...

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.