Rating: Summary: "Now she pays the price" Review: This is one of my favorite series because it blends two of the genres I like most, fantasy / sci-fi and mystery. Nevertheless, I have found that in a couple of cases I feel that one of the books in the series is missing something. In this one the storyline was not particularly interesting to me, and I think that J.D. Robb did not progress as far as she could with the development of the different characters.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is summoned to a very unusual scene: a homeless man was murdered and his heart was removed with surgical precision. The killers, because the medical examiner determines it has to be more than one, used high quality tools and have to be experts in the surgical field. This creates a real problem for Eve, because it is hard to figure out a motive. Man-made organs are fully perfected and even though rich people prefer human organs, these have to be in prime condition and, needless to say, the ones from the victim weren't.
Besides having to deal with finding the killers, Eve is faced with an uncooperative and outright confrontational female officer that will take part of Eve's energy away from the case and drive her close to desperation and doom. Also, when her investigation leads her to the Drake Center of Medicine, Eve realizes that she is very close to two of the members of the board: Dr. Charlotte Mira, her psychologist, and Roarke, her billionaire husband.
J.D. Robb has a very special way of presenting what I interpret as her vision of a better future through some of the features of the world in which the series develops in the year 2059. For example, firearms are banned, there are licensed companions who can carry their business in privacy without getting in trouble with the law, and the Drake Center is named after the man who discovered the anticancer vaccine.
As I mentioned, this is not one of the best books in the series, and it made me feel as if Robb was in some kind of schedule to release another novel for a certain date and had to go with the first idea that came to her mind. Maybe my slight disappointment is partly my fault, because I have been expecting five-star books in every time I start an Eve Dallas' mystery. This one falls a little short of the mark; but there is no way around it, those who have been following the series have to read it and hope that the next novel will get better.
Rating: Summary: The Best Yet!.. Review: My wife got me hooked on this series and I have read it beginning with the first book, Naked In Death. Some I enjoyed more that others, however, Conspiracy in Death is the best one yet! When Eve is faced with not only a complex case of someone who is using great medical skill to kill for no apparent reason, but also with accusations of abuse from another cop, the intensity level keeps rising.
Rating: Summary: Conservative Conspiracy Review: I recommend the In Death series for 1 main reason: the relationship between Eve Dallas and Roarke. I'm a hopeless romantic. Although, I'll admit there are some things that make me role my eyes, such as: 1. The sci-fi element only because she has mass-space travel & colonization, human droids, flying vehicles, etc. and the books are only set about 50 years from now. I don't see that as a realistic possibility. 2. There's a not-so-subtle liberal slant to her stories, such as a national gun ban, legalized prostitution, etc.(And Conservative politician or their supporters are the villains in more than one book in this series, including Conspiracy in Death.) The relationship between the hero and heroine though are the selling point for me. And in Conspiracy, Eve is forced to face her worst fear ... being without her badge, which for her equals her identity. It's a powerful struggle and makes this book worth reading. The rest, I can overlook. It is fiction after all! :)
Rating: Summary: WOW Review: I've read all the "In Death" books published so far and I have to say that "Conspiracy in Death" is my favorite. I cried when Dallas lost her badge (temporarily, thank goodness.) It was so heart-breaking. Can't wait for "Imitation in Death" to be published! The stories get better and better!! Yahoo JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts)!!
Rating: Summary: Excellent, as usual Review: I noticed that most people love this book and this series. It seems that when there is a negative or lukewarm review, it is from someone who read this book as the first of the "...in Death" series. That may be the problem. I definitely recommend reading in these books in order, to understand the backgrounds of the characters and see their continuing development. I haven't been so hooked on a series since the Honor Harrington series in Science Fiction and the 87th Precinct in Mysteries. I do agree that the futuristic aspect is minimal, just enough to justify the toys that Rourke and the villains use. Everyone is entitled to their personal opinions, but mine is this is mag, absolute frigid!!
Rating: Summary: Very weak Review: Let me qualify the proceeding by saying this is the first (and will probably be the last) book of the "In Death" series I've read. I assume there has been a good reason in the past for this series to be set in the future but there certainly isn't for this installment. The future setting adds nothing at all to the story. At the same token it doesn't really detract either so I'll just let it slide. The story just isn't that interesting. There are no remarkable revelations of evidence and for the most part, you know the basics of the why's/who's of the crime and your just waiting for the "official" data to come in. I've read alot of police procedurals in my time and this is definately one of the least interesting plots I've come across. I find the protagonist to be thoroughly unlikable. Eve Dallas is completely butch. Ms. Roberts has confused strength of character and toughness with masculinity. So much so that female police officers are actually addressed as "Sir." I don't think a paragraph goes by where Eve Dallas doesn't want to punch someone. Many other writers have written female detectives as tough without stripping them completely of their femininity. The dialogue is melodramatic and cliche - and not in a charming Raymond Chandler sort of way. The author attempts to impart to the reader how great her characters are by having the other characters tell them how great they are. It's a classic case of "telling" and not "showing." - a big characterization no-no. This is one of the few detective stories where my interest in finding out the details of the murders actually decreased as more evidence mounted. This book is awful - I would suggest Michael Connelly (especially The Poet) instead. I can't think of a single writer I wouldn't recommend over Roberts. Very surprised at the reviews here at Amazon.
Rating: Summary: Loss of Life? Review: In this the 8th book of the In Death Series, Lt. Eve Dallas is thrown into the middle of medical world where the only rule is you never betray your own. In this book, Eve is not the primary investigator on the scene but she soon takes over for an incompetent cop who's out for blood ..... her blood. As Eve battles to find the killer she must also fight to save her own career against another cop. Will she be able to find the killer and save her career? Or will she find the killer? And lose the only the thing that's helped to define who and what she really is? A cop.
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