Tuesday 10 February 2015

Books Read: J.D. Robb - Obsession in Death

A crisp winter morning in New York. In a luxury apartment, the body of a woman lies stretched out on a huge bed. On the wall above, the killer has left a message in bold black ink: FOR LIEUTENANT EVE DALLAS, WITH GREAT ADMIRATION AND UNDERSTANDING. 

Eve Dallas is used to unwanted attention. Famous for her high-profile cases and her marriage to billionaire businessman Roarke, she has learned to deal with intense public scrutiny and media gossip. But now Eve has become the object of a singular and deadly obsession. She has an 'admirer', who just can't stop thinking about her. Who is convinced they have a special bond. Who is planning to kill for her - again and again... 

With time against her, Eve is forced to play a delicate - and dangerous - psychological dance. Because the killer is desperate for something Eve can never provide - approval. And once that becomes clear, Eve knows her own life will be at risk - along with those she cares about the most.

Amazon links: Kindle or Hardcover

Despite Obsession in Death being the 40th book in the series, it's actually the first that I've read by this author, although have read numerous of her books written as Nora Roberts, so when I was asked by Clara at Little Brown to take part in this 20th anniversary blog tour I decided to say yes and find out for myself what the series is all about.  

When Lt. Eve Dallas is called to a crime scene for the murder of a defense attorney that she'd fought against in court it becomes apparent that the killer is a fan of Eve's who has decided to kill people in her honour.  And soon after there is another murder to contend with so it's now a race against time for Eve and her team to figure out the identity of the killer before anyone else who has crossed Eve is killed.  

The story plays out over a short timespan, five days, and as a 'whodunnit' it certainly works as suspects were identified and eliminated until the eventual killer is revealed... a pretty impressive achievement for any murder detective!

I'm afraid that this book was a bit of a hit and miss for me, I did enjoy the investigative side of it building a profile for the suspect but I think it might have helped me to enjoy it more if I had read a few previous books in the series so that I would have known more about Eve's background and the relationships with some of the victims and regular characters that appeared throughout such as her police partner Detective Peabody and husband Roarke.  

It was also a bit too 'techy' for me, there was a lot of terminology mentioned that I had to try and work out what it was which spoilt the flow of reading.  I have to admit that I don't think that this series is for me and that if I'd known in advance that this book was futuristic, set in 2060 as opposed to the current date, then I might not have agreed to read it.  

Although this one wasn't for me, I think for fans of J.D. Robb and the series then they'll probably enjoy it because they'll be more used to the terminology and who's who. 

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