Imitation In Death by JD Robb
Book 17 of the
In Death series
Narrated by
Susan Ericksen
Genre: SciFi murder mystery, police investigation, crime fiction
Format: hardback & (unabridged) audiobook
About Imitation In Death:
Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas encounters one of her most difficult cases in this latest offering from J. D. Robb, alter ego of bestselling author Nora Roberts. With the very first victim, Eve realizes that the killer stalking the streets of New York City isn't a run-of-the-mill serial murderer. The copycat executions are imitating the methods and victim choices of an ominous list of notorious serial killers, beginning with Jack the Ripper. And when the killer leaves a distinctive note at the crime scene, it's clear that he's targeting Eve personally--a fact that worries Roarke, Eve's shrewd husband.
Assisted by her aide, Peabody, Eve compiles a list of suspects that includes several high-profile possibilities. Their very prominence, however, complicates the investigation, for they have the power and influence to make the search difficult. All of the suspects are reluctant to cooperate but one of them is playing with Eve like a cat with a mouse by tempting her with crime scene notes and challenging her to find him. Can Eve stop him before he slaughters again? Or will his next victim be Eve herself?
Author Robb, a.k.a. Roberts, doesn't miss a beat in this police procedural thriller. The futuristic setting is rich with imaginative details; the cast of supporting characters offers an intriguing variety, while Eve and Roarke's relationship is layered with emotional intimacy and spiced with sex. Whether you're a faithful follower or new to the series, you won't be disappointed in the edge-of-the-seat suspense in Imitation In Death. Don't miss this one. --Lois Faye Dyer
Source: Info in the
About Imitation In Death was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238139.Imitation_in_Death on 04/07/2012.
Review:
In this book, Susan Ericksen has reverted back to making Peabody sound pinched-nosed and McNab groovy. I wonder if she would continue to do so or revert back to normal voice as she had done in the last couple of books. Or whether Susan Ericksen would vacillate between the two styles in subsequent books. In which case it would really irritate me since I do not like change. I sincerely hope that she would pick a style and stick with it. I tend to avoid narrators who annoys me, never mind buy the audiobook.
As with the previous audiobook in this series, the manuscript that Susan Ericksen has been reading is different from the hardback copy. That manuscript she read was a whole lot longer than the hardback as there were sentences not in the hardback all through out the book. I'd say, the hardback edition is the abridged version compared to the the audiobook! Only this series have I found that publishing phenomenon!
Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 2
Pace = N/A (12 hrs and 44 mins audiobook)
Plot = 4.5
Narrator = 4
Overall Rating: 4.5 out of
5 cherries
Thank you to the
RCT Library for letting me borrow this book!!
FTC Disclosure:
The hardback edition of this book was borrowed from the library. The audiobook was bought with personal funds. No money received for this review.
I think that Charlaine Harris as a writer is getting better as more books comes out. This is the best book I've read of her thus far! Or listened to, in this case. And the best book in the Harper Connelly series! This book actually has a coherent plot structure, although the plot was just a tad "holey" with a bit of loose ends that was never tied up properly, but Harper is not obviously TSTL!!
The narrative suggested that an act was a mistake on hindsight but there was never a follow up on the negative consequences of that act. In fact there was no further mentions about it... Loose ends in the plot, which ought to have brought the rating of this book a tad down but didn't because I just had too much fun with this book. I think that is mostly because the author's voice is also getting more compelling. I can't stop listening to Harper Connelly audiobooks!
Although I have to complain that this library copy is not very complete. I could clearly make out that bits of the audiobook is missing and the narration has jumped paragraphs.
So I have to re-read this book in paperback format or something.
Even with all that moaning, it does not negate the fact that this book delivers a wonderful reading/listening experience!
Thank you to Audiobook Collection (EBSCOhost) and RCT Library for letting me borrow this digital audiobook!!
