Survivor In Death Review
In the last two In Death books (Divided and Visions), I felt Eve was portrayed in extremes - too cold in Divided for the emotional growth that had already occurred prior to the book, and perhaps too warm in Visions to make up for the coldness in Divided. Both of them felt somewhat "off", although they were worth the time I spent reading them.
This one has Eve back on track emotionally (maybe not as emotionally warm as we'd like, but right where she fits in the storyline). She reacted in character to a child in crisis (Nixie) - afraid of her own reaction to Nixie's trauma and of her own inexperience with children (never having a normal childhood herself, she has no clue how to relate).
I thought the plot was interesting, although as another reviewer mentioned, there were several instances when slang in use today was thrown in. It didn't fit, negatively impacted believability, and jarred me out of the story. Overall, it's a good read. Looking forward to the next one. :)
Survivor In Death Feature
- ISBN13: 9780425204184
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Survivor In Death Overview
The newest in the number-one New York Times-bestselling In Death series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and Roarke. Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb returns to the New York City of 2059-where Dallas will struggle to solve the murder of a seemingly ordinary family and to protect one small, terrified survivor.
The members of the Swisher family were murdered in their beds with brutal, military precision. The state-of-the-art security was breached, and the killers used night-vision equipment to find their way through the cozy, middle-class house. Clearly, Dallas is dealing with pros. It seems the only mistake they made was to overlook the nine-year-old girl cowering in the darkened kitchen.
Now Nixie Swisher is an orphan-and the sole eyewitness to a seemingly inexplicable crime. Kids are not Dallas's strong suit. But Nixie needs a safe place to stay, and Dallas needs to solve this case. With her partner, Peabody, back on the job-and her husband, Roarke, providing the kind of help that only he can give-Lieutenant Eve Dallas is running after shadows, and dead-set on finding out who's behind them.
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Customer Reviews
another great jd robb book - Sandra Moore -
Another great Detective Dallas and husband Roarke book! This one involves terrorists and a little girl who survives. Quick, fun and interesting reading
A Vanilla Soft-serve Ice Cream in a Cup of a Book - Sires - It's a Toss Up Right Now
This was my first J. D. Robb book. I know, it hardly seems that I could have actively read books in the Noughties and totally missed Ms Robb's offerings-- but I did. (I also admit I have managed to avoid reading any books by her alter ego, Nora Roberts.) But still I like sf and I like police procedurals so I gave this one a try when I found it in a thrift shop.
The book starts with a pretty horrific event, a home invasion and the slaughter of a family. The only person who escapes is the young daughter who had woke up and gone to the kitchen for a snack-- an "orange fizzy" whatever that is. She witnesses the murder of their housekeeper, calls for the police then goes up to her parents' bedroom to hide and wait for the cops.
Given the horrific events and the description of the scene found by the police, this book seems remarkably detached. I don't mind Dallas' professional detachment. It's impossible to deal with the messy bits without professional detachment, it's just that bad things happen and there is no real menace. More time is spent on Dallas' past as an abused child, than the killers.
The book is undemanding, goes down smooth, and Probably pleases her fans. Had I paid full price for it though, I would be feeling a little cheated at this point.
As a side note I was kind of struck by the possibility of product placement since there was a scene involving the search for a Pepsi. Also, the orange fizzy thing was odd because I grew up in the age of Fizzies-- tablets with fruit flavoring that fizzed when dropped in water. Apparently after a long absence, they are back again.
Book Club's First Experience with Lt. Dallas - Claire McManus -
Book Club Review
SURVIVOR IN DEATH
by J.D. Robb
Our book club's book for June was SURVIVOR IN DEATH, the 20th in the Eve Dallas series of NYC police procedurals by J.D. Robb (also known as Nora Roberts). For anyone who hasn't experienced this series, the key thing to know is that it takes place in New York City in the not-too-distant future (this one is set in 2059). Everyone in the club reads a wide variety of mysteries, and during our last meeting we somehow got onto the topic of J.D. Robb and we were surprised to find that none of us had ever read her before, which is surprising for someone so well regarded and ubiquitous (and prolific). So we decided to jump right in and give it a whirl.
The plot begins with a nice, innocent family being slaughtered systematically and brutally in their beds by a pair of well-trained thugs. Lt. Eve Dallas is called onto the case and jumps into it with gusto; but things get really personally when the thugs kill two of Dallas' men, who are guarding an empty safehouse. In the meantime, one nine-year-old child survived the slaughter, and to protect her, Dallas brings her to live with Dallas and her husband Roarke, who is a multibillionaire mogul. The story revolves around Dallas' hunt for not only the killers but also their motives.
There was a lot that we enjoyed about the book. At first the idea of a mystery set in the future didn't appeal to some of us; we were afraid there'd be all sorts of ridiculous gadgets and technology to set up a deus ex machina ending. But Robb actually creates a very believable future, where technology is slightly advanced beyond what we know today, but in a realistic way. Certainly the machismo of the men (and women) in blue remains unchanged, and the ties that bind cops are portrayed very well. While one of us know a lot about police procedures, we were sort of fascinated by Dallas' ability to analyze a crime scene and draw conclusions on these observations--they all made sense and were very finely tuned. The pacing is a little inconsistent, though, starting off strong but lagging in the middle, then ending with a conclusion that ties everything up just fine.
Overall we liked the book and could understand why Robb has such a loyal following. But, since we are a rather diverse lot, we did find some points to pick on. First, and strangely enough, New York City (even a NYC of the future) isn't very well evoked, beyond a bit of name dropping regarding landmark buildings and street names. Eve is tough as nails (hiding a sensitive interior and a tortured past, as is her husband, Roarke), which gives her a lot of a good one-liners, but she often seems like a Character with a capital C rather than a real woman. Ditto for Roarke, who is darkly interesting but who, in another genre, could be the Tortured Vampire with a Sensitive Soul. The relationship between Roarke and Dallas seems real enough; but I think more of us had expected fireworks that we didn't really see.
I think as a whole we all felt that we'd had a very good experience with this new author. And while not all of us were hooked enough to read more in the series, many of us were, and are looking forward to reading about Dallas' earlier exploits--and her earlier interactions (pre-marriage) with Roarke.
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