dragonfire88's Full Review: J. D. Robb - Witness in Death
After hearing about J.D. Robb’s In Death series for a while, I finally picked up Naked in Death. When I enjoyed that book, I got the rest of the books that were out at that time and now get the new books when they are released. I’ve been reading the books in the series again even though I have a lot of other books around to read. I just finished reading Witness in Death, the tenth book in the series.
All of the books in the In Death series have been set in the future. Witness in Death was set in the spring of 2059. A group of returning characters, some featured more than others, return for each book. Eve Dallas, a homicide detective for the New York police department, and her wealthy husband Roarke were the main characters in the series. Each book has focused on a different murder investigation that Eve was working on while also taking some time to explore Eve’s relationships with Roarke and her friends. Delia Peabody had been Eve’s aide for several months and the two had developed a friendship. Feeney, the detective in charge of the Electronic Detective Division, usually worked on the cases with Eve, taking care of any computer related things she needed done. Ian McNab, a detective in the EDD, had worked on a few of Eve’s cases as well. Since the series is set in the future, different futuristic gadgets turn up as well.
Eve and Roarke were enjoying a night at the theater when something went wrong with the performance. In a scene when a character was supposed to be stabbed, the actor playing the part was actually stabbed on stage. Eve moved quickly to secure the scene and called in help to question the audience since everyone, including Eve herself, were witnesses. As she and Delia worked on the case, they learned that the victim had many enemies which meant many suspects. The murder received a lot of media attention, partly because it happened while Eve and Roarke were in the audience. The fact that Roarke owned the theater also added to the media attention. Ian and Delia continued the new aspect of their relationship, even going on their first date.
As is usual in the books in this series, Eve had a new case to investigate by the end of the first chapter. The fact that Eve was actually a witness to the murder made the case very different. I enjoyed the mystery in Witness in Death and thought it was interesting how the murder took place on stage. Because it was part of the play for a character to be stabbed, it wasn’t really clear cut who was responsible since many people could have replaced the knife. Most of the suspects were actors and Eve was aware of the fact that they could be using their acting abilities to lie. Eve and Delia uncovered a lot of things about the victim that showed he’d been a horrible man. One thing in particular that came out was very disturbing and could upset some readers. There was some violence in the book, but it wasn’t as graphic as the violence has been in some of the other books in the series.
Eve and Roarke’s relationship continued to be very important in Witness in Death without detracting from the mystery aspect of the book. A talk that Eve and Delia had related to the case had Eve realizing that she still had some trouble expressing her feelings for Roarke and that he was always the one to make romantic gestures. She decided that she would put together a nice meal for them one night when she got home before him one evening. The food itself wasn’t too much of a problem since Even just needed to push some buttons on the AutoChef. It was really funny how she was all most ready to freak when she discovered how many plates, in different patterns, that Roarke had. The silverware and crystal options were just as over whelming for her. That part wasn’t really important to the plot overall, though it did help to show just how much Eve had changed since meeting Roarke. The fact that she took the time to do something like that was a big step for her. I thought it was sweet how she struggled to do something for Roarke for a change. I’ve always enjoyed the scenes that focus on Eve and Roarke’s relationship. There were a few sex scenes between them in the book that were descriptive without being too graphic.
In Loyalty in Death, Ian and Delia finally acted on the feelings they had for each. It seemed like it was just sex at first, but it became clear in this book that Ian was interested in more with Delia and baffled by that need. They did go on their first official date even though they had been having sex on a fairly regular basis. The date wasn’t shared in the book. Their relationship was developing, though there was a complication. After Delia started working as Eve’s aide, she met Charles, a male LC, during the course of an investigation. Charles was a nice man and he charmed Delia. She had been going out with him periodically since then, though their relationship wasn’t sexual. Delia deliberately kept that from Ian. I really didn’t like the way Delia was handling the situation. Ian was all ready feeling a bit jealous of the fact that she went out with Charles, so she was just setting it up to cause a huge mess.
Eve has been featured more than Roarke in every book, so she has been developed a bit more. Some things about Roarke were still a mystery, but he was far from a flat character. He tended to get involved in Eve’s investigations even when she tried to keep him out of it. He was determined to do whatever he could to help her, even if it meant temporarily upsetting her. Eve continued to be dedicated to her job. She was getting more adjusted to married life. Summerset had been Roarke’s butler for several years and the two men had known each other even longer. Summerset continued to act gruff to Eve even though he had changed his opinion of her. He realized that she wouldn’t be able to deal with him acting nice to her, so he was sneaky about checking up on her.
Delia was learning a lot by working as Eve’s aide. The two women developed a friendship and Delia loved saying things that would cause Eve to freak out. Delia was a nice woman, though she didn’t always make the best decisions with regard to her private life. Ian was a bit more outrageous than most detectives and people underestimated him because of the way he dressed. Feeney continued to be around to help out with all the electronic aspects of the investigation. He had trained Eve several years before and he was sort of like a father to her. All of the other characters had much smaller parts in the book. Nadine Furst was a reporter that Eve had developed a friendship with. Nadine was always after a story, but she would wait to give out certain information on air when Eve told her too. Dr. Mira was the psychiatrist that worked for the police department. She would work with Eve in developing profiles for suspects or she would meet with a suspect to determine if they could have committed the crime. Mavis, Eve’s best friend, was barely featured in this book. She usually wasn’t in a lot of the books, but as the series as progressed, her part has gotten a lot smaller.
Author Nora Roberts decided to use the name J.D. Robb when she started writing the In Death series. I had heard for a while that Roberts and Robb before I started reading the series. I started with those books and once I read all of them that were out at that point, I moved on to reading the books she wrote as Roberts. I have really enjoyed both groups of books and think other people could as well. The main difference is that the In Death books are set in the future. The mystery tends to be a little stronger in them and at times the violence is more graphic. She has written one book, Remember When, that has both names listed as authors. The book started in current times and then concluded in Eve’s time with the two halves being connected by a mystery. Eve’s part of Remember When happened between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.
Witness in Death was another very entertaining book in the In Death series. People who have enjoyed the first books in the series should also like this one.
Writing as J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts presents the tenth book in a captivating futuristic series. Opening night at New York's New Globe Theater turns fro...More at HotBookSale
Writing as J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts presents the tenth book in a captivating futuristic series. Opening night at New York s New Globe Theater turns fro...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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