book reviews forevermore

Well, three and a half stars--one of her better books, so I rounded up. If you like J.D. Robb, you basically know what you are getting: a couple of murders; a love scene between Eve and Rourke; Eve and Rourke affirming their love for each other despite cruddy loveless upbringings; witty banter with Peabody; helpful advice/interactions with some of her close friends; sneering at Sommerfield and at least one cat appearance. In the later books, you also have some reflections on the meaning of friends and community, and how Eve, who thinks of herself as a loner, is connected to people she cares about.Indulgence contained them all, but this time shook it up just a little with a pre-trip to Ireland, to spend time with Rourke's extended family and give city-borne Eve a taste for country life. Her inner dialogue on the sheep, cow and people populations was funny, and felt like a perfect character touch. Returning to New York quickly brings her to a murder investigation, which becomes two, and shortly after, four deaths to investigate. I liked how her solid background detective work ended up giving insight into the killers, which enabled her to further key in on mistakes and possible solutions. Predictably, Eve sets herself as bait at the end of the investigation. In the context of the storyline, it actually makes some sense, as the killers are elite socialites who consider those of the underclasses mere pawns in a competitive game. She was never really at risk, as her entire team was there for backup, which was also refreshing--there's only so many ways you can put an intelligent detective in life-threatening situations--otherwise they aren't intelligent. It's interesting to what extent Rourke has involved himself in police business, in this case coming along and "act like Peabody," as well as being down at the cop house aiding the investigation. It doesn't seem forced because of the extent to which earlier books set up his increasing involvement, but I wonder where it will next lead them.