Rating: 
Summary: Dead Giveaway
Review: All right, I've said it before, but I'm sure I'll say it again and again: This series is my guilty pleasure. The characters are great, and if you've read this far in the series (the books should be read in order) you're either hooked or masochistic. I can't decide what that says about me. Being a mystery buff, I'm dismayed at the lack of actual "mystery" in these books. Usually, the title gives you the 'whodunit'; maybe Ms. Robb doesn't want to cause her readers any anxiety by making them wait for Dallas to solve the crime. In the case of this book, the answer wasn't in the title, but rather in something equally as obvious. But I'm still reading them because I love the characters and their interaction. No one plays a minor role in these stories, which is in itself an accomplishment. Yep, definitely my guilty pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Imitation may be the sickest form of flattery.
Review: An LC (futurist term for prostitute) is murdered in the flamboyant style of Jack the Ripper, which is bad. But the unknown killer leaves a personal note for Lieutenant Eve Dallas, which is even worse. When the serial killer strikes again, it is not as Jack the Ripper, but as The Boston Strangler. Another note is left and Dallas and her associates race against time to figure out who is so meticulously copycatting the infamous serial killers of old. This is the first 'In Death' book I have read and it most certainly will not be the last. The mystery is good, with enough red herrings to keep the pages turning, but, sadly, the front cover offers more than a bit of a spoiler. The secondary characters are likable and, in the end, I looked forward to spending time with them again...another fan won over. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best in the series
Review: As the latest in the In Death series, J.D. Robb is still cooking. If you're a fan of the rest of the series, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this latest addition. It's the classic mix she's been using all along, and one as a fan of the series, I'm glad she hasn't decided to mess with.If you're new to the series, stop and go back to the beginning - start with the first book Naked In Death. Trying to jump into the series this far into it, you may enjoy the book, but there's a whole host of character development and backstory that you'll miss out on, which will add to your full enjoyment of this book (and probably help explain a lot).
Rating: 
Summary: Intriguing reading!
Review: Eve Dallas, a police lieutenant, faces the most challenging case of her career, when she has to track down a serial killer that duplicates the brutal killing styles of notorious serial killers. A prostitute (LC is the term used in the book) is killed in the style of Jack the Ripper and the next victim meets their fate a la Boston Strangler style. With each murder, a personal note is left for Eve as the killer singles her out. Roarke, Eve's husband, is not the least bit amused with this last fact. Robb, a.k.a. Nora Roberts, offers a splendid blend of mystery, thriller action, internal friction amongst the principle characters and poignant intimacy spiced with a dash of sex to make this a very interesting read. I recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Good stuff on married love
Review: I love the dynamics in the marriage of Eve Dallas and Roarke: both deeply wounded and deeply in love with each other. A loving marriage has tremendous healing power, a wounded past has tremendous power to make waves in a marriage, and Nora Roberts (alias J.D. Robb) has struck a beautiful balance in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A great addition to the series
Review: I really enjoyed this addition to the In Death series. Eve is on the trail of a serial killer who is imitating famous killers of the past. I thought the mystery was really well done and I really didn't know who the killer was until the end (and I'm one of those people who usually figure it out early :) I also liked the theme of mothering and how that fit into more understanding of Eve and Roarke's relationships with their mothers. What I most appreciated was the humor. The book could have been especially dark because of the killer but there was enough humor sprinkled throughout that I had MANY laugh out loud moments - great story!
Rating:
Summary: One of the better "In Death" books
Review: I rushed down to the store to get this yesterday, and unlike the last one [Portrait], which left me feeling a bit hurried and miffed, this one had a lot of the best things about this series. Eve Dallas has some very good moments in this book - the mystery makes sense (the murderer is actually one of the main suspects this time), still managing to keep the reader guessing. It plays out well, and the murders manage to impress upon the reader the appropriate sense of disgust intended. The main characters mostly have some good points in this book, although I was a bit weirded out by Roberts' description of Morris (he is suddenly described with the adjective 'exotic' on two consecutive pages). Peabody is taking the detective exam, McNab is being lovey-dovey with the aforementioned, and Roarke is getting through the loss discovered in Portrait. There's a lack of Feeney in this book, as well as Nadine, but it plays out better for it, especially since Portrait had characters experiencing Significant Moments of Life every five pages. Not that this book isn't lacking in the odd character moment here and there, but it works anyway. For Lt. Dallas herself, there is a big flashback - and a fascinating one, for it's about the person that her brandy-colored eyes are from - and no, it's not her dad. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the Eve-Roarke dynamic, and in this book, they're awfully cute in this book, and such fun to read. I don't mean gushy cute, thank goodness, but they're a highly amusing couple. A favorite moment of mine is Eve watching, with some baffled horror, as Roarke cooks, and I don't mean with an Auto-Chef. More than ever, I think this couple has really settled into a comfortable dynamic, the way that only they can do it. One of the reasons it's such fun to read this is because of how the characters have grown throughout the books. I feel that Roberts' other books often lost realism in the characters, with the books themselves too often ending with a tidily engaged couple and pregnant female. However, the In Death series gives her the chance to naturally grow these characters, and it's really evident in this book. Compare Imitation to Naked or Glory, and it's actually a little scary to see how these characters - especially Eve and Roarke - have changed, but they've done so together, and it's sweetly romantic. Last word: this isn't a book for new readers. It would be completely confusing, very bizarre, and without the enjoyment of seeing how these beloved characters continue to change. There is an unusually high amount of references to other J.D. Robbs here(there was even a reference to Interlude in Death), and although it's nice for the devoted reader, it can be nothing but bizarre to a newbie. In the end, this was a very entertaining book - I think one of the best in this series - and though there were no previews, I look very forward to buying Remember When in a few weeks and Divided in Death in the new year. :>
Rating:
Summary: Not the best in the series
Review: Personal notes attached to the victims draw Eve Dallas into a case where she trails a murderer imitating historical serial killers. Peabody is worried about her detective's exam and moving in with McNab. Unfortunately, that pretty much sums up this book. The other 'In Death' murder mysteries were usually gripping and new readers could enjoy those stories, even if they were unfamiliar with the series' characters. I don't believe that is the case with this book. I found the murder mystery to be recycled and predictable and thought the story just dragged. All the regular chararacters were stagnant. Mavis, Nadine, Feeney, Morris, Trueheart and even Summerset were thrown into the story as afterthoughts. Some of the scenes with Eve and Roarke were cute but there was no additional evolution of their relationship.
I have followed the 'In Death' series from the first book, but this is my least favorite. Like the other fans of the series, I'm hooked and will buy the future 'In Death' novels as soon as they come out, but I definitely do not recommend this book for a new reader. If this was a reader's first book in the series, they would never pick up another and that would be a shame because most are really good stories.
Rating:
Summary: Eve Dallas just gets better and better
Review: The usual futuristic murder, mayhem, electronic intrigue, and psychological angst familiar to fans of Lieutenant Eve Dallas, the brainchild of Nora Roberts, a.k.a. J.D. Robb, take a back seat, again as usual, to Roberts' ever-evolving characters. Like the tough, courageous, makeup-scorning New York-loving culturally deprived but brilliantly wise Eve, the reader has difficulty selecting a favorite from Roberts' list of "suspects": the stalwart, always-hungry Officer Delia Peabody, Eve's sidekick, fretting over the detectives' exam; Peabody's main squeeze, the ultimate computer geek Detective Ian McNab, whose relationship with Peabody Eve has at last (reluctantly) accepted; Charles Monroe, the smooth-talking but heart-of-gold LC (that's high-class legal prostitute) dating Eve's doctor friend after a tense love triangle with Peabody and McNab; Mavis Freestone, Eve's pregnant but untamed friend; Dr. Charlotte Mira, the razor-sharp-within-velvet-gloves New York police (NYPSD) psychologist who horrifies Eve by inviting her to a family barbecue; Eve's mother and father, who would make Susan Smith's blood run cold, glimpsed in Eve's nightmares; and Roarke, Eve's wealthy, romantic, utterly sexy (his attempt at a private barbecue is adorably botched) husband who, like her, emerged from a rough childhood as a productive if not always law-abiding citizen.
Motherhood and family, including the extended family Eve has put together (her relationships with Peabody, Roarke and Mira in particular become richer), form the heart of this thriller, combined with the sharp police work, moral compass and hot loving sex readers have come to expect.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Ult and Icy Stuff.
Review: There is some excellent plot and character in this latest Robb book. First off, if you've never read any of the J.D. Robb series, you're missing out, and shouldn't start here, but with 'Naked in Death' the first in the series.
Eve Dallas is a tough detective in an even tougher future New York. In 'Imitation in Death,' the latest serial killer is imitating the serial killers of history, and has left notes for Dallas - all but taunting her inability to make it stop. While Dallas does her usual hard-ass investigation, the list of suspects quickly fills itself - with important and influential individuals. She certainly can't afford to mess this one up.
With help from her sexy-to-the-"ult" husband Roarke (no other name) and her relationship-jittery aide Delia Peabody, Eve tries to hunt down the baddie with her usual zest and sarcasm. Her bafflement with all things feminine and family continues, and the sub-plot of Eve's slowly uncovering amnesia/repression about her family gets a little further in this book - with some startling results.
Even better, the secondary characters we all know and love - Peabody especially, taking her Detective's test - all get a bit of book-time in 'Imitation in Death.' They grow, change, and interact with the sassy style you're used to from Robb, and with awesome results.
You'll find it ult. Icy, even. But definitely murder.
'Nathan
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