Review of Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb

From Blogcritics.org --

Book Review: Fantasy in Death by J. D. Robb --

By: Mel Odom --
Mar 21, 2010 --

J. D. Robb (Nora Roberts) opens her newest murder mystery with New York Police Detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigating a homicide involving a top video game designer in Fantasy in Death. The year is 2060, and the world is just enough different than ours to be interesting, although the chase for the murderer seems very familiar.



I enjoyed Robb's treatment of the entertainment available that late in the 21st century, but after seeing all the entertainment dollars that get spent every month and how much technology seems to jump every three or four years, I think she may have seriously underestimated where video gaming and virtual reality may be in the next 50 years.

Robb is a virtuoso at getting a story underway, though. Within just a few pages, she's introduced us to the murder victim, a new way of gaming, and a host of other SF elements that mesh really well in her story.

As usual, Dallas and her ex-criminal husband Roarke end up chasing the same murderer for different reasons, and they end up at cross-purposes now and again. It's a formula, but it's a formula that works and has worked for over 30 novels in this series so far.

Eve Dallas's family and circle of friends has grown exponentially over the books. Each of them show up for cameo bits pretty much as their lives continually get tangled with each other's.

For the most part, I enjoyed Eve's pursuit of the murder investigation. Robb has the procedure down pat, and she's got her characters firmly in place as she marches them forward.

However, the plot in this one seemed to spiral for a while and become repetitious in the middle. And there was no real reason to expand Eve's suspicions past the three surviving partners. The false leads weren't developed quite as expertly as Robb normally does. And the revelation of the killer's identity wasn't astounding in any way.

I did like the fact that Eve and Roarke ended up fighting alone in the virtual reality world, and that Eve "cheated" the perverted system for the win. Fantasy in Death might not be anything new for long-time readers, but it's a solid entry into the long-lived series.

Review of Promises in Death by J.D. Robb

From New Jersey Star-Ledger --

Books: Five thrillers from women authors, including Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb --

By Kathleen Daley --
January 16, 2010 --

Promises in Death
J.D. Robb
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 352 pp., $25.95

In 1992, Putnam, the publisher of Nora Roberts’ romance novels, suggested she adopt a second pseudonym because they couldn’t publish her works fast enough. (Roberts’ real name is Eleanor Marie Robertson.) So the Maryland author became J.D. Robb when she began her "In Death" series of romantic suspense novels set in mid-21st-century New York City.

"Promises in Death" is No. 28. The heroine, homicide detective Eve Dallas, and her rich husband, Rourke, work together to find the killer of a fellow cop, Amaryllis Coltraine, who was romantically involved with the chief medical examiner. All very close to home. The prime suspect is an old lover of Coltraine’s, and that leads to the local prison on a remote pod. Dallas’ new car can go vertical.
It’s all very high-tech.

Dallas is a tough cookie with no sense of humor. She is all business, even during her romps in the hay with Rourke, where the dialogue is not remotely authentic. But Robb’s fans won’t care.

Quartet of crime-busters from arcane to addictive (J.D. Robb)

From Winnipeg Free Press --

Quartet of crime-busters from arcane to addictive --

By: John Sullivan --
12/12/2009 --

There's nothing terribly futuristic about the milieu of the even-more-enduring In Death series by J.D. Robb (aka insanely prolific romantic suspense author Nora Roberts), an envisioned 2060 so overtaken by recent technology as to seem almost quaintly understated.

No matter. Lieut. Eve Dallas and her bad-boy zillionaire husband Roarke are as addictive as ever in Robb's latest installment, Kindred in Death (Putnam, 384 pages, $34), where Robb/Roberts again explores her dark side in a series of grisly rape-murders.

Some Robb fans seem put off by this twisty tale of grim vengeance killings, leavened only by Eve's neo-feminine snarkiness, social ineptitude and patented Dallas-Roarke banter. Tough. Eve knows what she's about, and her legions of acolytes do too.

The Romance Reader: 'Kindred In Death' (J.D. Robb)

From Seattle-Tacoma The News Tribute --

The Romance Reader: 'Kindred In Death' --

By LEZLIE PATTERSON; McClatchy-Tribune News Service --
Published: 10/28/09 --

It's easy to see why many romance readers unwaveringly and staunchly love this series.

There's Roarke, the perfect hero.

There's Eve, the perfect heroine.

There are Peabody, Summerset, Mavis, Feeney and the rest of the perfect supporting cast.

Then there are the stories, each perfectly crafted to blend in a compelling murder case while still watching Eve and Roarke enjoy their unique brand of marital bliss.

Perfect.

Nora Roberts (writing as Robb) does an incredible job of making these futuristic romances appeal to the masses - even those who usually eschew futuristic stories and many (including men) who normally shun even the idea of reading a romance.

Each book in this series, which she began in 1995 with "Naked In Death," is exciting, entertaining and sizzling. Twenty-nine books later, readers clamor to read new stories about Eve and Roarke as soon as they hit the shelves.

And each book is one to savor.

Like many of the "In Death" books, "Kindred In Death" (due out Nov. 3) has a disturbing murder that Eve, with assistance from Roarke and the others, must solve while trying to balance the personal life that often baffles and befuddles her.

It's as Roarke often reflects, "For a woman of her sometimes terrifying courage, she feared the oddest things."

A cop's daughter is killed and Eve is on the case. In between chasing leads and interviewing witnesses, she's trying to figure out what she's supposed to do to help her friend Louise with her wedding.

The murder is despicable, just like the villains Eve ultimately catches.

And of course Roarke is there when he needs to be, lending assistance, support, love and passion.

Like the rest of these books, you'll finish this one looking forward to the next.

HOW IT STACKS UP

Overall rating: 5 of 5. The trademark witty repartee is there, the compelling suspense and the sizzling romance. Not to mention Roarke. These books make you laugh, cringe, sigh and cheer.

Hunk appeal: 10-plus. Again, Roarke is the measure that no other hero can live up to. It's really not even fair to compare others to him.

Steamy scene grade: XXXX. Not fair at all.

Happily-Ever-After: Very good, because it ends on a happy note after Eve (with Roarke) catches the bad guys. But a guest star in the series, 89-year-old Charity, makes catching the bad guys even more fun.

Reviews of New Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Comics - Kindred in Death (J.D. Robb)

From Publishers Weekly --

Reviews of New Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Comics - Kindred in Death --

9/14/2009 --

New York City law officers have more technological weapons at their disposal in bestseller Robb's snappy near-future series, but so do criminals, including the sadistic rapist killer who strikes down Deena MacMasters, the 16-year-old daughter of police captain Jonah MacMasters, in the 30th full-length novel to feature homicide detective Lt. Eve Dallas (after Promises in Death). MacMasters specifically asks that Dallas, who has a knack for clever insights and deductions, lead the investigation into his daughter's murder. An impressive team of professionals—augmented by Dallas's husband, Roarke, and his young protégé, Jaime Lingstrom—begins the arduous task of collecting and analyzing data. Clues suggest Deena may not be the only victim targeted by her killer and increase the pressure on Dallas and her cohorts. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) combines sex, horrific crime, forensics and technological wizardry for another winner sure to please her many fans. (Nov.)

J.D. Robb novel Fantasy in Death scheduled for February 2010 release

From Examiner --

J.D. Robb novel Fantasy in Death scheduled for February 2010 release --

by Carol Thomas --
August 10, 2009 --

The always productive Nora Roberts has yet another of her J.D. Robb novels waiting in the wings. Even though the next title in her In Death series, Kindred in Death, will not be released in the U.S. until November 3, 2009, she has already scheduled Fantasy in Death, the title to follow Kindred, to be available on February 23, 2010.

Amazon.com’s U.S. website, as of August 10, 2009, limits itself to providing only the product details listed below. However, Roberts' U.K. publishers, Piatkus Books, have, as usual, provided more detailed information to Amazon.com’s U.K. website.

According to their summary, the book will focus on four friends involved in creating virtual reality games – Cill, Var, Benny and Bart. Bart is murdered, apparently a victim of the group's newest game. Eve Dallas discovers "secrets, revenge and misplaced allegiances" as she investigates the crime.

J.D. Robb novel Kindred in Death scheduled for November 2009 release

From Examiner --

J.D. Robb novel Kindred in Death scheduled for November 2009 release --

by Carol Thomas --
August 9, 2009 --

Nora Roberts' alter ego, J.D. Robb, has scheduled Kindred in Death, the latest title in her In Death series, for a November 3, 2009 release. According to Amazon.com’s U.K. website, Kindred in Death will begin with the death of Deena McMasters, the teenage daughter of Captain Jonah McMasters, who heads the NYPD drug squad. Deena has been raped and murdered in her bedroom.

Later, a video of the badly beaten Deena surfaces which links her death to a criminal associated with McMasters. A second rape and murder, followed by a second video, soon reveals a killer whose intent is "merciless retribution."

Amazon.com’s U.S. website is less specific in the information it provides about Kindred in Death, revealing only that a recently promoted NYPSD captain and his wife return early from a vacation to discover their sixteen-year-old daughter’s brutal murder. The captain specifically asks that Eve be assigned to investigate. When Eve and her colleagues think they are ready to arrest the killer, they discover that he has been using different identities to taunt them.

Both of the major Robb and Roberts fan sites, ADWOFF and WikiInDeath, have been speculating for months about the contents of Kindred in Death. WikiInDeath members have searched for clues to the book's plot in the covers of both the American and British editions. One ADWOFF participant recently revealed on their private "Spoiler Board" forum than an excerpt from Kindred in Death can be found in the paperback edition of the book’s predecessor, Promises in Death. That paperback edition was released on July 28, 2009.

Dallas, Lieutenant Eve: A real woman's hero (J.D. Robb)

From Examiner.com --

Dallas, Lieutenant Eve: A real woman's hero --

June 29, 2009 --
By Julie Allen --

Few authors of woman's action-adventure fiction are able to create female heroes as likable and tough as Nora Roberts' Lieutenant Eve Dallas, lead character in her "in Death" series of futuristic detective novels. Robert's writes her "in Death" series under the pseudonym of J.D. Robb, giving her books that old-school feeling like her books were written by a cranky former cop with a few too many stories left to tell.

Detective Dallas is a New York Detective in the year 2050 or so, when society has gone completely techno and junk food is available only through the black market. Her government now pays stay-at-home parents a salary, prostitution is regulated by the government and cars can drive on autopilot. Many parts of Dallas' world sound perfect but even in her futuristic new York utopia there is still no shortage of crime.

Dallas works out of homicide and has made a name for herself in the still male-dominated world of police work through her tough, non-nonsense Dirty Harry style of crime fighting. No matter how rough she must get to track her suspect, she manages to keep her investigation on the right side of the law, never risking a conviction.

Traditional feminists may sneer at Dallas' masculine habits, dress and attitude. Women have been fighting for years to get equal treatment with men but resent feeling as though they must take on masculine habits just to keep up. But Robb's heroine, while one of the boys, has a feminine side that creeps out from time to time. Dallas is every bit the bad-ass modern heroine the contemporary action-adventure fans demand. She wields her high tech weapons with fierce flair, can hold her own in a hand-to-hand fight and run down her opponents like a linebacker. But she can be caring, sensible and brilliant all at the same time.

Robb's Eve Dallas will appeal largely to female readers, but there are plenty of strong male characters, car chases and explosions to hook anyone's inner action hero. Robb has created, in Eve Dallas, a character with a careful blend of old-fashioned femininity, Die-Hard style ass-kicking and cunning smarts that fights until she wins. With over 25 "in Death" books to her credit, local Maryland girl Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb has created a lasting character that, thankfully, is showing no signs of retiring any time soon.

Robert's books are available at any local bookstore or at your favorite online bookseller. Check out the mystery section to find J.D. Robb's "in Death" series.

Book Review: Eve Dallas on another case (J.D. Robb)

From Oklahoman NewsOK --

Book Review: Eve Dallas on another case --

fiction‘Promises in Death’ is latest in mystery series --
Published: March 22, 2009 --

Lt. Eve Dallas must crack a case with deeply personal ramifications in "Promises in Death,” (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95), the 28th book in J.D. Robb’s best-selling futuristic romance/suspense series.

When Dallas, a canny New York City homicide investigator, and her stalwart partner Detective Peabody arrive on a murder scene, they discover the victim is a fellow cop: Detective Amaryllis Coltraine, who recently transferred from Atlanta.

Coltraine also was the lover of Chief Medical Examiner Li Morris, one of Dallas’ close friends.

Vowing to catch the killer, Dallas navigates the choppy emotional waters of helping a friend through grief and investigating the resentful cops on Coltraine’s squad.

The case takes an unexpected turn when Dallas uncovers a link between Coltraine and Max Ricker, the cruel crime lord whom Dallas and her multibillionaire computer-whiz husband, Roarke, put in prison.

The mystery isn’t as strong as the last "In Death” novel, "Salvation in Death.” But "Promises in Death” delves deeper into the emotional growth of Dallas and Roarke, who both were abused as children and still struggle to form close bonds. Dallas must deal with her husband’s fear that she will someday die on the job.

The book gets comic relief in Dallas’ efforts to host a bridal shower/bachelorette party and buy a proper wedding gift for her pal Dr. Louise Dimatto. The festivities unite many of the series’ beloved secondary characters for the kind of girly-girl fun Dallas cannot abide.

In her "In Death” series, Robb (pen name for romance writer Nora Roberts) keeps bringing to life her colorful characters in New York City circa 2060.

— Brandy McDonnell