Customer Reviews

Midnight in Death (In Death (Playaway))

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The story was first presented in the "Silent Night" anthology and immediately follows the full-size novel "Holiday in Death". We begin with Eve Dallas being called to investigate a body in Times Square of a judge found very early Christmas morning. The body was dumped after the judge had been brutally tortured and slowly hung to death. A note is left with the body but is not really needed as Eve recognizes the work of Dave Palmer who she helped capture and put away 3 years ago. Dave Palmer is a psycho and has left a list of those he intends to kill with Eve at the bottom of the list. It also includes the assistant prosecuting attorney, his defense lawyer and the police's own, Dr. Mira, friend of Eve's. Roarke offers his help and Eve accepts to give her aide, Peabody, more time to recover from an attack (see "Holiday in Death"). As Eve and Roarke and Captain Feeney and others including eventually Peabody follow up clues, interview Palmer's parents and so on, Dave Palmer is anything but idle as he starts going methodically through his list to capture, torture and kill the people he holds responsible for his incarceration. Eve's race against the clock is exciting.

Yes this is a very SHORT story but I found it to be very detailed and well written in spite of the limitations. A good link between regular In Death novels and enjoyable as a stand alone.

This title was originally printed in the Silent Night anthology and is NOT NOT NOT new material from the author. If you own all the In Death books (like me) or have read all the In Death books, then realize that you've read this before.

If you have these books or have read these books before, it's just a publishing trick to separate you from your money. If you are new to the series, start with the first book.

This book is not your typical J.D. Robb offering. It lacks the usual detail Robb routinely offers while fleshing out her characters, but then, it was only intended as part of an anthology. Since I did not read the story when it was first published, I appreciated having it made available so I could fill in the blanks with information that was referenced in more recent publications. I enjoy all of Robb's characters so much that I feel like I know them personally. "Midnight in Death" is too short to give you that intimate look into the lives of Eve's friends and co-workers, and could disappoint fans who are looking for the regular fare, but it is a good read, nevertheless.

I have to agree with Jill on her reply to Deb.

But I would like to add some suggestions and observations...

What helps is the inside sleeve of the JD Robb series list the

books of the IN DEATH series.

However, this book is listed under the compliation of

"Silent Night". So, new fans may not have been aware of this.

But if you look at when the book was written, that may have

shed some light that Midnight was not a new release.

(someone correct me if I am wrong on this point)

The first family Thanksgiving experience Roarke and Dallas have is in noted in the release of 'Origin In Death'.

Doubtful it will be expanded upon since they already dealt with

it.

Please note that the series started in 1995 so there are

quite a few books to catch up on if you are just starting out

now...

Honestly to truly appreciate the series you have to start at the

beginning with 'Naked'.

The newest one is out this week.. hope this helps.

A Nora/JD fan since 1984.

I am an avid fan of this series and extremely disappointed in this latest re-release. Unlike the reviewer, "Deb" I knew exactly what I was doing when I purchased this novella from 1998 and have read the entire series. Disappointed in the writing is an understatement. This book has editing, as well as continuity errors. The story was short, jagged and nothing near the work that I am accustomed to when it comes to this series (i.e., Divided in Death, Conspiracy in Death, Vengeance in Death). I will chalk my disappointment up to the fact that Nora had to condense all the information because of the length of the book. The two stars are for Nora because I know what a great talent she really is and the excellence of this series and characters she has created.

Note that all new Nora Roberts books that are in print for the first time have a logo with NR either for New Release or Nora Roberts, I'm not sure, but it helps to find the new books if you are a long-time reader.

I very much enjoyed this story when it was part of the anthology - what a great idea to release it all on its own as a novella!!!

Reviewer Deb, while I'm sorry you didn't realize it was a re-release, you should know that Nora Roberts' new books always have the NR logo on the cover, distinguishing them from re-releases. I don't know of another author who bothers to give readers this heads up. Pretty classy.

My only caveat about this otherwise enjoyable installment in the Eve Dallas series is that the web site did not prominently state (i.e., I missed it!) that this had previously been published as part of an anthology. I made the mistake of only checking the publishing date, decided it was a new novella published independently (as would be deserved, given the track record of the series), and ordered it without checking further. My bad. But a reminder to readers who want to buy everything from the series -- be sure to read the description carefully enough to determine whether it is a previously-published-in-a-book-you-already-own item!

Unlike some, I'm happy that Robb's short stories are being released as individual thin paperbacks. I prefer to pay $3 for just the story I want, than $8 for an anothology with other authors I don't read. This is a novella, but the price reflects that. Plus it matches the other paperback releases.

The story itself was entertaining and quick paced. A good addition to the series. Look for Interlude in Death coming soon as a think paperback for $3.

Although this story has apparently appeared in an anthology before, I found this a pleasant purchase. I do NOT own all the In Death books and I have only come across a few of the stories... mostly in anthologies. So when I saw this short one for sale I ordered it.

Often you come across stories in anthologies that intrigue you. When you find out that they are part of a larger series, depending on just how much you enjoyed your first exposeure, you might pursue the series. This often has mixed results.

I have read several series, after a first -positive- exposure through an anthology, and been dissapointed in the remainder or the books OR liked the first few (regardless of the order that I read them in) but found myself tiring of the series after a while.

So, knowing that I do not always want to keep and reread Nora Roberts' novels, I thought that I would be cautious when pursuing this series further. This installment was not one that I had come across in another anthology (though it may have been first printed in one), it is short and inexpensive, and it gave me just enough of a taste for the characters and style to make me think that this series will be a keeper.

So if you are a fan but do not own every IN DEATH novel, or you just want an interesting read, I recommend this short story.

Although there are many series where you just HAVE to read every book in the order that they take place/ were published, these stories are solid and stand on their own without having the whole history of them already under your belt. Besides, it might be fun to go back later and see where these characters came from and how they got together in the first place.

That is what I plan to do. Gradually.