Imitation in Death

Book 17 of the In Death series by J. D. Robb is IMITATION IN DEATH. I don't know what it says about me, but I enjoyed the reenactments of infamous serial killer crime scenes that give the book its name. One of my favorite parts is trying to guess which serial killer inspired Eve's suspect before she revealed it. I also appreciated that one inspiration is fictitious, not having occurred yet in our timeline but in history in Eve's. That this fictitious killer went on his rampage in 2023 is a bit eerie, but Ms. Robb did publish IMITATION IN DEATH twenty years ago. I'm sure 2023 was far enough in the future to not be an issue.

As always, I enjoyed the character development as much as Eve's case. Watching Peabody stress about the detective's show more exam was cute. More importantly, we see Eve take steps towards sharing her feelings instead of keeping them to herself. Granted, she isn't smooth or gracious about it, but it is Eve Dallas. Sensitive and suave are not words one could ever use to describe her.

This series never gets old, and I think that is in large part due to Susan Erickson's narration. I have no idea if she narrates anything other than the In Death series, and I don't want to know. For me, she is the lifeblood of Eve Dallas' world. I can't imagine the devastation I would feel should she stop narrating Ms. Robb's series. For now, it is all I can do to stop myself from starting the next book in the series immediately upon finishing another. I am definitely an In Death addict! show less

Imitation in Death
4.5 Stars

Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is in pursuit of a vicious killer with a penchant for copying the crimes of the most notorious serial murderers in history. With several suspects to choose from, Dallas and her team will have to use all of their skills and wits to narrow the field before the monster strikes again.

The best book in the series so far, but then I have a Jack the Ripper fetish, lol!

In terms of the case, my preference is for those with several suspects and clues that the reader can follow in an attempt to determine who-dun-it (rather than those in which the perpetrator is revealed up front or the mystery takes a back seat to the character development, i.e., Portrait in Death). Imitation in Death is show more one such investigation and it is very well done.

The characters in Robb's book are always a delight. Whether it is the amazingly sexy Roarke or Peabody's and her sarcastic one-liners or even the despicable villain, the people who populate the books are incredibly real and never trite or one-dimensional.

Add to all this the laugh-out-loud humor (although I do wonder what it says about me that I find the descriptions of Eve threatening to commit grievous bodily harm so amusing), and this is a virtually perfect installment. show less

Imitation in Death
4.5 Stars

Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is in pursuit of a vicious killer with a penchant for copying the crimes of the most notorious serial murderers in history. With several suspects to choose from, Dallas and her team will have to use all of their skills and wits to narrow the field before the monster strikes again.

The best book in the series so far, but then I have a Jack the Ripper fetish, lol!

In terms of the case, my preference is for those with several suspects and clues that the reader can follow in an attempt to determine who-dun-it (rather than those in which the perpetrator is revealed up front or the mystery takes a back seat to the character development, i.e., Portrait in Death). Imitation in Death is show more one such investigation and it is very well done.

The characters in Robb's book are always a delight. Whether it is the amazingly sexy Roarke or Peabody's and her sarcastic one-liners or even the despicable villain, the people who populate the books are incredibly real and never trite or one-dimensional.

Add to all this the laugh-out-loud humor (although I do wonder what it says about me that I find the descriptions of Eve threatening to commit grievous bodily harm so amusing), and this is a virtually perfect installment. show less

This series is really growing on me, I very nearly put it down at the first mention of Jack the Ripper (personal thing for me) but I just couldn't. I just love the characters, the relationships, the humor and how grounded they are (well the main characters). The exploration of the fine line between victim and perpetrator was a huge part of this book, elevating the shock horror level of murder and abuse to an intelligent insight into the nature vs nurture debate. A great read.

Imitation--as in someone is imitating serial killers' m.o.s. I felt like the plot kind of dragged on to fill a page count. It was nice to see Delia Peabody advance. I didn't guess who the perpetrator was before it was revealed (which I have in some other books in this series).

In the 17th In Death mystery, Eve is trying to track down a murderer who is recreating the crimes of earlier, famous serial killers. Her one clue is the notes he left for her on the first two bodies. The paper is exclusive, unrecycled paper only available in England. She has five suspects - a sleazy producer with a history of violence toward women who is living with one of Roarke's past lovers; a guy in his seventies who lives for golf and has a young, dumb third wife, a British aristocrat with diplomatic immunity and a really snooty attitude; a famous soft pop musician who had a troubled past; and an author whose first two best-selling books are all about serial killers. All of them have the British stationary and have pasts that might show more have twisted them enough to make them murderers.

Meanwhile, Peabody is getting cold feet about signing a lease agreement for her and McNab to live together in the same building as Mavis and Leonardo. And she's really worried about her upcoming test to become a detective.

As part of the stressors of the case, Eve has a dream or recovered memory about her mother which tells Eve that the woman not only didn't love her but actually hated her. It puts paid to the faint hope that her mother is our there somewhere and misssing her. She is slow to share this with Roarke because he's still grieving the loss of his own newly discovered mother. show less

In the 17th In Death mystery, Eve is trying to track down a murderer who is recreating the crimes of earlier, famous serial killers. Her one clue is the notes he left for her on the first two bodies. The paper is exclusive, unrecycled paper only available in England. She has five suspects - a sleazy producer with a history of violence toward women who is living with one of Roarke's past lovers; a guy in his seventies who lives for golf and has a young, dumb third wife, a British aristocrat with diplomatic immunity and a really snooty attitude; a famous soft pop musician who had a troubled past; and an author whose first two best-selling books are all about serial killers. All of them have the British stationary and have pasts that might show more have twisted them enough to make them murderers.

Meanwhile, Peabody is getting cold feet about signing a lease agreement for her and McNab to live together in the same building as Mavis and Leonardo. And she's really worried about her upcoming test to become a detective.

As part of the stressors of the case, Eve has a dream or recovered memory about her mother which tells Eve that the woman not only didn't love her but actually hated her. It puts paid to the faint hope that her mother is our there somewhere and misssing her. She is slow to share this with Roarke because he's still grieving the loss of his own newly discovered mother. show less