Customer Reviews

Reunion in Death (In Death 14)

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

 

 

A rich, well loved older man is poisoned on his birthday. The family is devastated and Eve Dallas gets the call. Eve quickly realizes who did the deed. The perpetrator is someone who has a personal vendetta against Eve herself and taunts Eve with every body that falls at her feet. Now Eve must find the murderer before they can target Roarke. Also, Eve finally confronts her tragic past. Oh, yeah the final confrontation between Eve and the murderer is worth a couple of re-reads.

There are a lot of familiar things about this book. First there is Eve. She is still the tough as nails cop with a deep heart and a bruised soul that we were first introduced to in "Naked in Death." I like the progression I've seen in the books. That first book had a very isolated Eve haunted by suppressed memories of her horrific childhood. This 14th book has an Eve is completely surrounded by friends and people who love her and she (and we) finally get the whole story behind her childhood. Usually Peabody gets the best lines, but in this one Eve gets few. There are some real smile-out-loud moments when Eve is confronted with the wide-open spaces of Texas and cows and horses.

And then there is everyone else. The usual suspects makes their appearance. Peabody is still at Eve's side and gets to take on a case of her own; McNab is still flashy; Charles the LC and his new girlfriend Dr. Louise are minor supporting characters and of course Roarke is still the sexiest fictional character around.

I really enjoy this series and look forward to the next one in six months. These books are truly Nora Roberts at her best!

I loved this book! It totally fit into the series and focused on some issues that we all wanted answered for a while. It didn't totally give anything away and all the close calls made the ending totally sweet! Eve and Roarke make such a great couple, it's too bad that I'm going to have to wait another 6 months for the next book to come out. Peabody and her family are a hoot and a half. I loved how this book started playing on Eve's little insecurities and it showed how everyone has developed in the year that Eve's been married to Roarke! Great read and can't wait for Purity in Death! =)

I am truly amazed by Nora Roberts writing. How does she crank out so many books, all with the quality and zest that each and every one seems to have.
This book is the latest in her In Death series written under the name of J.D. Robb.
This time, Eve Dallas faces serial killer Julianna Dunne, whose recent release from prison has not seemed to help. She is out for payback against the one person in the world she respects, Eve. And the payback involves the murderous Julianna playing hardball on Eve's New York City area and she even stalks Roarke.

Eve's vulnerabilities are seem to show, to Roarke and the reader.
Julianna Dunne is a brilliant adversary, and she has done her homework well.

This installment does seem to drag very slow in the beginning but sure picks up pace. All the characters seem to build and I do enjoy that part and getting to know the crew better. This was not the best In Death book but it was sure worth the read. If you enjoy this series then you do not want to miss it. If you are new to the series then start at the very beginning with Naked in Death and you sure will be delighted!

J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) is writing this "... In Death" series at the incredible pace of two per year. The debut in 1995 opened us to a new world of NYC homicide crimes set in the year 2058. Various high tech phones, personal air travel vehicles, and human-like "droids" (worker-bees) add an imaginative touch to these police procedurals. In this the 14th of the set, homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas, along with a now familiar cast of regulars, especially her aide Peabody and her zillionaire husband Roarke, is again hard at work trying to run down a killer she sent to jail ten years ago, Julianna Dunne. Out of prison on parole, this time Dunne's hitting random male targets instead of just marrying rich men before she offs them. Eve suspects a personal competition with Dunne, and fears Roarke might be on the hit list with little more than one-upsmanship (with a little revenge thrown in) as a motive. The intensity of the hunt, the interaction of Eve and her cohorts, and the climactic conclusion left us feeling wrung-out from suspense.

While these books take on a predictable form, Robb's plots never fail to please. Moreover, we get to know the lead players better with every book, and take some degree of pleasure in their growth and development. (Peabody solves her first murder in this one, to the delight of all, in a small sub-plot.) The relationship studies between Eve and Roarke pose many questions about the solidarity of marriage and the care and feeding of one's partner; the troubled childhoods of our protagonists only add to the complexity of their pursuit of happiness.

So add it up -- edgy, compelling stories; torrid romance and relationships; futuristic settings; and intense crime fighting: sounds like a great mystery book!

Got this book the other day and read it over night. Couldn't put it down. Robb has another winner. Each Eve Dallas story keeps getting better. In this one an opponent from the past challenges Eve by trying to kill Roarke and Eve meets the challenge. Eve faces her past in this book by going back to the city were she killed her father. We also meet Peabody's parents and they make the story interesting.

I buy each J.D. Robb paperback as soon as it comes out and find the futuristic stories about Eve Dallas, Robb's tough female cop to be truly engaging.

The villain of this tale is a woman Eve has faced before, and she is identified quickly, but is not so easy to catch! I really enjoyed the final confrontation between Julianna and Eve,
loved meeting Peabody's warm hearted parents, and found the bit about Eve visiting the wide open spaces of Texas very funny! A really terrific subplot involves Eve giving Peabody her own case, and teaching and delegating in a way that gives Peabody just the right amount of independence. Eve Dallas, repeating the pattern taught by her own mentor....

Not enough Mavis or Nadine in the novel, and Robb backs off of the Charles/Laura relationship, and a little bit off McNab/Peabody that were introduced in prior books. I think the books need more of their support.

This book completes the first year cycle of Eve's marriage to Roarke, as they celebrate their anniversary, and we can hope that Robb will not grow tired of her feisty lieutenant before their second anniversary.

Definitely worth buying!

j.d.robb has done it once again.her work is only magical.and I love Peabody.she is such a kick in the pants.I really love how robb is bringing her out more.anyway, this is a great quick read, wonderful for a lazy afternoon at the beach or park. enjoy

In the summer of 2059, Eve Dallas, a lieutenant in the New York Police Security Department, believes it's going to be a crime-ridden season. She is assigned to the homicide of Walter Petibone, a wealthy and prosperous elderly man, who was poisoned at his birthday party in his own home. After Eve eliminates all the obvious suspects like the trophy wife, the ex-wife, and the grown children, she finds evidence that the killer was Julianna Dunne.

Unlike most of Eve's other cases, this time she knows the suspect and managed to have Julianna incarcerated for nine years for killing her three husbands. The serial spouse murderer is determined to make Eve pay now that she's free. Julianna stays one step ahead of Eve's pursuit, just waiting for the right moment to take her ultimate revenge. She intends to kill Eve's beloved husband Roarke.

Unlike all of the other books in J.D. Robb's "Death" series, the in REUNION IN DEATH is up close and personal for the heroine. This makes her step out of character and lose her objectivity that places her in deadly situations on more than one occasion. Though the villain is so obsessed with revenge that seems unreal at times, J.D. Robb shows the character's flaws and frailties of her heroine, which make the tale and Julianna more believable. Fans will not be disappointed with this latest entry.

Harriet Klausner

It is so hard not to have ALL of the books at the top of the "favorite" list since each story is just as good, if not better, than the last. "Reunion" brings back a case Eve had closed more than 10 years ago, however, the system failed and allowed this cold killer, Julianna Dunne, to be released from prison. Julianna attacks her victims with cyanide and is a champ at disguise. She is cold and callus and out to get her revenge on Eve (for being the cop who locked her up the first time) in the worst possible way - by killing Roarke. The story is written very well (the scene in Dallas in heart wrenching) and I particularly enjoyed the comic relief with Eve putting up a big fight about medical care and an even bigger one when Roarke infringes on her territory at Cop Central. That situation was very well played out (I had read some negative reviews on the way Nora handled this, however, I do believe Roarke saw the error of his ways and more than made up for it by the end of the story). This book also celebrates Eve and Roarke's first wedding anniversary in a way that brought tears to my eyes. Any story that can touch you that deeply, is definitely well written. Also, I couldn't conclude my review without acknowledging the supporting characters as well. They always add to the excitement, suspense and romance and the series would be nothing without them.

As a devoted fan of this series I wasn't disappointed with "Reunion". The personal growth of Eve in this particular book was actually painful at times to read. I hope that now that Eve has confronted her demon, future books in this series won't have to keep rehashing her past in such depth. Always satisfying is the "marriage" between Eve and Rourke. Ms. Roberts is often at her best when she touches on the vulnerabilities of her characters. For readers who enjoy this series and want a recommendation: Dennis Lehane's series starting with "A Drink Before the War" is excellent. (I read somewhere that he was one of Nora Robert's favorites.)