Survivor in Death

I have ready every "In Death" book in the series, and I have to say that "Survivor in Death" ranks in my mind as one of the very very best. It had me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning to the very last page, and I was sorry when it ended. Nora Roberts, a.k.a. J.D. Robb, really hits her stride in this story of a nice, upper-middle-class family that is brutally murdered, one by one, in their beds. The murderers, brutal assassins, even get the housekeeper and a sleepover guest--but inadvertently leave behind a 9-year-old survivor, spunky Nixie Swisher, who witnessed the murders while hiding. Nixie, who seems like a young Eve (the futuristic hard-edged New York cop who stars in this series), is taken under Eve and Roarke's collective wing while Eve doggedly stays on the scent of the killers. Nixie is a delightful character; I couldn't help but wish that Eve and Roarke would adopt her, and I won't do a spoiler by saying if they do. Suffice to say that I hope she appears in future books. This outing is much more focused on the cop work, and much less on Eve and Roarke's collective childhood traumas, which is a welcome rest. There is enough to let us know they're still dealing, but the story itself is fast-paced, suspenseful and satisfying. On to the next!

I have either read or listened to on CD all of the previous books in the In Death series and I look with eager anticipation to new ones coming up. As others have outlined the plot, I will give my impressions of the CD. Susan Ericksen does a great job narrating the series. The characters are endearing, predictable but with good evidence of development and growth. The plot in this series was excellent, the pacing excellent as well. There is suspense sprinkled with humor. The author is sensitive and can bring you to tears in one moment and have you laughing out loud the next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

We are quickly thrown back in the world of murder with a sad beginning that is so vivid you feel as if you are actually watching a movie. Survivor in Death has all the favorite parts people enjoy from the other in Death books, and adds a few new perspectives too. The ending is AWESOME and there are some pretty nice action scenes. Seeing how Roarke and Eve handle a child is also pretty humorous at times. A great book for both faithful fans and people just looking for a good read.

I bought this book the day it was released and read it in 1 night.The first chapter really hooks the reader. What Nixie went through is written so well. I do have a few complains though. First, another reviewer commented that Eve was a little abrasive with Nixie. That is true. I thought Eve should have been a little more compassionate with the child. Also, the flashbacks that Eve had, I believed, was a bit overdone. I believe this because there wasn't much comparsion between what happened to Eve as a child and what happened to Nixie. Second, I was expecting that Eve would have a little more interaction with the little girl. There aren't that many scenes where Eve is forced to be with Nixie. Eve just pawns her off to Summerset and only sees her for an occasional meal. I would have liked Eve to be forced in the company of Nixie a little more. I really was happy when Roake made it clear that he wanted to have children someday with Eve. Even though I have several small complains about this book, it is a good book. Namely because it is a J.D. Robb book and it can't be bad. I also liked how the 2 killers had connections to the villians in a earlier book. I thought that was a nice twist.