A Year of J.D. Robb

[Kami]

Finished. I really liked this one. It was really exciting! I think this one might be my favorite so far. I'm warming up to Summerset.

[Susan (susayq ~)]

I want to know how she knew to tie it all back to Roarke since it wasn't common knowledge that he killed the men.

[Dee]

ahhh, i'm soo pissed about Portrait in Death right now, but at the same time, I think i'm falling in love with Rourke all over again...(view spoiler)[he was a real ass to Eve, but we are seeing his history...he just found out who his real birth mother was and it isn't the person he thought and he isn't sure what to do... (hide spoiler)] plus, (view spoiler)[peabody is getting laid and its hilarious to listen to her heckle eve about it (hide spoiler)]

[Susan (susayq ~)]

I can't imagine Roarke being an ass to Eve. Just don't see it.

[Dee]

oh but he was...stone cold...I was in shock listening to it...it was like, oh no he didn't...oh shit he did

[~Leslie~]

On page 150. I have to say as a practicing Catholic, this book is a little disturbing. Though I really like the fact that we jump right into the murder at the beginning of the book. This one has alot more tension in it.
I find it rather astonishing though, how easily Eve was able to accept that Rourke killed 6 men. I'm still struggling with it. I might need some counseling.

[Kami]

I agree that was disturbing, Leslie. Rourke is a scary dude. But Eve still loves him.

[Susan (susayq ~)]

I was surprised at how well she handled that information as well. And even more surprised that she chose to ignore it and then told Peabody to ignore it as well. Eve has changed a lot since the first book.

[Christine]

I've made it to page 230 and I'm with you. While I could see Eve ultimately coming to terms with what Roarke did in his past, it happened too easily. I would have liked to see some internal struggle on her part. Instead it's just "Oh, you murdered six men in could blood? Okay. Let me risk my career to cover that up. And the careers of three other people, too". She was just a little too blase about it. There was only that one tiny moment when she told Mira that she's not sure if she's accepting it because it was justice, or because she love him. That's been the only sign of any inner turmoil over it.

And I'm always suspicious when they keep referring to the killer as "he", but the killer is always seen in a long coat with a hat and scarf and covered from head to toe so everyone assumes it's a man.

I got to the point where Whitney asks her about an anonymous tip that she is covering up murders Roarke committed. She does righteous indignation quite well for someone who is actually guilty of what she's being accused of doing.

And it occurred to me that almost everyone close to Eve has either been the prime suspect of a crime, or the near victim, or ended up in bed with the killer. If I was Dr. Mira, I might start think about running the other way. It's only a matter of time.

I kind of like the addition of McNabb, but I miss Feeney.

[Dee]

Feeney will be back ;)

Portrait is looking to be a 5 star read...holy jesus!!!

[Susan (susayq ~)]

Christine wrote:"And it occurred to me that almost everyone close to Eve has either been the prime suspect of a crime, or the near victim, or ended up in bed with the killer. If I was Dr. Mira, I might start think about running the other way. It's only a matter of time."

I thought the same thing! I do like that Dr Mira hasn't thought that and she genuinely cares for Eve as a friend. I'd like to see Eve open up more with her.

[~Leslie~]

Finished! This has been one of my favorites so far, though I gave it 4 stars. I thought the tension was maintained really well throughout the story and it never felt rushed. My only issue was the use of the catholic faith and Mary as a plot device and how easily she accepts that he murdered 6 people and covered it up. I just think that 6 is excessive - and disemboweling them. Good grief, that's enough to give anyone horrors for at least some period of time. This reminds me of a movie I recently saw "Drive" with Ryan Gosling. He plays quite a flawed character, who falls in love with a woman. He is so gentle and loving with her and yet he's also a killer. Such a dichotomy.
I love the addition of McNabb. I think he's pretty funny. But I did miss Feeney.

[Dee]

make sure after next month, that you guys pick up the bridge book between 7 and 8 - Midnight in Death - its only about 100 pages

[Kami]

I liked that movie Drive. He was so quiet and nice and then such a violent, brutal killer. Plus, Ryan Gosling is nice to look at. :)

[~Leslie~]

Thanks, Dee for the tip. I will definitely get it. And Kami, I resisted seeing the movie but then I really liked it. My 3 daughters are obsessed with him!

I was thinking about Rourke and when he went back to his old home in Dublin. Interesting that he went alone. It does help put some perspective on who and what he was and why he's able to be so violent. I guess I always thought of him as a businessman, but he was really a gangster for much of his life. Just thinking out loud!

[Christine]

I managed another 20 pages over lunch. I loved how Eve diffused the argument with Roarke about her focusing the killer on herself to protect him. When she called him on wouldn't he do the same for her and he tried to say "that's different" and she came back with "Why? Because you have a penis?" Cracked me up. And he was irritated because he knew she was right.

[Susan (susayq ~)]

Christine, her penis comment cracked me up too! There was just nowhere for that argument to go after that LOL

[~Leslie~]

I always want a "like" button.

[Christine]

Finished this morning! I enjoyed it, and particularly enjoyed when Eve and Roarke visited Ireland. I would have liked to see a little more there actually, and hope they return in future books.

I like McNabb and and how competitive Peabody is with him. Meanwhile, he's constantly eying her up. But, I figured that during the fiasco in the lobby the bad guy recognized McNabb, and I remembered Eve and McNabb discussing a tech named A.A., so I figured that must be the connection. Along with Audrey. I think maybe I've read and watched too many mysteries in my past that I pick up on odd little things like that.

As for the religious angle, I was kind of surprised there wasn't more discussion of it in the book. About how faith can be twisted by individuals to dangerous ends but that doesn't mean the religion itself should be vilified. But there was none of that "preaching"/lecturing like you might get from some authors. I can't decide whether it was refreshing that she didn't address it and left it open to reader interpretation, or whether she was trying to say something about religion. Not sure, and maybe I'm over-thinking it. But usually, when a book has such religious overtones to part of the plot, there's more exploration of faith in the rest of the book. But I guess our Eve is ever practical.

And it's really struck me as we continue with the series how well the individual titles work with each book. When I picked up Rapture in Death, or even this one, I confess I didn't read the blurbs or have any clue what they were about, but the titles work really well to reflect the cases Eve works on.

Eve continues to be interesting and full of actions that seem so conflicting on the surface. She had no problem covering up the murders Roarke committed while investigating these other murders. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized that she knew opening that can of worms and allowing the investigation to focus on Summerset would have totally distracted from the real killer and justice ultimately would not have been served. She would have been removed from the case, and another investigator would probably be satisfied charging Summerset and the real killer possibly would have walked free. So it seems that at times when she's doing things that seem to violate the law and her personal code of ethics on the surface, her ultimate motive is to see justice served. I still don't necessarily agree with her actions at time, but it's helped me to reconcile some of her seemingly conflicting behaviors.

[Christine]

Holiday in Death is up soon!!!

[~Leslie~]

No one likes to be alone during the holidays. For New York's most posh dating service, Personally Yours, it is the season to bring lonely hearts together. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas, on the trail of a ritualistic serial killer, has made a disturbing discovery: all of the victims have been traced to Personally Yours. As the murders continue, Eve enters into an elite world of people searching for their one true love--and a killer searching for his next victim. A world where the power of love leads men and women into the ultimate act of betrayal.

[Christine]

I wonder what kind of gifts Eve and Roarke exchange?

[~Leslie~]

Rourke buys her a planet and Eve forgets it Christmas because she's working on a case, comes home and wraps a bow around herself.

[Christine]

Leslie wrote: "Rourke buys her a planet and Eve forgets it Christmas because she's working on a case, comes home and wraps a bow around herself."


LOL!!

[Dee]

IIRC, its really sweet ;)

[Susan (susayq ~)]

Leslie wrote: "Rourke buys her a planet and Eve forgets it Christmas because she's working on a case, comes home and wraps a bow around herself."

ROFLOL

[Christine]

Okay, I give up. What does 'IIRC' stand for? If it's really cute? I'm in red capris? It's in Rudolf's closet?

I don't think I'm close with any of those. And I gave my coworker a hard time because he thought 'LOL' meant 'lots of love'. Karma gets you every time...

[Christine]

If I Recall Correctly!! Ha! Okay, I confess I did not figure that out on my own, but it was driving me crazy.

I want to take a moment to express how much I appreciate this thread. We've read how many books together? We've all had different ones we really liked or didn't like. We've had different opinions on some of the events. But through all of our discussions, I think, everyone has been open and respectful. It's been a great dialogue at times.

I had a horrible experience in a buddy read thread in another group yesterday and it's made me really appreciate everyone in this thread all the more. Thank you all for a great experience. I'm looking forward to the 15th!

[~Leslie~]

I prefer "I'm in Red Capris"! I have to say that I've had boring experiences in buddy reads - the other person just won't converse (ugh!!) but I haven't had a bad one yet. I love this buddy read - it's great to have all the different opinions. I can't imagine what happens on a "bad" buddy read.

[Christine]

I like "I'm in Red Capris" myself. I may have to get a pair.

In a bad buddy read, you mention that the book ends in a cliffhanger (not the details of the cliffhanger, just that it ends in one) and then are attacked for ruining the book, ruining their enjoyment of it, making them feel that they wasted their money, causing them to swear they will never buy another book from the author again. And in your attempts to apologize and explain why they misunderstood what you wrote, they ignore your apology and basically call you a liar and who willfully and with intent ruined the book for them. I think the reader in question has much larger issues and I just became a focus for their anger and frustration. I think everyone else on the thread felt is was an over-reaction and that mentioning a book ends on a cliff hanger is not a spoiler.

[Dee]

what thread was this in???

oh, I just saw it was in another group...i'm sorry Christine, that always sucks

[~Leslie~]

Wow, Christine -that's horrible. All for saying it had a cliffhanger ending! Wow. I am so unbothered by spoilers that I'm surprised I haven't made someone angry by now in a buddy read. I'm one of those crazy people who hate surprises and want to know what's going to happen. I read spoilers on purpose! So please forgive me in advance if I inadvertently let one slip!

[Dee]

saying there is a cliff-hanger isn't a spoiler to me...but you are making me think- I got to write a review for a book I finished over the weekend, and it had a bit of a cliff-hanger ending, so many I need to figure out how to write it better

[Christine]

Everyone else on the buddy read thread (and the admin thread that she went to to complain about me), agreed that mentioning a cliffhanger is NOT a spoiler. The moderator of the group even said she considers it more of a public service announcement. I, for one, like to know if there is a cliffhanger and want to know just how bad of a cliffhanger it is. Then I can decide whether to go ahead and read the book, or wait until the next one comes out so I can read them back to back. I love a good cliffhanger, but some are downright mean.

What really set the other reader off is I made an offhand comment about the cliffhanger not being as obnoxious as that of another book I had read. The other book was one of those awful cliffhangers that make you mad, while the cliffhanger of the book we were reading just made me want more. I thought it was clear that I was saying they were NOT the same. It never occurred to me that there was any similarity between the endings of the two book, but the other reader pointed out all the similarities and refused to believe I didn't notice. In retrospect I see it, but I still don't quite understand how she interpreted my "it's not like such-and-such" to mean "it's exactly like such-and-such". And if I think hard enough, I could probably come up with about ten other books that end the same basic way. Ultimately, she got so frustrated that no one else in the group agreed with her, that she left the group entirely.

I've never had a problem like that before and hope to never again. It was a lot of anger over a simple book. Spoilers happen. Especially in a buddy read. To me it's just the nature of being so excited to have people to share the experience with. You want to know what they thought, how they reacted. It's easy to get carried away and mention something without even thinking about it. Usually, a simple 'I'm sorry' works to resolve any issues, but some people are just spoiling for a fight. But I certainly will be more careful in the future and use those spoiler tags when in doubt.
:)

[Kami]

Christine wrote: "Okay, I give up. What does 'IIRC' stand for? If it's really cute? I'm in red capris? It's in Rudolf's closet?

I don't think I'm close with any of those. And I gave my coworker a hard time be..."

I thought LOL meant lots of love too.
I agree that saying a book has a cliffhanger ending is not a spoiler. Giving away the cliffhanger ending would be the spoiler. Sorry your buddy read was such a disaster.

[Susan (susayq ~)]

Christine, I'm so sad that you had that horrible experience in a buddy read. And I agree, saying there is a cliffhanger is NOT a spoiler. A spoiler would be telling specifics. Isn't the point if a buddy read to be able to discuss specifics about a book with people who reading it at the same time?

[Dee]

plus personally, and I don't know how this group was doing it - unless it is specifically dedicating a certain number of pages to be read in a period and then discuss - spoilers should be expected

[Christine]

I'm just glad it wasn't my first buddy read and that I've had so many other positive experiences.

Only a week until we get more Roarke. And Eve. I want more Peabody and McNabb, too!

[Christine]

It's almost time for more Eve and Roarke!

I may not get to start it until the sixteenth, but I'm looking forward to it.

[Susan (susayq ~)]

I can't tell you how glad I am that it's time for Eve and Roarke! Eve and Roarke will bleach my eyes from the mess that is the book I am reading right now.

And I'll probably start it either later tonight or tomorrow, since the current one is dragging and I'm watching my grandkids today :)

[~Leslie~]

I'm excited too, though I won't be able to start until later this week. I'm ready for a little mystery and suspense and alot of Eve and Rourke!

[Kami]

I will probably only be able to read a couple chapters each day until later in the week too. Friday night I should have time to read a lot. But maybe two chapters today, tomorrow and Thursday. Work always gets in the way of my reading!

[Christine]

Susan (susayq) wrote: "Eve and Roarke will bleach my eyes from the mess that is the book I am reading right now."


Sorry you're not enjoying your current book, but this made me laugh. I need to remember this line the next time I read a bad book....

[Susan (susayq ~)]

LOL The book isn't necessarily BAD, but it's just not working for me. In fact, I've been home all morning and haven't touched the book at all. I've read Twilight fanfiction instead LOL

[Dee]

what book is it susan?

[Susan (susayq ~)]

Dee, it's Here's my review for it http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Christine]

I've got that one on my TBR list, but I've heard such mixed reviews I keep putting it off. And this is not encouraging.

[Christine]

I did start the book last night, but I'm only about 19 pages into it. Reading a Christmas themed book in the middle of the year is kind of fun for me. I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it if it actually was Christmastime.


I'm curious to see where this killer goes. He's off to an interesting start so far....

[Susan (susayq ~)]

I started yesterday and am on ch 3. I am enjoying the Christmas theme. I loved Eve claiming she wasn't shopping even though she bought something.

[Kami]

I'm up to chapter 10. It is really good. It is funny how Eve keeps buying things as she's investigating the murders. Not sure who the killer is. Looking for someone with blue eyes. Roarke is so sweet trying to make an amazing first Christmas with Eve.