Creation in Death

Warning: this thriller is about a torture murderer who stalks women. It does not make for comfortable reading, but it does what a thriller is supposed to do: keep you up late at night turning pages.

This novel is the adult equivalent of a scary theme park ride: it takes you to the edge of the abyss and gives you a good long look down, but it does not drop you. It's slick and sexy and J. D. Robb is a reliable commercial trademark that promises and delivers a good "read" as opposed to literature.

I'm not going to summarize the plot because it has more bends than a corkscrew. The villain is a plausible conman with a slick system for luring his victims to their doom. All victims are female and women who have had personal experience with a stalker might want to avoid this one entirely, or read it with your therapist.

Since Naked in Death, I am an avid J D Robb fan. However, the torture murders in Creation in Death pushed the limit of my reading sensibilities. Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell gave me the same feeling ... we are trying too hard to horrify our readers! Unlike Book of the Dead and similar torture scenes, Creation in Death has merit based on the characters. Eve is still the undefeatable NYC murder cop and Roarke is still her devoted rich husband who rolls up his sleeves way beyond the elbows to help bring this serial killer to justice. All the other players in the "In Death" series have tossed aside their personal lives and joined in the effort to keep one more woman from suffering a horrific death. But the horror is still there ... throughout the book ... in graphic detail ... it's not pretty.

I hope authors will soon eschew advice encouraging them to shock their readers beyond the point of enjoyment. As a reading audience, how calloused can we become?

GREAT BOOK. AS ALL THE OTHER ONES FOR THIS IN DEATH SERIES. J. D. ROBB BETTER KNOW AS NORA ROBERTS HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO GIVE YOU DRAMA, ROMANCE, COMEDY AND ACTION ALL IN ONE STORY. IF YOU HAVE NOT PICKED UP ON THIS SERIES YOU BETTER GET TO IT.

I thought that this was another great book by JD Robb / Nora Roberts... I love the whole series and can't wait for the next one... It kept me on my toes and kept me guessing....

Again, Robb brings back the characters we love with a new crime to solve. Roarke works more hands-on this time, getting a real picture of what cops do. He'd never been this 'in' it before, and it was great to see him there, and get his 'feel' for what cops go through during an intense investigation.

Arguments and fights between some of the more active characters make them appear more human and all the more believable.

The plot was good, not so many twists but you get even more information and more of a feel about the perpetrator in this one, a better sense of the why. Although it wasn't complicated, I really loved how it all came down. Ariel was perfectly added as the last 'victim', and I'm glad Eve connected with her on some level. Although only a 'temporary character', I really hope to see her again in a future novel.

What Eve asked Roarke to do - stepping 'over the line' as she did, I wholeheartedly agreed with and would have done the same in her position. I won't go into further detail as it would spoil the ending, but I was more than glad of it. You'll understand what I mean when you read it.