Calculated in Death

It felt a bit disjointed but overall it was a good read for me. As is pretty common for this series the who is pretty clear or at least a small pool of suspects are narrowed out fairly early on but finding out the why is as important in this series as knowing the who and also dealing with the film

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premier and Eve's reactions to the fussing is endearing (and gives me warm fuzzies, cause she's like me and if I had a millionaire willing to dress me in pretties I'd let him)

It did feel a little disjointed and it didn't flow as well as it might have, which is the reason it gets 3.5 rather than 4 stars, but I did enjoy it. My perception may have been warped by a cold that wasn't making me well while reading it.

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Not as good as her last, but always a good read. I wish that more had been made of the financial aspects of the investigation which were, I think, a little glossed over. Also disappointed that since Eve Dallas and Roarke missed the premier of the Icove vid we don't ever find out what people thought

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about it.
The relationships, which are one of the reasons to read this series, stalled a little in this book except for some mention of Truehart closing a case being cleared to take the detective exam. Something needs to move forward to keep this series from going stale. Should Eve get promoted to Captain? Should Peabody and McNab get married? How about Reo and Morris getting together? Maybe something with Nadine?

But all in all, I stiil enjoyed the puzzle.

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After 35+ books, I've come to expect a great mystery and a lot of humor. And Calculated in Death didn't fail me in that regard. The murder had some nice twists and diversions along the way, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. What I didn't expect, but was delighted to find, was

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subtle but important character development. Eve and Roarke both have matured as individuals, and as a couple.

Remember how Eve always fights taking any pain blockers, or how Roarke tries to dissuade her from dangerous missions where she's the bait? Yeah, that didn't happen here. I loved seeing them both become secure enough to admit when they need help; when they are worried; and to accept the other’s feelings on any given issue. The changes in the characters are subtle, but noticeable. In fact, her relationships with many characters have come to the next level. Eve has always respected Peabody, but now Peabody is making some deductions before Eve and their interactions have become even more intimate – these are partners who trust each other with their lives.

Overall, this was another great mystery that had a new dimension that brought it to the next level. I cannot wait for more!

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Another hit for me, I am a huge fan of this series and always look forward to the next book. I did not find anything lacking, maybe this book was a bit lighter than some of the previous but I found it as enjoyable as all the rest. I agree with the previous reviews that there may be some changes in

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the character dynamic regarding the employment status and that the character development has been wonderful. The growth of both Eve and Roarke has been wonderful to watch. Just finished the book and cannot wait for the next.

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CALCULATED IN DEATH, the 36th book in the In Death series, emphasized the police procedural. This story was very focused on Eve solving the case of the death of an accountant, mother of two and happily married. She also happened to be the sister-in-law of one of Eve's favorite judges.

This mystery

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finds Eve deep in the world of big business. Luckily, she has an expert guide in her husband Roarke who is the biggest of big businessmen. Eve has to follow the trail and untangle the threads that bind a number of companies together uncovering fraud, money laundering, and other scams while she is digging. Along the way another accountant is killed and one of the partners in an investment business too. Eve is pretty sure which over-privileged but not over-bright executive is pulling the strings but she has to set herself up as a target before they can catch the underling who is actually doing the killing.

This was a very enjoyable mystery and I loved the byplay between Eve and Roarke. This one showed how well they have come to know each other and how well they work in tandem. But I missed the contributions of the many characters we have seen in the series. The only other character who had a substantial role in this one was Peabody who was her charming self. We just had cameos by McNab and Feeney, Mira and Nadine Furst, and Mavis and Leonardo.

I liked the recurring references to the upcoming movie premiere and the necessity for Eve's appearance on the Red Carpet. You could just tell that Eve would rather be anywhere else. At least, she wanted to be anywhere else until she arranged to trap the killer there. I also liked that Eve was more nervous about having Trina do her hair and make-up than she was at the possibility that the killer would succeed in his plan to eliminate Eve and Peabody.

Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. I think it would also work for newcomers to the series as an entry point without having to read the previous 35 books.

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For a series with something close to thirty-seven books you'd think that there could not possibly be anything left to add. You'd be wrong. Eve & Roarke still sizzle and the murders that Eve solves still have something new and interesting to offer. Somehow Ms. Robb manages to keep the series feeling

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fresh, even after all that has gone before. I know I'll be excited to see the next one when it hits the stores!

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An accountant is murdered in what is supposed to look like a mugging gone wrong. But the killer is sloppy, and the trail leads to audits. Dallas and Peabody are on the case.

Fair-to-middling entry in the series.

It's supposed to look like a mugging, but when Lieutenant Eve Dallas looks at the body sprawled across the pavement on Manhattan's Upper East Side, she sees some problems with that theory. Peeling back the layers of exactly who's responsible for the accountant, wife and mother's death is not just

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her job, but her calling. And the fact that the death she deals with daily disturbs her less than the thought of dressing up for the movie premiere featuring one of her closed cases? That's just another part of what makes her who she is.

Another fun outing for Eve, Rourke, Peabody and the gang.

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A new police procedural in Robb's " in Death" series that I liked a bit more than the previous one. The world of Eve and Roarke seems less 'futuristic' all the time since many of the authors projections of where technology was going between the 1990's and the 2050's are happening now. I did notice

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some subtle updating of the tech available to Eve in her work. Also we did get some brief appearances by a few of my favorite characters but I would like a book where we see more of these secondary people. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the series.

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Another great story about Eve Dallas. This time Eve has to attend the opening night about the 'vid' made about a previous case. Naturally she hates the dressing up bit. Lots of suspense and several 'baddies'. Eve has her usual helpers to find the murderer of an accountant and then several others.
A

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great read.

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Not my favourite of the "In death" stories, this was still an enjoyable read. Eve and Roarke's relationship is enjoyably stable--and it was refreshing to see Eve no longer having nightmares about her father (or mother) with every case has. The murder of this story was not the most inspired or

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gripping of scenarios, and it resolved with more drama than one would expect from the opening. I have to admit I'm hoping for a more complicated murder in her next book.

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More NYC with Eve. There's always something about Eve that makes me laugh, and something about Eve & Roarke together that, well, just works. I liked seeing Peabody branch out a bit, and love the cast of supporting characters. Nothing new and exciting, more of the same for fans of the series. I'm

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one of them,

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I know we all make fun of the auditors but when a up and coming auditor is found dead in the basement entrance to a refurbished office block, Dallas can't see the funny side. Instead she recognises the signs of a murder, not the signs of a mugging gone too far but it doesn't seem personal and why

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now? The answer to the case would lie in one of the audits the victim had caught when a colleague had been injured while on holiday and it would take all of Roarke's financial skills to work out the devious twists and turns involved in this latest entry in the Dallas canon.

What I really like about the Dallas series is the dialogue - they're touted as science fiction but I have to say that the science fiction elements are rarely consistent and certainly not to the fore (generally a good idea in crime stories anyway...). The crime elements are important of course and they are generally excellently done as they are here but it's in the banter between Eve and Roarke, Eve and Peabody and Eve's murder team where these tales really shine. True, Robb has had a long time to get these right but equally there's little sign of fatigue setting in yet and long may that continue!

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Loved this book as I do the series. Just the characters are a wonderful treat. See my full review at puretextuality.com

4.75 Stars

I did read this book cover to cover without pauses, but I kept waiting for that moment in an Eve & Roarke book that I just did not get. This book is a basic murder plot, with lots of subtext (I hope) for the next book. I am going to try not to give spoilers, I might allude to something but will not

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give details. If you are new to series, start at the beginning, for diehards you will want to read this, but there is nothing other than your own impatience that makes it MUST read today :).

Eve and Roarke are my fav's as some of you know. I read them the second they come out and I almost always 4 or 5 stars. This book feel like the set up for the next one. You know how a lot of the books recently have referenced that Eve would have had a promotion already but some people think she is a glory hound and others think she is too brash blah blah? This feels like it is setting her up for major career advancement.

They start by talking about how good she is @ spotting talent and brining that in, you know how she brought up Peabody and Truehart and then she kind of mellows, the things that would drive her insane, she still gets snarky over, but she she lets things go and delegates some of it. They also have a part that will make her a hero in the eyes of all New Yorkers, and lots of positive media bits with out looking like she is seeking it out. We are no longer getting the accusations that she puts her life before her career, in fact the judges sister in law that gets murdered wants Eve on the case. So instead of roadblocks this book has things streamlined.

I see big things happening in the future, and it did need to be laid out, it just was not this book. The character interaction was so so, nothing I found to be great. Very mellow book. It will not be one I re read, I enjoyed it and it was worth reading, maybe not @ 14.99. This seems more like a wait for paperback version. I rarely if ever say that about the J.D. Robb books. I personally could not wait because I think the next book will knock my socks off. Not disappointed I spent the money for the book, because I could not wait even if I read this review, I need to know NOW. If you are like that, settle in for a well written police book. Like I said this feels more like character development, I can totally see Baxter making LT if Eve gets a promotion.

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The last 10% of the book had the qualities I've seen in this series, otherwise the book was a disappointment. The sharp repartee usually seen between Eve and her husband, and Eve and Peabody was mostly missing, and the plot seemed muddled with too many "suspects", which was a stretch.

I've loved

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this series in the past and will give it at least one more try, and I can only hope the next one will restore the excellence this series had in the past. I struggled several times to stick with this book to the end.

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Enjoyed this In Death book. Once again Peabody and McNab steal the show. I miss the old love scenes between Roarke and Eve! Have they become and old married couple???? Say it isn't so?

The last 10% of the book had the qualities I've seen in this series, otherwise the book was a disappointment. The sharp repartee usually seen between Eve and her husband, and Eve and Peabody was mostly missing, and the plot seemed muddled with too many "suspects", which was a stretch.

I've loved

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this series in the past and will give it at least one more try, and I can only hope the next one will restore the excellence this series had in the past. I struggled several times to stick with this book to the end.

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#36. This is the first in the series that I read--or listened to, as the case may be--and I read the first two in the series [print] before finishing.

I found it interesting that nearly all the characters on hand in this book were introduced in books 1 and 2. Nearly.

I am puzzled by the continued

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antagonism between Sommerset and Dallas. I am waiting to learn the back-story of the relationship between Sommerset and Roarke. Surely it isn't just basic jealousy?

Ah well, back to #3....

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Reading these books is like watching your favorite TV show. You know at some point certain supporting characters will show up, Eve and Rourke will have sex at least twice a book and Eve will have nightmares that involve her past. The book was a decent mystery but no real surprises as to who did it.

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What I did find odd was so many people she spoke with in the book during the investigation were also going to the movie premiere of the Icove case. And I hope now this book is over the Icove case will stop getting mentioned in almost every book since she solved that case. A minor nit to be sure.

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Really enjoyed this one. Felt like there was actual detection going on, with lots go suspects and no quick and easy resolution.

From my blog:

The Good: In Death books are always good for giving the reader a good and complicated crime to solve. Not all of the books are a whodunit but this one was. I was guessing who the killer(s) was clear up until the reveal. Then again, I never figure that out in books, TV, or movies for

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that matter. Robb is good at giving the reader more than just a crime story to read. She weaves the character's personalities and relationships with each other throughout the story.

The Bad: I didn't like the ending. Why can't Robb let us celebrate a party or holiday or birthday with the characters of the story instead of writing, writing, writing about the event throughout and then ending the book before the event? Grrr! This is a serious pet peeve of mine about this series and this author. Honestly, I Googled, "Does Nora Roberts use a ghost writer" after reading this book because it just wasn't up to par. I felt like the parts that were the "isms" of the characters, i.e. character quirks and traditions of this series and the people in it, were put into the story for form. This is the 36th installment of the series and I suppose after that many books, it becomes mindless routine. I wish I could have loved this installment more.

Oh. And from what I could find, J.D. Robb does write all of the In Death books. Of course, she has enough money and clout she could probably keep it a secret if she did use a ghost writer. I like to think she doesn't.

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From the book description;
“On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson

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doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. . . .”

Another foray into the world of Dallas and Rourke. I’ve read a few of the reviews of this book and it seems like fans did not enjoy this book as much as some of the others. Several commented that it was a “set up” book for the next in the series. Personally, I enjoyed this book because it explored a little bit more of some of the peripheral characters that the last few books have not mentioned as much. When I get invested in a series (and I have been reading this one since book one), every once in a while I expect an entry that is a little more low key because it allows the reader (and, no doubt, the author) to catch up a little bit.

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Formulaic but not stereotypic. The best series and sitcoms need excellent writing to support even excellent characters. N Roberts does such extremely well.