Customer Reviews

Born in Death

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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...

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.

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!!

J.D. Robb returns with another fabulous book in the In Death series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her multibillionaire husband, Roarke.

Eve and Roarke are absolutely horrified by the entire birthing process but have agreed to be coaches for their very pregnant friend, Mavis. Eve is almost relieved when a double murder of two accountants in a top notch international firm drags her away from all the various baby hoopla that leaves her in cold sweat. Her attention is divided, however, when Mavis' pregnant friend, Tandy Willowby, turns up missing and Mavis insists that only Eve can find her. Eve takes all of this in stride, as she works to solve both cases with Roarke closely at her side.

BORN IN DEATH is perhaps the best yet in this absolutely phenomenal series! J.D. Robb paints a fantastic portrait of Eve and Roarke's terror regarding everything to do with the birthing process, from the hormonal moms to the actual labor and delivery. There are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments as Eve struggles between her vivid imagination which pictures babies as being somewhat like the alien life forms from the Aliens movies and her desire to be a good and supportive friend to Mavis.

One of the best things about reading any J.D. Robb book is that each book is complete in and of itself. While the relationships of both the main and secondary characters do grow and develop, one can easily pick up any book in the series and not feel cheated as to the back history of each character. This is partially due to Ms. Robb's clear vision of each personality portrayed. More importantly, however, this is a true testament to the superb writing talent of J.D. Robb as this reviewer never hesitates but rushes immediately to purchase each new installment in the series.

BORN IN DEATH will delight fans of the In Death series. The romance between Eve and Roarke continues to flourish and is a tribute to marriage as these two never tire of one another but instead only deepen their relationship in each book. Never has the solidarity and strength of their relationship been more apparent than in BORN IN DEATH. J.D. Robb injects a bit more humor than usual in this installment but this only adds to the depth of the overall series. BORN IN DEATH is highly recommended for its spectacular blend of romance, police procedures, and mystery all told in a futuristic setting.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Eve Dallas, a police investigator in the New York of the future, is hard at work on a double homicide case, involving a young engaged couple at an accounting firm. She is already stretched thin by the case when her best friend, Mavis, begs her to look into the disappearance of a friend from her pregnancy classes. Unable to refuse her hormonal friend this favor, Eve dives in with her usual disregard for her own health and well being, much to the chagrin of her rich, handsome and perfect husband.

I know that these books follow a formula, and I expect that when I pick one up. However, usually the character development and interaction are so sparkling that I find myself completely engaged once I start reading. I found myself less so with this book than with Robb's others. This one seemed heavy on the investigation to me, and much lighter on the characters. I missed Roarke losing his temper and having his accent get away from him. I missed cute and irritating behavior from Peabody and McNab. I missed Mira soothing Eve and talking to her about accepting her past. I missed sniping between Eve and Summerset. I especially missed Charles getting away with sexually harassing Eve. Where were all of these elements? At the end of this book, I felt a little lonely, like I hadn't really been in Eve's universe at all.

One of Robb's greatest strengths is in making her characters leap off of the page. I often find myself laughing out loud at a bit of dialog I read in her stories. This book, unfortunately, gave me little opportunity to laugh.

As usual, I savor every page of the J.D. Robb series and Born in Death is no exception. While the murder mystery was not as "mysterious" as previous ones in the series, it did hold my attention. The novel is very well written and the characters of Eve, Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Mavis (a sort of Britney Spears-type character in my mind) and Leonardo are next to none in this rendition of New York's most resourceful Lieutenant Eve Dallas and company. Of course the big topper is what we have all been waiting for - Mavis's baby, however, you have to wait until the very end (and don't go there ahead and spoil it for yourself) to get the big payoff! Eve and Roarke have grown so much in their relationship as is witnessed in the way they interact and compromise with one another in the very most important issues of job vs. marriage. Summerset was a real cutie and you can't help but love that guy - he is so sweet and Eve knows it too! I love the way they go back and forth with one another. The plot and sub-plot (uncovering the death of two young accountants and searching for a very pregnant friend of Mavis, Tandy Willowby, who has just disappeared into thin air) make up 3/4 of the story but Mavis's baby shower is a great read as well as watching Eve step up to the plate and come out on top in that very situation. Nora has a way with words and her storyline ideas and the way in which she tells the story are second to none. Anyone who loves Nora as I do will really enjoy this book and hate to turn that last page. Can't wait for the next in the series.

I LOVE J.D. Robb books but Born in Death just felt like someone else wrote this book. The writing style of not the same as the previous books. In the other books Nora doesn't use words like addy, vid, wit ALL the time and there is wayyyy too much description of what people Eve is interviewing have on. I felt that this book was not up to her usual HIGH standards and was very disappointed because I had waited so long. I will continue to read all of Nora Roberts books and will hope that she returns to her usual style of writing.

Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke attend a birthing class with Eve's good friend Mavis --- pregnant and ready to pop at any time --- and her cohab Leonardo. At dinner afterward, they are joined by single mom-to-be Tandy Willowby and enjoy an evening of good food, wine and fellowship. The two expectant women, all giggly and weepy, are a mystery to Eve, who finds babies and girlie stuff far out of her comfort zone. When the evening winds down, Dallas and Roarke see everyone safely home and then tuck themselves in for the night.

In the early hours of the morning, a dedicated accountant is found tortured and murdered. Shortly thereafter, the police discover her fiancé's body. It looks personal, but no one has a bad word to say about either of them. Their work doesn't appear to be sensitive, but when you're working with numbers, it's often hard to tell. If anyone can make heads or tails of it, Dallas can. She puts her best team to work on it. And, as is often the case, she relies on Roarke for the tasks she cannot handle by legal means.

When another body turns up, Dallas shifts into high gear, alarmed that even more corpses may be found and worried that she missed something that could have saved at least one life. She is running on adrenaline, a lot of strong coffee and very little sleep. But just as she is near physical and mental exhaustion, Tandy disappears, and it is feared that she has been abducted. Mavis, in a state close to panic, extracts a promise from Dallas that she will find Tandy --- personally. No assigning it to one of the troops; she insists on Eve personally.

The race against time on both cases takes a heavy toll on Lt. Dallas. And she has the impending birth to look forward to, having pledged her support to Mavis, and that fills her with a dread she never faces in her police work. Fortunately, she has Roarke to keep her sane.

"Problem?" he asked her.

"Our home is full of people, one of who could go off like a bomb of emotionally charged hormones at any moment. You're doing drone work for me on two cases, one of which started with a huge personal insult to you. I dragged you to Brooklyn on a Sunday, then dumped you into another crime scene and left you in charge of a hysterical witness. There's probably more in there, but those are the high points."

While it may not be a favorite in the series, BORN IN DEATH reads easily. The investigation is well handled, the dialogue is witty and clever, and the plot is driven nicely to a tidy wrap-up. Besides, Mavis has a baby, and who can resist babies? Perhaps not even Lt. Dallas.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

This is absolutely the worst I've read from Nora Roberts. It's actually kind of funny. She's so good that this is the worst I've read of her works. It's not too bad, just not very good. Eve's bored, Roarke's bored, I was sure bored. Eve's sounding pretty whiney also--not very appealing for this tough as nails Lieutenant moving towards Captain.

We know Eve's an effective manager--of time and people. She tends to be no less in this latest installment. But let's be real, nothing seems much of a challenge for her anymore and this book certainly reflects that. There is no real suspense and I'm kind of sick of how her relationship with Mavis has degenerated as it has. I would hope by now that either Eve is better able to redirect Mavis's constant (sorry, but that's how they appear to me) demands or Mavis has become sensitive enough to her friend's need to not have so much unwelcome pressure in her life. Mavis has a man, make that big cry-baby put up with her hormones. Eve is Roarke's husband...heh, heh.

Also, why is everyone constantly around Eve and Roarke? Yes, I know he's rich but aside from Peabody and beau, all their other friends have their own comfy places and their own nice stuff. Why aren't Roarke and Dallas over visiting them more? Well let's all be one big happy, confining, too-comfortable family, shall we? Put Eve at the police station more so that we can encounter people who remind us that murder is serious business and isn't so comfortable, eh?

The one saving grace of this book is knowing that Nora Roberts will come back strong despite my poor reception to this, her latest offering.

I have always enjoyed J.D.Robb's mysteries, but I was a bit disappointed in this novel.
I did enjoy Mavis and the birth of her child. I thought the scene had a humorous touch which was refreshing. I thought the plot for the most part was weak. Some parts held my attention, but overall I thought it could have been developed better. I'll probably buy Nora's next novel "Innocent in Death" with a view towards it being a better than "Born in Death". I hope so.