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A review by errantdreams
Festive in Death by J.D. Robb
4.0
The Christmas theme is played for lovely sentiment, with plenty of gift-giving, reminiscing, and partying. It’s used as an excuse to parade many of Eve’s friends through the pages for a moment or two, reminding us of her acquaintances and loved ones. It works and suits the milieu of the book.
There are plenty of suspects to truly dislike, which can be fun in its own way in this sort of book. Consider the presence of characters we can hate without guilt to be a Christmas present from Robb to her readership. Don’t worry, however; she doesn’t give short shrift to the more ambiguous characters–the people we like and feel sorry for, enjoy the presence of, dislike without hating, or can’t entirely pin down with ease. This aids in throwing some curve balls into the plot, nicely keeping villain options open until late in the game. Speaking of which, there are some great hints that don’t telegraph too much. I like the way the view of what happened wibbled and wobbled up until the very end.
My only negative with the book was that there was something of a lack of tension and suspense. There wasn’t much in the way of physical action, and while that almost works with the slower Christmas feel to the book, I would have liked a little more kick and immediate danger to the plot.
All in all, Festive in Death is an enjoyable winter holiday edition of the Eve Dallas “In Death” series!
[NOTE: advance copy provided for free by Penguin Group]
Visit my site for a longer review including premise: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/08/review-festive-in-death-j-d-robb/
There are plenty of suspects to truly dislike, which can be fun in its own way in this sort of book. Consider the presence of characters we can hate without guilt to be a Christmas present from Robb to her readership. Don’t worry, however; she doesn’t give short shrift to the more ambiguous characters–the people we like and feel sorry for, enjoy the presence of, dislike without hating, or can’t entirely pin down with ease. This aids in throwing some curve balls into the plot, nicely keeping villain options open until late in the game. Speaking of which, there are some great hints that don’t telegraph too much. I like the way the view of what happened wibbled and wobbled up until the very end.
My only negative with the book was that there was something of a lack of tension and suspense. There wasn’t much in the way of physical action, and while that almost works with the slower Christmas feel to the book, I would have liked a little more kick and immediate danger to the plot.
All in all, Festive in Death is an enjoyable winter holiday edition of the Eve Dallas “In Death” series!
[NOTE: advance copy provided for free by Penguin Group]
Visit my site for a longer review including premise: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/08/review-festive-in-death-j-d-robb/