New York to Dallas

Author: J. D. Robb
Publisher: Putnam (Penguin)
Released: 2011
Series: In Death
Genre: Futuristic Police Procedural

Lieutenant Eve Dallas has to face more demons in this latest installment of the In Death series. A monster she helped put away in her early days as a cop has escaped and sends a personal message to Eve, eventually drawing her to Dallas, where her worst nightmare resurfaces.

In this one, there are many deviations from the established routines of the In Death books. And I'm somewhat ashamed to admit it, but I think I missed the snarkiness of New York almost as much s Eve did! But the rhythm of the Dallas operation works in its own way.

And the tone of the whole book is also different - more vulnerable, I think, more introspective. Sure, there's still murder and mayhem, but more than the usual percentage of the book is Eve dealing with all the emotional backlash of dealing with a case like this. I like it - last book, Treachery in Death, dealt with Eve's reasons for becoming a cop, and I think New York to Dallas continues the theme of exploring and dealing with her past and her emotions.

The rhythm of the whole operation being different is partly due to the change in location, but also partly due to the fact that there is no "suspect," because they know right off the bat who they're looking for, and it's just a chase to find him, not to identify him. There are a few close calls, and the only thing that let me know the attempt wouldn't work was that there were too many pages left to the end of the book!

As usual, the relationship between Eve and Roarke is stunning. Roarke himself is somewhat vulnerable in this one, because he feels so strongly about what Eve has to go through. They have their huge fight, of course, but the tender moments - and there are a lot of them - are breathtaking.

So while the book left me with a feeling slightly different from the usual In Death feeling, it's still a great book, and it makes me wonder what direction J.D. Robb will take for the next one!

Treachery In Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Putnam
Released: February 22, 2011
Genre: Futuristic Romantic Suspense/Police Procedural

The latest installment in the In Death series, Treachery in Death takes a slight detour from the formula of past books, and in doing so explores the aspect of Eve's "why" more deeply. A murder does kick off the investigation, but Eve and her team investigate fellow cops - dirty cops who have not only skimmed profits but also killed weasels and other cops. Because Eve confronts a cop who is a disgrace to the badge, she re-examines her own reasons, and all her team's reasons, for being a cop. I really like that part of this. It makes for some open-hearted moments between Eve and Peabody, between Eve and Roarke, between Eve and Whitney.

The humor, the sarcasm - it's all there, but tempered this time because the subject hits so close to home - by now, not just for the characters, but for the readers who have come to identify with all the characters. One thing that's there that I felt like - oh, come on, not again - was that once again Eve uses herself as bait and puts herself in death's way. That's something I think we could do without by now. Thankfully, Roarke didn't react too strongly this time, so the whole setup was over quickly.

I sped through the book, because it's made for speeding! Every step of the investigation is clear, without being "dumbed down" in any way, so there's just the right mix of being able to follow what's going on and being kept in suspense as to what will happen next.