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

Back Cover:
Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over ten years on the force, she's seen it all--and knows her survival depends on her instincts. And she's going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire--and a suspect in Eve's murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it's up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about--except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

When the granddaughter of a US senator is killed in a vicious way, lieutenant Eve Dallas gets assigned to the case. It's a case filled with mystery and secrets and when Eve starts falling for Roarke, the wealthy billionaire suspected of the murder, she knows things are going to get a lot more complicated. But then more women are murdered and the necessity to find the killer is more imperative than a budding romance between Eve and Roarke...

Eve Dallas is a police officer in New York who has the reputation of being tough, stubborn and analytical. She is great at her job despite, or maybe thanks to, her own not so happy childhood. She is smart, practical and has a wicked sarcastic streak. She doesn't need or want pampering or luxuries. She's satisfied with the basic necessities in life and is happiest when she can do her job and contribute to society by catching criminals. Eve is a tough woman who doesn't show weakness but still she is not hard or cold. I found Eve extremely likable and there was never a moment where her character annoyed or irritated me.

Roarke is a very enigmatic character. He is aloof, guarded, confident and used to getting his way. He too has had a childhood that was anything but pleasant, something that isn't deepened out in this book but the hints were most certainly given. Roarke comes of as very mysterious but at the same time he's very direct and doesn't hesitate to go after anything he wants and in this case he wants Eve. I had heard a lot about Roarke before reading this first Eve Dallas-book and he absolutely met the picture I had formed of him. The way he pushed Eve over her emotional boundaries and got her to open up was a joy to read.

Despite their aloofness and tough exterior behavior both Eve and Roarke have this air of vulnerability that they reveal only to each other. This made them characters I found delightful to read about and combined with the chemistry between them that was palpable throughout the book it made their romance a good counterweight for the exciting and intense suspense plot.

The romance and the suspense complemented each other perfectly and they were a flawless combination of action and emotion. Emotion was provided in the romance between Eve and Roarke and the action came with the unpredictable and exemplary executed suspense plot.

This is the first romantic suspense I've read that takes place in the future, my guess is that it's set around 2050-2060 but despite of all kinds of high tech gadgets, appliances and methods of transportation both on and off earth, the feel of the book isn't downright futuristic. But for the fact that things we find normal in these times like guns, fresh meat and coffee are seen as rare and valuable in Eve's world and time, it could have taken place in the present day and reads just as easy as romantic suspense books that are set in our time.

I also liked that along the course of the investigation of the case you not only get to learn more about Eve and her life and struggles but there's also a very extensive portrayal of the murder victims and their backgrounds.

Inherent to romantic suspense there are lots of secondary characters in the victims, witnesses, suspects, law enforcement people and media. But there were also a few secondary characters taken from the personal environment of Eve and Roarke.
Despite the amount of secondary characters and the plot the focus remains on Eve and Roarke in a very subtle way throughout the story. I can only praise J.D. Robb on the characterization of both Eve and Roarke and for letting them take their place in the book in a very natural way.

From start to finish J.D. Robb’s writing mesmerized me. It kept me enthralled and engaged through the characters, the romance and the plot which all contributed to the enjoyment I had in reading this top-notch romantic suspense.

Quotes:
His voice was smooth, with a whisper of the charm of Ireland over it, like rich cream over warmed whiskey.

It stunned him how much he could want her still, baffled him that she could be blind to how helpless he was under the clawing need for her. It infuriated him that she could, simply by existing, be his weakness.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10