Imitation in Death [Hardcover]

J.D. Robb (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Books (2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739438107
• ISBN-13: 978-0739438107
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,123 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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book... even read through it twice..., September 20, 2003

By 

Susan Andrianov (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Imitation In Death (Mass Market Paperback)

and disagree with the gals who didn't.. isn't life great that we are all different in our views. I thought the character development of Eve still proceeds at its usual rate. She learns more about her mother in this one. Peabody is developed more in this story. The interaction between Roarke and Eve is solid and sexy as usual. As with another reviewer, I like that Eve's compassion for the living is highlighted with the victim as well as her compassion for the dead. I liked the scene between Eve and the coroner. Where is there "lack of character development"? I enjoy the small nuances as well as the deep ones. This book is full of those wonderful small nuances... loved the family BBQ at Mira's. Other Death books are more exciting, but I look forward to seeing how all the characters keep growing in Ms. Roberts' books.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better "In Death" books, August 26, 2003

By 

Kylara "Kylara" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imitation In Death (Mass Market Paperback)

I rushed down to the store to get this yesterday, and unlike the last one [Portrait], which left me feeling a bit hurried and miffed, this one had a lot of the best things about this series. Eve Dallas has some very good moments in this book - the mystery makes sense (the murderer is actually one of the main suspects this time), still managing to keep the reader guessing. It plays out well, and the murders manage to impress upon the reader the appropriate sense of disgust intended.

The main characters mostly have some good points in this book, although I was a bit weirded out by Roberts' description of Morris (he is suddenly described with the adjective 'exotic' on two consecutive pages). Peabody is taking the detective exam, McNab is being lovey-dovey with the aforementioned, and Roarke is getting through the loss discovered in Portrait. There's a lack of Feeney in this book, as well as Nadine, but it plays out better for it, especially since Portrait had characters experiencing Significant Moments of Life every five pages. Not that this book isn't lacking in the odd character moment here and there, but it works anyway. For Lt. Dallas herself, there is a big flashback - and a fascinating one, for it's about the person that her brandy-colored eyes are from - and no, it's not her dad.

One of my favorite aspects of this series is the Eve-Roarke dynamic, and in this book, they're awfully cute in this book, and such fun to read. I don't mean gushy cute, thank goodness, but they're a highly amusing couple. A favorite moment of mine is Eve watching, with some baffled horror, as Roarke cooks, and I don't mean with an Auto-Chef. More than ever, I think this couple has really settled into a comfortable dynamic, the way that only they can do it.

One of the reasons it's such fun to read this is because of how the characters have grown throughout the books. I feel that Roberts' other books often lost realism in the characters, with the books themselves too often ending with a tidily engaged couple and pregnant female. However, the In Death series gives her the chance to naturally grow these characters, and it's really evident in this book. Compare Imitation to Naked or Glory, and it's actually a little scary to see how these characters - especially Eve and Roarke - have changed, but they've done so together, and it's sweetly romantic.

Last word: this isn't a book for new readers. It would be completely confusing, very bizarre, and without the enjoyment of seeing how these beloved characters continue to change. There is an unusually high amount of references to other J.D. Robbs here(there was even a reference to Interlude in Death), and although it's nice for the devoted reader, it can be nothing but bizarre to a newbie. In the end, this was a very entertaining book - I think one of the best in this series - and though there were no previews, I look very forward to buying Remember When in a few weeks and Divided in Death in the new year. :>

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A slight misstep in an otherwise great series., September 1, 2003

By 

Rant Diva "rantdiva" (GRITS girl trapped in the Midwest.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Imitation In Death (Mass Market Paperback)

I buy the J.D. Robb books like most people go to movies they really want to see-on the first day they're available. Then, I read it cover to cover-no matter how late, no matter what time I have to get up in the morning-I have to match wits with Eve Dallas, Roarke, and the crew to see if I can guess who the killer is. The one thing I LOVE about this series (and Nora Roberts in general) is that I'm always guessing until the last clue is in place. Not so with this particular installment of the 'In Death' series.
I don't want to spoil it for those who read this book, but there's a VERY VERY big clue that reveals the killer's identity right off the bat, and it's so obvious you almost miss it. When I realized it, I was so upset, because that's the fun for me. This is the first book I've acutally been able to put down and leave for awhile-the first that didn't fully engage me to the point that everything else is a distraction. All of the qualities that makes these books so much fun are there-Roarke and Eve's love for one another, McNabb and Peabody getting more committed, Summerset (he's back!!!); and let's not forget the witty reparte' the characters have. The book got off to a very slow start for me, and I didn't enjoy this book as much as the rest. It's saying something that it took book 17 for me to get disheartened, so lets hope that "Remember When" and the next "In Death" novel makes up for this slight misstep in an otherwise great series.