Customer Reviews

Divided in Death

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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

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.

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.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas survived a horrificly abusive childhood, experiencing firsthand how the ponderous indifference of the system can strip the victim powerless. Eve is a homicide cop, standing up for murder victims by her courage, determination and compassion within the system.

Roarke clawed his way out of his childhood of poverty and beatings by brilliance, boldness and sheer determination. He has amassed immense personal wealth and power coupled with an unwavering loyalty to those few he loves, and many who are linked to him by friendship or responsibility. Roarke balances the scales of justice by whatever means suits his purpose, utilizing or evading the law as he deems fit.

Eve's painful past is being used against her by a covert Homeland Security governmental organization. Threats to make her private ordeal public have driven Eve and Roarke to opposing stands. Roarke burns to apply searing retribution to those who knew but ignored Eve's torture at the time, and their successors who kill and threaten with impunity in the present to further their rogue operations. Eve is equally driven to use the system to enact justice. For her, going outside the law would be to herself join the jackals and the victimizers, a betrayal of all she believes.

Divided in Death opens the door a bit wider on the unfolding histories and relationship of Eve and Roarke and their passionate, intense, not always comfortable love and marriage. As always, the supporting cast of friends and peers are woven into the larger story, including an opportunity to clear up an apparent discrepancy from previous novels regarding Dr. Mira, the police psychologist and profiler.

If this is your first taste of the In Death series, enjoy! You'll want to go back and get to know more levels of this complex, passionate pair as well.

In her eighteenth (or is this nineteenth?) novel featuring the acerbic lieutenant Eve Dallas, J.D. Robb (or is that Nora Roberts?) entertains us once again with murder and mayhem in New York City, a New York City of the 2050s. Things have changed from the early part of the century, and technological gadgetry has advanced beyond our wildest dreams. It is obvious Robb has had fun imagining what the future could hold for all of us.

NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas is back, armed with an attitude and all sorts of cool weapons we haven't seen yet. She continues to spurn anything feminine, actually cringing when her famous friend Mavis comes at her with assorted gels, dyes and polishes. She is still referred to by her partner, the newly dubbed "Detective" Peabody, as "Sir." Yet she is head-over-heels, weak-in-the-knees gaga over her wealthy husband, megabusinessman Roarke.

However, her latest case involves one of Roarke's most loyal employees. Technogeek Reva Ewing is found with blood on her hands at the scene of a double homicide involving her husband and a trusted friend, the two locked in a naked embrace, apparently killed in the very throes of passion. It certainly looks like the jealous wife did it. Unfortunately, those aren't the only bodies that turn up in Lt. Dallas's jurisdiction, and they all have connections to the dead husband.

As Eve digs deeper into the case, she turns up some curious clues. What began after the terrorist attacks in 2001 as the Homeland Security Organization has morphed into a scary federal department run amok. Just what is their connection to this series of murders the Lieutenant is investigating? And why are all the computers on the scenes fried? While she works hard to solve these crimes, she learns some interesting truths about the horrific abuse she suffered as a child. The brutal memories of that time threaten to derail the investigation. Her nightmares return with a vengeance.

And Roarke, fiercely in love with her and plagued by his own demons, can't look the other way. He sets his sights on revenge, thereby pitting his interests against Eve's. The odds seem insurmountable for husband and wife. Where once they were spooning between the sheets, they now sleep alone, assiduously avoiding contact with each other. The rift looks irreparable.

This book is filled with action and technical inventions: scanners, blockers, stunners, what have you. As long as you don't take it all too seriously, you can have a great deal of fun reading DIVIDED IN DEATH.

--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers

This, to me, is J.D. Robb better than ever. Finally, she writes a mystery in which Roarke's involvement is intrinsic to the plot - he's not just shoving his way into Eve's job. Their conflict was so well-drawn and realistic, it amazed me. I was very impressed with its resolution, in how far Eve and Roarke have come to understand each other. I do have to disagree with the reviewer who said that Eve's response "emasculated" Roarke - she was the wounded party, it's for her to decide if and how she wants to retaliate. If he just jumped in, he would take away her power even more. On a side note, it's a real pleasure to read about people with childhood issues who have to continue to work through them - so often, True Love comes along, and that's just the end of it.

The mystery was good and entertaining, with several amusing, well-placed, political "slams." It's also delightful to see Peabody as a detective and to get a closer look at Caro. I am looking forward to Visions in Death and to when this comes out in paperback.

I am a huge J.D. Robb fan, but for her first stand alone hardback, I found this entry in the wonderful "In Death" series a disappointment. Other reviewers have summarized the plot, so I won't waste time doing so here. In "Divided", the mystery is well-developed, and there is an interesting twist in Eve and Roarke's relationship, but overall I found the book almost tentative and stiff in its writing, far less masterful than the last two paperbacks, "Purity" and "Portrait". In fact, I found this one to be substantially different in the quality of prose than all the other In Death books.

The strength of this series is the great characters. Here, the spark of their presence and interaction is dimmed. Some of the dialogue is still snappy, but an awful lot sounds stilted. The disagreement between Eve and Roarke seems too overdrawn, and their inevitable reconciliation somewhat anti-climactic. Some of the more entertaining side characters like Summerset, Mavis, and Nadine seem to have gratuitous walk-ons, rather than meaningful roles in the story.

While I find it impossible to hate a J.D. Robb book, I think this is her weakest entry in the series. If you are not familiar with the series, it may read much more strongly. I only hope that "Visions in Death" recaptures the magic.

I read this book for the first time several months ago and since then I have completed the series to date. Since "Divided" stood out as one of J. D. Robb's best to my mind, I just re-read it (October 2005) for clarity and enjoyment. "Divided in Death" deals with techno-terrorism while delving into Eve's childhood and the atrocities she suffered while government agencies stood by and ignored the horror a little girl was living. While Eve is trying to uncover the latest murderers who, by the way have set up one of Roarke's top-notch employees, she is also dealing with a husband who cannot understand her thinking as to the deadly revenge he must not seek from an incident that cannot change what happened to her 20 years before. How Eve/Roarke and the supporting cast deal with murder and global espionage makes for a terrific and interesting plot. It is definitely a book you need to pay close attention to as it becomes a little convoluted at times, but it is definitely worth the effort. I hold to my initial thoughts: "Divided in Death" is one of Robb's better stories in a series that is nothing short of excellent.

The basic storyline of the book centers around a government agency called the HSO (Homeland Security Organization) and Eve's battle with the agency, which instead of destroying terrorists, has become a government-sponsored terrorist group itself. More as it becomes clear that the agency was aware of and ignored Eve's horrible childhood, a conflict arises between Roarke and Eve. Roarke will be forced to make a choice...go after those who allowed his beloved Eve to suffer or do nothing in order not to cause Eve still more pain. Essentially this book is good in two ways...It provides an excellent mystery as well as allowing for the tension and development and, in the end, the testing of Eve and Roarke's marriage. For oldtimers to the series, this is one of the best, and I definately recommend it. For newcomers, this isn't a bad book to start with, though I'd suggest starting with the first book, Naked In Death, and working your way up to it. But regardless, enjoy the book. Escape into the future and like me, fantasize that you too are married to Roarke.

The unfaithful husband and his lover are murdereed and the angry ex-wife is nearby. Somehow, though, Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the whole thing a little to easy. Especially when her husband, Roarke, tells her that the woman is completely trustworthy and involved in one of his most important projects. Dallas decides to investigate further and finds subtle fingerprints of the Homeland Security Organization everywhere. Computer genius and billionaire Roarke finds out something else--Homeland Security stood by while Dallas was being raped by her father because they didn't want to compromise an investigation. Roarke may not be able to protect Dallas now, but he needs to go after those who messed with an innocent young girl.

Although Roarke and Dallas work together on the case, Dallas doing the legwork while Roarke leads the investigation into a strangely destructive computer virus that has the earmarks of one rumored to be created by a terrorist organization, the knowledge of Homeland Security's failure to protect Dallas lays heavy on their relationship. Dallas is a cop--she can't take revenge for a long-ago mistake. And she can't let Roarke take justice into his own hands. But Roarke knows that there is no justice when government agencies can use top-secret classifications to cloak their mistakes in national interest jargon.

Author Nora Roberts (writing as J. D. Robb) writes a fast-moving and exciting story. The damaged Dallas makes an intriguing character with her strong interest in the law and a sometimes battling interest in true justice. Dallas's decision to solve the mystery regardless of overblown claims about national security is strong stuff in an era where governments regularly ignore constitutional rights. Secondary characters like Peabody, Dallas's assistant and newly promoted detective are also charming and add a comic touch.

It's hard to go wrong with any book by Nora Roberts and DIVIDED IN DEATH is an enjoyable treat. I found the romantic conflict between Roarke and Dallas an occasional distraction from the mystery and Roarke is just a little too perfect to be sympathetic, but Robb/Roberts' writing is so strong you hardly notice.