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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Eighteenth in the In Death futuristic police procedural romantic suspense series revolving around Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her hunky gazillionaire husband. Set in September 2059 in New York City, the focus is on a security expert employed by Roarke. If you're interested, there is a chronological listing of the In Death books on my website.
Divided in Death was nominated in 2005 for the RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Paranormal Romance.
My Take
This was a twister and fun — she got her own back!
It's a detective novel, a police procedural, and forensics all wrapped in with the futuristic setting and the romance between Eve and Roarke. Sigh . . . Not that it's all hearts and flowers for these two, oh no, they have plenty of battles. There's also a burgeoning love in Divided in Death.
Poor Eve. Roarke is forever giving her presents. He's also, forever, feeding her team whenever they meet at her home office. Okay, okay, he feeds them when they're working on a hot case at the police station too. The man is beyond brilliant with computers . . . and Peabody thinks Roarke would be the complete James Bond. Yeah, he's gorgeous with a heart-melting Irish accent.
I dunno. People keep thinking Eve will accept what they set up for her. If they only knew . . .
Then there's the major betrayal at the end. Wow. Yeah, it's a wow from both sides, good and evil. There's also a major confession from Dr Mira. And that sneak-around that Dallas does on the HSO. You go, girl!!
The Story
It's horrible to believe you're loved and then discover the truth.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is the head of Homicide at Cop Central. She's married to one of the wealthiest men on the planet — a former thief, smuggler, you name it — and Roarke is gorgeous and supportive of his cop wife. Hmm, sometimes overly supportive, lol. Galahad is their pudge of a cat. I do enjoy those scenes when Galahad tries to cop food, lol! Summerset is the majordomo Eve loves to hate. Aunt Sinead is part of Roarke's newly discovered Irish family.
Dallas' friends include Mavis Freestone, a colorful singing sensation, who is cohabbing with Leonardo, a famous fashion designer. Dr Louise DiMatto runs the Canal Street Clinic for the homeless and helpless. Nadine Furst is Channel 75's on-air ace reporter with a heart.
New York Police and Security Department (NYPSD)
The newly elevated Detective Delia Peabody is so excited about her promotion. Commander Jack Whitney is in charge of Cop Central and is Dallas' boss. Tibble is the police chief. Dr Charlotte Mira is the head profiler for the NYPSD and one of Dallas' friends . . . and a mother figure. Mira's husband, Dennis, is an absolute sweetheart, absent-minded and kind, and with whom Eve is a little bit in love. Captain Ryan Feeney is the head of the Electronic Detective Division (EDD) and just back from Bimini, a trip Dallas flipped for him and his family. Feeney says his whole family sees him as a hero, a status he expects to enjoy for the next six months. He's also been Eve's mentor and a father figure to her. Detective Ian McNab is one of his and in love with Peabody.
Dr Li Morris is the chief medical examiner and talented with the tenor sax. Marlie Drew is night shift with the AME. Joseph Powell and Sibresky are big on jokes but careful with their "cargo". Angelo was Powell's replacement. Mrs Lance was Powell's neighbor. Sally "Sal" Riser logs the bodies out from Staging. Dick Berenski is the chief lab tech and as disgusting as he is brilliant. Lieutenant Don Webster, who has a thing for Dallas, is with Internal Affairs (IAB). Lamar is a police artist.
Roarke Enterprises
Caro is Roarke's extremely trusted administrative assistant. Reva Ewing is Caro's daughter, former Secret Service, and a security expert who's questioning herself. She works for Roarke on a Code Red project in Roarke Industries Securecomp division, a contract that came through the Global Intelligence Council. She's been married for two years to Blair Bissel, a sculptor. Yoshi Tokimoto is Reva's second-in-command. Reva suggests Roarke up LaSalle to second-in-command to replace Tokimoto.
Blair's parents are Marcus Bissel and Rita Hass. Carter is Blair's younger, dissolute brother with a half interest in a Jamaican tiki bar, Waves, with Diesel Moore. Chloe McCoy was employed at Blair's art studio . . . and, ohmigod, what a drama queen! Deena Hornbock is Chloe's tolerant neighbor. Officer Nalley was first on scene. Felicity Kade, a trust fund baby and Reva's best friend, loves art, fashion, and socializing. Previous boyfriends include Fredo. LeBliss Consultants is a hide.
HSO began . . .
. .. at the end of the Urban Wars to protect the country, police the streets, and gather intel from radical factions. It's morphed into its own terrorist group. Quinn Sparrow is the assistant director of Data Resources. Operative Clark with Homeland Security had been surveilling Troy and his eight-year-old daughter, Dallas.
The Doomsday Group is a group of techno-terrorists.
Jerry is the doorman at Caro's apartment building. Anne B Foster had been president of the US when Reva saved her life. Patrick Roarke, a.k.a. Roarke O'Hara, had been Roarke's sad excuse of a father. He had been involved in "business" with Richard Troy, a.k.a. Richie Williams, William Bounty, and/or Rick Marco — Dallas' truly hideous father. Both men had been involved with Max Ricker (Judgment in Death, 11). The results of Ricker-Troy-Roarke's dealings come out in Out of This World: "Interlude in Death", 12.5. Snooks is an Arena Ball player. The Blue Squirrel is where Mavis used to sing and is renowned for its horrible food and drink. Sheila is McNab's cousin in Scotland. Reva's absent father is Bryce Gruber.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a black background on the top two-thirds. A colonial blue banner divides the top from the bottom graphic and acts as the background for the title in black. At the very top of the cover is an info blurb in white with the real author's name in white with a white outline. Her pseudonym is in colonial blue behind the first name. At the bottom is a collage of events in the story from purple to gold to deep orange.
The title could refer to so many possibilities that are Divided in Death, all those betrayals from Reva and Blair and family to the HSO and Doomsday/Roarke Enterprises to friendships.
Divided in Death was nominated in 2005 for the RITA Award by Romance Writers of America for Paranormal Romance.
My Take
This was a twister and fun — she got her own back!
It's a detective novel, a police procedural, and forensics all wrapped in with the futuristic setting and the romance between Eve and Roarke. Sigh . . . Not that it's all hearts and flowers for these two, oh no, they have plenty of battles. There's also a burgeoning love in Divided in Death.
Poor Eve. Roarke is forever giving her presents. He's also, forever, feeding her team whenever they meet at her home office. Okay, okay, he feeds them when they're working on a hot case at the police station too. The man is beyond brilliant with computers . . . and Peabody thinks Roarke would be the complete James Bond. Yeah, he's gorgeous with a heart-melting Irish accent.
I dunno. People keep thinking Eve will accept what they set up for her. If they only knew . . .
"humans who didn't have a working arrangement with soap and water" . . . I can smell it now!Robb uses third person global subjective point-of-view, mostly from Dallas' perspective with Roarke second, and other characters popping in. Robb also keeps a nice rhythm going, jumping back and forth with characters and the action they're experiencing. Whew.
Then there's the major betrayal at the end. Wow. Yeah, it's a wow from both sides, good and evil. There's also a major confession from Dr Mira. And that sneak-around that Dallas does on the HSO. You go, girl!!
The Story
It's horrible to believe you're loved and then discover the truth.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is the head of Homicide at Cop Central. She's married to one of the wealthiest men on the planet — a former thief, smuggler, you name it — and Roarke is gorgeous and supportive of his cop wife. Hmm, sometimes overly supportive, lol. Galahad is their pudge of a cat. I do enjoy those scenes when Galahad tries to cop food, lol! Summerset is the majordomo Eve loves to hate. Aunt Sinead is part of Roarke's newly discovered Irish family.
Dallas' friends include Mavis Freestone, a colorful singing sensation, who is cohabbing with Leonardo, a famous fashion designer. Dr Louise DiMatto runs the Canal Street Clinic for the homeless and helpless. Nadine Furst is Channel 75's on-air ace reporter with a heart.
New York Police and Security Department (NYPSD)
The newly elevated Detective Delia Peabody is so excited about her promotion. Commander Jack Whitney is in charge of Cop Central and is Dallas' boss. Tibble is the police chief. Dr Charlotte Mira is the head profiler for the NYPSD and one of Dallas' friends . . . and a mother figure. Mira's husband, Dennis, is an absolute sweetheart, absent-minded and kind, and with whom Eve is a little bit in love. Captain Ryan Feeney is the head of the Electronic Detective Division (EDD) and just back from Bimini, a trip Dallas flipped for him and his family. Feeney says his whole family sees him as a hero, a status he expects to enjoy for the next six months. He's also been Eve's mentor and a father figure to her. Detective Ian McNab is one of his and in love with Peabody.
Dr Li Morris is the chief medical examiner and talented with the tenor sax. Marlie Drew is night shift with the AME. Joseph Powell and Sibresky are big on jokes but careful with their "cargo". Angelo was Powell's replacement. Mrs Lance was Powell's neighbor. Sally "Sal" Riser logs the bodies out from Staging. Dick Berenski is the chief lab tech and as disgusting as he is brilliant. Lieutenant Don Webster, who has a thing for Dallas, is with Internal Affairs (IAB). Lamar is a police artist.
Roarke Enterprises
Caro is Roarke's extremely trusted administrative assistant. Reva Ewing is Caro's daughter, former Secret Service, and a security expert who's questioning herself. She works for Roarke on a Code Red project in Roarke Industries Securecomp division, a contract that came through the Global Intelligence Council. She's been married for two years to Blair Bissel, a sculptor. Yoshi Tokimoto is Reva's second-in-command. Reva suggests Roarke up LaSalle to second-in-command to replace Tokimoto.
Blair's parents are Marcus Bissel and Rita Hass. Carter is Blair's younger, dissolute brother with a half interest in a Jamaican tiki bar, Waves, with Diesel Moore. Chloe McCoy was employed at Blair's art studio . . . and, ohmigod, what a drama queen! Deena Hornbock is Chloe's tolerant neighbor. Officer Nalley was first on scene. Felicity Kade, a trust fund baby and Reva's best friend, loves art, fashion, and socializing. Previous boyfriends include Fredo. LeBliss Consultants is a hide.
HSO began . . .
. .. at the end of the Urban Wars to protect the country, police the streets, and gather intel from radical factions. It's morphed into its own terrorist group. Quinn Sparrow is the assistant director of Data Resources. Operative Clark with Homeland Security had been surveilling Troy and his eight-year-old daughter, Dallas.
The Doomsday Group is a group of techno-terrorists.
Jerry is the doorman at Caro's apartment building. Anne B Foster had been president of the US when Reva saved her life. Patrick Roarke, a.k.a. Roarke O'Hara, had been Roarke's sad excuse of a father. He had been involved in "business" with Richard Troy, a.k.a. Richie Williams, William Bounty, and/or Rick Marco — Dallas' truly hideous father. Both men had been involved with Max Ricker (Judgment in Death, 11). The results of Ricker-Troy-Roarke's dealings come out in Out of This World: "Interlude in Death", 12.5. Snooks is an Arena Ball player. The Blue Squirrel is where Mavis used to sing and is renowned for its horrible food and drink. Sheila is McNab's cousin in Scotland. Reva's absent father is Bryce Gruber.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a black background on the top two-thirds. A colonial blue banner divides the top from the bottom graphic and acts as the background for the title in black. At the very top of the cover is an info blurb in white with the real author's name in white with a white outline. Her pseudonym is in colonial blue behind the first name. At the bottom is a collage of events in the story from purple to gold to deep orange.
The title could refer to so many possibilities that are Divided in Death, all those betrayals from Reva and Blair and family to the HSO and Doomsday/Roarke Enterprises to friendships.
anbananova's review
3.0
it was a hard one. i don’t like books where eve and roarke are fighting. i don’t like roarke in those situations. he was acting selfish in my opinion. he wanted to eliminate those agents for himself but not for eve. i remembered this book from my first read and i’m glad it’s over.
💞
“You’ve been busy.”
Peabody grinned. “We detectives do what we can.”
“You’re not going to be able to milk that much longer.”
“I figure I’ve got at least a month to mention my detective status at least three times a day. After that, I’m weaning myself.”
“Oh, look, what fun. His and her VR. Maybe we could—” He started to reach for the matching goggles, and had his hand slapped away.
“No.”
“You’re so strict.” He walked his fingers along her knee. “Maybe you could be strict with me later.” Wiggling those eyebrows, he held up a pair of restraints. “We already have these.”
“If you ended up naked and dead with another woman, I’d do the rumba on your corpse.”
“You can’t do the rumba.”
“I’d take lessons first.”
“But you’d also grieve.”
“Wouldn’t give you the satisfaction,” she mumbled, half asleep. “You cheating fuckwit putz.”
“You’d weep in the dark and call my name.”
“Call your name all right: How are things in hell, you dickless bastard? and I’d laugh and laugh. That’s how I’d call your name.”
“Christ Jesus, Eve, I love you.”
“Yeah, yeah.” And she smirked in her sleep. “Then I’d put all your precious shoes in the recycler, take your fancy suits and burn them in a celebrational fire, and kick Summerset out of my house on his bony ass. After which I’d have a party where we’d drink all your expensive wine and whiskey. And after that I’d hire two, no three, of the top LCs in the business to come over and pleasure me.”
“You have candy in here? I’ve never seen candy in here.”
“I’m just full of surprises.” Watching her, he waved the wrapped bar from side to side. “You can have the candy if you sit on my lap.”
“That sounds like something perverted old men say to young, stupid girls.”
“I’m not old, and you’re not stupid.” He sat, patted his knee. “It’s Belgian chocolate.”
“Just because I’m sitting on your lap and eating your candy doesn’t mean you can cop a feel,” she said as she folded into his lap.”
“what are you doing?”
“What the hell does it look like I’m doing?”
“Well, it looks as if you’re doing a fingerprint scan on a candy wrapper.”
“Then that’s probably what I’m doing. You contacted Carter Bissel?”
“No, I . . . Dallas, has a chocolate bar been entered into evidence on this investigation?”
“This is a personal matter. Sealed up,” she muttered. “Bastard sealed up. But that’s not the end of this. I’ve got other ways.”
“Sir, you also appear to have run a fingerprint scan on a ceiling tile.”
“I’m letting Trueheart act as primary.”
“He ready for it?”
“It’s a good time to find out. I’m staying close. I told him I thought the butler did it, and he just nodded, all serious, and said he’d do a probability. Christ, he’s a sweet kid.”
“You talk to her,” Roarke said.
“Oh no, I’m not married to her.”
“I’m not a cop.”
“It’s your setup here.”
“It’s an NYPSD investigation.”
“Like that means a damn to you. Okay, okay.” Feeney waved a hand before Roarke could speak again. “Let’s settle this like men.”
“Want to arm wrestle?
Feeney let out a snort, then dug into his pocket. “We’ll flip a coin. You call it.”
holl3640's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
alisonhori's review against another edition
4.0
I really like this series...the psychological thriller side is fun but mostly the character driven center of the continuing cast. Its just good fun to spend time to the main core of characters. I am not sure that I will ever catch up in this series...she writes them way faster than I can read them...but I always enjoy them when I do read them.
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
Roarke irritated me in this one a good bit, honestly. It's funny, reading the reviews for this series, I think I'm not as gaga for Roarke as most people seem to be. I think it's because as a woman working as a high-end professional in a male-dominated field, I don't find the way he inserts himself into Eve's work, going over her head to her bosses (he did it for the second time a few books back, and I nearly quit the series over it tbh) to be cute, funny, or AT ALL acceptable. And it bugs me how self-absorbed he can be - when he wants a thing or to do a thing, he doesn't give a single fuck about what anyone else (including Eve) thinks or would be harmed by it, he just plows in.
That, imo, is a supremely shitty quality in a partner.
A nice thing about this series is both Roarke and Eve have some terrible childhood experiences that they still struggle with. Stuff from one or the other of their pasts comes up with some regularity in the series, and they have to deal with it. It generally works well. But the thing is, usually when something comes up, the other person is there to support the one whose baggage it is, and they get stronger as a couple because of it. It's generally pretty gratifying, honestly.
So a couple books ago, we had the arc with Roarke's mother. He made some mistakes and was shitty in that book, but in a totally understandable way because he was dealing with something that really kicked his legs out from under him. Eve supporting him through that was lovely, but it was Roarke who was hurting - it was his past, his trauma, and so the action (and Eve's actions) were about what Roarke needed. Her needs were secondary.
In this book, it is Eve's past that rears up. Now, I'm going to be frank here and say that while Roarke definitely had some horrible childhood experiences, Eve had it way worse. Roarke had friends who became family, and Summerset who became a father to him. Eve was alone, unloved, and wasn't just smacked around by an abusive parent, she was horribly and hideously violated repeatedly. It is frankly impressive she didn't become a sociopath. But anyway, Roarke pissed me right the fuck off in this book because he made it all about him. This is Eve's past, her trauma, horrible shit that he quite frankly can't even imagine. And he just heaped on her, because he decided that the most important thing is how HE feels about it, what HE feels has to happen.
He can fuck right off with that, frankly.
For sexual assault survivors - I say this frankly AS a sexual assault survivor - respecting the agency of the victim/survivor is paramount. EVE gets to choose what happens in regards to what was done to her. EVE gets to decide what she needs. Roarke pulling this shit just robbed her of the support and love that she had finally found, and left her to deal with all her trauma alone while he was off in Selfish Asshole Land because somehow he is the biggest victim of HER trauma?
Nope. Just a hard hell no.
The only reason this book didn't end up at one star is because Roarke finally pulled his goddamn head out of his ass and decided to support the actual victim and give her what she needs to move forward, putting his own emotional response to it as secondary. As it absolutely should be. But up until then, I wanted to punch him right in the junk for being such an asshole to her. Leaving her utterly alone, yet again, with her trauma because Mr. Big Man feels like him feeling some kind of way about it is way more important than her actual experience.
If Eve had done the same in the books about Roarke's trauma, all the Roarke fangirls out there in review-land would have burned her in effigy. But no. Eve is used to - too used to - putting her own needs in second (or third, or last) place... so much so that in books after the Roarke mother book, Eve refrained from even mentioning her own memories of her mother to Roarke for fear it would hurt him by making him think more of his own mother. Roarke is honestly NEVER that careful with Eve.
That, imo, is a supremely shitty quality in a partner.
A nice thing about this series is both Roarke and Eve have some terrible childhood experiences that they still struggle with. Stuff from one or the other of their pasts comes up with some regularity in the series, and they have to deal with it. It generally works well. But the thing is, usually when something comes up, the other person is there to support the one whose baggage it is, and they get stronger as a couple because of it. It's generally pretty gratifying, honestly.
So a couple books ago, we had the arc with Roarke's mother. He made some mistakes and was shitty in that book, but in a totally understandable way because he was dealing with something that really kicked his legs out from under him. Eve supporting him through that was lovely, but it was Roarke who was hurting - it was his past, his trauma, and so the action (and Eve's actions) were about what Roarke needed. Her needs were secondary.
In this book, it is Eve's past that rears up. Now, I'm going to be frank here and say that while Roarke definitely had some horrible childhood experiences, Eve had it way worse. Roarke had friends who became family, and Summerset who became a father to him. Eve was alone, unloved, and wasn't just smacked around by an abusive parent, she was horribly and hideously violated repeatedly. It is frankly impressive she didn't become a sociopath. But anyway, Roarke pissed me right the fuck off in this book because he made it all about him. This is Eve's past, her trauma, horrible shit that he quite frankly can't even imagine. And he just heaped on her, because he decided that the most important thing is how HE feels about it, what HE feels has to happen.
He can fuck right off with that, frankly.
For sexual assault survivors - I say this frankly AS a sexual assault survivor - respecting the agency of the victim/survivor is paramount. EVE gets to choose what happens in regards to what was done to her. EVE gets to decide what she needs. Roarke pulling this shit just robbed her of the support and love that she had finally found, and left her to deal with all her trauma alone while he was off in Selfish Asshole Land because somehow he is the biggest victim of HER trauma?
Nope. Just a hard hell no.
The only reason this book didn't end up at one star is because Roarke finally pulled his goddamn head out of his ass and decided to support the actual victim and give her what she needs to move forward, putting his own emotional response to it as secondary. As it absolutely should be. But up until then, I wanted to punch him right in the junk for being such an asshole to her. Leaving her utterly alone, yet again, with her trauma because Mr. Big Man feels like him feeling some kind of way about it is way more important than her actual experience.
If Eve had done the same in the books about Roarke's trauma, all the Roarke fangirls out there in review-land would have burned her in effigy. But no. Eve is used to - too used to - putting her own needs in second (or third, or last) place... so much so that in books after the Roarke mother book, Eve refrained from even mentioning her own memories of her mother to Roarke for fear it would hurt him by making him think more of his own mother. Roarke is honestly NEVER that careful with Eve.
cassymarya's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ankysbookbubble's review against another edition
4.0
Though it was slow at the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Divided in Death once I got into it.
Eve's character was so well written and good and I loved her backstory as much as I loved the mystery at hand.
Eve's character was so well written and good and I loved her backstory as much as I loved the mystery at hand.
whatsheread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
DIVIDED IN DEATH is J. D. Robb's eighteenth book in the In Death series. There is the ubiquitous murder mystery Eve must solve, and Ms. Robb even adds a little spy thriller to the plot. But I will remember DIVIDED IN DEATH as the one where Roarke learns the art of compromise.
Every book to date sees Eve or Roarke losing a little more of their rough edge, which is a fabulous thing to happen and one of the main reasons why the series is so compelling. Sometimes, the changes are slight, and sometimes, like in DIVIDED IN DEATH, the characters take a huge step forward in healing from past trauma. Roarke is that character this time, and his struggle to let go of his anger and need for vengeance is powerful. After all, that anger and the doling out of revenge is who he is.
At the same time, we see Roarke struggling to make peace with certain knowledge, Ms. Robb captures that sense of loss when a good relationship turns upside-down. At times, watching Eve muddle through that pain and loss is more troubling than her recovered memories. If you are an Eve and Roarke 'shipper, DIVIDED IN DEATH is a tough read.
The spy plot in DIVIDED IN DEATH, however, is so much fun. It adds another level of complexity to the murder. Not only that, but it allows Ms. Robb to speak her mind about the NSA and certain powers it can use in the name of protecting the country. Now that the NSA is over twenty years old, we can say that in some regards, what Eve rails about has come to pass. Hopefully, the rest will remain fictional.
DIVIDED IN DEATH is another strong novel in the series. We see some excellent growth in the characters. At the same time, we continue to see Eve and Roarke demonstrate and overcome marital difficulties. With the addition of a spy plot and corporate espionage, DIVIDED IN DEATH becomes more than your average murder mystery, and I loved every second of it.
Every book to date sees Eve or Roarke losing a little more of their rough edge, which is a fabulous thing to happen and one of the main reasons why the series is so compelling. Sometimes, the changes are slight, and sometimes, like in DIVIDED IN DEATH, the characters take a huge step forward in healing from past trauma. Roarke is that character this time, and his struggle to let go of his anger and need for vengeance is powerful. After all, that anger and the doling out of revenge is who he is.
At the same time, we see Roarke struggling to make peace with certain knowledge, Ms. Robb captures that sense of loss when a good relationship turns upside-down. At times, watching Eve muddle through that pain and loss is more troubling than her recovered memories. If you are an Eve and Roarke 'shipper, DIVIDED IN DEATH is a tough read.
The spy plot in DIVIDED IN DEATH, however, is so much fun. It adds another level of complexity to the murder. Not only that, but it allows Ms. Robb to speak her mind about the NSA and certain powers it can use in the name of protecting the country. Now that the NSA is over twenty years old, we can say that in some regards, what Eve rails about has come to pass. Hopefully, the rest will remain fictional.
DIVIDED IN DEATH is another strong novel in the series. We see some excellent growth in the characters. At the same time, we continue to see Eve and Roarke demonstrate and overcome marital difficulties. With the addition of a spy plot and corporate espionage, DIVIDED IN DEATH becomes more than your average murder mystery, and I loved every second of it.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good addition to the In Death series. I liked the twists and turns that Robb threw in this one. The mystery was certainly well planned out and not obvious from the beginning. I do think, however, that solving the murders was overshadowed at times by the tension going on between Roarke and Eve. Through the investigation things come to light about Eve's past and she doesn't like how Roarke intends to deal with it. They clash over their beliefs and remain clashed through much of the book. This was different than in other books where they may have a big fight and then get over it. This went deeper and it caused Eve and Roarke to skirt around each other for much of the book. It's strange how something like that really resonates throughout the whole of the story. Robb did a good job of subtly weaving the tension around everything else going on in the story.
This is definitely a series that I love to go back to. I like being back with the characters.
This is definitely a series that I love to go back to. I like being back with the characters.