Holiday in Death

by J. D. Robb

1998

Status

Available

Series

In Death (7)

Genres

Collection

Standard Shelves

Publication

Berkley (1998), Edition: Reissue, 336 pages

Description

Fiction. Mystery. Romance. Suspense. HTML:Lieutenant Eve Dallas tails a serial killer who has a passion for the "Twelve Days of Christmas" in this novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series. No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer who likes to dress up as Santa Claus, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours. As the murders continue, Eve enters into an elite world of people searching for their one true love. A world where the power of love leads men and women into the ultimate act of betrayal...

User reviews

LibraryThing member kayceel
More of the same - Eve struggling to cope with her past (which is especially difficult this time, as the victims are brutally raped before murdered), and tries to adjust to a life in which she now has a husband and friends who care about her.
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LibraryThing member Darla
I assume by this point, everyone pretty well knows what J. D. Robb's In Death series is about: mid-21st century, homicide cop married to billionaire with a shady past. Each book has a mystery/police procedural story as well as advances in the characters' personal lives.

Holiday in Death,
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 unsurprisingly, takes place around Christmastime 2058. A serial killer who dresses as Santa is targeting the clients of a dating service: raping and murdering them, then decorating their bodies with a "Twelve Days of Christmas" theme. The hunt for the killer is well done, and Eve makes a wrong turn that's emotionally affecting, and well as showing that she's human. It's just that serial killer stories get to be pretty much same-old, same-old after a while. It's always a guy killing his mother over and over again. Ho-hum. But that's a matter of taste, or at least a matter of how many romantic suspense and mystery books I've read with serial killers in them.

What was great about this story is how Eve deals with the holiday, her first since meeting and marrying Roarke. She's got her usual disgruntled attitude toward her fellow humans, and, as usual, hates shopping. On the other hand, her life is now becoming full of people who matter to her, and the process of coming up with gifts for them shows how much her life has changed.

Holiday in Death also begins the McNab/Peabody/Charles Monroe triangle, and the real start of the McNab/Peabody relationship. We'd met McNab in the previous book, Vengeance in Death, but that one only showed the beginnings of sparks between the two.

One of the lovely things about this series is the leisurely way in which the secondary relationships develop. Eve and Roarke did take 3 books from first meet to wedding, but it was still a pretty romance-novel-ish pace. McNab and Peabody, and other relationships in the series, proceed at a more true-to-life rate, and because the main characters are happily committed, we readers can enjoy the small developments without too much impatience.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
I was in need of an Eve and Roarke fix, and this did it! I think this is one of the better ones I've read. The emotions surrounding the Christmas season give it a little bit of an extra kick.
LibraryThing member MusicMom41
No one likes to be alone during the holidays, and for New York's most posh dating service it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. Eve Dallas, on the trail of a serial killer, has discovered that all of the killer's victims have been traced to Personally Yours, an upscale computer dating
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 service. As the murders continue, Eve enters an elite world of people searching for their one true love - and a killer searching for his next victim.

I’ve decided that this series is just fantasy for women. It has no staying power—I forget the plot almost as soon as I finish the book. But what a fun ride while it lasts!
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LibraryThing member punxsygal
It's Christmas time and Santa is singing The Twelve Days of Christmas while delivering packages of the deadly kind. Eve Dallas is primary on the case. The trail leads to Personally Yours, a high end dating service where everyone is searching for "My True Love". Fans of J.D. Robb will not be
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 disappointed in this seventh volume of the "In Death" series.
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LibraryThing member pauliharman
Never dull, always page-turningly compulsive, Holiday in Death is another great episode in the In Death series. Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds herself tracking a Santa serial killer who is targetting patrons of a 5-star dating agency on the run up to her first Christmas with gazillionaire husband
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 Roarke.
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LibraryThing member wisdomlore
It's Eve and Roarke's first Christmas together as husband and wife, and Roarke wants to do it up grand and glorious. But first, Eve must solve a series of particularly cruel murders, carried out by Santa and following the Twelve Days of Christmas song! The trail leads to a dating service called
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 Personally Yours. Peabody and McNab go under cover to discover if the service is connected to the crimes.
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LibraryThing member Liz_S
Another hit for J.D. Robb!! This is my go to series when im craving something fast paced with action, suspense and romance! If you read any of the books on their own they're good, but if you start at the beginning and work your way down they're terrific!!! Cant wait to read the next one!!
LibraryThing member ForeignCircus
This Christmas themed addition to the In Death series is a tough one for Eve Dallas, returned too early from medical leave and thrown right into a series of sexual homicides. There are moments of humor (such as every time Eve buys a Christmas gift) but the overall theme is dark, and Eve is clearly
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 skirting close to the edge. Watching Peabody and McNab interact is another highlight- obviously things are heating up there. All in all, a good read if not really very festive given the subject matter.
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LibraryThing member mariag_1984
Another great installment in this futuristic series by J.D Robb (aka Nora Roberts)! This time our favorite cop, Eve Dallas, must find a series killer who rapes and murder women and men in Christmas time. I am glad to see that after seven books this series the author continues to give us books with
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 a quality. We still have a lot to learn for our favorite characters and for the futuristic world-building.

I was sure that Eve would have a problem with this time of year. I was so right! As a woman with no good memories as a child, her reaction was expected. She is not used to have family and friends and now she has to buy presents for the people she cares about and have a party with her husband! Yes, that makes her uncomfortable. Sometimes she is abrupt and tactless she’s saying things in a wrong way. It’s good that she understands that she’s not right and she apologizes in her own way. In this book, because the case involves rapes, she takes it personal and she pushes herself too much. Some people will call her cold but I don’t think it’s true. I simply believe that she is afraid to feel. Rightly, if you want my opinion, because the one person that should have been there and take care of her, her father, was a monster who raped her when she was just a little girl.

Roarke…. Best husband ever! Really, he’s there for her every step of the way. Sometimes it’s weird to see him put his own life behind so he can help Eve but his love for her and his need to protect her from herself is obvious. He’s still a mystery. Yes, we learn some things for his past but not everything and I am very curious about him. His need to belong and to have a family and make memories it’s obvious and sometimes I think that he knows Even better than she knows herself!

Peabody is another character that I really like in this series and although she and Eve have some problems in this story, they care for each other a lot. It’s easy to see that Peabody feels lonely and that she has not the same mind with Eve and that means that Eve wants to protect her when there is no actual need for protection. Nevertheless, they respect each other and they always find a way to work things out.

Also, I like this love/hate relationship between Peabody and McNab. I truly believe that they should give it a try and start a relationship! It would be hilarious!

So, this was another great story with very well-written plot that I enjoyed too much! I just love this series!!!
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LibraryThing member msralways
I think this one was one of my favorite cases. Awesome story telling as always and the development of different relationships between the characters is great! I loved the fact that Peabody had some more spotlight here and that we got to see her and McNab together a little more..something's brewing
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 there and I can just feel it. Roarke and Eve have this annoying but amazing habit to put us through this myriad of moods and the ending is just one of the good parts of the book.
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LibraryThing member Sheila1957
Santa comes calling and leaves death in his wake. Now it is up to Eve to stand for the dead. I like this series. Eve is always kick ass even when she is still recovering from her previous case. It is funny watching her figure out Christmas means something to her "family." As her family grows it is
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 fun seeing Eve accept that she is no longer a lone wolf. She's learning she has feelings for the people in her life and that she no longer has to hide her softer side, which is being discovered by her interactions with her "family." Love Roarke as always. He can always see through Eve and makes her a better person because of it. Loving this re-reading of it
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
It's Christmas in 2058 New York and someone is celebrating the season by killing, using "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as his inspiration. The only link between the victims is a dating service named Personally Yours. To help solve the murders, Eve puts Peabody and McNab undercover as clients of the
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 exclusive dating service. In addition to hunting down a serial killer, this is Eve's first Christmas with her new husband, and where she actually is surrounded by people she cares about. I was amused to watch her struggle with buying gifts and join Roarke in the tree trimming. Eve and Roarke struggle to find the balance between past and present, so that they can go on with their future and start new traditions together.

The suspenseful mysteries that bring the character of Lt. Eve Dallas to life keep the reader captured until the very end. Whether you have read the first in this series or the very latest, you will not be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member AddictedToMorphemes
Holiday in Death by J.D. Robb
#7 "In Death" series

Lt. Eve Dallas investigates the sexual homicides of multiple people connected to a matchmaking dating service. The audacious killer dresses up as Santa Claus, then leaves the bodies with a token corresponding to the "Twelve Days of Christmas".

This
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 one dragged a bit for me and seemed same-old, same-old. I'm hoping the next on the list catches my interest a little more, although I very much enjoy this series on the whole.
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LibraryThing member Becky_McKenna
It's Christmastime in New York and while Eve is searching for the perfect gift for Roarke, she's assigned to a serial rapist/murder case that brings her face to face with the demons of her past. This is one of Robb's darker stories, but she offsets the crime scenes with exceptional teamwork between
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 Eve, Roarke, and Eve's co-workers. I thought the growth in Eve's friendship with Peabody was a nice touch, too. Nicely done.
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LibraryThing member Nitzan_Schwarz
Damn good book.
LibraryThing member wndy2011
Eve is on the trail of another serial killer who is taking the guise of Santa. And his calling card are pieces of jewelry from the tune 12 Days of Christmas. Will she be able to stop the madman or woman before all 12 days are done?
Another winner!!! Love it!!!
LibraryThing member Lauren2013
Holiday in Death
4 Stars

In her latest case, Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is on the trail of a sadistic serial killer who dresses up as Santa and finds his victims at an online dating service.

An exciting installment with several red herrings to keep the reader guessing.

Eve's complex and prickly
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 nature make her one of those characters that evoke strong reactions in readers. While one cannot help but admire her strength and resilience in overcoming childhood trauma, she does have the unfortunate tendency toward allowing her personal demons to influence her investigative focus, which ultimately leads her down the wrong path.

Furthermore, there are times when Eve's harsh words and hurtful actions toward those closest to her can be grating. That said, it is clear that she is slowly coming to understand she is no longer alone in the world and that she needs to let people in.

In terms of the murder case, the symbolism associated with the 12 Days of Christmas is entertaining albeit underutilized. The links between the symbols and corresponding victims could have been used to better effect.

The secondary characters are wonderful as always. The developing love/hate relationship between Peabody and McNab is a highlight, and it will be interesting to see where this goes (if they don't kill each other first).

Overall, the In Death series is engaging, exciting, and entertaining. A definite must for lovers of romance and suspense.
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LibraryThing member Headinherbooks_27
I just love the characters in this series. Their love for each other, sarcasm, and sense of humor always puts a smile on my face. I can't get enough of Eve, Roarke, and Peabody. I love Eve and Roarke's marital relationship, and Eve and Peabody's work relationship. Everytime I read this the author
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 reveals a little more about the characters.
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LibraryThing member jfe16
Personally Yours, the perfectly posh dating service, finds the holiday season the perfect time to bring lonely hearts together, ensuring that no one spends the holidays alone. But NYPSD homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas, investigating the death of Marianna Hawley, soon discovers that all of
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 a serial killer’s victims used the Personally Yours dating service. As lonely people seek true love, a murderer seeks another victim. Can Eve find the killer before more lonely hearts are stopped forever?

In this, the seventh in the “In Death” series, Christmas is front and center, making Eve grumpier than usual while a crazy killer enacts the twelve days of Christmas with his victims. Once again, an inventive crime to intrigue readers, a powerful sense of place, and the always-developing relationships of the characters readers have come to love are all in place to captivate readers and to keep those pages turning.

Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
It's Christmas in 2058 New York and someone is celebrating the season by killing, using "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as his inspiration. The only link between the victims is a dating service named Personally Yours. To help solve the murders, Eve puts Peabody and McNab undercover as clients of the
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 exclusive dating service. In addition to hunting down a serial killer, this is Eve's first Christmas with her new husband, and where she actually is surrounded by people she cares about. I was amused to watch her struggle with buying gifts and join Roarke in the tree trimming. Eve and Roarke struggle to find the balance between past and present, so that they can go on with their future and start new traditions together.

The suspenseful mysteries that bring the character of Lt. Eve Dallas to life keep the reader captured until the very end. Whether you have read the first in this series or the very latest, you will not be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member kevinrtipple
Much like this reviewer, NYSPD Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is not a fan of Christmas or the season itself. Too many people, too many massive crowds, too much chaos. It is the final weeks of 2058 and now she is very annoyed to discover she is supposed to select gifts for other people, including
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 her husband who is so rich he can buy and sell entire planets.

She is out and about with time to do some things before her shift when she hears a police radio call for a nearby location. The call is for a domestic dispute, which is never a good thing. The actual scene is far worse as it is a murder scene.

Marianna Hawley, mid-thirties, will not see Christmas this year. The naked woman was strangled and left cleaned up and posed on the bed. Wrapped in silver garland with a small ornament pinned in her hair just above her right ear, the killer has left behind his calling card. Not to mention the brand-new tattoo on the victim that reads, “my true love.” Her assistant, Officer Peabody, makes the obvious connection between the newly done tattoo and the ornament in the victim’s hair. The race is on to find a twisted killer who has his own agenda and deathly plans for the holiday season.

All the usual caveats apply again in this read that is part police procedural and part romantic suspense. There will be POV shifts, sometimes several times in a paragraph, Roarke will always be a perfect stud in and outside the bedroom, and Dallas and Peabody will confront danger and put themselves in harms way again and again. Fortunately, it is 2058 and medical services are awesome. All in all, another fun read as long as you do not take it too seriously. These books are not deep. They are pleasantly entertaining as one is immersed in the story.


My copy came via the good folks at my branch, Lochwood Library. Scott, once again, made the Libby App work for Dad.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Book seven in the In Death series by J. D. Robb takes us to Eve's and Roarke's first holiday season together. Holiday in Death surprised and impressed me. I expected the brutal murders, but I wasn't expecting a killer Santa. Nor was I expecting the use of The Twelve Days of Christmas as a calling
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 card. Still, it was all within the normal scope of a typical Eve Dallas investigation.

Where Holiday in Death got me was with the non-murder investigation scenes. The scenes where Eve buys presents for her friends had me cackling with laughter, but the scenes of Eve and Roarke creating holiday traditions tore apart my heart. They are beautiful moments of healing for both of them that drove home how much they lost with their terrible childhoods and are more effective than all the nightmares or flashbacks.

I did have an issue with how Eve used Peabody to help capture the murderer because it seemed so unlike her. Given her background, I struggle with how she would be willing to put Peabody into that situation. Even with all the precautions and safety measures in place, Eve did not think of the psychological ramifications of what Peabody would face. As I said, given Eve's childhood this situation didn't sit right, but it did show how far Eve is willing to go to catch a killer.

I feel like these stories keep getting better. Every book shows Eve softening ever so slightly, healing just that tiny bit more. While it doesn't seem like much per book, if you look at the series as a whole, the character development throughout the first seven books has been phenomenal. I can't wait to see what happens next!
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Subjects

Awards

Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (Winner — 1998)
AAR Annual Reader Poll (1999)
AAR Top 100 Romances (83 — Most Recent Rank [23-way tie] 1998)

Language

English

Original language

English

Original publication date

1998-06-01

Physical description

336 p.; 4.13 inches

ISBN

0425163717 / 9780425163719

Barcode

1600798

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