Glory in Death (1995)

novel, contemporary, romance, suspense, detective, crime, 2017 ( )

Other than being set in the future it's a pretty standard murder mystery. ( )

Glory in Death
4 Stars

Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s investigation into the deaths of two prominent and successful women takes a personal turn when both victims are linked to her lover - the enigmatic business magnet known only as Roarke. Although she believes in his innocence, as a police detective, Eve is to follow every lead no matter where it takes her.

Suffice it to say that the reasons J.D. Robb fans adore this series are starting to become clear to me: Fast paced writing, interesting character development, an unpredictable romance and a mystery with some compelling twists and turns.

Eve is a very complex heroine. On a professional level, one cannot help but admire her resilience and independence as she strives to attain justice for the victims. However, on the personal front, she is somewhat of a mess as she struggles to cope with her feelings for Roarke and difficulty expressing her obvious love for him.

Roarke is just as interesting but for opposite reasons. It is rare to find an alpha hero so ready to embrace his new and unexpected feelings for a woman, but Roarke does so without hesitation and this makes him more appealing than all of his enigmatic sexiness (which he also has in abundance).

Eve and Roarke’s romance is a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, arguments and reconciliations, ultimatums and acceptance. It keeps the reader guessing and the pages turning.

Unlike the first installment, the mystery in this one caught me by surprise. Although all the necessary clues are available to anyone paying attention, guessing the culprit before the big reveal also requires an ability to see past the obvious and look beyond surface appearances. Kudos to Robb for being able to blindside me in this regard.

In sum, this series is growing on me and I’m eager to read on and see what happens next. ( )

This 2nd book in the In Death Series by J.D. Robb is currently not available at the Edgemead Library. To see at which library the book is available, visit the City of Cape Town's OPAC at coct.slims.gov.za/desktop/desktopct

I think I've found a new mystery author to add to my list of favorite. Glory In Death is the second book of J.D. Robb's "In Death" series and I was pleasantly surprised that it kept pace with the first, surpassing my expectations. Between Eve's investigation and hunt for a serial killer, her relationship with Roarke is changing. I like how the author is slowly revealing the personalities of her main characters, especially Eve. I like the mystery surrounding Roarke, but I'm getting enough from him for now and I love the banter, tension, chemistry, tenderness (you name it) between the couple.

Mavis, Eve's friend and a local singer/entertainer, was another great character, providing colorful comic relief between those tense scenes. I'm hoping she'll be a regular in the series.

The finish surprised me as I had my money on other people for the "Whodunnit." The ending made perfect sense though and I loved being along for the ride! Since I only have 50 some odd books to go, I won't have to worry about finding something to read for awhile either!

If you haven't given this smart, futuristic, murder mystery series a try, pick up the first book! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I. ( )