Well crappity crap crap crap with a darn for good measure!!

I checked my email at work - bad worker bee that I am - and noticed there is a coupon for $1 off select books for a limited time only. When I clicked on it to see what books were select, one of the is the latest In Death book. It's already only $9.99 for the E version for a savings of 63%. Add to that a $1.00 coupon and how can I possibly NOT get it.

So what's the problem you ask?? Why are you bitching about such a squeal of a deal on a series you love To Death (heh, heh, heh - get it?) Are you nucking futs?????

Well - I've been collecting this series way back starting with Naked in Death. When they switched to hardcover I wasn't happy - it interrupted the flow so to speak of the shelf. Added to that it's a lot more money in hardcover than paperback. But buying online cut the price considerably. But now it's in an impossible to resist e version so my run of paper books comes to an end. Starting with this one, no longer can I look on my In Death specific book shelf.

It's like the end of an era is what it is. I'm one of those who despite having an ereader, still deep at heart, loves the print books. Maybe it's the fear of Farenheight 451 coming out - the ultimate and eventual end of paper books. Yes, I'm sure I'm making a mountain out of a moehill and should be happy that once I get home I'll have instant gratification at a really excellent price - but stil........

Recent Read

Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

Why this one: It's an In Death book

Steam Level: so so

Blurb: Lt. Eve Dallas, a top homicide cop for the New York Police and Security Department (the law enforcement agency for a mid 21st-century New York City), faces one of the more challenging cases of her career in bestseller Robb's exciting 31st in death novel (after Kindred in Death). When someone cuts off the head of Bart Minnock, the genius founder of the computer gaming company U-Play, apparently while he was role-playing against an imaginary opponent in a prototype of a fantasy adventure that could rock the industry, Eve investigates. Security logs show no one entered Minnock's building around the time of his murder, presenting a futuristic variation on the classic locked-room mystery. Aided by her husband, Roarke, who was a potential business rival of the victim, Dallas focuses on who would benefit from Minnock's death.

My Thoughts: *wringing hands in despair*
Oh dear, I didn't think I'd ever think this, but I didn't really care for this entry into the series and I found it disappointing. It wasn't badly done, but there was nothing new or fresh in Fantasy. It was almost like Ms. Robb had a check list and one by one checked off each item

• Eve catches a case - check

• Roarke has some kind of involvement (he knew the victim and tried to recruit him for Roarke Enterprises but when Bart turned him down, Roarke became a bit of a mentor) - check

• Eve and Roarke have a small difference of opinion - Roarke frowns at her but it is resolved within a page) - check

• Eve insults Sommerset - check

• Peabody and McNabb have a few scenes together - check

• Eve and Roarke have some love scenes (rather bland in compared to earlier books. I know this because I've reread quite a few of her earlier books lately and Fantasy is definitely lacking in the steam level) - check

• Nadine brings baked goods into the department - check

• Eve puzzles over case - check

• Eve solves case - check

• And so on and so on
  

The End

What is missing I felt, in this book, is heart. I don't really know how to explain it, but for the first time there seemed to be no real connection between the reader (me) and the characters. And there was no real connection between the characters. Some, such as Dr. Mira and Baxter and Trueheart only seemed to make token appearance because it was expected that they would be in the book. There was no real connection between any of the characters and the murder victim except for the one between Roarke and Bart and his partners.

This book focused on the mystery at the expense of character development I thought. There was no character development, no growth, nothing new. There was one scene that was so out of character on Roarke's part that it was jarring.

Usually when it comes to the next installment of this series I read the book in two days tops, but this one took five days and I read another one in between. But I just didn't feel this one, it didn't resonate with me the way all the previous books did.

My advice - unless you are anal about collecting the series (like I am), don't be spending the big bucks for this one. I think you might be as disappointed as I was. In the meantime I hope the author gets back what makes this series so special for the next one.

Grade: 3 out of 5

Do you like polls??

One of the best features about this new and improved Blogger, is how easy it is now to add polls!! Since I'm still on the In Death ReRead kick and now I'm getting coworkers to read them too, I thought up some questions about the series for some fun polls and added them to the right.

If you want, you can either answer them on this post or on the poll or even both if you want :)
Or, if you aren't a reader of this series, you can skip this post and move on to the next blogger on you blog hopping trip *g*.

Here are my answers

1) Over five but not since the first one

2) The Relationships (followed by The Romance)

3) I thought Dr. Mira. She makes a great 'mother' for Eve.

4) I picked Summerset. No one can give it to Eve like Summerset can.

5) I like that Roarke helps Eve out so much.

6) I think they will be very interesting parents - but not for a long way down the line.

7) The way things are going - never, never, never!!

And in doing 'research' what is a better place to find things than Wickipedia. Here's a great rundown of many of the characters.

Reread Challenge for November

Well - it's that time again - Reread Challenge Time hosted by Nath. It's a bit of deja view from last month!


Rapture in Death by JD Robb

Why this one: I'm still making my way through a reread of the In Death books. There are a couple of coworkers reading them and as they are much further behind than I am, it's kind of fun going back to the earlier ones

Blurb: They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common - and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eve's investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games - where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction . . .

My thoughts: It's been a while since I've read this one - number 4 is anyone doesn't know the order. It takes place almost right where Immortal in Death ends. Eve and Roarke are just finishing off their honeymoon off planet, when Eve is called to check out an apparent suicide of one of the staff. Everything appears as it ought to be but when Eve goes back to work, she is made aware of a number of suicides and puts two and two together and comes up with murder. What I enjoy so much about this one is the passion between Eve and Roarke. The last book so far in the series I only gave a warm rating too, but this one is hot, hot, hot as they are both still newlyweds. Add to that a musicologist who is working to help Mavis with her singing career and who likes to 'manipulate' things between Roarke and Eve and this is another good read. I did notice though that this one is a bit unusual in that Eve, who is usually so right on about the murderer is a bit off on who she thinks it is in this book and pushes things further then she usually does and ends up wrong - for a short time.

This is another one that is heavier than some on the relationship aspect and I wish more of them were like this. I originally gave this one a 5 out of 5 - but I was new to the series and I was giving 5's out like candy I love the whole series that much. This time 'round though I'm changing it to a 4.5 out of 5. Still a very good grade, but I downgraded it just a tad due to Eve's stubbornness.




Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb

Why this one: Ever since I first read it, it's always been my favourite

Blurb: A serial killer takes his dead victims' portraits and sends them to the media. Lieutenant Eve Dallas counts on her husband's help to crack the case, but he's just learned a devastating truth about his past.

My thoughts: I've always liked this one best as it's quite a role reversal compared to most of the other In Death books and it's one I taunt my coworkers with. Usually it's Eve who remembers the horrible things in her childhood, but in Portrait, Roarke learns something about his past that rocks his world. I won't say what so as to avoid spoilers for any readers who are just starting this series or who haven't made it this far. But Roarke is shaken - very shaken - and as those who know this series so well, other than worrying about Eve, Roarke is pretty much cool as a cucumber. And because his world is so rocked, and he doesn't know how to handle this new development, he does something else very un-Roarke like - he shuts Eve out. And thus Eve is shaken.

Later on in the story, once Roarke kind of comes to terms with the situation, we have another role reversal. It's Eve who helps Roarke. As we all know, Eve isn't exactly the 'nurturing' kind. She is faced with a dilemma - whether to continue working on the case or help Roarke when he needs her the most. After a head smack from Feeney, she does make the right choice.

This one is more of a relationship entry than many of the In Death books and I liked it. The first time I gave this one a 5 out of 5 and it still gets a 5 out of 5 and still remains one of my favourites!

Recent Read

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb

Why this one: Hello - it's J.D. Robb - the queen of the trump books

Steam Level: Surprisingly this one was only luke warm. But I didn't mind that at all

Blurb: When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

My Thoughts: Nothing stands between me and the my need for the latest J.D. Robb fix and this one is no exception. As mentioned a couple of posts previously, when this one arrived in the mail I dropped all other books so I could read this one.

The story opens with Eve and Roarke enjoying a rare two days in a row off and having just enjoyed the 'steam' for that particular day, they are trying to figure out what else to do with their time when Dallas gets called in for a crime. The daughter of a fellow cop, a newly promoted Captain, has been brutally and repeatedly raped and then strangled. This one is a tough case for Eve as it hits close to her own horror filled childhood. And it's tough for us the reader to read about how she suffered before her death.

One of the things Ms. Robb excels at is drawing the reader in and making us feel what the victim and what Eve feel. I'll confess to not reading a lot of mystery books, but I can't imagine that there are very many that are as well written as the In Death series.

As Eve struggles to solve the case, she juggles this with her role as Louise's Matron of Honour in the upcoming nuptials of Louise and Charles and what exactly her role is and how much is expected of her. It's always so delightful to see Eve struggle with things that the rest of us take for granted.

This is a typical In Death book and I think those of us that love this series will love this latest installment. Roarke is as usual, Roarke and there are some tender moments as he realizes how this case in particular is hard for his beloved Lieutenant and he himself is pulled in with the similarities to the death of Marlena, Sommerset's daughter (I think that's her name but I could be wrong). We get to see all of the characters we love so much. There is a tender moment between her and Morris, the insult hurling between Eve and Sommerset, the banter between Eve and Peabody and of course the deep and passionate love between Eve and Roarke. And there is another character who has been in a few of the books now who makes an appearance and plays a vital role in solving the case.

It's fascinating watching as Eve, with help of her gorgeous techno geek husband sort through the clues and try and determine who the evil person who took away the life of a very popular young woman.

In some books I get a little frustrated as the case takes the main focus and the great relationships take too much of a back seat but there is a good balance in this one. Of course my favourite books are where the relationships are featured more, but I wouldn't put Kindred in Death in this category. Still - it's another very good addition and I'm already looking forward to the next one, even though I just finished this one yesterday.

There are a couple of coworkers reading this series now and and I very proudly showed them my copy as they looked at in envy - they aren't nearly to the point in the series that I am. I even took a book bag with me to work since this is a harcover and doesn't fit in my purse and I read it at every opportunity. I just read three of the series for Nath's challenge and now I feel like going back and reading a few more. I honestly can't see me ever getting tired of this world and these people that J.D. Robb has created.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5