Back Cover:
In a time when technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there's only one place to hide a crime of passion - in the heart. . . 


The first victim was found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second was murdered in her own apartment building. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas had no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provided Eve with a long list of suspects - including her own lover, Roarke.

As a woman, Eve was compelled to trust the man who shared her bed. But as a cop, it was her job to follow every lead . . .to investigate every scandalous rumor . . .to explore every secret passion, no matter how dark. Or how dangerous.

I had planned to read a J.D. Robb "In Death" novel every month for this challenge but already started slacking in the second month. Well, not exactly slacking, it was more a reading slump that prevented me from finishing GLORY IN DEATH in February. Luckily for me the slump was conquered in the beginning of March and I was able to finish this wonderful installment of the Eve Dallas series. Lucky for me Christine (who hosts the challenge) loosened up the rules of the challenge a bit...

It was as if I read NAKED IN DEATH yesterday, because upon starting GLORY IN DEATH I was immediately immersed in the world of Lieutenant Eve Dallas, both her professional and her personal life, as the two get entangled in this second installment of the series.

Eve is pragmatic, blunt and professional. She has a quick and sharp wit about her that's a little sarcastic and despite her awful childhood and her lack of close relatives and she takes on life head on. She cares deeply about the few people she considers friends and her relationship with Roarke is one that in GLORY IN DEATH is taken a step further with Roarke making her take a stand and decide if she truly wants in.

Roarke is an enigmatic, smooth charmer but don't mistake charm for letting people play hot and cold with him. He doesn't except that from anyone, not even from Eve, for whom he has deep and strong feelings. He wants to be with her and when she doesn't show that she wants the same he decides it's time for her to choose what it is she wants from him. I did feel that in GLORY IN DEATH he was less prominently present than in the first book of the series but since it's been a while since I read that book, I could be mistaken.

I really love Eve as a heroine. I think even more than I do Roarke as a hero, even though he had his great moments in GLORY IN DEATH, especially when he coaxes Eve to open her eyes in regard to their relationship. Gotta love a man who knows what he wants and doesn't let a woman, who isn't used to being loved, ruin it. I loved the way Eve was still reluctant to accept Roarke's love for her and how Roarke would have none of that and kept showing and telling her his feelings. Because both of them are stubborn neither of them wants to give into the other easily nor pulls punches in their sometimes heated arguments. It made the interactions between them a joy to read and I'm not even talking about the sizzling chemistry between them.

Basically this second book in the series can be broken down into the investigation into the death of Cicely Towers and the events that follow from that and the developments in the relationship between Eve and Roarke. Both elements were nicely entwined and provided enough matter for a captivating and great read. The romance is written subtly and realistically, taking the reader along with Eve and Roarke's growth into an intense and explosive relationship that is very romantic and touching at the same time.

The suspense is great and for me a very strong and perfectly executed element in these books. In GLORY IN DEATH it's built up perfectly and kept me reading and speculating with the release of small clues and amounts of information at a time. I must say that I only started suspecting the right person to be the killer, at the very end of the book, when Eve figured it out. This could mean two things of course: either I am very slow in figuring out the killer or J.D. Robb is very good at keeping the suspense high. For my own sake I am sticking with the latter. What I like is that the suspense angle in this book was different from the first book. This contributes to keeping the series fresh and non-repetitive

J.D. Robb's writing style is very agreeable, it's smooth, flows easily, the pace is fast and the plot/suspense is set up cleverly and gradually. I am utterly impressed with the characterization of both primary and secondary and both recurring and one-time characters. After having read the second book in this series I am very grateful to the book-friend who recommended this series to me and to Christine for having this "In Death" reading challenge because I have a feeling I am going to enjoy the next books, starting with IMMORTAL IN DEATH, a lot.

Quotes:
Water lapped as she sat forward. "Don't play games with me, Roarke."
"Eve, it is my fondest wish to do just that."

Eve woke, violently aroused. It was Roarke's hands on her. She knew their texture, their rhythm. Her heart tripped against her ribs, then bounded into her throat as his mouth covered hers. His was greedy, hot, giving her no choice, really no choice at all but to respond in kind.

Mavis to Eve about Roarke:
"He's got all that power, sort of shoots out from him." She highlighted the statement by splashing up water. "And he looks at you like he could eat you alive. In big...greedy...bites. Shit, I'm getting hot."
"Keep your hands off me."
Mavis snorted. "Maybe I'll go seduce Summerset."

Rating: 8.0 out of 10