Iron Man, In Death Series, Buddy Read Challenge [Next Release: #61 Framed in Death -- September 2nd, 2025] Showing 1,501-1,550 of 1,917

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "I don't know what sucks more - when the victim is a jack@$# or when they're good people..."

When I first read that I thought it said "when the bad guy is a jack@$# or when they're good people" lol. Both are good questions... I feel like it hurts more when they're good people on both sides... when they're horrible people it can make for some nice comeuppance feelings... but then you can feel guilty if you get comeuppance feelings for a victim...

[Nyssa]

Yeah.

The problem with the victim being a jack@$# is that they are never really held accountable for their jackassery.

As for the other question, some good people were "bad guys" - They're usually the ones protecting their family from actual bad guys, but doing so through illegal means.

[Nirkatze]

Good point about jack@$# victims never being held accountable... I guess I sort of think of it as karma, but it isn't as satisfying if they don't realize they were being wrong, right?

And for bad guys who are "good" people, there's a few different types--the ones who are mentally ill and need help, the ones who are, like you said, protecting their families... also ones who seem to be a good person on the outside, but are fooling everyone, betrayers... not real "good" guys, but the betrayal hurts the most... I don't think we've had any of those, have we? EDIT: Sommerset's girlfriend would be closest...

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "I guess I sort of think of it as karma, but it isn't as satisfying if they don't realize they were being wrong, right?"

Right. :)

Re: Bad Guys - The ones who only seem good, but mean to betray, don't count in this scenario. They are still real bad guys instead of "good, bad guys."

Roarke might count as a good, bad guy; I mean, he's on the up and now (defiantly more good than not), but you know he'll do whatever needs to be done to protect what's his.

I just realized that I really want to see the differences in what skills Auntie Eve and Uncle Roarke teach baby Bella when she's older. LOL

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Good point about jack@$# victims never being held accountable... I guess I sort of think of it as karma, but it isn't as satisfying if they don't realize they were being wrong, right?

And for bad ..."

Eve has her opinions on this... shitheads belong in jail, not dead, and she's gonna solve the murder...

[Nyssa]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Eve has her opinions on this... shitheads belong in jail, not dead..."

This is one of the two reasons I dislike the death penalty; the other is that some miscarriages of justice and/or mistakes can't be undone.

This week, there was a news report of a young man sentenced to life at age 16, exonerated after 18 years in prison. He can never get those years back, but he's alive to enjoy however many days he has left on this earth.

Edited to add: Chapter 12 - Felicity - *Snort*

[Nirkatze]

LOL Nyssa, I love your theorizing on Uncle Roarke & Auntie Eve...

@Iain--Eve has her opinions... and aren't Roarke's the opposite? Rather, he holds to Eve's for her sake, not because he actually believes them...

re: Death penalty--totally agree. Add to that that it is actually more expensive than housing a person in jail for their lifespan--the appeals process is more costly than letting them live. There's really no reason to have it except for revenge.

[Nyssa]

Nyssa wrote: "I just started Festive in Death a few minutes ago; listening to the audio, you know who it is immediately!

This is going to be interesting."


I finished this late last night/early this morning. I am not happy.

*Warning* Very spoilery comment to follow..... do not read if you have not completed the book.


(view spoiler)[UGH! The f@#$ing wife did it!?! Really!? Because she actually loved him!! *Gag* So disappointing, so very disappointing! (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "I just started Festive in Death a few minutes ago; listening to the audio, you know who it is immediately!

This is going to be interesting."


I finished this late ..."

(view spoiler)[I don't know that she loved him... she just viewed herself as better than everyone else around her, and the dude treated her like another notch on his bedpost...

I mostly liked this one, for being one of the few where Eve was so sure she was right, until the revelation at the very end...

I dunno if it's because it was a re-read, but I knew it was the wife awhile earlier... anytime that happens, it makes Eve grate on me a bit, when she acts 100% sure about another suspect... it's happened a handful of times during the series... (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

You make a good point about the wife's intentions.

I was with Eve at the beginning of the interrogations, but the longer they went on (based on the suspect's reactions), I became unsure about what really happened. There was something (view spoiler)[ about Copley's insistence that he was upstairs and his response to the audio (hide spoiler)] that gave me pause. I don't know that I would have caught that, though, if I were reading the text alone without the audio accompaniment.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "You make a good point about the wife's intentions.

I was with Eve at the beginning of the interrogations, but the longer they went on (based on the suspect's reactions), I became unsure about wha..."

(view spoiler)[just because he was acting guilty, doesn't mean it's because of this... it's the other layer, where he paid the dude to do it for divorce evidence, as we discovered...

Also, with mysteries, we have this little thing called "it can't be this easy/clear-cut, there's still 20% of the book left"

:D

Better than the reverse-shock... surprise bonus short story or preview of the next book tacked on at the end, and the main story ends earlier than you expected... (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

You're right. I noticed the 20% gap and wondered what would happen! LOL But, I wasn't annoyed with Eve this time around.

What upset me most was (view spoiler)[Catiana's death (hide spoiler)]; so unnecessary!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "You're right. I noticed the 20% gap and wondered what would happen! LOL But, I wasn't annoyed with Eve this time around.

What upset me most was [spoilers removed]; so unnecessary!"

It was also the most glaring issue with the sequence of events... (view spoiler)[why would she go to the husband... much more likely the wife... (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

I have started Obsession in Death (Book #40).

As I read the prologue, I felt dread which was quickly justified at the beginning of Chapter 1.

This is going to be messy!

Edited to Add: My gut says (view spoiler)[the killer is female (hide spoiler)].

[Choko]

Started Festive in Death #39... .. Up to Ch. 5. I have no clues yet about who the killer might be. However, I strongly dislike the victim.

I love seeing the kid, Tiko!! He is a young Rourke in the making:) And I can't believe Eve didn't think about getting a present for Trina! She is part of the gang, girl! You better figure out those things soon, because it is time to learn how to live with and appreciate your people!

[Monika]

OMG! I'm so behind!

[Nyssa]

Nyssa wrote: "I have started Obsession in Death (Book #40).

As I read the prologue, I felt dread which was quickly justified at the beginning of Chapter 1.

This is going to be messy!

Edited to Add: My gut says (view spoiler).

Yeah! That was intense. I'm happy to say my instincts were spot on this time. The only blind spot would have been the one Eve had herself, but the killer let that one slip "off-screen."

[Choko]

I finished Festive in Death #39 ... I think Eve and the gang were going the wrong way mostly because they so strongly disliked the victim himself. It's hard to accept a possible victim of his as the one who committed the crime. And the perp was really good at going the length to put them off track...

[Nirkatze]

Choko wrote: "Started Festive in Death #39... .. Up to Ch. 5. I have no clues yet about who the killer might be. However, I strongly dislike the victim.

I love seeing the kid, Tiko!! He is a young Rourke in t..."

OMG! Tiko totally steals the scene! A young Roarke in the making. I would love to see Tiko get a mentorship with Roarke, much like young Jaime--that is the tech wiz kid's name, right?

I'm burning through #39 today--and I totally see what y'all were saying about the voice in the opening scene--(view spoiler)[though my brain was like "huh, why is the narrator using the Trina voice for a different character?" instead of drawing the obvious conclusion. LOL (hide spoiler)]

Also agree on not knowing who the perp might be, in part due to the focus on the victim. I'm 9/13 hours in, and I keep thinking about the title. Usually the title is a hint to the case, or the killer, but here it seems completely disconnected from the case itself, except for the coincidence of the season. Waiting to see if that turns out to be the case, or if there's a cool connection to the word. Right now, I'm thinking "Ego in Death" or "Control in Death" or something else would've been better.

The victim's (view spoiler)[crimes--how NONE of the women reported him, or even realized they'd been raped... blamed themselves and felt embarrassed... so heartbreaking. And reinforces the importance of #MeToo movement, and supporting the people brave enough to say their story... (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Obsession in Death is great entry... (view spoiler)[always nail-bitey when the killer things they're doing you a favor, and leaves you feeling responsible, however misguided the idea may be... (hide spoiler)]

Along the way, another of the new characters I mentioned, popped in: (view spoiler)[Summerset's first love... (hide spoiler)]

The only other interesting additional character I'm aware of, past this point, is a long way away... (view spoiler)[eventually, Bella Eve gains an ex-Special Forces operative as a nanny/bodyguard... seems like she could have used one here, with all of Eve's friends in danger... (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Nyssa wrote: "I just started Festive in Death a few minutes ago; listening to the audio, you know who it is immediately!

This is going to be interesting."

Lol I kind of knew what you were saying here.. (view spoiler)[ Yay Trina :D (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Finished #39 Festive in Death and I agree with Nyssa's ending response... even with Iain's explanation... (view spoiler)[I definitely would have preferred it to be the slimebag husband rather than the wife, regardless of the reason... but I can see Eve did too, which blinded her a bit... but ... in general, there were way too many women in this book who lowered themselves for men, because of men, due to men... the girlfriend at the beginning, the mistress from Indiana, the wife... all of these women with their own strengths, tying themselves to people unworthy of them...

I see this at work too... say, there're two students dating... the girl will change her classes to be with the boy, even if it means not taking classes she's interested in, or taking a class that isn't suited for her... and I have never seen a boy do the same thing.

I would have liked to see a title more fitting to that phenomenon. Blind in Death? Duped in Death? (hide spoiler)]

[Tonari no Emily]

Finished Festive in Death as well... I didn't care much for the case, but abso-loved the Christmas party! (view spoiler)[ Peabody got her pink magic coat!!
And that bit when all the cops ended up away from the rest of the party lol

While there were a lot of women lowering themselves as Nirkatze said, there were still plenty of strong women and is shown in different ways.. Eve behaves a bit more "masculine", but Mira and Nadine are very "feminine" and are definitely strong women in Eve's eyes!

Catiana's death did piss me off though! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Agreed with all of you! Her death was very senseless! Most murders are, but I can understand, though not approve, in certain circumstances:)))

[Choko]

Obsession in Death#39

Man, that is all f@#$ed up! I am up to Ch. 16... You really don't think about all the people that start obsessing with a very public personality and start acting as if they know them, then possibly turns into this completely insane thing... (view spoiler)[ I actually feel terrible about all of these people, because when you start living in your head with famous people being your best buds, it is a sure sign of extreme loneliness... And often mental illness. It's OK to admire some of those folks, but I wonder what it takes to start thinking you are a part of their lives... I think we all think of some of them as if we know the version of them we imagine, and this is why we get so disappointed when they do something that doesn't fit our image of them. But a healthy person realizes that they have a public and a private lives and they have the right to be as human and make mistakes as any of us...

I really felt bad for the obviously nice girl who when Eve and Peabody showed up at her place, just invited them in and assumed Eve was there to just become her best friend... Just made me very sad for her, particularly because Eve is not one of those people who would feel sorry for her and be friendly just so the girl doesn't feel bad... (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Correction, Obsession in Death is #40!

Yeah, Nyssa, you were right! I had that same feeling from the beginning...

Bella almost choked on Eve's diamond! Hahaha!!!

[Nyssa]

Nirkatze wrote: "Finished #39 Festive in Death and I agree with Nyssa's ending response... even with Iain's explanation... (view spoiler)."

Duped in Death is a fantastic title!


Tonari no Emily wrote: "Finished Festive in Death as well... I didn't care much for the case, but abso-loved the Christmas party! (view spoiler)"

Choko wrote: "Agreed with all of you! Her death was very senseless! Most murders are, but I can understand, though not approve, in certain circumstances:)))."

@Tonari & Choko: I agree wholeheartedly about that death!
And Peabody's gift was fantastic!


Choko wrote: " Obsession in Death#39

Man, that is all f@#$ed up! I am up to Ch. 16... You really don't think about all the people that start obsessing with a very public personality and start acting as if they..."

I agree with your analysis.

I do get upset when celebrities do terrible things.
For example:
I was a massive fan of Bill Cosby from childhood, so I felt betrayed when he was revealed to be a predator.
I couldn't listen to Chris Brown's music after he assaulted Rhiana. I opted not to reread Harry Potter (even though I already own the books) after Rowling made transphobic statements.
Their work felt tainted.
I guess the difference is that I know my actions (or lack thereof) do not actually affect these celebrities in any way (other than there being no future purchases of any of their work).


Choko wrote: "Correction, Obsession in Death is #40!

Yeah, Nyssa, you were right! I had that same feeling from the beginning...

Bella almost choked on Eve's diamond! Hahaha!!!"

I love Bella to pieces!!! Poor Eve has genuinely met her match!

[Nirkatze]

Tonari no Emily wrote: "Finished Festive in Death as well... ..."

Re: Women--(view spoiler)[So true about all the strong women! Maybe that's why it was so jarring to see all of these women so locked in to male subservience... we have such good strong women to compare them too, I just want to turn their heads and say "see? look at Eve! Look at Mira and Peabody! Look at Mavis and Laura! Look what you could be!" (hide spoiler)]

[Nyssa]

I have started Devoted in Death (Book #41)

Maeve is incredible! I wonder if she's one of Roarke's.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Started #41, Devoted in Death today... this is a rough one... some general descriptions of torture/aftermath... lots of tension building...

[Nyssa]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Started #41, Obsession in Death today... this is a rough one... some general descriptions of torture/aftermath... lots of tension building..."

Obsession in Death is #40.

[Nirkatze]

Read #40 Obsession in Death yesterday. @Nyssa--definitely had the same gut instinct... possibly because (view spoiler)[the prologue emphasis seemed to be on friendship over lust. Not that lust would have ruled out a woman, but I would have a hard time seeing a man, even a gay man, be so obsessed about friendship... (hide spoiler)]

@Choko--the moment with the diamond was just too cute!!
@Iain--I'm excited for the revelation that (view spoiler)[Bella eventually gets an ex-special forces Nanny. That sounds like it'll be a lot of fun! (hide spoiler)]

I was really glad that (view spoiler)[Eve was pretty on top of this bad guy from pretty early... even if it took a while to catch her, they figured out (thank you Mira) what her targets would be and were all pretty well prepared to rebuff her attempts. It was nail-biting, but I felt safe that our people weren't going to die... (hide spoiler)]

Also definitely agree with Choko on feeling bad (view spoiler)[especially for that one young woman who really wanted to be friends with Eve... I would have liked to see Peabody slip her Dr. Mira's card, or (better idea) ask Dr. Mira to see if a colleague could check in on her.

I did really like how Eve handled the childlike guy who really wanted to help, and that his observations did in fact turn out to be useful. I would bet that that guy is on the spectrum--childlike behavior, black-and-white thinking, and obsessiveness are pretty common... (hide spoiler)]

I also agree with Nyssa--I too have a hard time enjoying media if I learn of something rotten in in the people who created it... I can't read Marion Zimmer Bradley's books any more, and I can't enjoy anything with Tom Cruise in it...

[Nyssa]

Ever dislike a minor character wholly and immediately upon "meeting" them? That was my reaction to (view spoiler)[Earnest Tina (hide spoiler)]. I hope her part is done.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Stealth edit... all the people mixing up book numbers recently, tricked me too... definitely on #41... the problem seems to be that Obsession & Devoted both kinda work for #41, I think... and Festive had more to do with time of year than plot...

[Choko]

My biggest feeling of a celebrity betrayal was Matt Lauer! Maybe because I have started every day with the Today Show ever since 1992, and you can't help but feel like those people are part of your life. So when he was discovered to be a sexual predator, it felt like a death in the family... I honestly have not allowed myself to think of celebrities like that ever since...

I didn't hold her stance against Rowling. Everyone has to be given time to come to terms with things, and I honestly don't think she is anti trans. Even trans people realize that there are issues with what is happening nowadays. I was in a relationship with a trans man for 3 years, until he passed away from cancer, but he had gone through years of pre-transition therapy, while today a month of therapy is all that is needed. This is why we have so many people who have transitioned suing their medical providers for not stopping them from making the choice... We are in an over-correction era, and I hope we find the balance eventually... Otherwise there will be a humongous backlash and it will over-correct the opposite way... I don't want us to go backwards...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I don't watch enough TV/Movies to feel connected to any celebrities, these days, other than I guess people that feel like celebrities in my head, but aren't really...

I watch alot of Ryan George content on youtube (he does fake pitch meetings for TV/movies, summarizing weird plot decisions)...

And I watch alot of content surrounding College Humor and the Dimension 20 D&D Actual Plays... so a bunch of comedians...

....

Alot of the biggest upsets like Cosby were never really things I watched seriously, unless there was nothing else on, or someone else was controlling the TV...

I think Tom Cruise is looney tunes, and his marriage contracts don't seem great, from the little I know... but I can't stop myself from watching Mission Impossible... I don't care for most of his other stuff...

I re-read most of Harry Potter once in recent years, and tried Cormoran Strike... I think that was before the transphobic stuff really blew up, and Rowling kept making a bad situation worse...

[Nyssa]

Nyssa wrote: "I have started Devoted in Death (Book #41)

Chapter 15.

I think "blah-blah-bullshit-bollocks" has now been added to my favorite sayings list. LOL

Also, I like (view spoiler)[Deputy Banner. I hope he becomes one of those quasi-recurring characters. (hide spoiler)]

If they don't find (view spoiler)[ Jayla and Reed in time to save both of their lives (hide spoiler)], I will be really upset.

[Tonari no Emily]

Lol at everyone getting their numbers and titles mixed up :D Ive definitely done that a few times. There's just so many of them!

[Nyssa]

Nyssa wrote: "Nyssa wrote: "I have started Devoted in Death (Book #41)."

Done. The endings were the best parts!

[Nirkatze]

Hold up... if Obsession could be #41, then what would #40 be? I went straight from Festive to Obsession... was I missing something?

[Nyssa]

Festive is #39, Obsession is #40, and Devoted is #41..

[Nirkatze]

Nyssa wrote: "Festive is #39, Obsession is #40, and Devoted is #41.."

That's what I thought....

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nyssa wrote: "Festive is #39, Obsession is #40, and Devoted is #41.."

BEGONE, Foul/Accurate Demon!!!

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

41.5: Wonderment in Death... final short story... Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter insanity...

Such a weird one... alot less of skeptic vs believer in this one... just a murder mystery with a weird angle...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Hold up... if Obsession could be #41, then what would #40 be? I went straight from Festive to Obsession... was I missing something?"

I just meant, the killers in 41 are both obsessed and devoted to each other... sorry for the confusion...

[Nirkatze]

Oooooh okay! I just read it the wrong way. ^^ Thank you for the clarification.

[Monika]

I should back to series...Few books piling near me and waiting to be taken into hands, but... I'm in mission to finish 'Stone of tears' (feeling bit lonely with that tho..)

[Choko]

Devoted in Death#41

Up to Ch. 16... I am absolutely loving the personal insight into Baxter we have been getting here. And I am sure Trueheart is going to do fine on the test, but Baxter being a nervous mother hen is very endearing;))

The killers here really disturb me for some reason. And what they are doing is, as all murders are, despicable, but there is something extra crazy here... I really hope (view spoiler)[ the kidnapped girl survives, but I have doubts... And I don't have much hope for the young man they just took either... Sick fucks!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Choko]

Finished Devoted in Death #42 ... Wow! This one was disturbing, but still very good!!! Loved the visiting cop and loved how it went overall! On to the short story...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Choko wrote: "Finished Devoted in Death #42 ... Wow! This one was disturbing, but still very good!!! Loved the visiting cop and loved how it went overall! On to the short story..."

(view spoiler)[the beginning has Bonnie & Clyde vibes, but the end not so much, I think?... or I've forgotten later details about Bonnie & Clyde... (hide spoiler)]