Bump in the Night (Anthology 4-in-1)
by J. D. Robb (Contributor)
In Death (Collections and Selections — 22.5, Haunted In Death)
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Follow four of today’s most provocative authors to a place where love can transform reality—and anything can happen. Here they present four paranormal stories of ethereal circumstances, magical romance, and otherworldly suspense.Beginning with "Haunted in Death," a tale from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb featuring lieutenant-of-the-future Eve Dallas—this collection will take you on a breathtaking journey through the passions of the heart and its power to transcend show more the everyday…. show less
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This book contains 4 novellas (or perhaps short stories) by 4 different authors with a paranormal theme in common. Despite the title, I didn't find much scary about the stories contained in the book.
WARNING: SPOILERS MAY LIE AHEAD
*****
Haunted In Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) was the first novella in the book. It contains characters from her In Death series. The "paranormal" aspect comes in the form of a building that seems cursed and haunted and either a possession or a mental illness. Of course, Eve Dallas is too pragmatic to believe in ghosts and curses (though everyone else in the book seems to to some level or another). She just wants to solve the murder.
What I liked: seeing familiar characters, the sex is between husband and show more wife (though I do think it could have been left out or been less graphic and the novella would not have suffered).
What I disliked: the fixation on the building and family being cursed, the "haunting" which isn't really explained
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney: The paranormal aspect comes from a gold coin that apparently interprets wishes in ways the wishee doesn't expect. I suspect the docent was the same "spirit" as the one who appeared to Poppy and to her papa after they made wishes.
What I liked: It was a good story, the discussion of miracles and magic
What I disliked: the shift from present day to past and then back to the present
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan took a bit of a different turn than what I expected. I thought it would be more like a Bermuda Triangle where Josh disappeared or that he'd end up in a "world" where his colleagues couldn't see or detect him. Instead, he "crashes" and is rescued by Grace, who is there on a photojournalism assignment regarding strange lights or a woman who appear on the lake. They are visited by a man and dog, and the man gives Grace an envelope of items about her mother. They later find out the man has been dead for some time. The phenomenon is apparently Grace's mother's spirit (being fueled by Josh's father's spirit as well) so that she and Grace can meet at least once. Then it seems time resets itself and Josh's manager and colleagues arrive and Josh's plane is back to being whole. So several paranormal aspects.
What I liked: the plot surprised me, Barnaby's meaning and that Barnaby lived up to that meaning
What I disliked: Josh and Grace fall into lust with one another and eventually give in and have sex (they've only known each other a few days at that point), holes in the plot--if Josh really wants to contact his colleagues why does he not ask Wyatt about it when Wyatt visits them? He doesn't ask if Wyatt has a radio they can use or ask him to contact anyone to let them know where he is.,
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas was a bit more humorous than the other stories. After Charlotte's father dies, her childhood imaginary friend, Mel, reappears. Until eventually Charlotte starts to connect more with the world around her in a different kind of busyness than what she used to always claim. It seems that Mel changes form and becomes her (step)son's imaginary friend for a time though I don't think Charlotte sees him once that happens.
What I liked: It was an interesting view of imaginary friends--I'm sure I had one when younger but don't remember much about him/her, who Charlotte ended up with surprised me
What I disliked: the plot relied more on paranormal than the other stories in this book show less
WARNING: SPOILERS MAY LIE AHEAD
*****
Haunted In Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) was the first novella in the book. It contains characters from her In Death series. The "paranormal" aspect comes in the form of a building that seems cursed and haunted and either a possession or a mental illness. Of course, Eve Dallas is too pragmatic to believe in ghosts and curses (though everyone else in the book seems to to some level or another). She just wants to solve the murder.
What I liked: seeing familiar characters, the sex is between husband and show more wife (though I do think it could have been left out or been less graphic and the novella would not have suffered).
What I disliked: the fixation on the building and family being cursed, the "haunting" which isn't really explained
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney: The paranormal aspect comes from a gold coin that apparently interprets wishes in ways the wishee doesn't expect. I suspect the docent was the same "spirit" as the one who appeared to Poppy and to her papa after they made wishes.
What I liked: It was a good story, the discussion of miracles and magic
What I disliked: the shift from present day to past and then back to the present
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan took a bit of a different turn than what I expected. I thought it would be more like a Bermuda Triangle where Josh disappeared or that he'd end up in a "world" where his colleagues couldn't see or detect him. Instead, he "crashes" and is rescued by Grace, who is there on a photojournalism assignment regarding strange lights or a woman who appear on the lake. They are visited by a man and dog, and the man gives Grace an envelope of items about her mother. They later find out the man has been dead for some time. The phenomenon is apparently Grace's mother's spirit (being fueled by Josh's father's spirit as well) so that she and Grace can meet at least once. Then it seems time resets itself and Josh's manager and colleagues arrive and Josh's plane is back to being whole. So several paranormal aspects.
What I liked: the plot surprised me, Barnaby's meaning and that Barnaby lived up to that meaning
What I disliked: Josh and Grace fall into lust with one another and eventually give in and have sex (they've only known each other a few days at that point), holes in the plot--if Josh really wants to contact his colleagues why does he not ask Wyatt about it when Wyatt visits them? He doesn't ask if Wyatt has a radio they can use or ask him to contact anyone to let them know where he is.,
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas was a bit more humorous than the other stories. After Charlotte's father dies, her childhood imaginary friend, Mel, reappears. Until eventually Charlotte starts to connect more with the world around her in a different kind of busyness than what she used to always claim. It seems that Mel changes form and becomes her (step)son's imaginary friend for a time though I don't think Charlotte sees him once that happens.
What I liked: It was an interesting view of imaginary friends--I'm sure I had one when younger but don't remember much about him/her, who Charlotte ended up with surprised me
What I disliked: the plot relied more on paranormal than the other stories in this book show less
The theme for this series is paranormal with some romance. I say some because really Eve Dallas, while romantic, is more futuristic detective than true romance.
Haunted in Death is an Eve Dallas story. There's a murder, there's a skeleton found and theres a story to unravel. There's also strange goings on in the building and Eve remains skeptical while all around her ask if ghosts are real.
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney could have lost the framing story of an American abroad and not missed much, except possibly the reinforcement of the magical elements of the coin. The story is mostly about a couple in Regency England and their wishes for love. Pretty standard story.
Ruth Ryan Langan's The Passenger is a story about a ghost, some people who show more need each other and some stretching of time. This one came across as the story with the most paranormal elements. A bit predictable though.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas is the story of a woman whose "imaginary friend" comes to visit when she loses her parents and helps her find a more solid sense of self and love.
Overall the J D Robb story was the most solid, the others were pretty predictable romances, readable but nothing that really stood out exceptionally. show less
Haunted in Death is an Eve Dallas story. There's a murder, there's a skeleton found and theres a story to unravel. There's also strange goings on in the building and Eve remains skeptical while all around her ask if ghosts are real.
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney could have lost the framing story of an American abroad and not missed much, except possibly the reinforcement of the magical elements of the coin. The story is mostly about a couple in Regency England and their wishes for love. Pretty standard story.
Ruth Ryan Langan's The Passenger is a story about a ghost, some people who show more need each other and some stretching of time. This one came across as the story with the most paranormal elements. A bit predictable though.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas is the story of a woman whose "imaginary friend" comes to visit when she loses her parents and helps her find a more solid sense of self and love.
Overall the J D Robb story was the most solid, the others were pretty predictable romances, readable but nothing that really stood out exceptionally. show less
Haunted in Death by J. D. Robb - I listened to the audio of this one and reviewed it earlier. It was an entertaining story that had ultra-rational Eve confronting a ghost. I liked the by-play between Eve and Roarke in this one. The story was well-told and well-read.
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney -- This is a historical romance centered around a magic coin. A gentleman, short of coin and the guardian to two young children, takes a job as a companion for a rich widow and then has to deal with falling in love with her without feeling like he sold himself to her. It was a nice romance.
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan is a contemporary ghost story. The hero and heroine meet in the wilderness where she is trying to get a story of a mysterious show more light on a lake and he is beginning a daredevil quest of survival. They meet when his plane crashes and she finds him and fall in love - guided by the spirit of her dead mother. It was also entertaining as the two lonely people decided that they had found the perfect person for each of them.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas -- I abandoned this one when the male lead (at least I think so) made his first appearance at the heroine's father's funeral wearing ruby red slippers. Apparently the heroine was the only one who could see him. I didn't have the patience to keep reading and figure out what was going on.
All in all, the J. D. Robb story was great, the other two stories I read were entertaining, and only one didn't suit my taste. show less
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney -- This is a historical romance centered around a magic coin. A gentleman, short of coin and the guardian to two young children, takes a job as a companion for a rich widow and then has to deal with falling in love with her without feeling like he sold himself to her. It was a nice romance.
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan is a contemporary ghost story. The hero and heroine meet in the wilderness where she is trying to get a story of a mysterious show more light on a lake and he is beginning a daredevil quest of survival. They meet when his plane crashes and she finds him and fall in love - guided by the spirit of her dead mother. It was also entertaining as the two lonely people decided that they had found the perfect person for each of them.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas -- I abandoned this one when the male lead (at least I think so) made his first appearance at the heroine's father's funeral wearing ruby red slippers. Apparently the heroine was the only one who could see him. I didn't have the patience to keep reading and figure out what was going on.
All in all, the J. D. Robb story was great, the other two stories I read were entertaining, and only one didn't suit my taste. show less
A lovely, short interlude with Eve, where she faces a mystery that might have a paranormal element - something she refuses to believe in. Well told and fits nicely in a paranormal anthology without going over the top about it and changing the essence of Eve and her stories.
"Haunted in Death" by J. D. Robb. Futuristic paranormal romantic suspense. I'm not sure how I feel about the introduction of a ghost into the series. It feels a bit like the magical healing in Ceremony in Death, but not quite as intrusive. I think how you feel about the introduction of paranormal elements into a series (or book) that's otherwise not paranormal, depends on whether you think those things do exist in real life. I'll buy the psychic in Visions in Death, but while I think there is something to psychic healing, I don't think it takes the form of magically making injuries disappear. The same with ghosts--I'll buy a feeling, and maybe a sighting, but not the elaborate production the ghost put on here. I thought Eve's reaction show more was exactly right, thought the killer's motivation was idiotic, Roarke was his usual credulous self, and Peabody was star-struck, also as usual.
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney. Historical romance. Pretty standard story about a magic coin that grants the holder one wish. Hero's a major who was at Waterloo, guardian of two young children, no way to support them until he sells his commission, which is hard to do now that the war's mostly over. He wishes for lucrative & enjoyable employment, and the heroine, a well-off widow, hires him to be her escort. Entirely predictable, but not horrible.
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan. Contemporary romance. You could call it paranormal, I suppose, since a ghost/guardian angel brought the h/h together, and there was some time distortion, but that was only on the periphery of the story about two loners/adventurers who find each other in the wilderness.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas. Women's fiction. I'm not going to call this romance because, while the heroine does get married at the end, we don't see her falling in love. What we do see is her changing her life with the help of her childhood imaginary friend, a product of her imagination. "Mel" seemed to waffle between being an independent person and being only what she imagined, consciously or subconsciously. If I tried to think about it too much, it just got confusing. Pretty standard story of a woman changing her life and getting a HEA as a result. show less
Poppy's Coin by Mary Blayney. Historical romance. Pretty standard story about a magic coin that grants the holder one wish. Hero's a major who was at Waterloo, guardian of two young children, no way to support them until he sells his commission, which is hard to do now that the war's mostly over. He wishes for lucrative & enjoyable employment, and the heroine, a well-off widow, hires him to be her escort. Entirely predictable, but not horrible.
The Passenger by Ruth Ryan Langan. Contemporary romance. You could call it paranormal, I suppose, since a ghost/guardian angel brought the h/h together, and there was some time distortion, but that was only on the periphery of the story about two loners/adventurers who find each other in the wilderness.
Mellow Lemon Yellow by Mary Kay McComas. Women's fiction. I'm not going to call this romance because, while the heroine does get married at the end, we don't see her falling in love. What we do see is her changing her life with the help of her childhood imaginary friend, a product of her imagination. "Mel" seemed to waffle between being an independent person and being only what she imagined, consciously or subconsciously. If I tried to think about it too much, it just got confusing. Pretty standard story of a woman changing her life and getting a HEA as a result. show less
Just okay for me. I enjoyed the Eve Dallas story, but the rest were just kinda eh for me. Not a big romance reader anyway. If you enjoy romances, this would be a good read, otherwise read the first story and skip the rest.
Eve's murder is related to a murder 100 years previous. Is it a ghostly murder or is the murderer just that clever. I'm with Eve, not believing, was an okay read for me.
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Author Information
Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland on October 10, 1950. Her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published in 1981. Since then, she has written more than 200 novels. She writes romances under her own name including Montana Sky, Blue Smoke, Carolina Moon, The Search, Chasing Fire, The Witness, The Perfect Hope, Inner Harbor, Dark show more Witch, Shadow Spell, The Collector, The Villa, The Liar, The Obsession, and Shelter in Place. She writes crime novels under the pseudonym of J. D. Robb including the In Death series. She has been given the Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into their Hall of Fame. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Bump in the Night (Anthology 4-in-1) (Anthology 4-in-1)
- Original title
- Bump in the Night
- Alternate titles
- Mellow Lemon Yellow (by Mary Kay McComas) (by Mary Kay McComas); The Passenger (by Ruth Ryan Langan) (by Ruth Ryan Langan); Poppy's Coin (by Mary Blayney) (by Mary Blayney); Haunted in Death (by J. D. Robb) (by J. D. Robb)
- Original publication date
- 2006
- People/Characters
- Eve Dallas; Roarke; Delia Peabody; Ian McNab; Ryan Feeney; Radcliff C. Hopkins "Hop" (show all 36); Radcliff C. Hopkins III; Bobby Bray; Cliff Gill; Maeve; Jim; Major David Lindsay; Poppy; Billy; Kitty; Lady Grace Anderson; George Cardovan; Mrs. Cardovan; Josh Cramer; Martin "Marty" Phillips; Grace Marin; Wyatt Eagle; Barnaby; Brady Stewart; Mark Wellington; Charlotte Gibson; Mellow Lemon Yellow "Mel"; Sue; Charlie; Lily Rutherford; Mrs. Kludinski; Lacey; Mike Woodall; Mrs. Chin; Axel Burton; Sam Rutherford
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA; London, England, UK; Spirit Lake
- Epigraph
- There nearly always is a method in madness--G. K. Chesterton
There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the grave to tell us this.--William Shakespeare - Dedication
- For Nora, Mary Kay, and Ruth
For Jennifer and Betty, who know why. For Nora, Mary, and Mary Kay--friends and fellow believers. And for Tom, always.
This story is dedicated to the amazing ladies of the Club Club. Better late than never, I always say. And to my surgeons, Curtis G. Tribble, MD and James J. "Jay" Gangemi, MD, at the University of Virginia Medical Center who ... (show all)wanted to be dastardly villains in one of my books. You'll have to settle for being real-life heroes. - First words
- Winter could be murderous.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Just as she was about to leave the room, she caught a hint of spicy cider and fir trees in the air . . . and smiled.
- Disambiguation notice
- This anthology contains 4 short stories:
"Haunted in Death" by J.D. Robb
"Poppy's Coin" by Mary Blayney
"The Passenger" by Ruth Ryan Langan
"Mellow Lemon Yellow" by Mary Kay McComas.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.08508 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English By type Genre fiction Romance fiction Collections
- LCC
- PS648 .L6 .B86 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Collections of American literature Prose (General)
- BISAC
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- Reviews
- 10
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
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- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 3
