Customer Reviews

Betrayal in Death (In Death #12)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This latest in the "In Death" series sure does not disappoint fans! Eve Dallas, is tough as ever and satisfies all those who enjoy women with attitude and style. Roarke is as sexy and clever as ever and in this latest installment Eve gets the chance to be that loving wife with tenderness to Roarke.

Each book in this series adds a new degree to the relationship between Roarke and Eve as they come up on their first year of marriage. The relationship Eve hates between McNab and Peabody gets more interesting and while there's more heat going on there, Eve ignores it mostly but does let Peabody cry on her shoulder with a lot of ice cream and tears

The main plot of the story, is the case in which Eve is tracking a contract killer that even the FBI hasn't been able to catch for over 25 years. Roarke still is of help with his computer equipment. There is a visit from one of Roarke's boyhood friends from Dublin. You learn more of Roarke's past and even a new side to him.
The ending was surprising and touching. "Betrayal in Death" is absolutely the best in this series yet!

In May 2059, New York Police Department Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her spouse wealthy billionaire Roarke take a rest between cases. Since Roarke worked both sides of the law, he has enemies from his past wanting him dead as well as some new foes who also prefer he no longer breathes. Thus, he is not surprised when a paid assassin brutalizes, rapes, and kills an employee in one of his hotels, but he personalizes the ugly incident.

Eve is assigned as primary investigator on the case. When a second homicide occurs with the victim being a close friend of Roarke's, he and Eve conclude that someone wants to hurt and distract the businessman. The police know the identity of the killer, but have no earthly idea where the hitman is hiding. However, the dynamic duo knows the main event is coming soon.

Not since the "silver age" of Neal Adam's Green Lantern and Green Arrow has a crime duo won the hearts of readers as Eve and Roarke have. The current tale contains a well-executed mystery with many puzzle pieces that need placing together to obtain the full picture of the plot. Although the who-done-it remains the primary story line, the love story subplot between the lead protagonists provides cross genre appeal to romantic suspense fans. The audience will find this exciting novel impossible to put down until all the questions are answered.

Harriet Klausner

It had to happen, and it is a mark of how good Nora Roberts is that she recognized the need for some role reversal. In this book, for the first time, we see Eve as the nurturer, and the giver, while Roarke is the vulnerable one. However, even the softest moments have the edge that this series is famous for, and the reader is always more inclined to laugh than to cry, and to fall in love instead of in a depression. In this installation, Roarke is the target of a hitman who wants him to lose people he cares for before he dies. However, Eve is not the one in risk, and the book remains interesting, with some unnerving twists. For avid followers of the series, it is fascinating to see Roarke lash out under tension, and become the one who uses his tongue to hurt the person he loves. The book overall takes us forward into the marriage between two such different people, and naturally, into the problems as well as the love that Eve and Roarke have to learn to deal with.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is pulled from a party at her husband's Palace Hotel when one of the maids, Darlene French, is brutally beaten, raped, and subsequently strangled with a slender wire of silver. It doesn't take her long to find the hired assassin who made only a half-hearted attempt to disguise himself. A hammer for hire, Sylvester "Sly" Yost has made a career of killing and after four successful decades, he's got it down to an art form. What Dallas soon comes to realize is that behind the hammer lies the purpose behind the seemingly senseless death of a young maid. When another assassination is perpetrated on someone closer to Roarke, Dallas comes to realize that the target has been her husband all along. Finding Yost is hard enough, taking him down proves to be even more difficult, and finding his client seems next to impossible with two FBI Agents usurping her authority and a boyhood friend of Roarke's who has come to pay an unexpected visit.

J.D. Robb has written another brilliant suspense story featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke, a truly dynamic duo whose incredible relationship is put mildly to the test when his old friend Mick shows up and begins reminiscing about old times. Roarke finds himself torn between the loyalty he owes his friend who saw him through hard times and his wife who tries, despite her profession, to see him through everything. As Eve tries to come to terms with more of Roarke's past, she is also uncovering a surprising web of conspiracy to which Yost just might be the key and dealing with the aggravating "Feebs". And if that wasn't enough, she finds herself providing a shoulder for the usually sturdy Peabody whose relationship with McNab hits a surprising snag. This is a fantastic installment of Robb's In Death series, which reveals more about the enigmatic Roarke and allows Eve to explore her role as a wife and as a friend without minimizing her role as a cop.

I follow a great many mystery/suspense/legal/thriller writers and as a consequence always have quite a few books waiting in the wings for my attention. No matter how long the queue, a new JD Robb always moves to the front of the line. She has yet to disappoint me.

Roarke and Dallas move to new levels in Betrayal. Dallas is finding out what it means to be friend, lover and wife. (If you want some fun, try reading her out loud - my dog loves Eve, especially when she's on a rant.) Who will ever forget the ice-cream-commiseration with poor Peabody? And, by the by, Peabody and McNab are getting to be pretty hot, too.

I really loved the storyline - one thing about the villians in these stories, you really want them to get theirs in the end. Seeing Roarke as the one all wound up this time was a nice change, and it's nice to see Eve's learning to manage him. My only disappointment in this book - and it's been said before - was that Mr. Yost didn't meet a more fitting end, like making some new friends in prison! I would hope we could see more of Agent Stowe in the future. She seems to be a promising contact in the Bureau, and she's smart enough to work her way into Eve's circle of friends with Nadine, Dr Mira and Mavis.

Keep 'em coming, Ms Roberts! Always a pleasure!

Anyone who has followed this series since the beginning probably will agree that Eve and Roarke are the couple of the century. She is the rough edge cop who still can't believe someone could love her for herself and he is that sexy billionaire, who has found his soul mate, even if he constantly has to keep reminding her of that.

In Betrayal in Death, Eve is on the trail of assassin who has been in business for a good quarter of a century. This man is so good that no one has been able to capture him. This time, he has made his first mistake. His victims are people that Roarke cares about. No one and I mean no one, threatens Eve's man and gets away with it. To add insult to injury, the FBI decides Eve and her force of NYPD's finest aren't capable of catching this killer. Big mistake on their part. Eve sets out to bring down the killer and protect her man (who we all know doesn't need protecting) while beating the FBI at their own game.

This book has a lot of things going for it. Old friends from past books either make appearances or are heard from, though not enough in my opinion. Two secondary characters become more fully developed and get their own little story line. Roarke's past once again comes into play as we learn more about him and see his protective instincts kick in full force. However, for some reason, this book started off slowly for me. Don't get me wrong, it's good. For some reason, I don't think it's the same caliber of the other books in the series. But you know what? It sure didn't stop me from enjoying the book or eagerly anticipating the next one..

The only bad thing about starting a J. D. Robb book is knowing it will end all too soon. There is some consolation in that the next in this fabulous series is due out in September. There is not a sexier, more dynamic couple than Roarke and Eve, and guess what? They're married! An important point about this series is that it is not just a romance. Ms. Roberts (aka. J. D. Robb) has written a series that men can appreciate as well as women. If you have not read any of this series, I envy you being able to start at the beginning and work your way through. What a treat.

Her "In Death" books keep getting better and better. I find it hard to believe that I have to wait another 6 months for the next book in the series to be released. Once again this book takes place in New York in the future. Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, the infamous Roarke find themselves caught between the past he tries hard to forget and his future. A serial killer is on the loose and his first murder takes place in one of Roarkes hotels. Lt. Dallas is the primary on the case but she is bumping heads with the FBI. The story is well told and you will lose yourself in these characters. The familiarity of the main characters makes these books all the better. We learn what loyalty means to Roarke and his meaning of "taking care of what is his". I would recommend all of the J.D. Robbs to anyone that likes Romance and Suspense.

This book was one of the best in the series. If you are not familiar with this series, I suggest you begin with the first one.

This book was probably the funniest of the series and only those that are familiar with the characters and previous plotlines will understand and fully appreciate all the insider jokes. For instance the candy thief struck again (any opinions on who he/she is? I'm thinking Eve's trustworthy aide - any takes?).

Roarke has always been just a little too good to be true - always cool and unflappable. In this book however, we get to see him really shaken and Eve gets to take care of him for a change. There weren't many tense moments or surprises in this book but I believe however that has more to do with my familiarity with the characters and the author's style than a lack in the story itself - hence the five stars.

Oh well, back to waiting for the next one. Hopefully Eve will catch the candy thief...

and no, I'm not a big fan of romance novels. Generally I am more interested in suspense or police procedurals. Nora Roberts, (writing as JDR) gives us all 3 in her Eve Dallas series, with her 12th book. In the series, she takes a look at the police department of the future, and combines its strong Lieutenant with an interesting and wealthy husband, Roarke. None of Eve's adversaries are common criminals; the series focuses on brutal crime. All of the surrounding characters, whether ongoing (Peabody, Feeney, Summerset, McNab) or one-time visitors, (Mick, Roarke's boyhood friend) are well-drawn. The humor is light and welcome, the scenes between Roarke/Eve and McNab/Peabody are erotic.

Like the rest of the series, I read the book in one sitting and really enjoyed myself. One critique is that I would have liked to see more characterization and a better ending for the villain, Yost, who had future potential for the series. Other than that detail, I thoroughly enjoyed the outing and the character development and encourage readers to read the series from the first book, "Naked in Death". You'll have a great read!