Celebrity in Death

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds herself once more dealing with the media spotlight surrounding the now infamous Icove Case when a Hollywood production is in New York filming the movie of friend and reporter Nadine Furst’s bestselling novel of the case covered back in Origin in Death.  When a dinner party at the producer’s house turns into a murder investigation of one of the lead actors, Dallas finds herself looking for a killer amongst some of Hollywood’s elite, and digging up as much juicy scandal as the victim had done, pre-death.

 

The latest installment in the In Death series is a pretty decent read, with brief nods back to a previous book in the series thanks to the ever surfacing Icove case.  There is also emotional fallout to be dealt with following the previous book’s journey to Dallas Texas and Eve’s past, so the relationship between Roarke and Eve continues to slowly evolve.  I enjoy reading these books, but miss a lot of the emotional angst of earlier novels in the series when Dallas was still learning the truth behind the nightmares that haunted her.  Personally, I’d like to see more challenges thrown at Roarke and Eve’s relationship…they’re getting a little too “staid married couple” for my reading tastes. Mostly, I’d love to watch them deal with the challenges of starting a family, considering their respective backgrounds (for those who are not faithful readers of the series, Eve battles with childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father, and abandonment by a drug-addicted mother, while Roarke had a physically abusive father to overcome.  Together, the duo continually debate the nature verse nurture argument which for me makes this a stand-out series to read).

 

Unfortunately, author Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb has stated in previous interviews that a child would spark the end of the series for how can Eve be Eve, the intrepid cop, wading through murder and mayhem daily with a baby at home.  Too bad Ms. Roberts doesn’t rethink her stance and move a little further into the 21^st century with her views on family and the working woman.  But that’s just my two cents….

 

Till next time, happy reading!

L

 

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life:  it goes on.”

            ~ Robert Frost