dragonfire88's Full Review: J. D. Robb and Nora Roberts - Origin in Death
Ever since I first read Naked in Death, I have been hooked on the book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. I quickly picked up the other books in the series and now get the new ones when they are released. Origin in Death was released about a month before I thought it would be.
I am going to provide a little bit of general information about the In Death series before talking specifically about Origin in Death.
Origin in Death is the twenty-first book in the series. There have also been a few short stories that are part of the series as well. For as long as I have been reading the books in the series, Robb has released two new books each year. Now the new books are published as hardbacks instead of going straight to paperback like the earlier books did. Each book has a different main plot but there are some sub plots connected to the returning characters that continue and connect the books. Sometimes an event from one of the previous books is brought up in the newest book. I do think it is best to read the books in order. If someone reads a book in the middle of the series first, many things probably won’t make much sense.
The books in the In Death series feature a group of returning characters. Eve Dallas was a homicide detective on the New York City police department. Each of the books features a different homicide investigation that Eve is working on. She was dedicated to her job. She had been married to Roarke, a very wealthy businessman, for just over a year. Roarke had a shady past but he was a legitimate business man now. Roarke tended to end up helping Eve with her investigations. Summerset had worked with Roarke for years and was now his butler and ran the house. He and Eve didn’t have the best relationship. Summerset hasn’t been around as much in the most recent books in the series. Feeney was the detective in charge of the Electronic Detective Division. He had trained Eve and now usually worked on her cases. Delia Peabody had worked as Eve’s aide and was now her partner. She was living with Ian McNab, a detective in the EDD. Ian usually worked on the cases with Eve and Delia. Mavis was Eve’s best friend. The two had known each other long before Eve and Roarke met. Mavis was now a popular singer. She lived with her boyfriend Leonardo and pregnant with their first child. The pregnancy has caused Eve, and even Roarke, to panic. Dr. Mira was a psychiatrist that worked for the police department. She developed profiles for people related to the cases Eve was working on. The two women had developed a friendship. Nadine was a reporter that Eve usually gave interviews.
All of the books in the In Death series are set in the future. Origin in Death took place in November of 2059. Space travel was common and people vacationed in space. Cars still drive on roads but they also have the ability to fly. Guns were illegal and the police carried tasers instead. Many homes had droids and computers were everywhere. A type of video phone called a link was used. I love reading about the different futuristic gadgets.
Eve and Delia went to the Wilfred B. Icove Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery to interview a popular actress. She’d been beaten by a former lover and she had stabbed him. Before they could leave the center Eve and Delia had a new murder to investigate. Wilfred Icove had been found murdered in his office. Icove was well liked and had a spotless reputation. Eve discovered he was doing some kind of secret research. Within a few days his son, Wilfred Jr., was also murdered in a similar fashion. Wilfred Jr. had been a cosmetic surgeon as well and worked closely with his father. Eve and Delia continued investigating and discovered some disturbing things. Eve and Roarke were also planning their first big Thanksgiving.
Eve and Dallas spent most of the book working on the investigation into the murder of the Icoves. The original reason for them being at the center was really just a formality since it was self defense. After the first murder, Eve discovered some records on the doctor’s home computer that indicated that he had been involved in some sort of secret research. Eve believed that the secret research gave someone a motive for murder and wanted to discover what the research was. His son wasn’t happy about that aspect of the investigation. Feeney, Ian, and Roarke helped Eve and Delia with the investigation. They did discover some disturbing facts about the research. What the Icoves had been up to was shocking even to Eve. The mystery wasn’t extremely complex or simple to unravel. I was surprised by some things that happened. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I didn’t want to stop reading.
Eve’s investigation once again involved more than one connected murder. These murders weren’t as gruesome as some of the others Eve has investigated. The violence didn’t seem to be as graphic in Origin in Death as it has been in some of the other books. Most of the violence in this book occurred near the end and it could be upsetting to some readers. There were descriptions of violent acts, but they didn’t seem overly detailed. The violence happened in connection to a controversial subject that part of the plot. That subject has been raised in the last few years, and this book did show how the subject may be handled in the future. The book did raise some interesting questions. There was some swearing in the book, but I didn’t think it was extreme. There has been more swearing in some of the previous books in the series. This was a serious book for the most part though there were some funny moments as well. Mavis was around for a while and Eve was still panicked over the pregnancy. Mavis made a point of telling Roarke about some classes they needed to take before the birth. Roarke told Eve about the class and was as freaked out as Eve. That was very amusing to read for me. Roarke is usually so calm in any situation so it is funny to see him panic about something. It should be very interesting once Mavis does go into labor.
Eve and Roarke have been married for a little more than a year in Origin in Death. They met in the first book and their relationship has grown and changed over the course of the series. They both had to adjust to married life. They had problems they worked through and some arguments, but their marriage is strong. Their relationship is important to the series since they are both returning characters in every book. It isn’t the main focus of the books though. There were some sexual situations and a few sex scenes featuring Eve and Roarke. I didn’t think the scenes were graphic. Delia and Ian have been involved for a while and are living together. Delia would make a few comments about their sex life, mostly just to annoy Eve. Delia and Ian didn’t have many scenes. There were no scenes that showed them together alone. I really like the characters so I would have liked it if they had more scenes.
The series has a large group of returning characters now. Eve and Roarke have been in every book as main characters and are very developed by now. There really wasn’t much development for the returning characters. That didn’t bother me for the most part since the characters have been around for so many books. I would like to see some more of some of the other characters like Delia, Ian, and Mavis. Those characters aren’t flat though I would like for them to be featured more. Several of the other returning characters only shown up in small scenes so they aren’t as developed. New characters have been introduced in every book. Most of the time the new characters are connected to whatever case Eve is working on and only around for the one book. A few characters that started out that way have returned for some other books as well. I love that so many characters return in all the books.
J.D. Robb is the name that Nora Roberts uses when writing the In Death series. I have read all of the In Death books and many books she’s written with her own name and I have enjoyed them all. I started with the In Death series before moving on to her other books. The series is more focused on mystery and more intense than the books she writes with her own name. Those books do feature mysteries as well, but there is also a stronger romance element in them. The only major difference between the books is that the In Death series is set in the future. People that have read and like books by Nora Roberts may also like the J.D. Robb books since they were written by the same person. She wrote one book, Remember When, that actually connected a story set in the present time to a murder investigation that Eve gets. I really liked how the two parts of the story were tied together. Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.
Origin in Death is a wonderful addition to the In Death series. It is a must read book for fans of the series. I really enjoyed the book and am already looking forward to getting the next book in the series.
Set in 2059 in New York City, the #1 bestselling In Death series has given fans a searing glimpse into near-future law and order. In this newest insta...More at HotBookSale
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