Customer Reviews

Ceremony in Death

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The exciting in Death" series, continues with Ceremony in Death. Eve Dallas is investigating the death of a fellow officer to determine whether he was corrupt or whether he was murdered. The investigation involves a Satanist group and a group called the Wiccan. Roarke shows his Celtic / Irish roots more clearly as both he and Peabody know more about the Wiccan’s then eve. Peabody is really coming to be a real asset to Eve and a very interesting character in this series. Roarke gets involved in the investigation against Eve’s wish of course! This is really an excellent series. If you are a new reader start with Naked in Death at the beginning of the series you will be delighted! I recommend this book and the entire series!!

The incredible "...in Death" series written by Nora Roberts, under the name J.D. Robb, continues with Ceremony in Death. Eve Dallas is investigating the death of a fellow officer to determine whether he was corrupt and whether he was murdered.

The investigation gets Eve involved with a satanic cult and a wiccan group. The wiccan element brings more development to Peabody's character and makes Peabody more than just a trainee in this story since Peabody knows a bit about the wiccan practices.

As always, Roarke gets involved in the investigation even when Eve doesn't want him to of course. This book is as good as the other's in this series and they're all great. If you haven't read the series start with the first book, Naked in Death.

Highly recommended!

J.D. Robb continues to impress me with her "In Death" series. "Ceremony in Death" continues the tradition of excellence, providing an exciting, unsettling, and entertaining read.
We receive new insight into the main characters, Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD and her charming billionaire husband Roarke, with each book in the series. These two are a wonderful couple, and their dynamics become more complex and fascinating in this novel. When Eve and Roarke are together the sparks fly, and they have some highly erotic, yet never distasteful scenes.
In this instalment of the series, Eve is investigating a case that involves satanic cults and lots of deep, dark secrets. The sinister atmosphere of this novel is expertly woven, causing Eve's encounters with evil to send chills up the reader's spine.
Although we know who the bad guys are pretty much from the beginning. We do not have the mystery properly solved until the very end, and there are many thrilling and suspenseful scenes to keep the reader turning pages. I truly enjoyed this book, and with its romance and suspense, its intrigue and futuristic police procedure, there is something in it for everyone!
I am in awe of J.D. Robb's incredible skill at writing continually superior books and I will continue to buy and recommend them as long as she keeps writing them!

Eve does not believe in magic, but it seems that everyone around her does. Unfortunately, many of those that believe are ending up dead. While investigating the death of a fellow officer and his grand-daughter, Eve meets a "white" witch (Wiccan) and "black" witch (Satanist). As the bodies begin to pile up, Eve and Peabody must delve into the world of witch craft to stop the killing and bring the murderer to justice.
I gave this book three stars, because I just could not get into it. All the previous books I have read in a day or two, but it took me almost two weeks to finish this one. CEREMONY is much darker than the previous books. The suspense element is there, but it is not hard to figure out who the killer is. I like to be surprised by who the killer is, and I was not in this book.
Another thing that is starting to bother me, are the common threads throughout this series. Eve is ALWAYS cranky and banging on things. Roarke is somehow always pulled into the investigation. Eve's car and computer are always acting up on her. Maybe this is picky, but it is getting very repetitive.
I would recommend reading CEREMONY IN DEATH if you are a fan of the series, and plan to continue on with the next books. It is not as great as the rest, but all in all, not too bad. We get to learn alot more about Feeny (Eve's mentor and trainer that works as an e-detective). The relationship between Eve and Feeny is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. CEREMONY is worth the read, just for that.

Jenny Bogue
...

CEREMONY IN DEATH was not as good as I expected. I felt kinda...disappointed. I wonder why. The book had several copy-editing problems, for which I don't blame Nora Roberts aka J. D. Robb but the publisher. I think if the same book was written by another author, maybe I could have been satisfied with it. But with Nora/J.D., I always expect the best because I know she can do it.

The sexual tension between hero and heroine wasn't as blazing as the previous ones. Her previous books all contained some sort of dark moments between hero and heroine; however, CEREMONY didn't really have any dark moment between them.

As for the mystery part, it's not hard to guess who did it and why the person did it in the beginning. In other word, it was very predictable! Nora/J.D. tries to confuse the readers with some false clues, etc.; however, who cares when the readers already know that those clues are false? (esp. for me, thanks to my avid Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie reading)

I think CEREMONY was average. But because I enjoyed the previous books in the series, I'll look forward to reading VENGEANCE IN DEATH, the next one in the series

This is the 5th novel in the "Death" series and its the best one yet. Jd Robb has really hit her stride with this novel- the characters are well fleshed out and the story line is fascinating. For those not familiar with the series, Jd Robb chronicles the life and cases of police Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke. The novels take place in the future around 2058.

In Ceremony in death, Eve is forced to investigate the death of a fellow officer. Her investigation leads her to satanic cults, Wiccan religious groups, and more murders. It seems that everyone Eve questions ends up getting killed and soon Eve herself is the target. Eve is disturbed by the ritualistic killings, especially given her own abused background. And she has no shortage of suspects.

The attraction of the series is the mix of suspense and romance- all meshed into a great murder mystery. Its nice to continually follow the same main characters. Their complex and evolving relationship are what keep me reaching for the next book. Too often, storys concentrate on the courtship, but the Death series proves that marriage/committment are just as complelling, romantic and sexy. Eve and Roarke have a great partnership and chemistry that has been evident since their first meeting in book 1, Naked in Death.

While Ceremony in Death is the 5th book, those who haven't read the earlier novels won't get confused as each book is essentially self contained. But loyal readers are rewarded as familiar characters are brought back--like Mavis, Peabody, Fenney and the butler. But prior knowledge of the series isn't required- in fact, I read book 1 Naked in Death and then this one..and have read some of the others out of order.

Happy Reading!

I loved this book! Once again Ms. Robb has written an entertaining, hard to put down, page turner. With each In Death book I am focused on finding the killer, but the plot always has surprising twists. This book did not let me down. It was very enchanting and mysterious. The characters are just mag, as Mavis would say. Roarke and Eve are the best though. He is the ever supporting rock Eve never knew she needed. And they are all so funny! GREAT READ, if you want to escape for a while into the life of the incredibly rich, and dangerously exciting. I suggest reading every one, in order. The characters really become like a part of you! This series is without a doubt my all time favorite. I hope it never ends!

Ceremony in Death gives us a far deeper look into Peabody, Eve's aide. She starts to loosen up more around Eve, showing us some of her wisecracking self. We get to see some of the ways in which her 'Free-Ager' family has affected her, and we see some of the occult scene through her eyes and experience. We also delve into something that hasn't really been explored in the series yet: the question of psychic abilities, which, although not universally accepted, have apparently been studied and, to some extent, measured in this future time.

The question of identity as a tug-of-war between genetics, family influence, and self-determination is continued in this book (it's a powerful motif in the series). Peabody might seem the opposite of her Free-Ager family on the surface, but she isn't entirely. Roarke seems the epitome of the smooth businessman, but he still possesses the dark strength of his street upbringing. Eve still wonders if her father's brutality might express itself through her, and she finds this fear reflected in one of her suspects, a man she thinks may have taken up his father's love of ritualistic murder.

The 'white witches' are an interesting bunch, with some fascinating characters among them. They almost make up for the Satanists, who are a one-dimensional band of lunatics and hedonists. Those flat characters are pretty much the book's one flaw. On the other hand, sometimes you need a good old-fashioned lunatic when enjoying a deliberately melodramatic detective series, so this isn't a large flaw.

Adult material warning: we have our usual Eve/Roarke sizzling sex, but there's also some darker sexual matter in this plot that some might be uncomfortable with.

Ah, this book brought out the Celtic in me, also Roarke showed His Celtic/Irish roots a little more fully. Officer Peabody has turned into a real asset & a down right interesting person. Much more of her background was reveled, she is a perfect foil for Eve's intense nature. I'm still so enjoying the play between Eve & Roarke,,, sexy, witty interesting couple. Wonderful fast paced, didn't see the end coming at all!

It is 2058 A.D. and New York police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has given little or no thought to forces that defy basic twenty-first century physics. Her spouse Roarke, a powerful multi-billionaire, has enough Irish blood in him to take the old ways very seriously. A police officer dies from what appears to be natural causes. However, an autopsy reveals that there are illegal drugs in his system. Eve is assigned to investigate whether her peer turned. ...... At the dead officer's funeral, his granddaughter, Alice, arranges a clandestine meeting with Eve to discuss her relative's death. Alice informs Eve that she was part of a satanic cult until she witnessed a ritual killing of a child. She told her grandfather what she saw and now believes that the cult members killed him using magic. Later that evening, a hysterical Alice is killed by a car. Eve blames the cult for her death and vows to destroy them. However, evil is very strong and Eve, with Roarke's unflappable assistance, finds herself locked in to the age old battle between the light and the dark, with the outcome very much in doubt. ..... J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) latest offering, CEREMONY IN DEATH,is a very good work of romantic suspense, but it seems as if the author went to the well once too many times. There is little new ground, and though the novel would be exceptional as a first entry or a stand alone, readers who have faithfully followed the ongoing futuristic mystery series will be disappointed that there is nothing fresh about the lives of the lead protagonists. For those who have not tasted this series before, this is a great tale. ......Harriet Klausner