The Color of Death CD

Rating:
Summary: a colorful read
Review: Although EL's series-books are some of her finest, this apparent stand-alone mystery is excellent. Set in the world of international jewel traders (like the Amber Beach/Jade Island series), Color of Death introduces all new characters. The mystery is entertaining. The characters are vivid (maybe a bit cranky, but vivid). FBI agent Sam Groves walks the edge, but actually gets the job done and the mystery solved. Jewel cutter Kate Chandler is intelligent, skilled, courageous and a little less cranky than Sam.
This is my idea of a good summer read.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't really make it as romance OR suspense
Review: I agree with some of the earlier reviewers who pointed out how Lowell's recent books often have a sort of cookie-cutter, same-plot-different-names feel about them. She did manage a nice surprise for the end, but the rest was rather flat to me. The hero and heroine have a hot affair that seems rather shallow, though effort is spent to try to make them seem earnest. The technical info on the jewels also has a flat feel, as if it were transferred directly from a gemology textbook without any admixture of context, let alone zest.

Lowell is clearly trying to expand her audience beyond her loyal romance readers, and in my opinion, she has lost something vital in the process. Perhaps she is just tired of turning out so many similar books. If so, she needs to take a break and reassess her work plans. Like several of the other reviewers, I no longer purchase Lowell's books but get them from the library. If this trend is typical, will the gain in readers of suspense makes up for the loss? If future Lowell work continues in this vein, I doubt it.

Rating:
Summary: Almost the Best
Review: I am a great fan of Elizabeth Lowell, and have read all of her books under each pseudonym. This is not her best effort, but is excellent in its own way. The plot details appear simple. Missing gems, people opposed to one another having to team up to solve the problem, a death threat, murders and, of course, romance and sex. A great formula done with polish, verve and a great twist at the end.
Would I buy it? Yes. Would I keep it forever? No. While the book is fundamentally sound, I found it to be a bit slower reading than some of her other titles, particularly the Amber Beach series [Amber Beach, Pearl Cove, Jade Island and Ruby Bayou]. The main characters are well developed, and it is easy to understand why Sam's personality keeps him from being more successful in the FBI. The dialog is fresh and realistic, and the sex scenes are well done and just dreamy enough to make this a "romance" as well as a suspense story.
Great read. Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Good Read
Review: I appreciate Lowell's jewel research and suspense writing as much as I do her romantic writing, so I liked this book more than most of the reviewers here (though it is not as compelling as her Donovan series by any means). It seems with her last few books that she wants to become more of a mainstream writer and escape the romance writer label, and to that end, I think she's doing a good job with the mystery/suspense elements. She really keeps the reader guessing and the story moving along.

So if you are looking for straight romance, you may be disappointed with this book. But if you like a lot of jewelry information and suspense thrown in with a little romance, then this is an enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Just stop already....
Review: I can honestly say Ms. Lowell hasn't written a great book since she pretty much ended the Donovan series. Pearl Cove was the last "great" story, but I liked Midnight on Ruby Bayou. Since then, the rehashes and the new stories just are not cutting it. As other reviewers have stated, I will not buy anymore of her books in hardcover.

Rating:
Summary: Irritatingly repetitive
Review: I just finished "Die In Plain Sight" and thought it was terrific! It was the first book I'd read by this author, and I was so excited to have found a new (for me) author. I was lucky enough to find "The Color of Death" at the library, but I was sorely disappointed. It seemed to me like the same book as "Die In Plain Sight", the characters just had different names. The male protagonists use the same term of endearment -"darling"- and the author keeps using the same annoying turn of phrase - "his/her smile was all teeth". And there was much more, as some of the previous reviewers have mentioned. Maybe I wouldn't have noticed all the similarities if I hadn't read these books so close together, but that's not really my fault is it?

Rating:
Summary: too technical/ flat chemistry
Review: I think this author spends a little too much time educating the reader on the ins and outs of the jewelry trade than she does developing her characters, plot and definately the endings. I have found this to be true of several of her recent books. I really liked the Donovan family and the four books related to them, but since then, she has failed to pull me in with either character and especially with them together. In the Color of Death, I found myself skipping over pages and pages of tutorial about semi precious stones and the specifics of the cutting world and trade. Why do i need to know so much about the work? I am not planning to actually finish the novel and then go and perfectly cut a diamond or saffire. I thought the ending was flat and didn't answer all the questions brought up in the book. I think this will be my last Elizabeth Lowell book until she delves back into the Donovan family.

Rating:
Summary: Half of a good book
Review: I'd give this 2 1/2 stars if I could; this is -half- of a good book. Plot and background - fine. (Several reviewers have mentioned they felt there was too much 'gemology' in this novel, but frankly, it's the only interesting thing here.) Character development and characterization - completely absent.

If the author had spent HALF the time developing her characters as she did presenting the stone details, this would have been a good book. It reads as if she was following one-two word descriptions of each character - Kate, beautiful and talented; Sam, rebellious and honorable, etc.

A good editor (or even a half-way literate and disinterested reader) could have told her this.

Wait for the paperback or get this from the library if you must read it. Not particularly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Quite painful
Review: I'm usually an Elizabeth Lowell fan, however this was a quite painful read. There was way too much dry textbook information about gems and sadly, the characters were flat.

Rating:
Summary: I was lost
Review: I've enjoyed the Donavan series that Elizabeth Lowell wrote. I must confess that on this book, I was completely lost with the characters. I found myself flipping back to see who the characters were and what their job was. The story line was good, the gem information was interesting and I enjoyed the relationship building between the two main characters. I was glad that I was not able to figure out who the killer was until the last few pages. The suspense was very good. I suggest to anyone reading this book to start a list of the characters and use that as a book mark.