I am amazed that Nora Roberts (whose books I don't read) can write books under J.D.Robb that catch me under their spell.

I love the whole series of "...in Death" books with Eve and Roarke. Yes they are a little predictable, but they cant be otherwise with the same cast of characters, the same jobs, the same types of crimes that come their way. Still, she manages to keep it fresh, else I would have moved on long ago. In her books you find with a sort of sick horror what humans are capable of. Robb doesn't hold back. Yet juxtaposed to this is the kind of sappy descriptions of Roarke which, to be honest, is my least favorite part of the book. I get a little tired of his "angle face" "sculpted beauty" "sensuous archangel' stuff like that. But I like his personality over time. I wish he was a little manlier but hey the package still works for me so Im not complaining too loudly. Another thing that gets old is Eve's constant identification with victims of violent crime. In each and every book Eve has some mini crisis that her cases bring her too; they bring up her violent early childhood complete with nightmares and feeling sick. I don't know...at first they worked, but now I feel like...."get over it, Shit!" sort of thing. She's a little too high maintenance at times.
Having said this I then realize that this book maybe the first that someone picks up. They may read this and the author understandably gives the reader all the background on Eve and Roarke in this way. So...I’m keeping my bitching to a minimum. Besides...those are issues I have with the series as a whole--not this particular book. I loved Survivor in Death because it entertained me, made me smile in places, almost chuckle at the repartee between friends, and feel emotion over the victims and survivor in this novel.

And of course her sex scenes are hot. heh
I like that in a book.

J.D.Robb delivers.