Rapture in Death
by J.D. Robb
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Book Reviews of Rapture in Death
Book Review: Rapture in Death is a strong and great installment in the In Death series
Summary: 5 Stars
Rapture in Death is the fourth installment in the great mystery-romance series written by J.D. Robb (pen name for best-selling author Nora Roberts). This newest book in the In Death series find Detective Lt. Eve Dallas in a situation new to scary, wonderful and wholly new to her: marriage. With the first three books exploring and telling the tale of Eve and Roarke's intense courtship (both its ups and downs), engagement and, at the end of the previous book, their wonderfully staged wedding.
In Rapture we're shown Eve and Roarke on their honeymoon off-planet in Roarke's unfinished, but soon to be 5-star and top-of-the-line, space resort. One would think that even in space Eve would have a semblance of peace for her honeymoon. But this is Eve Dallas who seem to attract murder and its aftermath like moths to her flame. With their honeymoon cut short by what seems like a suicide of one of the employees of the resort, Eve and Roarke return to their palatial mansion in the outskirts of NYC, but not long after their arrival back on-planet another suicide, this time of a preeminent defense attorney, brings Eve into a mystery that includes abit more future science than the first three books in the series.
Officer Delia Peabody has now joined Eve's cast of characters permanently as her aide in her investigation and her sober and even-keeled personality is a great counterweight to Eve's own sarcastic, sometimes cynical view of the world and people, in general. The addition of Peabody adds a new element of a sisterly theme to Eve's everchanging new life with Roarke. Despite her caustic and sarcastic comments directed at her aide, Eve shows that she cares for the young officer and hopes to groom her to become a detective herself.
The mystery of the suicides, soon labeled as murders by some unknown means, once again complicates the relationship between Eve and Roarke. With mind-control becoming a clue to whats causing the deaths, both Even and Roarke must fight their way through disagreements and behaviors that may or may not be of their own choosing. They both open up to each other in Rapture and its a good complement to the constant sex these two seem to be having in addition to their many disagreements and fights. It seems that even through a case needing to be solved their honeymoon really wasn't over by a long shot.
Rapture in Death has a much more futuristic flavor to it but not too much that it overwhelms the balance of mystery, romance and humor that the series is becomign known for with the previous three novels in the series. A great fourth installment and one that cements this series as a must-read.
Book Review: Terribly Amazing
Summary: 4 Stars
A series of deaths are ruled as suicides, and only Eve Dallas has the instinct to see them for the murders that they are. While investigating those murders, Eve is confronted by her own past and her own suicide attempt at a young age.
This book was terribly amazing. It felt like I was reading one book written by two very different authors. The beginning was terrible. The characters were flat and boring, and Roark especially came off as brainless with nothing else but sex and work on his mind. The love scenes dominated the beginning of the novel, and they were poorly written. There was no chemistry or love between the characters, and the sex seemed to be written with no emotion whatsoever. Actually, the beginning of the book looked like a cheep porn. It also felt like it was being written by an amateur author who hasn't yet mastered the skill of storytelling. Nora Roberts made common writing mistakes, like making her main male character as perfect and flawless. Her main female character was cold but yet loved by everyone for no apparent reason (that's a common mistake new or unpublished authors make). It really felt like Nora Roberts didn't care what she was writing as long as she published another book.
Soon, however, the book did a complete flip and change into an absolutely amazing novel. By chapter 10 this book was hard to put down. The flat and boring characters all of the sudden became colored by great qualities and human flaws, making them more enjoyable to read about. Eve's past was explored showing more reason for her coldness and lack of trust and commitment. Her own doubts about her gene pool added to the plot and the series in general. Roark was taken away from his robotic perfect portrayal into one with many levels that only a professional and experienced author could create. Nora Roberts explored Roark's dark side by making him do something very unforgivable, and then she wrote him as a man coming to realize his mistake and righting it the best way he knew how. The character development and the relationship plot became so good that by the end of the novel it was hard to remember the primary flaws of this book in the beginning. The mystery was also entertaining, and would have been amazing if the killer's identity would have been a bigger shocker. Truth is, I saw the killer's identity the instant the person was introduced into the story.
All in all, this book followed one very obvious formula, and that is that when a book starts badly, it ends amazingly.
Book Review: Doesn't live up to the hype
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read the first four novels of the Eve Dallas series and, I must confess, I don't understand what all the excitement is about. Because Eve Dallas is such a "kick ass" heroine, I want to like these books. But I find them boring and uninspiring. When the story focuses on Eve grappling with her past, it's interesting. But the other elements -- the futuristic sci-fi, the mystery/thriller and supporting characters -- fall flat. This particular book's plot was not good. First, I knew how the victims were being killed, and who the killer was, about a quarter of the way through the book. And I'm no rocket scientist. So the fact that it took Eve another 100 pages to figure it out was not inspiring. Second, the killer is using "virtual reality" technology to control the victims' minds. But the author spends absolutely no time explaining how this is scientifically possible. How does the brain work? What is the science behind subliminal messages? The author explains none of this, using the cop out (no pun intended) that Eve is a cop and not a scientist. Yet the experts that Eve consults speak in such vague generalizations, it's clear that it is the author who is in above her head.
Another distracting aspect of these novels is that the future described by the author (2058) clearly will not actually exist in 2058. The author significantly overestimated how quickly technology would advance. Fifty years from now, we're NOT going to have a comprehensive auto freeway system in the sky, food replicators, extremely advanced robots that appear convincingly human. We might have one of those, but not all. Again, this just underscores that sci fi is not this author's strong point.
In short, everything about these books seems so dated: the future that seems a rip off of Blade Runner; the retro romance plot (poor girl marries gorgeous billionaire who makes his money in vague business ventures and just wants to take care of said poor girl). Don't think I can read any more of these.
Book Review: Even honeymoons have to end
Summary: 4 Stars
The previous novel dealt with the preparations for the wedding between Eve and Roarke, and the "minor" inconvenience for the former of having to keep her best friend, Mavis, out of jail. This book starts with the honeymoon, which surprised me, since the author did not give any descriptions of the eagerly awaited wedding. We get a glimpse here and there of a few aspects of the ceremony in this book, but I think there were a lot of readers interested in a more thorough description of the event. Lieutenant Eve Dallas does not even get to finish her honeymoon in peace. In the last stage of their trip, Eve is spending some time in one of the many resorts off-planet Roarke owns and is involved in a case when an employee is found hanged in his room. Even though there are no reasons for this person to commit suicide, there is no other logical conclusion, so that is the ruling at the time. Back home and after resuming her duties, Eve has to spend a day in court facing a pushy and crafty defense attorney, but her hate turns to surprise when he is found hours later as a victim of an apparent suicide. When she discovers that a politician with no reasons to kill himself jumped from a building, the coincidence becomes too much and Eve gets deeper and deeper into one of the toughest cases she has faced yet.
J.D. Robb maintains a high level of quality in terms of writing, a fast-paced action and a good character development. At least for me what happens with the relationships between the characters is half the fun. Peabody is given a more prominent role as Eve's aid after the last case, in which a criminal working from within the police department used the young cop for his evil purposes. We even get to take another step towards understanding Eve's childhood, since in this installment she remembers more facts about what her father did to her and about how she ultimately killed him. This futuristic series has clearly got my attention and it will not let go!
Book Review: Truly Superior Entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars
"Rapture in Death" is the 4th instalment in Robb's futuristic "In Death" series, and I am most impressed. I started reading Robb's books when I ran out of Nora Roberts books (literally, I read all the available titles) and I have NOT been disappointed. I recommend these books to anyone and everyone because the seamless mix of genres (mystery, suspense, romance, police procedure, science-fiction) means there's something in these books for all types!In this book, newly married Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD and billionaire Roarke are interrupted on their off-planet honeymoon by an apparent suicide. A young engineer working on Roarke's new resort (where E&R were honeymooning) seems to have come home for the day, made a noose and hung himself. However, the look on his face, one of utter rapture, disturbs Eve.
Upon Eve's return to New York, two more apparent self-terminations occur, and after being present at one of them, Eve is quite sure that these are not what they seem. Eve is thrown into the world of virtual reality and mind control, where your own mind can become someone else's weapon. Eve is determined to find the murderer responsible for these deaths, but the closer she comes to the truth, the more danger she, and Roarke, are in!
As always, Robb's mystery is thrilling and fun. Eve and Roarke's romance continues to steam up the pages. Eve and Roarke are among my favourite couples of all time - Eve's reluctant tenderness, Roarke's utter devotion to his "Darling Eve" and the mind-numbing passion and life-altering love they share make them fascinating to observe. Getting to know Eve and Roarke has been a rewarding experience; one I plan to continue until there are no more books to read! This book is fantastic. So don't hesitate, buy the entire "In Death" series today (I'm up to book #10 and still am LOVING every one) - you won't regret it!