Fantasy in Death

So my favorite "romance writer" is at it again... Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb in Fantasy in Death. I make no bones about loving the In Death series, as it's *not* romance, but a sci-fi'ish crime series with characters that almost feel like family after so many installments. And while the last couple of books seemed to be lacking a bit of the magic I've come to expect, Fantasy is back on the normal track. This time, Lt. Eve Dallas catches a case that seems to have no explanation. The head of a gaming company, Bart Minnock, is found in his holo-room, his head forcibly separated from his body. It's obvious that he was playing the company's latest game under development, but all the electronic evidence points to him being in the room by himself. And holo-technology is not such that physical wounds can be inflicted. His three other friends who run the company are distraught over his death, but Dallas figures that one (or more) of them *have* to somehow be responsible for the death. She just doesn't have a clue as to how they could have pulled it off given the evidence. She's forced into relying heavily on her EDD team and Roarke to dig past all the blocks and tech, but even they don't see how Minnock could have been killed without another physical person being present. However, when another holo-room death occurs under the same circumstances, Dallas has to take some major risks to flush out the killer, whoever they may be. Roberts also takes Dallas into a subplot involving friendship and what that means in terms of being there for someone. Given that Dallas isn't comfortable with almost any forms of personal intimacy due to her childhood trauma, these issues loom large in her life. With the way the story unfolds, you see that Dallas is making progress in that area, though. In addition, these insights help her to focus on why four friends might not be as "friendly" as they appear. Overall, Roberts takes Fantasy in Death back to the type of plot and storytelling that makes it my favorite series. The crime is the focus, the technology adds plenty of color to satisfy my geekiness, and it's just a great overall read. And as always, I can hardly wait until the next installment... Disclosure: Obtained From: Library Payment: Borrowed

I had begun to worry I'd never see the Eve and Roarke and Peabody and McNab I've grown to love again. It seemed with the last three or four In Death books, the voice just wasn't there. But I'm so happy to see that the old voice is back and in rare form! The only thing I would have liked to see more of would have been more scenes with Summerset and Baxter and Trueheart. Oh well. Can't have everything, I suppose. I was so glad to see the old banter between Eve and Peabody back and it was very surprising that it was Eve who came up with the 'How' and not the e-geeks, whom you would expect to have the open minds. I loved it!

Holo-rooms, high tech gaming, friendship, trust and love are the themes of this installment of the In Death series. The plot is engrossing. After all, how could a holographic bad guy commit murder? The gadgets and fantasies in the games are the frost on the ice, but the real stars of this novel are the characters and their relationships. Eve opens her heart just a little more in each novel. Roarke is still a not quite perfect superhero, Peabody pushes the envelope just a little more, Morris is beginning to heal, Feeney is just a little more endearingly crotchety, Nadine shows some jitters and Mavis is exactly the friend that Eve needs.

This, my fellow Eve and Rourke fans, is the the beginning of the end. Not in a horrible, "OMG, this series has totally gone downhill" but in the slow, beautiful way stories about couples come to a resolution. As Roberts says in the video on this page, people grow and change - Eve has had made amazing personal and emotional leaps from the first In Death novel and Rourke has been right beside her. "Fantasy" shows what happens when that growth starts to pay off. The entire time I was reading "Fantasy in Death", I felt like I was reuniting with friends I hadn't seen since their wedding and was now watching them interact as a couple that is deeply and passionately in love. Granted, Roberts sets it up way with a consistent narrative thread around relationships but not once did I feel she was pushing Eve and Rourke as a couple in the reader's face. Each time it emerged, it made perfect sense and was delightful to read. This is a series about Eve and Rourke and some books have been relationship-lite and cop-heavy. "Fantasy" is the ideal balance. Because it is book 30, the ending scenes gave my heart a bit of a stutter but the resolution only reinforced the consequences of Eve's growth as a woman and a wife. There is one meta-moment that I read as a shout out to fans (an Eve and Rourke conversation echoes comments that Nora Roberts has made about the end of the series) that made me chuckle and the technology has gone into truly science fiction, reinforcing that this is a series set in 2058. Like any good scifi author, Roberts/Robb has given us enough science to make is plausible and enough fiction to make it cool. Fans of the series will no doubt read this book because that's what you do when a new one comes out. If you are new to the series and wondering if this is a good starting point, I say yes. Joining Eve and Rourke and Peabody (who I argue is one of the best written sidekicks in fiction) this far in their relationships will only make the journey from the beginning that much more enjoyable. As an aside, all authors (romance or not) can learn so much about Roberts/Robb's skill with dialog. At a pivotal moment, when in the hands of a lesser author, Eve might scream, shout, beat her fist against her breast - she simply said three words and that sentence did more to communicate the depth of growth, emotion, and change in character than would seem possible.

When Bart Minnock, co-owner of a popular video game firm, is found brutally murdered Eve Dallas takes the case. And it's not an easy one for Eve. Bart seemed to be a great, happy guy that nobody had trouble with. But finding a motive is not the only problem for Eve. Another is to find out how Bart was decapitated without anybody else in the room. Eve must get past her own convictions about what is possible in the real world to close this case and find justice for Bart. What I love about "Fantasy in Death" is that it concentrates on friendship. So there are lots of interactions between Eve and her colleagues, especially Peabody and Nadine. The scenes between Nadine and Eve are awesome and I like how the dynamics in their friendship are portrayed. I was relieved that the new case is not so dark and hard to read like the ones in "Kindred in Death". Another thing I love about "Fantasy in Death" is that this time Eve is the strong one in the relationship with Roarke. Roarke has some trouble to deal with the case because he knew the victim but Eve is there for him just like he is always there for her. It's awesome to see how she handles the fights with him and is understanding even when he hits her below the belt (for once Roarke is not 100% perfect!). But of course there are also some sexy and very sweet scenes between Eve and Roarke and whenever I read about them as a pair I'm just happy. The mystery part of the story was very interesting and I didn't know who the bad guy was until it was revealed. So, "Fantasy in Death" is another awesome book by J.D. Robb and I'm already excited to read "Indulgence in Death", coming in November 2010.