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57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Always good to see Eve and Roarke again, February 17, 2004
This review is from: Divided in Death (Hardcover)
A man and his lover are stabbed to death in the middle of a tryst. Homicide Detective Eve Dallas is called to the scene and finds the man's wife standing over the bodies with their blood on her hands. She's got means, motive and opportunity. A slam dunk? Not really. The wife in question is Reva Ewing, an ex- Secret Service agent who is a hero for "taking one" for the president and an employee of Roarke's. Reva is spear-heading a top secret government contract to counter a destructive computer virus that could cripple the country. Eve and Roarke believe that Reva's involvement in this project is the reason she is being so clearly set up. The two of them team up along with the regulars Peabody, Feeney and McNabb to figure out who wanted Reva's cheating husband killed, why they wanted Reva set up and why a few other civilians are turning up dead. For me the good part of this book isn't really the murder mystery. If you've read the other 15 or so books in the series, you've already sussed out Eve's rhythms. She remains consistent in how she works, how she thinks and where she connects the dots. As far as plots go, this one was so-so and the villain wasn't even very interesting or scary. No, what made this book good continues to be the story arc of Eve's dark past and her relationship with her husband and the people who surround her. From the very first book "Naked In Death" when we first meet Eve we are in a nightmare with her as she relives her horrific childhood. Over the course of the series Roberts has handed out dribs and drabs of information so that Eve has learned bit by bit more about her past. Obviously Eve has the resources to learn more but she chooses not to. Yet this case, brings her past starkly into the present. Not only does Eve unwittingly learn much more about her past she but it also brings her into direct conflict with Roarke. Although Eve and Roarke have clashed in the past over their own ideas of justice and vengeance, this time the difference isn't just philosophical but deeply personal. They spend a large part of the story divided and uncommunicative with each other. It is a nice, realistic bump in a relationship that in series time is only about two years old. It brings it home that even though they are deeply in love and quite devoted, Eve and Roarke still have a lot to learn about each other. If you haven't read the other books in the series, you could follow the plot very easily. But there are a lot of references to people and names in the previous books that you could miss some necessary subtext. Not the best of the series but a good, comfortable installment. I recommend
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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite so far, May 17, 2004
This review is from: Divided in Death (Hardcover)
Yes, Divided in Death is different from the other books in the series. You have your typical Eve driven investigation of murder with someone she or Roarke knows and need to prove innocent. You've got your people who misunderstand Eve's ways which hurts her but she remains silent. McNab, Peabody, Mavis, Feeney and Trueheart are all there, which makes for a nice continuity. This time we've got spies and government intrigue at the heart of the murder case. But Divided is more personal than the other books. Eve and Roarke have always had heated arguments but have been solid with their marriage because of their love for each other. This time, they each struggle with something inherent to their make up and it's not so easily moved past. A great part of the book, contrasted with the others, Eve and Roarke cannot find their way to each other, they are estranged by their different reactions to some information that comes to light about Eve's past. It's this struggle which makes the heart of the book so compelling because you want them to make it, they are the other half of the other but at the same time, some things can't just be moved past. I won't give spoilers but I found this intensely personal approach a nice refreshing change from the other books and I thought Robb wrote it well and threaded it into the mystery in such a way that you don't get bored with one or the other. There were a few scenes in the book where I must admit I did get a bit weepy. Eve, without Roarke's strength, without his love and support is very empty and sad and it reminds you of who she was in Naked In Death and how far she's come. A very worthy read for those who've followed the series and the growth of the characters and the marriage between these two unlikely lovers.
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long, but entertaining, January 26, 2004
This review is from: Divided in Death (Hardcover)
Well, the book jacket description is completely exaggerated - not unusual. Forget the Doomsday group - the murders here and all the problems stem from the cold and somewhat corrupt Homeland Security Organization [HSO], which conducts its investigations as it pleases in a devious and not at all kind manner. With the vicious and bloody deaths of the husband and friend of one of Roarke's employees, Eve is led to believe that the computer systems were part of the reason why. Hence, lots of electronic and HSO stuff (HSO stuff which the author evidently despises). This first In Death hardcover is not a bad one - in fact, the mystery was impossible to decipher, though that may be because of all the random possibilities that erupted. Most interesting here is likely the disturbing discovery that Roarke makes about Eve's past - just as Portrait in Death revealed an enormous secret about Roarke's life, Divided is the book in which some very, very nasty things are discovered about a past that Eve would prefer to keep buried, and that alone makes it worth reading. The dialogue in this book is once again sharp and amusing, including a fascinating dialogue between Eve and Roarke where she talks about what she'll do if he dies (that is, if he dies having cheated on her). Verry amusing. I'd say the best part of this novel is most likely the characters, once again - Mavis is bouncing with pregnancy (my guess is she'll give birth within the next two or three books), Peabody and McNab are a constant crack up, and the candy thief strikes again. The conflict between Eve and Roarke in this book is an unusual one. I won't go into much detail, but it has everything to do with the dirty secrets in Eve's past, and it's a very uncomfortable feeling that they have with each other. This and the mystery plot drive the story, and sometimes, for the briefest of moments, the novel loses its momentum. But it successfully regains it, and though the ending (action) is a bit anticlimatic, it's an enjoyable J.D. Robb and a good transition from paperback to hardcover.
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