dragonfire88's Full Review: J. D. Robb and Nora Roberts - Survivor in Death
There are several authors that I enjoy and tend to get all of their books as they come out. Once I read a few books and really like them by an author that is new to me, I will get all the books by the author that I can in a short amount of time. It was probably about four years ago that I first read Naked in Death by J.D. Robb. The book was the first in an on going series. I quickly got hooked on the books and got the rest of them as soon as I could. I now have all of the books and get the new ones as soon as I can. I recently picked up Survivor in Death.
I’m going to provide a little bit of background information for the series in general before I get into anything specific to Survivor in Death.
Survivor in Death is the twentieth full length book in the In Death series. There have been a few short stories included in the series as well. Each book has had a unique plot, though some things, like the developing relationships of some of the characters, have continued throughout the series. Each book builds on the previous, so I do think it is best to read them in order. Events that happened in a previous book are sometimes brought up again in the current book. Those things wouldn’t make sense if the books were read out of order or if some of them were skipped.
A group of characters return in the books. Eve Dallas, a homicide detective, and her husband Roarke have been in every book. They met in the first book and their relationship has grown and changed over the course of the series. That would be missed if the books were read out of order. Eve has a different murder investigation to work on in every book. Roarke usually ends up involved in the cases in some way. Eve gets Feeney, the officer that trained her, to help on most of the investigations. He was in charge of the Electronic Detective Division. Eve trained Delia Peabody. The two women because friends and Delia became Eve’s partner once she became a detective. Delia was involved with Ian McNab, a detective that worked in the EDD. He usually ended up working on Eve’s cases as well. Delia and Ian had recently moved in together. Summerset had known Roarke for years and was his butler. Summerset was in most of the books, though he hasn’t been around as much in a few of them. Those characters are the ones that return the most. There are some other characters that have smaller parts in the book. Mavis was Eve’s best friend. Mavis became a famous singer after Eve and Roarke met. Mavis was living with her boyfriend Leonardo and they were expecting a baby. Eve and Roarke had both been freaked out by Mavis’s pregnancy. Mavis had been very important in the first books. Her part in them got smaller once Delia was introduced. Mavis was missing completely from a few books, but she has returned for the last few. Dr. Mira was a psychiatrist that worked for the police department. She developed profiles of the suspects Eve was looking for. Nadine was a reporter. She always wanted interviews with Eve about whatever case she was working on. The two did develop a friendship.
The books in the In Death series are set in the future. Most of the books take place in New York City, but some of them have had parts that took place in other cities. Space travel is considered common and there are vacation destinations in space. Survivor in Death took place in the fall of 2059. Cars could still drive on roads, but they had the ability to fly as well. Guns were outlawed and the police carried tasers instead. I really enjoy reading about the futuristic gadgets. I would love to have an AutoChef. That is a device that produces fully prepared meals with the press of a button. I would still have to stock it with ingredients, but I think I could manage that. I really enjoy reading about the futuristic world that J.D. Robb created for these books.
Late one night, the home of the Swisher family was broken into. The family was brutally murdered while they slept. Nine-year-old Nixie survived because she woke up and went down to the kitchen to get a drink. Her best friend Linnie, who was spending the night, wouldn’t get up and go with Nixie. Linnie was also killed. Nixie saw someone enter the home, but she didn’t realize what was going on at first. She saw the maid killed, but the killer didn’t see her. She was able to call the police and stayed hidden until Eve and Delia found her. Nixie latched onto Eve and didn’t want to leave with the social worker. Eve decided to take Nixie home with her. Summerset looked after Nixie when Eve and Roarke were working.
Eve was uncomfortable around Nixie, but determined to keep her safe. There didn’t seem to be any motive for the murders, but Eve didn’t give up. Certain things about the case reminded Eve of events in her past. The case also made Roarke remember things he hadn’t thought about in years as well. Eve and Roarke weren’t sure what to do with a child in the house. Roarke did seem to adapt quicker than Eve did. Having Nixie around did lead to them having some conversations about the possibility of children in their future. Mavis stopped by once, which made Nixie happy since she was a fan. Eve was still a bit freaked about Mavis being pregnant. Eve actually felt the baby kick without running out of the room in a panic. Eve believed that Nixie would be in danger if the killers knew she was alive. Some other things happened that were connected to the Swisher case.
The Swisher case caused Eve and Roarke to deal with memories from their pasts. Neither one of them had great childhoods. The fact that some of the victims were children really got to both of them. Eve and Roarke did have to deal with memories from their childhood in some of the previous books. It has been for different reasons every time the memories came up. Bringing up the things from their pasts make them more rounded characters. The memories did cause Eve and Roarke to have a flashback or two. They didn’t bother me because the things that happened to them when they were kids influenced the type of people they became as adults. There were only a few times when the memories were brought up, so it wasn’t like the entire book was a flashback.
Survivor in Death began with the murder of the Swisher family and Linnie. Eve believed that the killers thought that Linnie was Nixie. Linnie was spending the night because her parents were going out to celebrate their anniversary. Nixie did see the murder of the maid. There wasn’t much description of that. After calling the police, Nixie made her way upstairs where she discovered that her parents had been murdered as well. There was a lot of blood, and some of it got on Nixie. Once Eve and Delia arrived and started working on the case, the scene and condition of the bodies were described more. The descriptions were overly graphic, but they weren’t that pleasant to read either. Two children were murdered, which was a bit upsetting to think about and read about. The murders of the children upset several of the characters in the book as well. Later in the book, there were some violent acts that were described as they happened. I didn’t think the book was really violent overall, though some people may disagree. The violence wasn’t that graphic, but it could be upsetting to some readers. The security system, which was good, had been breached. The killers some how knew the layout of the house and were in and out in a matter of minutes. They weren’t as careful as they should have been though. Eve and Delia had very little to go on, but Eve was determined to solve the case. They kept following up on things and slowly started to build a case. It wasn’t obvious who had killed the family, but once clues were put together, it did make sense. I didn’t think that the book was predictable and nothing in it bored me.
Survivor in Death was a romantic suspense book, like all the other books in the series. I have always felt that the mystery aspects of the books are more important and stronger than the romance part. I feel the same way about this book. Just about everything that happened in the book was connected to the investigation in some way. Even the memories that were stirred up for Eve and Roarke were connected because the case prompted them. The case wasn’t simple, but it wasn’t so complicated that readers won’t be able to keep track of what is going on. The mystery part was well done and didn’t seem weak like in some books. Roarke ended up doing what he could to help with the investigation, which is normal. Eve is more willing to ask for Roarke’s help. He is still willing to go around, bend, or even break some laws to do what he thinks is right. Eve isn’t as upset with him when he does those things now.
Eve and Roarke’s relationship provided most of the romance that was in Survivor in Death. They have been married for over a year, and their relationship continues to grow. They met in the first book in the series, so if the books are read in order, the reader can follow how their relationship has grown and changed. They had a lot of adjusting to do early in the relationship, and things haven’t been perfect for them all the time. They have had some problems at times, but they worked them out. I really enjoy that they have been in all the books and that the development of their relationship has been shown from the beginning. That is important to the books, but it doesn’t detract from the cases Eve works on. There were a few sex scenes between Eve and Roarke. The scenes were descriptive, but I didn’t think they were graphic. Delia and Ian’s relationship added a little bit of romance to the book as well. There were no sex scenes between them in the book, though it was clear that they did have an intimate relationship. I like Delia and Ian and would have liked it if they had been featured more.
Summerset was around a little bit more since he was taking care of Nixie, but his part in the book still wasn’t that big. He and Eve still pick at each other when they get the chance. Eve was glad he was around to help with Nixie, though she didn’t tell him that. I find their exchanges to be entertaining, and miss them when they aren’t in the books. Mavis turned up briefly later in the book. I like that she has been back in the last few books, though her part has been smaller. She is pregnant, which has made Eve and Roarke nervous. Mavis is starting to show, and the baby has started to kick. Eve did feel the baby move and she didn’t completely freak out, so she may be getting more use to the idea of her friend becoming a mother. I think it will be very interesting to see Eve and Roarke react to the baby after it is born. They did have to deal with a nine-year-old in this book. What lead to Nixie staying with them wasn’t good, but there were some entertaining exchanges between her and Eve and Roarke. Even Roarke was uncertain around Nixie, which isn’t normal for him. After reading this book, I am even more interested in seeing how Eve and Roarke would deal with having their own children.
J.D. Robb is actually Nora Roberts. She decided to use a different name when she started the In Death series. The series is more focused on mystery than the books she’s written as Nora Roberts. All of her books are well written, descriptive, and have well developed main characters. The main difference in the books is that the In Death series is set in the future. People who like books by Nora Roberts may also like the In Death series since they are actually written by the same person. I have read both groups of books and enjoyed them. She has written one book, Remember When, that had a first half written as Nora Roberts and the second half that took place in Eve’s time. I really enjoyed how the two parts of that story connected. Eve's part of Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.
CHARACTERS
Eve Dallas - Homicide detective that was very focused on whatever case she was working on. She was a good cop. She was trying to keep her distance from the lone survivor of a family that was murdered because the girl made Eve remember certain things from her past. Eve wasn’t comfortable around children, but she was determined to keep the girl safe.
Roarke - Eve’s husband. He was one of the richest men on the planet. He owned many buildings around the city. He also owned other properties around the world and even some resorts in space. He had a bad childhood and made his fortune himself. He had been involved in some shady dealings before he met Eve. He did what he could to help her and protect her.
Summerset - He and Roarke had known each other for years. He was like a father to Roarke. Summerset worked as his butler now. He and Eve didn’t get along that well.
Delia Peabody - Eve’s partner. Delia was still recovering from an injury she received on the last case she and Eve worked on. She hadn’t been a detective for that long, but she was doing well at the job. She did better at comforting some people than Eve did. She and Eve were also friends.
Ian McNab - He was a detective in the EDD. He and Delia had been dating for a while and recently moved in together.
Feeney - He had trained Eve before she became a detective. He was now in charge of the EDD. He and Eve were still friends and she usually got him to work on her cases.
Mavis - Eve’s best friend. Mavis was a popular singer and expecting her first child. She was excited about the baby and kept trying to get Eve more involved.
Nixie Swisher - nine-year-old girl that survived when her family was murdered late one night. Nixie saw some of what happened, but stayed quiet and called the police. She was drawn to Eve and wanted to stay near her. Nixie felt safe around Eve.
Survivor in Death was released in February 2005. It is available as a hardback and an audio book. I have the hardback version.
I really enjoyed Survivor in Death. It is a must read for anyone who enjoys the In Death series. People who enjoy books by Nora Roberts may also enjoy the books in the In Death series since Nora Roberts is J.D. Robb.
In her newest novel in the #1 "New York Times" bestselling series, Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb returns to the New York city of 2059, where Lieut...More at HotBookSale
The members of the Swisher family were murdered in their beds with brutal, military precision. The state-of-the-art security was breached, and the kil...More at Buy.com
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