dragonfire88's Full Review: J. D. Robb and Nora Roberts - Vengeance in Death
Several years ago I first picked up Naked in Death, the first book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. I really enjoyed the book and have since read all of the books in the series. I recently decided to read the books in the series again. I just read Vengeance in Death.
J.D. Robb began the In Death series more than ten years ago and it now has more than twenty books and three short stories. The books are futuristic romantic suspense books set mostly in New York City. Vengeance in Death was set late in 2058. The books feature a group of returning characters led by Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a homicide detective on the New York police force, and her very wealthy husband Roarke. Every book has featured a different investigation that Eve was working on while still managing to build on what had been established in previous books. Eve usually turned to Feeney and the Electronic Detective Division (EDD) for help on the cases. Delia Peabody became Eve’s aide so she was also involved in the investigations. Part of each book dealt with Eve’s personal life, including her relationships with Roarke and her best friend Mavis. Since the series was set in the future, different futuristic devices were used by the characters throughout the books. I really enjoy reading about those things and wouldn’t mind having some of them myself.
Eve was getting ready to go home for a business dinner Roarke was having when she received a transmission from someone that wanted her involved in an investigation. The person gave Eve a few clues that led her and Delia to a brutal murder scene. Eve soon had another murder added to the investigation and she had to deal with the fact that the evidence was pointing to Summerset and Roarke knew the victims from when he’d still lived in Dublin. Roarke had a theory after the first murder that he kept from Eve until he was sure he was right, which ticked Eve off when she found out. Eve continued to get clues through transmissions as the murders continued. As she uncovered more evidence, she became convinced that Roarke was the ultimate target.
Eve and Roarke first met because of one of Eve’s murder investigations. Since then, Roarke has had connections to some of her other cases like knowing other victims, suspects, or even owning property that was involved in the murders. He has been able to do things because of his connections and skill with using computers to help Eve with her cases. Roarke had a shady past that was causing complications with his life because of the connection to Eve’s current case. Eve was aware that Roarke had been involved in illegal activities when he still lived in Ireland though she didn’t know exactly what he’d done and preferred not to think about it. As the murders continued and Roarke was convinced that they were connected to him, he shared more with Eve, at least about a few incidents. She had always known that he’d been willing the cross the line between legal and illegal and bend or even break laws without knowing specifics. She found out just how far over that line he’d gone. It was very interesting to start learning more about Roarke’s past. The investigation in this book did strain Eve and Roarke’s relationship. It also forced Eve and Summerset to look at each other differently.
Eve was a well known member of the police force because of the high profile cases she’d worked on in the past and because she was married to Roarke. The killer got Eve involved in this case by calling with information about the murders and giving Eve clues, claiming that she could possibly save the intended victims if she was fast enough. There were several connected murders by the end of the book. The murders weren’t described as they happened but the bodies of the victims were described once they were found. A few things leading up to one of the murders was also shared at one point. The murders, especially the first one, were very brutal and gory. The descriptions could be too graphic for some readers. There was violence in a few scenes, including one when Eve was hurt. It was clear from fairly early on that Roarke was connected to the victims but I didn’t think that made the mystery weaker. There was still the question of exactly who the killer was to be answered. I thought the mystery was very interesting.
Eve and Roarke’s relationship has been growing and changing since the first book. They, especially Eve, were still adjusting to married life. She loved her husband but she still wasn’t use to expressing it or depending on Roarke for certain things. I’ve really enjoyed reading about how their relationship has grown and changed over the course of the books. They did share several sexual situations and sex scenes in Vengeance in Death. The scenes were descriptive and may be too graphic for some readers. Their relationship is very important to the series overall and manages not to detract from the mystery in each book. Eve and Roarke did have a few bumpy moments in this book because of his connection to the case.
Eve and Roarke continue to be the main characters in the series. Eve has been featured in more of each book than Roarke has so she is more developed than he is. There are secrets lurking in his past, some of which were revealed in this book. More of his secrets are still hidden, waiting to pop up sometime later in the series. Eve was still haunted by events from her past, though it did seem like she wasn’t having as many nightmares. She was a dedicated cop who wouldn’t stop once she got started on an investigation. She frequently pushed herself too hard when working on an investigation and ended up very run down. Summerset and Roarke had known each other for years from when they both lived in Ireland. Summerset was very loyal to Roarke and often snipped at Eve because he felt she wasn’t good enough for Roarke. Summerset witnessed the horror of one of her nightmares once and he seemed to start changing his opinion of her at that point. He continued to grumble at her.
Mavis and Eve had been friends for a long time. Mavis had moved in with Leonardo, a fashion designer, and the two were very happy together. Mavis was very flamboyant, wearing wild fashions and changing her hair color more often than some people change their underwear. I do like Mavis, so I was disappointed that she wasn’t around a bit more. Delia Peabody had started off as a very minor character in the second book and was now a main returning character. She was in a lot of this book since she was Eve’s aide and involved in the investigations. Eve and Delia were becoming friends. Ian McNab was a detective with the EDD that was assigned to help Eve while Feeney was on vacation. He didn’t look like a typical cop and Delia was very annoyed by him. The way they snipped at each other was hinting at things to come in future books.
Feeney was in charge of the EDD. Before taking over that department, he’d trained Eve and the two remained friends. Dr. Mira was a psychiatrist that worked for the police force. She would meet with police officers if they ended up having to kill someone on the job. She would create profiles of suspects and even meet with some of them and give her opinions on if she felt they were capable of committing the crime they were accused of. Dr. Mira considered Eve a friend and tended to worry about her. Nadine was a reporter that would turn up, even inside Eve’s office, wanting interviews about current cases. Nadine was always interested in landing a big story, but she would hold back on reporting things if Eve asked.
J.D. Robb is the name that author Nora Roberts uses when she writes the In Death books. I started out reading the In Death books and then moved on to the books she wrote under her own name. I have enjoyed them all. Both groups of books are well written, descriptive, and very entertaining. The books in the In Death series tend to have more of a focus on the mystery and suspense while her other books are more focused on romance and relationships even though they also usually have some mystery in them. Really the only difference between the books is that the In Death books are set in the future while the books she writes under her own names are set in current times. She has written on book, Remember When, that started in current times and then concluded in Eve’s time. The halves of the book were connected by a mystery. Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death and included an important development for one character so I do think it should be read. Robb has also written three other short stories for the series. Nothing important overall happened in those stories, so people won’t really miss anything if they skip the short stories.
Vengeance in Death was a very entertaining book and I really enjoyed it. The book did delve more into Roarke’s past and shared new things about him. People who have enjoyed the first books in the In Death series should like this one as well. People that like Nora Roberts book may also like this one since they are the same author.
Eve is stunned by the vicious nature of a series of murders--and haunted by the cryptic riddles left for her by the killer. The crimes are clearly rel...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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