Creation in Death

I'm a big fan of Robb's In Death series, and have read them all. This ranks as one of the top five best in the series, I think. First, Robb brought back a villain that Eve had gone up against when she was a relatively new cop. This was a great angle, because it gave readers more interaction with her mentor, Feeney, who headed the case then. Readers also got a glimpse of what it is must be like for real detectives to deal with the one that got away - how it eats at them. What could they have done better to stop him? What did they miss on that case? Eve and Feeney are both confident officers that don't suffer from self-doubt very often, but it makes sense that they should on occasion, especially in this instance. Of course Eve gets another crack at "the Groom" and solves it (not really a spoiler since she solves every case!), but this case was really fleshed out for the reader.

One of the best features of this novel that made it stand out was the in-depth look at a task team, and investigation details, that are sometimes skimmed over in other mysteries. Police have to put in hundreds of hours interviewing, canvassing locales, re-interviewing, examining old case files, following up what are likely spurious leads but must be followed, etc. These cops truly were in a war room. This book also gave us more of what the other cop characters we've met are doing. Trueheart, Baxter, McNab, et al are all here on the team. Each has their own assignment, and while Eve remains the focus, we see more of their nitty gritty investigation tactics. It made the story more real than before. This environment also opened the eyes of Eve's husband, Roarke. Until this point, he loved and respected Eve, but never really appreciated police as a whole. This changed his perception and I thought it was a great step forward for the character. I felt this book moved Roarke past all-powerful billionaire, to enlightened all-powerful billionaire. LOL! Though there were some funny one-liners in the story, there wasn't as much humor as in many of the books. There were no social obligations for Eve, no hates beauty treatments etc. Even Peabody was more serious. However, the Groom is a serial killer that tortures his victims - it's tough to overcome the gravitas of that and it was best that Robb didn't try. One of my favorite parts of this novel was finally seeing how important justice is to Eve, and not just getting the bad guy. She takes some action at the end of the story which is both surprising, and imminently satisfying, yet fully in keeping with her character. I won't spoil it here, but this may have been the best ending I've read in the series (if not the absolute best book).

Another cool aspect was a teasing bit of the oft-mentioned "Urban Wars." This killer isn't typical, and even Sommerset must lend some help to the investigation. Mavis makes a brief appearance, and Nadine adds a little more, but this novel really focused on the cops almost exclusively. This was also the first case that Roarke gets involved with right away and stays through to the end, rather than interspersing help here and there. It was an interesting change. It is true that the futuristic aspect of the series is diminished here. We see the AutoChef, the Pepsi tubes, and a few other "gadgets" but the atmosphere of being IN THE FUTURE is lacking. This isn't a bad thing, though. This novel focused more heavily on the actual mystery than many others in the series, and something had to step aside for it. Since readers don't want to miss out on the hotness of Roarke and Eve, this was what moved to the background. Overall, I can't recommend this series enough to both traditional romance fans, and mystery fans. Fabulous!

It's kinda sad...Nora Roberts isn't even trying to give us many of the fun futuristic details anymore. Aside from the occasional Auto Chef meal, nothing was really futuristic in this novel. I missed that.

...and he has murder on his mind. Not just murder, but torture. Nine year's ago Eve had a chance to put him away, and failed. That's not an option this time. When The Groom's victims all seem to be tied to Roarke, the stakes are even higher.

Another wonderful installment to the In Death series!!

Some cases haunt you...

Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows the killer's signature as soon as she sees the dead body. "The Groom", as the killer was dubbed, is one of those cases that has haunted her from her early days as a cop, when she was still green and partnered with Feeney. Eve's husband, Roarke, has ties to the case as this new victim worked for him. As the case unfolds, it becomes clear that this time "The Groom" is making things personal. Will Eve be able to stop the killer this time?

J.D. Robb continues to amaze with her long running series featuring Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke. CREATION IN DEATH is easily a stand alone as J.D. Robb ensures all the relationships are explained well enough for even one new to the series. Just be warned that once you start reading this series, you'll be hooked!

CREATION IN DEATH is yet another stunning installment, with the case becoming very personal this time. The insights into the working relationship between Eve and Feeney are startling as Eve gets as emotional as she is capable of getting. This is a case that haunted both Eve and Feeney, and neither of them is good at handling their emotions.

Each book in this series adds another layer to these phenomenal characters, characters I never tire of reading about. The moments between Peabody and Eve had me laughing out loud; their friendship is strong and it is always uplifting to read about their interactions. Roarke and Eve have perhaps one of the strongest romances I can ever remember reading and CREATION IN DEATH only solidifies just how much they love one another.

CREATION IN DEATH once again demonstrates the writing prowess of J.D. Robb. Ms. Robb delivers a story that is powerful and intense. Highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Having read each and every book in the In Death series, it takes a lot for me to say that this one was the very best yet, but I have to say that to my mind, it was perfect. I picked it up, and that was it--I could not put it down again. With lives as busy as they are in this day and age, that's not a cliche. I truly could not put it down!

Others have gone over the plot, and I won't do it again here, we know we have a murderous, torturing serial killer whose methods are the worst yet. We see him from his point of view, and we watch Eve and her crackerjack team (including "civilian consultant" Roarke) scramble to find him before he tortures and murders yet another innocent young woman in his long, horrible career.

There are some really interesting flashbacks to the mythical "urban wars" that supposedly happened in the early 2000s (these futuristic books take place in the late 2050s), that I found absolutely fascinating. These Wars have been mentioned before, but never in such detail.

All in all, this is a sterling effort, and again I stand in awe of Nora Roberts/JD Robb's incredible prolific talent.