Wed 4 Jul 2012
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: J. D. ROBB (aka NORA ROBERTS) – Indulgence in Death.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[6] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
J. D. ROBB (aka NORA ROBERTS) – Indulgence in Death. Putnam, hardcover, November 2010. Berkley, paperback, March 2011.
Genre: Police Procedural. Leading character: Lt. Eve Dallas; 31st in series. Setting: Ireland-New York City; Future-2060.
First Sentence: The road was a killer, hardly wider than a decent stream of spit and snaking like a cobra between giant bushes loaded with strange flowers that resembled drops of blood.
Even on her vacation in Ireland with husband Roarke, Lt. Eve Dallas of the New York Police and Security Department, which came into being after the urban wars, becomes involved in a murder case, but only as an adviser.
The vacation is definitely over when an elite limousine service is killed with a crossbow. The next day a top paid escort is murdered by bayonet. The murders keep coming, the weapons always unusual and the link…?
Sometimes you need a palete cleanser; a guilty pleasure read on which you can rely. J.D. Robb and her “…In Death†books is that for me.
A good, evocative analogy is something I always appreciate, while snappy dialogue and wry humor which surprises me into laughing aloud is something at which Robb excels. However, she can also touch the emotions and bring tears to my eyes.
But don’t ever mistake her books for being pure light fluff. The murders are brutal, the language course, and the sex graphic. It is the combination of these elements that brings keeps Robb at the top of the best-seller list and me back to reading the series.
Eve, who grew up with violence and brutality, chose to work for the law and has a dedication to representing and finding justice to the dead. Her husband, Roark, had the same type of childhood, and broke many a law on his way to extreme wealth and meeting Eve.
There are certainly fantasy aspects of the relationship, but the balance of her lack of facade and his access to contacts and technology works. It’s Eve’s partner, Det. Delia Peabody, who exemplifies all the traditionally feminine traits for which Eve has no skill, patience or interest; and so that relationship works as well.
One thing on which you can always count is good action. But I also like the fact that just as I figured out the killer, so did Eve. Disappointment averted — well done! Even though I knew Dallas would get the villain at the end, there was tremendous satisfaction when she did.
My praise isn’t unstinting, however. I did have a problem with the plot in that was very similar to a couple of previous books. Even with 31 books in the series, those of us who’ve read them do remember and can’t avoid noticing recycling a premise even if there could be a similarity in crimes over time. Had Dallas made a reference to the previous cases, the similarity would have been noted as intentional rather than a possible rehash of old plots.
You can certainly say that these books are formulaic, but it is a formula that works and is very enjoyable. It is not great literature. Even with its flaws, and they are there, it is a darn good read that made me happy I’d read it and smile when I’d finished it.
Rating: Good Plus.
Editorial Comment: There are now, believe it or not, 35 books in this series, or there will be come this next November, when Delusion in Death will be published. For a full list, along with a large selection of cover images, check out the Fantastic Fiction website here.
July 4th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
I’ve heard good things about this series, including what LJ has had to say about it, and it certainly is a popular one. I even own a few, picked up here and there with the idea that once I try one, it might be reason enough to find the others.
It’s a good idea in theory, but so far, I’ve not put it into practice. I’ve skimmed briefly through one or two, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.
July 4th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
When she sent me this review, LJ referred to INDULGENCE as the 38th book in the series. This agrees with the Wikipedia page for the series, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death, but some of the entries in their list, while perhaps published in book form, are only novellas.
Using Google to find out more, on Nora Roberts’ UK website is a list of the “In Death” series. This one places INDULGENCE as 31st in the order they were published, which is the number I’ve gone with.
http://www.nora-roberts.co.uk/category/jd-robb-news/
Either way, this is considerably more than most series last! (Nor does it include the long list of other books Roberts has written under her own name, well over 200 by now.)
July 5th, 2012 at 6:11 am
My wife is a huge fan of this series. Surprisingly, the person who first turned her on to it was the late Bob Briney.
July 5th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Interesting. I was the person who turned Bob Briney on to them. I talked the series up for a while before Bob finally broke down and bought one. He liked it enough that he started picking up the others second-hand. It became obvious from a comment in his DAPA zine that he was reading them as fast as he bought them. For someone like Bob, who was perpetually 10 years behind in his current reading, that was a remarkable endorsement.
Damn, I miss him.
July 5th, 2012 at 8:37 am
I really don’t know if I should read one or not. It sounds as though they’re addictive!
July 5th, 2012 at 11:20 am
There is also an official website for JD.
http://www.jdrobb.com
A couple of things one should know before reading. The action takes place in the future. That Eve and Roarke were not married in earlier books.
And the sex scenes are almost enough to make Carter Brown blush.