Iron Man, In Death Series, Buddy Read Challenge [Next Release: #61 Framed in Death -- September 2nd, 2025] Showing 1,151-1,200 of 1,917

[Choko]

It's like a favorite TV series - you are never happy when it comes to an end, no matter how many seasons it has been running...

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "Yes! I really like them. I can't believe I'm 20+ books in, and not only am I not tired of any of them, but I also want more!..."

I so ditto this!!

re: Zelazny--I ended up doing errands one Saturday and making myself read a chapter when I arrived before I got out of the car, and when I got in the car before I left. That helped. ^^

[Monika]

Very near the end of Portrait... Wow! Intense? This is understatement in my opinion...

[Nyssa]

Choko wrote: "It's like a favorite TV series - you are never happy when it comes to an end, no matter how many seasons it has been running..."

^^THIS^^



Nirkatze wrote: " so ditto this!!

re: Zelazny--I ended up doing errands one Saturday and making myself read a chapter when I arrived before I got out of the car, and when I got in the car before I left. That helped. ^^"

I have given myself until Saturday to get it read.



Monika wrote: "Very near the end of Portrait... Wow! Intense? This is understatement in my opinion..."

I didn't want to give anything away.

[Monika]

Finished! Absolutely great read! 5* here.

[Choko]

I am so glad that the majority of the people who started this BR are sticking with it! If you can get past the first 2-3 books and get used to the way the series works, you are pretty much hooked:)))

[Nirkatze]

Start for the mysteries... stay for the characters... extra ditto on the favorite TV series... especially a good police procedural...

[Nyssa]

I’m a few pages into Born in Death (Book #23).
Eve and Roarke are absolutely ridiculous!

SMH

Question: Do we ever learn Roarke’s full name?
I would have thought the relations would have said something.

[Monika]

That will be interesting... His father was Patrick Michael Roarke... So I'm suspecting in this burried birth certificate Roarke found (Portrait in Death) was Patrick Michael Roarke II or Junior or something like that or any name his Mum choose...

[Nyssa]

I decided to Google it, and someone gathered up Nora's responses from the In Death wiki:

When asked if "We're ever going to learn Roarke's first name,":

"Roarke is Roarke and only Roarke." - January 17, 2003

"Roarke is Roarke. That's it, that's all." - April 19, 2005

"Roarke is Roarke. He needs no other name." - May 28, 2006

Was there a "first name" on Roarke's birth certificate?

"Well, if there was a name on the birth certificate, or Roarke's mother called him something, Roarke's not saying.

He's JUST Roarke. LOL.

You guys are going to have to live with that one." - May 28, 2006

So, I think you might be right @Monika; he may have been a II or Jr. and rejected it.

*Side Note: Eve bellyaching about having to buy Mavis a Baby Shower gift really pissed me off - like, come on, Eve! Seriously!?!.

[Monika]

Eve is very special piece of... hmmm person. She has no normal childhood, she behaves more like man than woman (except her time with Roarke), never had girl friends before Mavis... so I think she's kinda petrified that her choice of gift can be... wrong... or something that way :)
I need go through ebay again to find Visions, Survivor, Origin, Memory, Born and Innocent (in death), as they are not on my shelf yet.

[Nyssa]

Monika wrote: "Eve is a very special piece of... hmmm person. She has no normal childhood, she behaves more like man than woman (except her time with Roarke), never had girl friends before Mavis... so I think she's..."

I get that, but Mavis IS her best friend. I understand her not knowing what goes into a baby shower - Although I have children, I didn't have a baby shower, and I would be nervous if I had to plan one. This is why I would ask questions, not be like, "Whatever."
Plus, I'd be thrilled to buy a best friend a gift to celebrate. And again, I'd ask questions.

Eve was acting like she had to donate a kidney to her enemy.
She didn't sound scared or nervous; she sounded put-upon and selfish. Maybe it's the narrator.

[Choko]

Hahaha! Donate kidney to her enemy!!!! Hahaha!

I think it's the fact that I haven't had kids myself, but I completely relate to Eve when it comes to anything baby related! I am terrified I would do something wrong and I am extremely uncomfortable. For baby shower situations, I either go with whatever they have registered with, or get them a gift card, because I know I can't make such choices. Gift choosing is terrifying at all times anyway...

[Nyssa]

I personally LOVE gift cards, and I would do the same as you.
They create a registry for a reason, so we should use it.
If the items are out of my price range, gift card it is.

[Choko]

Exactly! But so many people feel like they are not personal enough. I much rather give you the gift card, this way I know you will get yourself something you really like or want, instead of me giving you something that you wonder what to do with... And I love gift cards for myself as well:)))

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Dammit... just started #28... this is the worst / most heartbreaking book in the series... (view spoiler)[first victim is Officer Coltraine... the one Medical Examiner Morse was courting... this sends him into a depression for the next 10+ books... I think he takes a leave of absence and some therapy...

I knew it was coming eventually, but I couldn't remember when... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

There's some good stuff in here, too... more trademark character moments... and Eve finally gets her DLE (view spoiler)[ or should I say DLE Urban, the Dallas Lieutenant Eve police cruiser designed by Roarke, that I knew was created eventually... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

I just started Salvation in Death#27 ... Up to Ch. 4... Very interesting premise. A Catholic priest dies while giving a Holy Communion at a funeral mass in Spanish Harlem. And we know nothing and have no clues .. Also, Moris is getting laid:)))

The way Eve tried to name the Host and The Blood crackers and beverage, was hilarious! I take my Jack to a Catholic Church every Sunday and I find this humor very on point:)

[Choko]

Salvation in Death#27 ... Ch. 5... (view spoiler)[ I don't know how I feel about Eve going off on the abused wife... I get that she is pissed that the mother didn't notice her husband was abusing their daughter, but if she truly didn't know, I think Eve was out of line. The woman is an abuse victim herself, a bit more understanding maybe? I understand that she always gets thrown into memories of her own childhood abuse and she has a hard time separating, and particularly knowing that the government agents knew what was happening to her and didn't do anything about it, and she blames the adult for not noticing and not stepping in, but in this case it's blaming just another victim... I also love that JDR understands that Eve is overreacting and wants us to understand that Eve is way far from perfect or emotionally balanced... Peabody is much healthier emotionally than her boss... (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Dammit... just started #28... this is the worst / most heartbreaking book in the series... (view spoiler)"

^^That is an Anxiety-inducing statement!^^

Timelord Iain wrote: "There's some good stuff in here, too... more trademark character moments... and Eve finally gets her DLE (view spoiler)"

*Has no idea what DLE means!?!

[Monika]

I'm trying not reading spoilers :) hard, so hard!

[Nyssa]

I didn’t open the spoiler tags, I just read the comments as is.

[Choko]

I got ya:) I open spoiler as I get to those parts in the books too...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Monika wrote: "I'm trying not reading spoilers :) hard, so hard!"

[Nyssa]

I finished Born in Death!
They really need to stop cutting those darn onions!

I may have lost it over (view spoiler)[Quintin Dallas and Bella Eve (hide spoiler)] a little bit.

And, I was able to borrow Innocent in Death, Creation in Death, Time of Death (which contains Eternity in Death - Book #25.5), and Strangers in Death all at the same time!! :D

[Choko]

Yeah! I often have cut onions around while reading these books... I get all emotional to begin with, but these get to me...

Nyssa, YAY on the books!!!

Iain, you are evil! And you obviously have me under some type of evil compulsion, because I tend to try and do what you say:)))

[Nirkatze]

@Nyssa--LOL Thank you for the research on Roarke's nonexistent first name!

Also dittoing you, @Iain--what is DLE?

LOL DO IT!

Just finished #26 Strangers in Death And really enjoyed it! Saw the comments (re: DO IT) about Strangers on a Train before starting, so I had an idea of the plot... but I really enjoyed (view spoiler)[seeing Eve put all the pieces together to make her case, and bringing down the Wrath upon Ava at the end--so satisfying!!

Also really playing into Iain's hints/theory(?) about Eve's guilty-dar being part 6th sense.

Also getting some of that which @Choko mentioned, on Eve being overly hard on people who are abuse victims... reminds me of an earlier book, where she had the conversation about how she was abused and still managed to make good choices, so she doesn't accept it when anyone tries to use that as an "excuse" for their path. But it also gives a really good path for character growth in general... Robb does a great job with character growth... (hide spoiler)]

[Monika]

Nah :) I'm not doing it LOOOL!!! Why know too much before reading?

[Nyssa]

@Monika - Same!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

DLE = Dallas, Lieutenant Eve ;)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

That still doesn’t really explain anything :D

[Nyssa]

Timelord Iain wrote: "DLE = Dallas, Lieutenant Eve ;)"

Timelord Iain wrote: "That still doesn’t really explain anything :D"


:D

[Nyssa]

I started Innocent in Death (Book #24) yesterday, but I am just now getting into it.

It's oddly refreshing seeing Eve (view spoiler)[jealous (hide spoiler)]; Roarke is an idiot! I hope he doesn't do anything stupid(er).
I know he won't (view spoiler)[cheat on Eve, not physically anyway, but ... (hide spoiler)] I don't think he recognizes his friend's predatory mannerisms (is mannerisms the right word here?) and how that will affect his marriage. This upcoming lunch is a BAD idea.

[Choko]

Nyssa, yes! He is just absolutely blind to that woman! And she is the only person so far, who can play him as she wishes. First loves are very hard to get over... But she makes him stupid...

[Choko]

Finished Salvation in Death #27 ... Another great entry in the series! I had an issue with Eve's attitude, but she herself realized she was not right and unable to separate from the situation, because it's never easy working with different shades of grey, while it's so much simpler when you have the good guys being good, the victims being only victims, and the bad guys being bad...

I loved Father Lopez - we all need our religious guides to be like him.

I am so happy when we have the regular banter between Eve and Peabody on page! It's like good ice cream - not necessarily good for you, but ooohhhh so comforting and delicious!

It's so good for Rourke to have family! Just having them out there, knowing you can talk to them when you need to, is a wonderful thing for anyone, but so centering for him... I am glad that Eve has her created family of friends, because she obviously is never going to have that type of anchor for herself...

This plot was very different and I enjoyed not knowing what the hell was going on:))) But I suspected something of the sort that turned out to be. Not the reasoning or the specifics, but somewhere in the ballpark. As I have said before - JDR makes us feel somewhat smart, even if we don't get it just right - nothing is ever completely out of left field.

[Choko]

The ending of Strangers was indeed very satisfying! Compared to several other previous books, where it either felt like the law was just not enough, or like in Innocent in Death (view spoiler)[ I don't think anything could truly be done, because that person would eventually be out, because of how smart and what an actor she was, and she would still be just as psychopathic as always... I will be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life knowing she is out there and she will be blaming Eve and Peabody for having spent time being locked up... Terrifying really! (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "I started Innocent in Death (Book #24) yesterday, but I am just now getting into it.

It's oddly refreshing seeing Eve [spoilers removed]; Roarke is an idiot! I hope he doesn't do a..."

I really liked how tense and worried that sideplot of Magdelena is... of course you know there'll be satisfying comeuppances at the end... JD Robb delivers. But makes us squirm first.

Really looking forward to the next few! I love the spoilers & reviews y'all're leaving for us...

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "I really liked how tense and worried that sideplot of Magdelena is... of course you know there'll be satisfying comeuppances at the end... JD Robb delivers. But makes us squirm first.."

Eve and Roarke are so damn stubborn! They know they should use their words! But I am 100% in Eve's corner on this. Roarke didn't think! I can't wait to see how they make her (Magdelena) pay!

Nyssa wrote: "I started Innocent in Death (Book #24) yesterday, but I am just now getting into it.

It's oddly refreshing seeing Eve [spoilers removed]; Roarke is an idiot! I hope he doesn't do a..."

I am almost done; I'm about to start Chapter 21 - but I'm wondering what it says about me that I knew who the culprit was shortly after meeting them, especially after hearing about the accident.
I had no idea why (and still don't), but the first interview set off alarm bells, and I've read this looking to connect the dots.

An (view spoiler)[A- really!!!!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Kirsten]

Choko wrote: "It's like a favorite TV series - you are never happy when it comes to an end, no matter how many seasons it has been running..."

To me, it's like going to a reunion with some really old friends and getting to check up on how they're doing.

[Choko]

I know! It reminded me of the old movie and book, (view spoiler)[ The Evil Seed (hide spoiler)] ... I didn't want to mention it before, because just the idea is a spoiler... I love when JDR decides to pay an homage to some of those old movies:) She does a great job taking the theme, but making the story completely her own... This particular theme horrifies me though...

[Choko]

Kristen, totally!!! They really become an extended family:))) With all of their quirks:)

[Nirkatze]

@Nyssa, re: Knowing--me too!!! And the sucker is, (view spoiler)[I've had students like that.... it doesn't even have to be an A-, if it isn't 105%, they want to know what they did wrong and will argue with you about why it isn't wrong and I'm wrong... thankfully none of them are psychopaths... yet. (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

@ Choko - Yes! That movie crossed my mind too. I can still picture the antagonist, and it's been a good 30+ years since I've seen it. Some faces you just don't forget. *Shudder*

@ Nirkatze - I was (view spoiler)[ a long-term sub (anywhere from two weeks to two years), (hide spoiler)] so results varied. I plead the fifth on the mental health aspect.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "I know! It reminded me of the old movie and book, [spoilers removed] ... I didn't want to mention it before, because just the idea is a spoiler... I love when JDR decides to pay an homage to some o..."

Lifetime did a 2018 remake, and released a sequel last year...

[Choko]

You are kidding! That kid was absolutely terrifying! Did the remake manage the same? Also, in the movie, the killer was killed by lightning, but in the book, the killer lives*shudder*... ! Did Lifetime go by the book?

[Nyssa]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Lifetime did a 2018 remake and released a sequel last year...."

Why!?! Some things can just be left alone.

Choko wrote: "You are kidding! That kid was absolutely terrifying!"

^^This^^

[Choko]

Nyssa, I agree! "The Evil Seed , The Children's Hour , and Suddenly, Last Summer " are three movies that are so perfect the way they are, they should never be remade!!!

[Nirkatze]

Never heard of any of those movies... going to have to add them to a Halloween list. ^_^

@Nyssa--wow, no kidding--(view spoiler)[as a sub, you must've seen the worst schools have to offer.... yikes... I like to think that as an elective teacher, I only see kids at their best, but still... (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "@Nyssa--wow, no kidding--[spoilers removed]"

Twelve years. By year three, I had befriended enough teachers and admins to have a steady stream of callbacks (which is how I ended up with a two-year assignment; I was the teacher of record for a Middle School English class.). So, it wasn't too bad most of the time. The challenges were when it was a last-minute call because they couldn't find coverage.

[Nyssa]

I just finished Creation in Death (Book #25). It was okay.

I don't like that they had to cheat to get proper justice, and while the crime(s) were disturbing and TV drama worthy, the story felt mundane (compared to the previous two or three).

I did like that (view spoiler)[Arial was instrumental in saving her own life and that she and Erik got a HEA (hide spoiler)]

Eve's takedown of the perpetrator also felt new & unusual - (view spoiler)[ In the past, she was either strong enough to kick ass or was under duress and had to be saved, but this felt like a combo of both (hide spoiler)].