Born in Death (In Death #23) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

J. D. Robb (Author), Susan Ericksen (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2006

Technology has advanced in 2060 New York City, but childbirth has been the same since the beginning of time. And despite the brutal double homicide on Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s caseload, she has to be there for her pregnant friend Mavis, even if it means throwing the dreaded baby shower. . . But Mavis needs an even bigger favor now. Tandy Willowby, one of the moms-to-be in her class, has gone missing, just days before her due date – not even showing up at the shower at Eve and Roarke’s place that she’d been looking forward to so much. A recent emigrant from London, Tandy has few friends in New York, and no family. When Eve enters Tandy’s apartment and finds Mavis’s shower gift wrapped and ready on the table - and Tandy’s packed hospital bag still on the floor - her spine starts tingling. Normally, this would be turned over to Missing Persons. Eve has more than enough on her plate trying to find out who murdered Natalie Copperfield and her fiancé, both employed at a highly prestigious accounting firm. But Mavis wants no one but Eve on the case - and Eve can’t say no. She’ll have to track Tandy down while tracing the deals and double-crosses hidden in the files of some of the city’s richest and most secretive citizens, in a race against a particularly vicious killer. Luckily, she has her multimillionaire husband Roarke’s expertise to help with the numbers-crunching. But as he mines for the crucial data that will break the case wide open, Eve faces an all-too-real danger in the flesh-and-blood world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in New York City in 2060, bestseller Roberts's latest police thriller under her Robb pseudonym in her Lt. Eve Dallas series (Naked in Death, etc.) offers her usual engaging characters. Dallas's investigation of the brutal murders of Natalie Copperfield, a 26-year-old accountant, and Copperfield's boyfriend becomes entangled with the search for Tandy Willowby, a pregnant friend who mysteriously vanishes shortly before her due date. Dallas discovers that Copperfield had stumbled on some white-collar fraud at her high-profile accounting firm, while Willowby's disappearance may be part of a series of abductions. Predictably, the two cases converge, and the mystery's solution becomes obvious. Newcomers, who may be dismayed at how little things will have changed in more than 50 years, would do better to start with earlier books in this near-future suspense series. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Dallas methodically cuts through her twin cases with barely a hitch, but she's such a prickly-sharp, memorable character (one of many, in fact), you'll enjoy watching her do it. -- Entertainment Weekly, November 9, 2006 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio Unabridged; Unabridged edition (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423304756
• ISBN-13: 978-1423304753
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 2.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,592,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.D. Robb is the pseudonym for a number-one New York Times-bestselling author of more than 170 novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than 300 million copies of her books in print.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We finally see Mavis have her baby, November 8, 2006

By 

Desdemona (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Born in Death (Hardcover)

The best part of this book is the very end, where Mavis has her baby. You knew she would by the title of the book, and we've waited a long time for this event. The mystery isn't up to the usual J.D. Robb standards, but since we're more focused on the arrival of little Apricot or Radish (yes, Mavis is still trying out improbable names right to the very end), you can forgive the transparency of the mystery. I was somewhat disappointed that all the usual characters make an appearance - Mira, Feeney, Trina, etc.- but you get to spend very little time with them. The scenes of Roarke and Eve attending childbirth classes and then the real deal are what you are paying for here, and I was pretty satisfied. I won't spoil it and tell you if the baby is a boy or a girl, but I will say that Mavis and Leonardo don't name the baby Apricot, thankfully. And Sommerset's actions in the delivery room will make you sniffle, but I won't spoil that, either:)

In my opinion, though, the best scene(s) in terms of furthering the relationship of Eve & Roarke and the subject of her work deal with Eve's investigation into the death's of Nat & Bick, two employees of a high profile accounting firm. Because of the type of investment information that will be included in the investigation, Whitney gives Eve an official warning about inside information learned during the investigation being used by the competition (i.e. Roarke). Whew, does it hit the fan! Both between Eve & Whitney, Eve & Roarke, and then Roarke & Whitney. I think that will have some interesting repercussions later on down the line...

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hello, Baby!, November 8, 2006

By 

Cherise Everhard (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Born in Death (Hardcover)

This is the 27th book in the In Death Series.
This story begins with Eve and Roarke at birthing class with Mavis and Leonardo. It is the funniest first chapter ever. At this class they meet Tandy, a single mother to be from London. Mavis and Leonardo have befriended her and are to be her birthing coaches.
Dallas catches a double homicide of an accountant and her fiance. All signs point to her finding something off at work.
As this mystery deepens, Tandy pulls a no show at Mavis' shower. It looks like no one has seen her for a few days. Eve promises Mavis she will find Tandy. Eve, Roarke, Peobody and McNab are working double time to solve these two mysteries.
This was a good story. It was funny and touching. I started the book laughing and ended it crying. I thought the mystery was good. But I was bummed we had to wait for the baby til the last chapter. I liked how Eve and Roarke reacted in the birthing room. It was interesting to see how everything played out and I don't think Eve and Roarke fans will be disappointed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Congratulations, it's a ....? And circles within circles, November 9, 2006

By 

Valerie Matteson "Bookaholic" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Born in Death (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book 100%. There was lots of fun such as in the beginning where we join Eve and Roarke who are with Mavis and Leonardo at one of her birthing classes. What a hoot!! They also meet some other pregnant friends of Mavis' including Tandy who works at the White Stork, a baby store. They leave the class and take Mavis, Leonardo and then Tandy home. That night, Eve gets a call to go to a murder scene. A young woman who is an accountant at a very prestigious firm is found by her sister, tied up, tortured and strangled. The sister, Palma, knows that Natalie was engaged to a young man who also worked at the accounting, Bick Byson. Eve tries to contact him and soon finds that Bick has also been beaten and killed. From Natalie's links they soon get the gist that she had found something that she was excited/nervous about and that she had most likely told her fiance as well.

In the meantime, Eve with a great deal of help from Peabody is having to make sure all is ready for the baby shower she is throwing for Mavis on Saturday!! Peabody goes with her to pick out Eve's gift to the mother-to-be and they end up at Tandy's shop where she helps them find a great rocking chair/vibrating chair that Mavis had registered for. It is hilarious as Eve feels so nervous around the women in the store that are so advanced in their pregnancies.

As Eve interviews Bick and Natalie's bosses at the accounting firm and gathers evidence, the day of the shower arrives and the party is successful -- Eve even has a good time. However, one problem is that Mavis' friend Tandy did not come. Mavis enlists Eve's help (so she has to to a dance with the Missing Persons division) to find her friend as they go to Tandy's apartment and there is no sign of foul play.

I felt the excitement and twists and turns and Eve solves BOTH murder and missing person cases really kept me on edge and guessing "whodunit". There is also much love and understanding between Eve and Roarke as politics tries to get in the way of Roarke helping Eve solve the case and as memories are brought back to both of them due to the circumstances of Tandy's disappearance.

Altogether a great read with plenty of humor and fun and romance and mystery and suspense!!