Strangers in Death (In Death) | 
 enlarge | Author: J. D. Robb
Publisher: Large Print Press
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  81 reviews
Sales Rank: 388046
Format: Large Print
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 553
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 1594132801
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781594132803
ASIN: 1594132801
Publication Date: August 5, 2008
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Product Description
The new novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series.
Technology may be different in 2060 New York, yet the city is still a place of many cultures and great divides. But as ever, some murders receive more attention than others-especially those in which the victim is a prominent businessman, found in his Park Avenue apartment, tied to the bed-and strangled- with cords of black velvet.
It doesn't surprise Lieutenant Eve Dallas that Thomas Anders's scandalous death is a source of titillation and speculation to the public-and of humiliation to his family. But while people in the city are talking about it, those close to Anders aren't so anxious to do the same. With some help from her billionaire husband, Roarke, Eve's soon knocking on doors-or barging through them-to find answers.
But the facts don't add up. Physical evidence suggests that the victim didn't struggle. The security breach in the apartment indicates that the killer was someone known to the family, but everyone's alibi checks out. Was this a crime of passion in a kinky game gone wrong-or a meticulously planned execution? It's up to Dallas to solve a case in which strangers may be connected in unexpected, and deadly, ways.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...
 A little predictable, but Eve still rocks! October 14, 2008
I didn't like the title for this installment of "In death" because it practically gave away the plot. This is one of Robb's most predictable mysteries, at least for anyone who is familiar with the Hitchcock film that inspired it. Thankfully, the real fun is in watching Eve zero in on the killer and figure out how the crime was committed despite flawless alibis. Plus, Robb makes sure to mention the movie directly in the book, almost like a wink to the reader! The story reminded me of one of those infrequent episodes of "Law and Order" where they show the villain commit the crime at the beginning. Viewers know who it is, but the police still have to work it out. It's not quite as satisfying as figuring it out along with them, but good none-the-less. Eve's still the cop I wish every city had protecting it.
Robb's mysteries can be fantastic and intricate, or fairly simple. Sometimes readers can figure them out in a few chapters (as I did here), or be held until the very end. But, her real gift is characterization. She creates wonderful characters readers like and can identify with. Even after twentysome installments, I'm still in love with Roarke, Eve, Peabody and the rest of the crew. They all have real depth-- their dialog and interaction make them come alive. I couldn't put this book down, and I'm sure fans of the series will not be disappointed. There is a lot of humor (where appropriate) to temper the murder mystery, but justice remains the focus. All the major characters make an appearance, if only briefly, but the major action is centered on Eve and Roarke. I've noticed in the last few books, Roarke has taken a more direct role in the investigation and we see more of him and Eve talking through the case. Peabody was pushed a little more into the background. This is fine for a few books, but I hope that she isn't relegated to minor character status like Feeney. Her repartee with Eve is just too good.
Overall, this isn't the best of the series but it's still a solid, very enjoyable mystery. The satisfaction of Eve getting the bad guy has not lessened one bit through all these novels, and I can't wait for more.
A Hitchcockian feel not everyone will like. September 30, 2008
When Eve is called to a homicide on Park Avenue, she finds herself in the bedroom of Thomas Anders, sports fanatic and the head of Anders Worldwide. Sixty-one, he, like his father before him, ran a top enterprise of sporting-goods turned into more; several cities set up to help underprivileged children with sporting-goods to play sports. Unfortunately, Anders's life was cut short. His body was found by his House Manager (housekeeper); each arm and leg tied to either the headboard or footboard with velvet cord, and a velvet cord around his neck. Upon first glance, looks like a lover's tryst gone wrong. But that doesn't sit well with Eve - and her gut instinct was correct. Everything was too clean, made too easy, and once confimed that he'd been drugged, Eve is on the hunt for a killer.
After meeting the characters involved in Anders's life, Eve believes in her gut that the wife, Ava Anders, did the deed. But how could she? She was off in the tropics with her two best friends on an girls-only holiday. But something about Ava sets Eve off. Too pristine, in every way; from attire to manner to emotion. However, proving it is Eve's challenge. And Eve enjoys a challenge.
Along the way, the more the facts fit together, the more and more they point away from Ava, but Eve refuses to let go. She knows Ava is in up to her pretty little head, and she'll be damned if Ava gets away with it. Baxter, on the sidelines, asks Eve to take a look at a case a couple of months old that he and Trueheart have been working on. They can't close it, the trail's gone cold, and they're hoping a fresh set of eyes can help in closing the case. But upon another glance, Eve catches something that wouldn't have caught anyone's eye: the wife of the victim in Baxter's case is loosely connected to Ava, through Anders's charity of sporting-goods. No all Eve needs is a confession to wrap it up.
I'll admit, I am a huge fan of Nora Roberts (I have everything she's ever written), but my ultimate fave is her J.D. Robb series. And while I've been a faithful fan since I stumbled upon this series back in 2003, I didn't find this one as thrilling as the rest. Although different, I thought it was good just the same. Just not 5-star good.
Eve is called to the homicide of Thomas Anders. But something ring's false to her - everything seems staged somehow. Meeting up with Morris, the ME, over Anders's body, one thing stands out. Anders had been drugged. And even though he was strangled, it was still a slow death. Something's wrong, and Eve plans on figuring out what it is. Question is: How? The wife was in the tropics, sharing a huge suite with her two friends. There are witnesses. The nephew has an airtight alibi. Was it murder for hire? Eve doesn't think so, and after going through their financials, there is no evidence of a payoff.
The more Eve investigates, the more her gut points her toward the wife. But there's nothing to support it. So Eve digs and digs and digs until she finds something, with the usual cast of characters: Roarke, Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Baxter and Trueheart.
Now, usually, there are several suspects and it takes the entire book to figure out who it is, if you can figure it out. But Eve is so sure that it was Ava, directly or indirectly, that the story pretty much stayed focused on Ava, the wife. It was different from the norm, and I can't say I liked it overmuch. It was like putting a stereotype on the rich - something that Eve is intimate with as she is married to a billionaire. The greed key has been played so often that I was hoping for something more.
The way the case came together was different. A twist I wasn't expecting. I figured for sure a hired hit. Far from it. The more I got into the story, the more it had a sort of Hitchcockian feeling to it. Now, anyone who's watched a Hitchcock movie will understand when they read this book.
What was disturbing was how a woman can play a roll such as Ava did, to rise herself to the top, to get everything she wanted, all for the sake of "because I deserve it." How she tested the waters with `potential candidates' to help her with her crime, the questions, the manipulation, reduced to threatening kids - the kids and the mothers that she's supposed to be helping, caring for.
Wasn't any action in this one at all. More running around, thinking and tying things together than anything. It didn't have the feel for what I'm used to, and I wasn't thrilled. Yes, I liked how Eve played her hand, how she slipped Ava up, but it was from point A to point B that wasn't thrilling.
I must, however, comment on the fight that Eve and Roarke had. I have yet to hear of a couple, married, common-law, or even roommates, not having argued about money. While most arguments are based on the money spent, over-spending, etc..., their argument was the opposite: Eve had spent the money from her paycheck but didn't even thing to ask Roarke for some, even knowing that she had an account in her name that Roarke set up simply for her to use. But to her, it's his money, and she didn't marry him for his money. She can't just take it, it doesn't feel right to her. The money he has is because he earned it, legally or not. And while each of them has a hard time understanding why the other is being so pig-headed about it, they finally get it, and it becomes a compromize between two people who love each other, regardless of their financial situation. That was a part of the book I adored. Every time Eve and Roarke get into a personal argument, they seem more and more like real life people than characters in a book, like a truly happily married couple, going through what just about every married couple goes through. I can give top marks for that!
 Strangers In Death September 28, 2008
When I happened upon Naked In Death and finished, I was hooked. I immediately started to purchase all the books in order and could not stop.I did not think when I first read the synopsis of Naked In Death that I would be interested in a futuristic police/romance book of any kind. Boy, was I wrong. I have read each book at least ten times (sounds sick I know) but each time I read them, it's as if I am reading them for the first time. I am anxiously awaiting the November releases. My only wish for Eve and Roarke is that some baby comes into the picture, one where they can bond to a child and experience the love and nurturing they did not have as children. Maybe, they can keep Mavis' baby for a while due to her schedule of something. I want to see how they would respond and maybe decide to have their own child. Eventually they have to have a family, this is Roarke's desire down the road as he says to have children.
Strangers in Death September 19, 2008
As usual, J D Robb has done it again. This is another great addition to the "Death" collection.
 One Step Away from Plagerism. September 17, 2008
This book is just an extension of Stranger on a Train. Which is mentioned in the book, so you can't call fowl.
It depicts what would've happened if the second person completed their task instead of balking. That might have been interesting, but I so figured it out by the 3rd chapter.
Good read if you've nothing better to do.
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