FINAL DECISION: This is a nice novella in the In Death world. The novella manages to pack in many of the same elements of the novels including the humor, romance, the large cast of characters, and an intriguing mystery.

THE STORY: Eve has one of the challenges of her career when she is supposed to give a speech (of all things) at a police convention at Roarke’s off-planet Olympus resort. When one of the attendees ends up murdered, Eve is on the case. The case is complicated by Eve having an altercation with the victim and his boss’s obsession with bringing down Roarke.

OPINION: This is a nice “interlude” in the series. It has all the elements in the full length novels, but manages to compact everything into less than 100 pages. I especially enjoyed that the story gives Eve and Roarke a significant amount of time together and yet there is plenty of time for action, for interaction with important characters in the series (pretty much all Eve’s colleagues), nuggets about Eve and Roarke’s pasts, and some sexy moments as well.

The story happens quickly and if there is any complaint it is that the mystery is not deep, but one cannot expect much more of a short novella. I did like that Eve is given a bump in the road by having a local cop to deal with.

The solution seemed pretty obvious to me at first, but I liked the twists even if it wasn’t really possible to reason out that solution, but regardless I liked the journey to get there.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book has an interesting moment when it is discussed why Eve is seemingly being passed over for promotion.

CONNECTED BOOKS: INTERLUDE IN DEATH is book 12.5 in the In Death series. This is a novella that gives a taste of the series. It can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: Loved this book because of the great development in the characters and the relationships. The mystery was good and I liked that there was a sense of urgency that moved the story along.

THE STORY: Eve’s newest criminal is a bomber by the name of Cassandra who intends to brag about the crime by sending letters to Eve to engage her. Eve must race the clock to find out the motives of the bomber before those she cares about are the target.

OPINION: The highlight of this book is really the character development that happens. Eve and Roarke are on fire in this one. I prefer when Eve and Roarke are working closely in the stories. Yes, she is a cop and shouldn’t be relying on her husband all the time, but I read these books more for the relationships than the mysteries so I want to see more of Eve and Roarke together as much as possible.

In this book, Peabody is a significant part of the story as her brother comes to visit and gets into some trouble of his own. I liked that the series is branching out and making other characters have significant story lines of their own.

The mystery in this case is a bit strange, but well constructed as things end up fitting together in the end.  This book also has one of the most dramatic endings of a book in the series. A great set piece.

WORTH MENTIONING: Peabody and McNab!

CONNECTED BOOKS: LOYALTY IN DEATH is the ninth book in the In Death series. Each book in this series has a self-contained mystery although there are ongoing character development issues throughout the series. This particular book, however, can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

“It didn’t look as though the last days of December 2058 were going to be much of a party.”

FINAL DECISION: A quick and dirty crime investigation centered primarily on the personal aspect of Eve’s job. The compressed nature of this story ratcheted up tension in this story and the emphasis on the personal rather than the crime details makes this a really good story.

THE STORY: It’s Christmas and a killer has a naughty list of targets. Newly escaped from prison, the killer is out to get revenge against those who put him behind bars. He is taking, torturing and leaving the bodies in public view. Eve in in a race to stop him from killing more especially with both Dr. Mira and Eve are on the list so.

OPINION: This is an enjoyable novella and one that I recommend to people who just want to try out the In Death series without committing to a full novel. The crimes and investigation are compressed with a lot of pressure on Eve. Yet all the elements that make the series successful: the personal connection Eve has, the love between her and Rourke, the friendships that Eve has, and the humor and drama are all present in this story.

Things are clearer and more blunt in many ways because of the short story but I enjoyed that this book continues and expands all the important parts of the ongoing story in the series.

For readers of the series, this offers some drama and developments in Eve’s relationship with Dr. Mira.

The novella also allows some intense moments with Eve and Rourke that I enjoyed a great deal.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book follows immediately from the events of HOLIDAY IN DEATH and also serves as an epilogue to that book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: MIDNIGHT IN DEATH is a novella in the In Death series and is book 7.5 of that series. This novella fits right in for readers of the series, but is a nice little crime mystery for those who haven’t dipped into the series yet.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: My favorite of the holiday mysteries. This one is a good crime mystery. Creepy and strange and what is better than a murderous Santa?

THE STORY: It’s almost Christmas time and Eve is struggling with getting gifts for all the people in her life and wonders if it was better when she was alone. At the same time a murderer has decided to make victims of people searching for true love. Taking inspiration from the song the Twelve Days of Christmas, the killer is hunting for a true love, killing them and leaving them decorated for Christmas with tokens of love. Eve has to work fast because this killer is quickly working through twelve loves.

OPINION: This is one of my go-to holiday reads. The story is really creepy and sinister in its crimes but it is nicely balanced by the innocence of Eve getting Christmas gifts. Although she has a hard shell, she is quite sweet when trying to do her holiday shopping.

I also enjoyed this one because the sexual violence brings more development of Eve’s personal story. She is growing and changing and healing from the horror of what happened to her as a child. While violent and horrible as crimes, this is a very intriguing and intense crime. The days are going quickly and the pace of the killers crime is especially draining for Eve who is fighting her personal demons along with trying to solve the crimes and stop anyone else from dying.

There is also quite a bit of chemistry between Peabody and McNabb as they are circling one another.

For me, I really enjoy the iconic characters involved in this case. The characters and the crimes are one that are memorable and the situations and solutions feel important and high in tension.

WORTH MENTIONING: The novella MIDNIGHT IN DEATH is a companion to this because it also occurs during this same holiday season and is closely related to this book as it deals with the aftermath.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HOLIDAY IN DEATH is the seventh book in the In Death series. The mystery is entirely separate and can be read as a standalone. Because there are overarching character story lines, I think it is better to read these in order, but this is one in the series that works on its own.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

“Revenge was always personal.”

FINAL DECISION: One of the best of the series. This one perfectly blends the personal story of Eve and Rourke with the mystery. This book gives readers more background on Rourke and the mystery is especially strong.

THE STORY: When Eve is called by a murdered who gives riddles to the scenes of crimes, she finds that her life and that of her husband are more closely involved in this case than she would like. With a clever murderer who is out for revenge, Eve must use every resource at her disposal to find the murderer before he reaches his ultimate goal — which might be her husband Rourke.

OPINION: This is one of the tent pole books in the series. This book is fantastic both in the mystery which is filled with drama and creepy and it is totally personal. Eve is completely dedicated to this case and it shows in her anxiety and her laser focus on what is going on.

This book is remarkable for its emphasis on Rourke’s story. Six books in and this is the first opportunity for readers to get a better idea of what Rourke’s past looks like. In the book there is both revelations about what Rourke was doing and also the very personal look at his relationships. This book gives Rourke a chance to revisit and reconcile some of his past.

Both the darkness and the contrast with current life makes this book intense and essential to the series.

Someone is out for revenge against Rourke and the personal insult and fear that possesses Eve makes this book work on various levels. Both Eve and Rourke are completely engaged which makes for a stellar entry. Although the two are married, this book allows more development in their relationship.

The mystery is also very dramatic and interesting in a race against time.

If I had to boil the series down to five books, this would be one of the ones I would pick.

WORTH MENTIONING: The first appearance of Ian McNab.

CONNECTED BOOKS: VENGEANCE IN DEATH is the sixth book in the In Death series. The mysteries in these books are standalones. However, there are overarching storylines about the characters. This book is connected to information learned in prior books and I think this book is much better being read in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

“Murder had come into her life before and would again. But someone would pay for bringing it into her home.”

FINAL DECISION: Not as tight or interesting as the prior books in the series, I enjoyed this one more for the relationship side of the story than the mystery itself which seemed a bit unreal and less grounded than others in the series.  Still a good book.

THE STORY: Eve is tasked with investigating the death of a police officer. There is some suspicion that Feeney might have been involved in a coverup of drug abuse by the officer, so Eve not only has to do an investigation, but also hide it from her mentor and substitute father. Eve’s investigation takes her into a group of Satanists.

OPINION: Personally I was only marginally interested in the mystery in this book, but I really loved how the book pushes forward the relationship of Eve and Feeney. He is her mentor and her father in many ways, but here she is ordered to engage in an investigation keeping him in the dark (as he is a possible target). This causes Eve to have to acknowledge the importance of their relationship. For me, the scenes with Feeney are the highlight of the book.

The underlying theme in this book is family and the book raises issues that Eve and Rourke have to confront time and time again.

Wiccans make several appearances in Robb’s romance books and therefore it is not surprising that Robb makes a point of separating the practicing witches from the Satanist cult members who are involved in the murders.

The feeling of this book slides more magical. At times it threatens to disrupt the grounded and realistic tone of the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: The introduction of the character of Jamie.

CONNECTED BOOKS: CEREMONY IN DEATH is the fifth book in the In Death series. While each book is a standalone in terms of the mystery involved, there are continuing character stories throughout the series.  I believe the books are better read in order, but this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

FINAL DECISION: An enjoyable combination of relationship and crime mystery, RAPTURE IN DEATH deals with the early days of Eve and Roarke’s marriage along with a series of “suicides” among people who seem to have no reason to want to die.

THE STORY: A series of suicides where each person dies with a mocking smile on his or her face doesn’t sit well with Eve. She seems to find some brain abnormalities but no one can find a cause or whether or not someone is orchestrating these deaths. Just back from her honeymoon, Eve and Roarke settle down into their marriage while Eve (with Roarke’s help) tries to figure out who is targeting high profile New Yorkers.

OPINION: This is one of the early books in the series that made this a superlative series. I believe that the best books in the series (and this is one of them) have a great balance between the personal issues of Eve (here she is adjusting to her new marriage) and a rousing crime that Eve solves (and the best books have her working directly with Roarke as much as possible).

This book still feels fresh after I’ve read it at least a dozen times over the years. Eve and Roarke are vibrant characters and the crime had a double twisty resolution. There are a lot of things going on, plenty of significant appearances by the secondary characters and just a great centering on Eve and Roarke.

I don’t read these books as crime dramas or mysteries because I think that overall they are only just above average on those aspects because there is no real way to solve these mysteries on the clues given.  I read them as character driven stories about Eve and her life. This book does a great job of expanding on the characters in the series and thus is one of the better books in the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: Hubba Hubba!

CONNECTED BOOKS: RAPTURE IN DEATH is the fourth book in the In Death series. While the mystery in the book is self-contained, there are continuing relationship and personal journey stories that span the series and thus I recommend reading the books in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.