Big Jack (edition 2010)

BIG JACK is the sequel to HOT ROCKS (which I read a few weeks ago) and takes place about fifty years after the first book concludes. N.B. both these stories appeared together in a previous publication titled ‘Remember When’ and a few fans seem to be a little put out by this, as I had not read that book then these two separate stories were not a problem for me.

Sam is the granddaughter of the heroine of ‘Big Jack’, Laine Tavish. Sam has just published a book based on the experiences of her when they solved the mystery of the stolen diamonds. Now someone thinks that Sam knows where the last stash of diamonds are and is not afraid to kill to get them. BIG JACK opens with Sam returning from her book promotion tour and discovering her friend, and house sitter, has been murdered and Lieutenant Eve Dallas is soon on the case, with her hubby Roarke and sidekick Peabody. As the body count rises the murderer, and the diamonds, both have to be found.

I enjoy the Eve Dallas stories, and the characters continue to grow and reveal themselves in surprising ways. The crimes Eve solves are gritty and gruesome, and the background rumpy pumpy and humour are a good way of diffusing the tension.

If you are a Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb fan do yourself a favour and read these two interconnected books.

This is the story which makes up the second half of Remember When. There are continuity errors in this from the previous book which threw me a bit (Somerset was still on leave in this book, but he'd returned by the end of Imitation in Death). Much more noticeable when there's a back to back listen/read. ( )

This was originally published as the second half of Roberts/Robb's 2003 "collaboration" Remember When. If I'd known that ahead of time, I wouldn't have picked it up, but it's worth re-reading. ( )