I am going to recommend this book as THE "...In Death " book to start the series with to all my friends. Yes, I know it's #27 but it's great. Eve Dallas, the person, really shows through in this book. Not just Lt.Eve Dallas as is the case in many of the books in this series. I know there were many times in the earlier books when I'd wonder, "What does he see in her"?, "She's so stiff. So socially incompetent.Why is he still with her" or " Why do people like her?". This book lets us see more of Eve even while Lt. Dallas is hard at work solving cases. This is great book filled with humor,love, and friendship. I have always felt that most series tend to hit their stride around book 6. By then I have a feel for how they are going. I read up to book 5 in order. Then I hit a wall. Nothing that old in this series at the library. There's a LOT of books in this series. If I really wanted to stick to the chronological order it was going to cost me a lot of $$$. The thing about most series is they either get better, get worse, or get so repetitive they could be written by formula. So I started reading as close to order as I can find in the library. I started reading the "In Death" series this spring. It's the only thing by Nora Roberts I like. I always knew she could write, but her romance novels are to sappy for me. For those that like her romance and Lifetime movies. Great. Keep reading and watching. I'm glad she need a break from writing them and started on the In Death series as J.D. Robb.Her writing is so different with these 2 series that I think it's brilliant that she pens then under different names. She's been writing In Death for over 10 years. Maybe what keeps the In Death books "fresh" is that she is alternating with writing Romance and Lifetime scripts. Ms. Robbs/Roberts is continuing to write very good series. I like "In Death". For those thinking of starting the series know starting at the beginning and staying in order is an almost impossible task.I've decided that the way this series is written there is no real reason to read them in order. So treat yourself to a great read. Check out Born In Death by J.D. Robb
BORN IN DEATH (Police Proc-NYC-Future) – VGRobb, J.D. (aka Nora Roberts) – 25th in seriesPutnam, 2006- Amer Hardcover*** Eve Dallas is investigating the murder of a young professional woman. One murder quickly turns into two as her fiancée is found murdered in his apartment; two murders, one killer. To Eve, the motive clearly ties back to their work. But in the midst of the investigation, Eve’s extremely pregnant friend, Maise, begs Eve to find a fellow mother-to-be, Tandy, who has suddenly disappeared. *** Reading Robb is one of my guilty pleasures, and a pleasure it was, indeed. The hallmarks of the series, along with the usual characters were there; crisp dialogue with occasional elements of humor, Eve’s single-focused determination to bring justice to the victims, her love to her friends, in spite of her discomfort with emotions, and her relationship with Roarke. But it also had an emotional note with Maise’s pregnancy, a question of Eve and Roake’s ethics and reminders back to both Eve’s and Roarke’s past. The plot wasn’t perfect, the coincidence huge and I enjoyed every bit of it. What can I say, I’m a fan. And sometimes you just need a purely enjoyable read. Anyone thinking of reading this series, however, should start at the beginning.
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This book deserves five stars for just the scene where Eve is dashing back and forth between two hospital rooms and two women giving birth. The baby shower is a close second. And Roarke and Eve's reactions when two women go into labor in their home is a definite third. All of them are wonderfully funny. I love the way Eve is working two cases at once, going without much needed sleep along with Roarke, while she juggles the two and barely beats out the babies' arrivals with a solution to both cases, thereby justifying the two days without sleep. There are one or two great moments between Sommerset and Eve, many laughs when Eve and Roarke panic over the back-up coaching, and I'm happy to say that even Mavis is not all sweetness and light when in labor as she gives her honey-bear Leonardo a few knocks. It has become a game to see in each book the different endearments Mavis comes up with for Leonardo. Some of them are priceless. No candy thief in this one, although there is a brief reference to him/her and several references to the previous short, Haunted in Death, which I did not catch the first time I read the book, since I didn't read them in order. Now I am.
—Maria
I was looking at other reviews and found this one right on the nose, so I'm copying it: This is my first "In Death" series by J.D. Robb...and it will be my last. Maybe I made a mistake starting with #23 of the series!? I really enjoy a good murder mystery, and the plot was OK, the only reason I forged on and read the entire book. However, I did not find the characters likeable, and I saw no purpose in setting it in 2060 other than giving the author a chance to use imaginary, futuristic vocabulary that was either confusing or silly. Pregnant women were intricate to the story, but it was annoying to have the characters divided between two extremes: either complete giddiness about pregnancy and child birth or complete nausea and fear. I have read a few Nora Roberts' romance novels and have usually enjoyed them despite her need to include some explicit sex scenes. However, the explicit sex scenes and racy banter between Eve and Roarke were totally unnecessary and ridiculous; this is a murder mystery!
—Tonya
Nora Roberts isn't my favorite author, but these JD Robb books are recommended by a lot of people I know. I didn't hate this, but it took me a long while to get into it. I didn't feel that the futuristic elements of the book added to the appeal. I think that Roberts (Robb) sets her character up with a filthy rich husband to make the story easier to write. Of course she can solve all these crimes when she has a husband with all the resources and time in the world to help her. And even though there is a small controversy about his involvement, it's all smoothed over. Do police really involve their spouses in their investigations? As active partners? Even sixty years in the future? It is true that the end of the book was very exciting and I couldn't put it down. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to by another book by JD Robb.
—Coralie
