dragonfire88's Full Review: J. D. Robb - Ceremony in Death
The In Death series started more than ten years ago and is still going strong now. I started reading the books several years ago when I picked up the first book, Naked in Death. Since then I’ve picked up the other books in the series and continue to get the new books as they are published. I recently decided to start reading the books again. I just finished reading Ceremony in Death, the fifth book.
The books in the In Death series are futuristic mysteries with some romance in them. Ceremony in Death took place in the fall of 2058. From a few things that were said, about a month had passed since the end of Rapture in Death, the fourth book. The series focuses on the different homicide investigations that detective Eve Dallas is assigned to work on. Each book has featured a different case. Delia Peabody, Eve’s aide, and Feeney, the detective in charge of the Electronic Detective Division, also worked on the cases with Eve. Some time was also given to Eve’s relationships with her husband Roarke and best friend Mavis.
The futuristic world featured many interesting items. Life wasn’t too different, though there were some differences. Cars still drove on roads and they also had the ability to fly. Prostitution was legal and prostitutes were called licenced companions. Guns were illegal so the police carried tasers. There were all sorts of illegal drugs available. People used video phones called links and computers were very advanced. Most people used voice commands for the computers and only a few actually still used keyboards. Instead of cooking, people used a machine called an AutoChef that would produce fully cooked food with the push of a button or two. I would love to have one of those things. I really enjoy reading about all the futuristic things that Robb created for the In Death world.
Eve was upset by the sudden death of a police officer, Frank Wojinski. She was given an assignment to look into Frank’s death even though it looked to be from natural causes. She was ordered not to tell anyone else, especially Feeney because the two men had been friends. Frank’s granddaughter Alice contacted Eve because she felt responsible for his death. She’d gotten mixed up with a satanic cult, not fully realizing what was going on. She’d then turned to a Wiccan group and eventually told Frank what had happened. He started his own investigation into the cult leader, Salina, which Eve also did. Alice died in a strange accident and more people were killed. Delia and even Roarke were bothered by the possible danger that Eve was facing.
At first, Eve was investigating Frank because of some things that had been reported to her boss. As Eve investigated, she uncovered things that made her believe more was going on and the case became more complicated. Her orders not to tell anyone else in the department what she uncovered didn’t help the situation either. The investigation took Eve and Delia to a satanic group and then a Wiccan group. Delia was very shaken by the satanic things they encountered while Eve thought they were a bunch of nonsense. Eve Roarke was bothered by the implications of the evil things Eve was facing. I thought it was interesting how the supernatural elements were added to the mystery. Certain rituals that each group performed were described. I really know nothing about the groups, so I have no idea how accurate the descriptions were. There was suspense in several scenes as well as some violence. A few of the things that happened were disturbing and could bother some readers. This was the first time that Eve had to deal with any kind of supernatural element in an investigation. She would encounter other supernatural things in later books.
Eve and Roarke were settling into married life. Eve was getting more comfortable with loving Roarke, though she still seemed uncomfortable when she had to deal with certain aspects of her new life. Those things were usually related to Roarke’s wealth. I’ve really enjoyed reading about how their relationship has grown over the course of the books. They have a loving relationship and some sex scenes between them were shared. The scenes were descriptive without getting too graphic. I think there were fewer sex scenes in this book than there have been in some of the other books in the series. Mavis was still involved with Leonardo and did briefly talk to Eve about some relationship things. There weren’t any sex scenes shared between Mavis and Leonardo. Sex played a part in some rituals that the satanic group performed. The rituals involved group sex. Those scenes weren’t that descriptive, though some people may be uncomfortable reading about those things.
Eve and Roarke continued to be the main characters of the series. Roarke hasn’t been featured as much as Eve, so he wasn’t as developed overall. He wasn’t a flat character though. A lot of his past has remained a mystery. He did what he could to help Eve with the investigation. Eve was starting to take more time for a personal life while remaining dedicated to her job. She was adjusting to the idea of having more friends in her life as well since several people, like Nadine and Dr. Mira, considered her a friend. Eve tended to over work on important cases and would let herself get very run down in her drive to solve the murders. She was very loyal and could be stubborn. She was fearless on the job, but the idea of getting her hair done caused her to panic.
Summerset and Roarke have known each other for years. Summerset had been like a surrogate father to Roarke. Summerset was now Roarke’s butler and remained very loyal to him. Summerset hadn’t thought that Eve was good enough for Roarke but seemed to be changing his opinion of her. He continued to grumble at her about certain things though. Eve and Mavis had been friends for a few years. Mavis was really Eve’s only friend when the series started. Mavis was free spirited and a bit wild with a very unique fashion sense. She was living with Leonardo, a fashion designer. Trina was a hair dresser that Mavis introduced to Eve. Trina would show up with Mavis to ambush Eve to give her some beauty treatments. That was the only way to do it since Eve had a phobia about that sort of thing.
Delia Peabody was an officer working as Eve’s aide. She ended up with a lot of tasks that dealt with red tape. Delia was observant and good at her job. She was dazzled by Roarke and different aspects of Eve’s job. Delia was a good cop. Feeney and Eve had known each other for a long time and had a strong friendship. He had trained Eve and was a lot like a surrogate father to her. Feeney took Frank’s death hard and Eve’s investigation caused some strain in their friendship. They usually worked very well together. Dr. Mira was a psychiatrist that worked for the police department. She would have sessions with officers that had faced stressful situations on the job as well as do profiles of suspects. Dr. Mira considered Eve a friend. Nadine Furst was a reporter that usually turned up looking for interviews with Eve. Nadine wanted to get big stories, but she would hold off on a story if Eve asked her too.
Popular author Nora Roberts decided to use the name J.D. Robb when she started the In Death series. I started off reading the In Death books and once I finished those, I moved on to the books she wrote under her own name. I have really enjoyed all of her books that I’ve read. The books in the In Death series tend to have stronger mysteries and less romance than her other books. People that have enjoyed one group of her books may also like the other since Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb are actually the same person. She wrote one book, Remember When, that started in current time and then concluded in Eve’s time. A mystery connected both halves of the book. Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death in the series.
Ceremony in Death was another very entertaining addition to the In Death series. People who have enjoyed the first books in the series should pick this one up.
In a new age of criminal investigation, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is drawn into the most dangerous case of her career. Every step she takes makes her ques...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.