New York to Dallas by JD Robb

As you can tell from my other reviews I’m a long-time fan of this series by JD Robb. This 33drd book in the series does not disappoint and the author does a great job of bringing Eve Dallas’ past and present together in a riveting thriller.

All the books in the series have been leading up to this story. As more and more of Eve’s past has become known it’s been apparent that at some point she would have to confront it and in this book she comes face to face with her childhood nightmares. As always there is a generous helping of humour and romance in this story which helps to temper some of the ugliness of the crimes being committed.

Although I enjoy a good first person story, the beauty of a 3rd person narrative is that you get to hear what all the characters are thinking, not just the main one. That’s important in this kind of book where the plot is driven by the dialogue and not necessarily the action. As Eve spends more and more time trying to profile her suspect and target where she will capture him we get variety and insight by getting to hear what the suspect is thinking and feeling.

I’m surprised that this series hasn’t hit TV or the movies yet. It would make a great crime/drama/sci-fi series with the right casting and scripts.
I can see far ahead in this series. In fact it could now be called In Life instead of In Death and focus on things like Eve and Roake’s children which I’m sure will be showing up sooner rather than later and even delving into the futuristic aspect that so far has only been a setting for the stories rather than a plot line. This series still has a long way to go and JD Robb shows no signs of stopping for which I’m glad.

Time of Death by J.D. Robb

I received a review copy of Time of Death from the Penguin Group. This is an anthology of 3 novellas published by JD Robb, Eternity in Death, Ritual in Death and Missing in Death. Although these are reprints and not new books this is a good packaging/marketing tool. I like it when publishers use anthologies especially in long running series. It’s a good way to get a taste of the series and decide if you like it enough to invest in other books without first spending a lot on new books.

In each of these books we discover a bit more about the main character Eve Dallas. In Missing in Death, her husband says of her “it takes more than skill and duty to make a good cop…it takes an unfailing sense of right and wrong.” In each of these books Dallas doesn’t just solve the crime, she wrestles with the motives and the feelings that each criminal brings to the crime.

These are books where the murders happen relatively early in the story. The balance of the story is the deduction of who did it and why it was done. Along the way we find out more about what makes Eve Dallas tick and why she is a good cop.

This book is a good introduction to the series. You will want to go back and catch up on the story, find out about her childhood, how she met her husband, why she doesn’t like his butler. But you don’t need to know all that to enjoy this anthology.

Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb

Thanks to Penguin Books I received a copy of J.D. Robb’s latest book Indulgence in Death to review.

Eve Dallas is a New York City police lieutenant who is known as the top murder cop in the city. She is married to a wealthy man who is also considered to be the best in his line of work. Together, they are the quintessential power couple.
There is a game afoot and it involves murder. It’s Eve’s job to find out who is killing people who have become the best in their line of work. The murders involve exotic weapons, places and people. It’s a world that Eve can navigate because of her position as well as her marriage.

J.D. Robb always tells a good story. The story is in the investigation and the conversation. This is a very verbal book. There is lots of banter and discussion. As with her other books, the reader knows early on who the killers are. It’s the reasoning and interplay between the characters that makes the book interesting.
Along with the murders, the other themes are familiar ones. Friendship and family are key concepts in this series. Eve is learning to accept friendship and family and to allow herself to be loved. To find out why this is difficult for her you will need to start at the beginning of the series and find out about her background. Indulgence in Death is another great look into the criminal mind and the minds of those who serve and protect.

Big Jack by J.D. Robb

J.D. Robb is the alter ego of author Nora Roberts. Nora Roberts books tend to be romance oriented. J.D. Robb writes futuristic mystery novels based on the character Eve Dallas.

This has long been one of my favourite series to follow. There's the inevitable mystery, futuristic police procedures and a nice little romance between the main character Eve Dallas, a New York city police officer and her uber-wealthy, ex-thief turned honest husband.

Big Jack is the continuation of the story started in Nora Roberts book, Hot Rocks. It's based on the story of the descendants of some thieves involved in a diamond heist. Eve's continual battle is against the idea that the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children. Or can people from horrible and evil families change. This is a theme in most of the books of the series and mirrors Eve's own struggles with her family's lack of moral fiber

I highly recommend looking for these books in used books stores and starting in on the series if you enjoy mysteries with a hint of romance and humour.