Tag: J.D. Robb

Payback in Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Futuristic, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Payback in Death (In Death, #57)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: In Death #57
Publication Date: 9/5/23
Period: Future New York City – 2061 or so
Number of Pages: 368

WOW! This long-running series is one of the best I have ever read, and I hope it continues for a long time to come. This fifty-seventh book is just as fresh and engrossing as the first one was. I’m not one to re-read books, but I have re-read the first three books in this series many times – just because those are the books that establish Roarke and Eve as a couple and set up the characters and background for the rest of the series. Also, don’t let the fact that it takes place in the future keep you from giving the books a try. Yes, the setting is in the future, but that is just an auxiliary fact – window dressing – to a superbly written mystery with wonderful characters and a tad of wit and humor sprinkled throughout to add to your enjoyment. Then, there is the romance – goodness – romance writers take note – if you want to write a toe-curling, heart-singing, sizzling romance read these books for the ultimate example.

Eve and Roarke are in for a crashing end to the vacation they took to celebrate their third anniversary. After long, romantic, sunny days on an island and then the beautiful, lush greens of Ireland, they return to the heat of crowded New York. Eve enjoyed her vacation, but she loves New York and her job as a Homicide Lieutenant in the New York Police and Security Division. She’s darn good at that job – probably the best there is – and that is how she came to be specially requested to handle the case of an apparent suicide. Lieutenant Donald Webster, Internal Affairs Bureau, is sure his old friend and mentor, retired Captain Martin Greenleaf, did not kill himself and he wants to assure justice for his friend.

Within minutes of arriving on the scene, Eve is also convinced that Martin Greenleaf did not kill himself. Martin had a warm, loving family – so – could the murder have something to do with work? He’s been retired for years, so that isn’t likely – or is it? As head of the Internal Affairs Bureau, Martin had a reputation as a by-the-book, no-gray-areas cop that many didn’t like, but most respected. Those who didn’t respect him were those who had broken their oaths to protect and serve.

We all know Eve never gives up, but this case frustrated her. Every thread she pulled led nowhere. She just knows the answer is buried somewhere in his past, but can’t find any connections. Until she does. Then she and her team are off and running to bring the villains down. With a villain who is so supremely self-confident that there is no way the NYPSD can ever link them to the victim, the interview room at cop central gets pretty heated.

I can definitely recommend this book! This author! This series! Each book is an exciting, perplexing case that can be read as a standalone. However, to truly understand the dynamics among the characters, the location, etc. (and to get some of the humor), you’ll definitely want to read at least the first three (maybe four) books first. If you are looking for excitement, suspense, mystery, and romance this is the book for you!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews

Encore in Death by J.D. Robb

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, Futuristic, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

Encore in Death (In Death #56)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: In Death #56
Publication Date: 2/7/23
Period: Future 2060’s New York
Number of Pages: 400

This author nails it with another enigmatic, puzzling mystery to be solved by Lt. Eve Dallas, Detective Peabody, Roarke, and the rest of the crew at the New York City Police and Security Department (NYPSD). While most of the books in the series are thrilling, hold-your-breath, suspenseful jaw-breakers, this one is a more sedate police procedural. It is an intriguing mystery, but you won’t be sitting on the edge of your seat and rapidly flipping the pages to see what happens next. This story, this villain, this victim doesn’t lend itself to that thrilling, suspenseful set of mind. It is to be read, savored, examined, digested and thought through as you are trying to uncover the murderer right along with Eve. There are plenty of very believable red herrings along the way before you get to the final reveal. Will it surprise you? Maybe – probably? I had a good idea of who it was a good bit earlier than it was revealed – but I wasn’t sure – and that is why it is so much fun.

Renowned stars of stage and vid, Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh are hosting a gala event at their home. They’ve been married for almost ten years and are still in love and devoted to each other. What better time to throw a party than at the launch of two new projects that will be milestones in both of their careers? Unfortunately, for Brant, that means he has to leave the next morning and spend the next six months filming in New Zealand while Eliza stays in New York and opens a new play in a role she’s coveted for a quarter of a century.

Also, unfortunately for Brant, he won’t survive the party. He holds up his champagne cocktail glass to salute his wife, places his other hand over his heart, takes a sip, and falls to the floor. Cyanide! Who? How? Why? Brant was actually a genuinely nice, caring man who was beloved by all who knew him. And yes, it stays that way throughout the story. He didn’t put on airs; he helped people however he could; he remembered people’s birthdays; he played cards with the stage hands; he helped other performers get roles they wanted. Yes, a genuinely good man, and it broke my heart that he died.

Was Brant truly the intended victim? Could Eliza have been the target? Did it really matter which of them died as long as someone in the household was harmed? Hmmm – lots of questions and few answers. You’ll just have to read the book to find out who and why.

I always love it when Roarke is front-and-center in the story, but he wasn’t as active a participant in this book as he has been in some others. I mean – goodness – you can never have too much Roarke. As always, I love Eve. The banter between Eve and Roarke and their sense of humor is a wonderful enhancement for each book. One of my favorite Eve attributes is her consternation at/with old sayings/adages/phrases. She just doesn’t get them and is always butchering them one way or another. Things like – Curtain Call – Eve says, “Why is it a call? Nobody’s calling anybody.” Or Red-Letter Day “Why isn’t it ever a blue-letter day, or a green-letter day?” There are always several of these in each book and they are always highly entertaining and greatly lighten the mood if it is dark.

Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb is a prolific writer and I have no idea how she writes as many books as she does while keeping them all fresh and new. This was not my favorite book of the series, but it was an excellent read and I definitely recommend it. I lean more toward those thrilling, fast-paced, can’t-put-it-down kinds of books rather than those that are more slow-paced – but all of them – including this one – are excellent reads.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

View all my reviews