J.D. Robb discussion

Our buddy read continues in April with Rapture in Death, Book 4 in the In Death Series. This will become a Spoiler Zone April 8.

Plot Summary:
The year is 2058. Mood-altering drugs are legal, prostitution is licensed, virtual-reality games have replaced TV sets for entertainment and New York supercop Eve Dallas continues her sleuthing in Robb's fourth installment in the Death series (Naked in Death, Glory in Death, etc.). This time around, Eve has married her soul mate, Roarke, and is caught up in the puzzling suicide of a technician who's been working on Roarke's unfinished space resort. The young tech, Eve learns, had cheerfully hanged himself after a VR trip. Back on Earth, autopsies from two similar suicides reveal a pin-sized burn on the brains of the victims. All clues point to a deadly subliminal message in a VR toy--one that Roarke produces. This is sexy, gritty, richly imagined suspense.

Synopsis:
They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common--and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eve's investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games--where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction...

Other Covers: Rapture In Death Covers

Approximate Story Start Date: August 1, 2058

Rapture In Death Map - NOTE: Possible Spoiler Alert!

Character List:
Eve
Roarke
Ryan Feeney
Mavis Freestone
Nadine Furst
Charlotte Mira
Delia Peabody
Laurence Summerset
Jack Whitney
Dickie Berenski
Crack
Galahad
Morris

Minor & Peripheral Characters in spoiler tag to save space:
(view spoiler)[List of Minor Characters Appearing in this Book:
Jess Barrow
Leanore Bastwick
Arthur Foxx
Reeanna Ott
William Shaffer

List of Peripheral Characters Appearing in this Book:
Milicent Barrows
Lisa Cardeaux
Jack Carter
Cassandra
Clevis
Detective Crouch
Cerise Devane
Chief Dudley
S.T. Fitzhugh
Sergeant Hobbs
Karen
Big Mary
Drew Mathias
George Pearly
Frank Rabbit
Mr. Ridgeway
Vito Salvatori
Sheila
Dr. Wang (hide spoiler)]

Hope you're all ready for Rapture In Death - Starting April 1 with open discussions beginning on April 8!

Looking forward to it:)

I have ordered it from the library; looking forward to the book after the proposed "triad."

One of my favorites!

uploading now

Can't wait to reread!

Same here! I love this book.

On hold at the library!

Already , set and waiting for 5 April so I don't have to wait toooo long for open discussion.

I'm looking forward to this read. On hold at the library.

Reading

Started it. I had forgotten how much I like this one. Peabody and Eve are really starting to work that banter we love so much.

I love the way Peabody manages to be snarky and respectful at the same time.

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "I love the way Peabody manages to be snarky and respectful at the same time."

Peabody is the best adjutant ever! An awesome sidekick.

I agree with you all. This is when we start to see Peabody come into her own.

I started last night and am up to chapter 6.
My only comment so far is that (view spoiler)[we have another woman from Roarke's harem putting in an appearance. They sure do come out of the woodwork, don't they?

Reeanna attitude is supposedly friendly, but it seems more catty to me. She comes across as someone who wants Roarke back and is sizing Eve up to see if she can maybe push her aside at some point. It will be interesting to see what happens. (hide spoiler)]

Hi I'm Valerie. What is book 1 in the Death Series? I would like to read the books in order.

Valerie wrote: "Hi I'm Valerie. What is book 1 in the Death Series? I would like to read the books in order."

The first book is Naked in Death

Lauren wrote: "I started last night and am up to chapter 6.
My only comment so far is that we have another woman from Roarke's harem putting in an appearance. They sure do come out of the woodwork, don't they?

R..."
Yes. Roarke had a lot of women mostly it seems they were only short flings but some hang on.

I sat and finished it in one day which wasn't a really good idea because now I have to wait a whole month before I can read the next one.

Valerie wrote: "Hi I'm Valerie. What is book 1 in the Death Series? I would like to read the books in order."

Valerie, here's the link to the book list showing the reading order:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Sharon wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I started last night and am up to chapter 6.
My only comment so far is that we have another woman from Roarke's harem putting in an appearance. They sure do come out of the woodwork,..."

Is anyone keeping a count? It'd be interesting to see how many "crop up" by the last book?

Phrynne wrote: "I sat and finished it in one day which wasn't a really good idea because now I have to wait a whole month before I can read the next one."

I'm like that. I've had days where the dog nearly didn't get fed because I was so caught up!

Up to chapter 16:

Jess - (view spoiler)[I think that he got off lightly given the what he did to Roarke. The only reason he's still alive is that Eve would be in trouble if Roarke killed him.

Still, I don't think he's the mastermind behind the suicides - he's not subtle enough. (hide spoiler)]

My money's on (view spoiler)[Reeanna. That conversation with Dr. Mira about about people's behavior being encoded in their genetics was creepy. I think she's experimenting on people. (hide spoiler)]

Kirsten *Dogs Welcome - People Tolerated" wrote: "Sharon wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I started last night and am up to chapter 6.
My only comment so far is that we have another woman from Roarke's harem putting in an appearance. They sure do come out o..."

I've never counted, Kirsten. As Sharon said - they were mostly short-lived "affairs". I have never seen Roarke as a "playboy" per se, but rather a man who had never met his match, his mate, his fate - before Eve. He recognized the difference immediately.

Finished a few minutes ago and Peabody stole the show in this one :0)

Peabody is my favorite "side character". She evolves immensely in this series. I'm ready to discuss on the 8th! :)

Peabody is my favorite secondary character as well. Mavis (view spoiler)[kind of got on my nerves in this one, especially when she came barging into Eve's office and accused her of destroying her career. Childish much? (hide spoiler)]

Lauren, you're so good at sniffing out relevant clues:)

Jonetta wrote: "Lauren, you're so good at sniffing out relevant clues:)"

Thanks Jonetta. I was just really creeped out by the killer's comments throughout.

I have to agree that I really disliked Reeanna from the moment we meet her. It seemed to me she was way too friendly with Roarke for a former lover. I really think Eve is expected to put up with way too much from some of Roarke's former women which we know Roarke would not put up with the same from her.

I felt that way also jadzia. That theme bothered me theoughout several of the books.

Everyone, please use the spoiler feature until April 8!

up to chapter 4 will finish the book by the 8th. I am very happy to have in the first chapter the description of their honeymoon. I was disappointed that the author did not go into more detail of the wedding but at least I got a glimpse of the honeymoon and how Eve is really finally beginning to realize Roarke and she were meant to be together and that she believes it when he says he loves her. And she is finally beginning to believe in herself to love someone in return.

I really enjoyed this one. Looking forward to discussing it starting on the eighth.

Please hold those spoiler comments until the 8th. We don't want to spoil this read for our new readers.

I finished the book last night and I really liked it

Starting soon. I knew If I started earlier I wouldn't have been able to hold it in till the 8th. ;-)

I have this book and will finally start reading. Hopefully later this week.

Only 3 more days until open discussions! You can do it, Michelle!! lol

Looking forward to the discussion.

I have just started this one.

Yay Namz! I love hearing from new readers of the series - always great to "see" the books through new eyes & ears. I think I learn a little something new with every reread & discussion.

Open discussions begin tomorrow! Are you ready?! :)

This is now a Spoiler Zone for Rapture In Death. Feel free to openly discuss this book

Share your thoughts on Rapture In Death. How did the case play out for you? Who were your suspects & why? Did you figure out the identity of the killer before they were revealed in the book? What led you to your conclusion?

this is not one of my favorite when it comes to the investigation but loved all other aspects of the book.

I love this one. In fact I rate it #3 after the first two. Even though Roarke and Eve are "violated" in a very real way, it feels like there's a lot of growth and the scenes between them are wonderful.

I like the honeymoon scene at the start - and the bit where Eve was on the roof and Roarke remembers how frightened he was.

And the end where Eve is terrified for him... I'm sure I missed some bits I loved.

As to finding out the killer, I never try to do that. I suppose it was evident as there were only a few people it could've been. NR rarely (if ever) makes it be someone she's never mentioned so you usually have an ability to guess. But I don't read these book for the crime solving stuff. But that's just me.

I love this one. It is my favourite of all of them so far. Loved Peabody and Eve together and that bit at the end when Eve panics about losing Roarke is so dramatic.
This is a reread for me but from many, many years ago. I remembered bits as they happened so I knew who the killer was going to be.

I felt the mystery itself was disjointed. Like Eve, I almost wanted the killer to be Barrow because he was so disgusting, kind of like Morse. You just want karma to smack him.

The first time I read it, I didn't pick up on Ree as the one. And even this time, I am not sure there are clues that point to her directly at all. The manipulation of the men in her life never makes it apparent because Eve goes out of her way to be friendly to her and William, in her attempt to balance her role as Roarke's wife with that of being a cop. So the mystery, I was not all that impressed with. But the development of the characters and the growing complexity of their dynamic was wonderful, especially as Eve and Dr. Mira butted heads over the latter's evaluation of Jess as not being a sociopath.

This for some reason I don't know is a slow read. So you might read random thoughts as I'm reading. First of those are that the introduction of Ree and Williams just rubbed me wrong. I just found her too familiar with Roarke. Hands in his hair and kinda all over him. This after he just returned from his honeymoon.
I was also wondering if Summerset was really trying to help Eve by ' suggesting ' she clean up before joining her guest or if it was just part of the evening ritual ? Maybe a bit from both but it was something that he would do so.
I'm also loving the fact that she is getting so uncomfortable with people's reaction to her wedding and fame. Robb really is painting the picture of how far apart Eve's life is and her having to find her rhythm as it were in her new life not just as a cop but as Roarke's wife. ( lieutenant Roarke on Olympus # big smile#)