Portrait in Death (In Death #16) [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

J. D. Robb (Author), Susan Ericksen (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2007

After a tip from a reporter, Eve Dallas finds the body of a young woman in a Delancey Street dumpster. Just hours before, the news station had mysteriously received a portfolio of professional portraits of the woman. The photos seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary for any pretty young woman starting a modeling career. Except that she wasn't a model. And that these photos were taken after she had been murdered. Now Dallas is on the trail of a killer who's a perfectionist and an artist. He carefully observes and records his victim's every move. And he has a mission: to own every beautiful young woman's innocence, to capture her youth and vitality - in one fateful shot...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lieutenant Eve Dallas may live in 2059, but she's still a recognizable Manhattan police officer: mouthy, courageous, skeptical and impatient. In Roberts's latest In Death novel (after Purity in Death), she's charged with finding a killer who murders young people full of innocence and promise, photographs them after death, then taunts both a top reporter and Dallas herself with notes about his handiwork. Just as her investigation of Manhattan's clubs and colleges nears its peak, Eve's husband, the wealthy entrepreneur Roarke, discovers that his mother is not the cold abandoner he remembers, but a tender young Irishwoman whom his father brutally murdered. While he struggles to understand his heritage, the couple must navigate stormy marital waters. Though the mystery's denouement doesn't live up to its promise, the book ably delivers on other fronts. Intensely female yet unfeminine in any traditional sense, Dallas has a complex edge that transcends genre stereotypes and gives the book's romantic interludes a real charge. As always in Roberts's work, appealing secondary characters add genuine warmth and humor. And while this futuristic vision of New York may not be totally accurate (it's unlikely, for example, that Dallas's oft-used "bite me" will still be in vogue 50 years from now), it's perfectly calibrated to intrigue.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review

“Portrait In Death will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You will go from wanting to laugh to wanting to reach for the box of tissues.” —Barb Hicks, ParaNormal Romance Reviews
 
“When you want a book that will excite, thrill and transport you, pick up something by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). The futuristic Eve Dallas and Rourke suspense stories are without peer!” —Jill M. Smith, Romantic Times
 
“Purity In Death is a tour-de-force, perfectly displaying Ms. Robb''s considerable writing skill, while at the same time illustrating exactly why this series continues to be an auto-buy for her fans… Purity In Death is a winner.” —Mellanie Crowther, The Romance Readers Connection
 
“Thank you J.D. for another surprise, more laughs, and another look into the, hopefully, never ending life that Dallas and Roarke.” —Michele Patrykus, The Best Reviews
 
 

 

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged Lib Ed; Library edition (November 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423317548
• ISBN-13: 978-1423317548
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,258,316 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

46 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best So Far!!, May 19, 2003

By 

"intentaccess" (Boca Raton, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portrait in Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Once again another great addition to the In Death Series. I have to disagree with a reviewer, I found this book truly outstanding. I really did, I think it is the best in the series thus far. The entire book was very surprising, excellent scenario!
Normally you figure it out toward the end the "who dune it" but this time round I didn't have a clue.

More of Roarke and Dallas's personal stories were revealed, but this time the shoe was on the other foot. There is a secret Roarke discovered. You learned a new side to him as he also learned this side. You also saw a side to Eve as she put her work case second and her husband first. I can't tell you what it is this would spoil it but to do all this learning the end up in Ireland.

Then a bright young college student is murdered and thrown in a recycler like so much trash, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is, determined to stand for the dead and find the killer. But perhaps most disturbing about this particular case, is that prior to the discovery of the body, a package of photos of the murdered girl were sent to Eve's friend, Nadine Furst, a well-known TV reporter. It's clear that the killer photographed the victim for some time before the death, without her knowledge, and it's also clear that in the picture, the girl is already dead. The killer wants Nadine's help in showing his work. Then the second victim in found and once again it revolves around their picture the killer had taken. Portrait in Death blasted off with a bold and imaginative concept on an obsession of immortality, and light, but its depth grew when Robb emphasized on the action and characters. The storyline was so compelling, it really made this a page turning thriller.

All the characters who are loved were also back in this entry. There is still humor between Eve and Peabody's dialog. Still humor in Eve and Sumorset, even more in this story as he had a fall and delayed his holiday. One talent Robb has is the building of characters.

This is a must read for all the In Death readers out there. If you are new to the series, start at the beginning with Naked in death and just go down the line. It will not take long either and they get addicting. I know I can't wait for the new one to come out in fall. I really do enjoy this series and I really do feel this was the best of them so far.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Role Reversals, February 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Portrait in Death (Mass Market Paperback)

Hints of Spoilers (Caution)

By far this has got to be one of my favorite book of the series. Nora Roberts is a wonderful writer, but as the series dragged on, there too many characters introduced and Dallas's neurotic "snits" became tedius and childish.

One of the reasons I loved this book so much was the role reversals of the characters. Summerset acts like Eve, Eve matures as a wife and acts like Roarke, and Roarke--well he's kind of locked in his own world of pain that we have never seen before.

In addition, Nora Roberts trimmed down her cast so that the story didn't bog down with all their side stories. I've been getting tired of the Peabody-McNabb, Louisa-LC, Mavis-Leonardo, Mira, and Trina side stories. This time the murder plot and Roarke dealing with the past were the central points in the book. It was great. I cried several times through the book about Roarke's situation and whenever Eve had to deal with grieving parents. The murder mystery was great too, I didn't know who the killer was until the end.

The way Nora Roberts described the turmoil and emotions in this far surpassed her previous books. She dealt with the relationship of Roarke and Eve in such a way that it feels like a real marriage of emotions, and not some 2 dimensional rich guy whose perfect and always protecting his neurotic wife. I also liked the teaming of Eve and Summerset. It was wonderful to see them mature enough to team up against something they had in common. SPOILER SPOILER: The nature of Patrick Roarke's death and Summerset's involvement was a surprise. I guess somehow subconsciously it seemed right. I'm curious about Roarke's knowledge or suspicions of this. If Eve suspected, then Roarke should have too. Eve was such a great character in this book. For once she wasn't just locked into this one mold of determination to find the killer. She was aware about her wifely duties and shuffled her work life to deal with her personal life. I also enjoyed the introduction of Hastings as well. He kind of a carbon copy of other characters that have been introduced here and there in the series, where the character is cranky and tempermental, but has a great raport with either Roarke or Eve.

I'm looking forward to seeing future interactions with Roarke's blood relations now. Roarke's first name will have to remain a mystery though. I'm assuming his mother would definetly name him on the birth certificate.

I would highly recommend this book. This ranks as my favorite book of the series, above Naked In Death and Glory In Death.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking developments regarding Roarke's past, March 10, 2005

By 

Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Portrait in Death (Mass Market Paperback)

In my mind, one of the keys to keep a series going as long as J.D. Robb has is to get the readers to identify with the characters at some level. That is why the author provides us with information about the main characters' past in every book, and continues developing their stories looking forward. We have seen that a good portion of the previous novels has been devoted to the past of our heroine, Lieutenant Eve Dallas. The abuse by her father and the shock of killing him when she was a kid in order to escape are present in every installment of this series. We do know some facts about Roarke's past too, an abusive father and a mother that abandoned him, but in this novel we are faced with a truth that shakes the foundation of the billionaire.

Besides the personal stories, we are always presented with cleverly crafted mysteries, and even though in this book the case Eve is working on takes a secondary part, it fulfills its role regarding entertainment, action and suspense. Everything starts when Nadine Furst, a reporter for channel 75 and friend of Eve, receives an anonymous message that leads her to believe someone is dead. She calls Eve and the lieutenant quickly finds the body of a young girl inside a recycle bin. Nadine not only received a message, but also photos of the victim before and after being killed, with the latter one being staged. The victim was taking a course in imaging, so Eve and her aide Delia Peabody start going after the killer with this consideration in mind. As Robb has done in some of her previous books, we get to "read into the killer mind" in some of the passages and find out that this person believes that the victims will live forever through the images.

This one is one of the best installments in the series so far because the developments in Roarke's personal story create an unparalleled eagerness on the reader. I know it did in my case, since I read this one in a single sitting. There are also other developments, like the relationship between Peabody and McNabb moving forward with them thinking about living together, and the fact that Mavis is pregnant. As the series progresses, I have found that it is harder and harder for the author to inform the reader of everything that has occurred in the past of this set of characters, so you will be missing important points if you have not read the previous books. For those that have been following Eve's adventures, I hope that you agree with me in that this book is without a doubt among the best by Robb.