J.D. Robb discussion
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Are the books a little repetitive??
Yeah, the cases are different. I mean I still enjoy reading the books, and looking through my ratings of them I've always given a 4 or 5. I think I'm going to take a little break before continuing on. I don't want the fact that I've been reading them continuously to ruin the books for me.
It's happening to me, too, Jess. I started the series some months ago and read one book every 2 weeks, sometimes one after another. I was only at Witness In Death when I began to lose the thrill. It was same old, same old by then. So I've stopped and won't go back until I've taken a long breather. I just hope I don't lose interest completely seeing I bought the entire series except for the latest as I was going to wait for the mass paperback to come out.
aww.. I'm sure you'll go back to it eventually. I just got tired of the same story line. And they are really good books. Although some of the ones in the middle are questionable!! I have one more book here that I will read (born in death) and then i'm going to take a breather.. then go back to them.I can't stop reading about Eve and Roarke.. I love the characters too much.
Now that you gave that set up, I can see it. Like there is a formula. I've gotten to where I am pretty much reading the books for the character development.
They are formulaic. I compare them to eating popcorn. Each bite will taste the same, but I will love each bite. I tend to read these for relaxation, though, not for challange, so the formula works for me.In my opinion, J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts books have never been brilliant storytelling as much as she creates great characters (and even some of them are formulaic.) It is the characters that keep me coming back.
I agree with Jennifer that she does create great characters and that is what grabs me. I love the characters and the way they interact.
I just finished my 8th & am starting to feel a little like Jess. I don't believe I'm reading them too close together, as the last one was a month ago. I still enjoy these books, and have to say I agree with the above comments regarding Nora Roberts' books. They aren't highly intellectual, but fun to read! That's what is important to me. Keep me interested, give me a little intrigue and excitement! You really feel like you know these characters.
I've been reading her books for years, and the first couple of books were very formulaic, ie, there was always three deaths before the killer was stopped. But now JD Robb/Nora Roberts has began to expand on her formula, like the last one which only focused on one death-Det Coletrain. I mainly relate to her books by what happens to the characters-Eve and Roake get married; Peabody and McNab get together or move in; or Eve has a blow out with Finney. I also love hearing about the secondary characters-Louise and Charles getting married, or Mavis having a baby. This is one of my favorite series.
If so, I don't care. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Can't wait for the next one and I hope Roberts (or whoever writes them) doesn't mess too much with a good thing.
Maybe there is a little overlap at times, but that would be the same in any series type books and she does develop the characters and that's a huge plus. Also, there are so many great characters and yet not too many. I have to agree with Lola4 - if so, I don't care. Even the books that are not as good as some of the other ones are great reads because of the characters
Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them off, although I told them it really pays a minor role, compared to the story and characters themselves. After reading all the books, I just have been accustomed to the auto-chef, vertical cars, drying tubes, and legalized prostitution. I don't really think about it anymore and sometimes it does add humor and interest. I'd certainly like to hear other peoples' opinions on this.
Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them off, although I ..."Personally I love the futuristic-ness. It's funny when Eve won't use a vending machine because she thinks it's talking to all the other vending machines and they're against her. And in Promises in Death it was funny when Roarke gave Eve her own vechicle and she was like a kid with a new toy.
I think that the future aspect plays a minor role. And in talking to some geek friends many of the future gadgets and things they use are in the works or working right now just on a much smaller scale as they are refined. It is just one of those things that is there but is secondary. It is all about character development.
I totally agree with both your comments, Shannon and Diana. Compared to the characters and plot, it does play a more minor role, but I also find that it does add to the humor. The vending machine thing is so great, and the humor that comes when everyone goes to Roarke's place and are so thrilled with all the "real food." It's pretty funny.
The books havent seemed repetitive to me and I've read them back to back for the first time this year. The series reminds me of any other murder mystery where there is always a case to solve and the main characters team works together to solve the case. As some of you mentioned, character development is huge and adds more to the books as they go on and each book has a very different case. There are many books when someone on her team does not get hurt. Eve does find the killer in each book but she has gone over cold cases implying that she wasnt able to solve the case in the past, if that makes a difference. Anyways, I love this and many other mystery series.
I came to this series completely out of order, starting with two of her most recent ones, then backing up, but still w/gaps. Must say, have absolutely loved them all, despite back-to-back reading. Yes, it is mostly about the characters, including NYC, which is almost a character in itself.
Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them off, although I ..."I love the "future" aspect of the books.I do not care for si-fy books but feel that these are more realistic in nature. I find myself looking forward 50 years and looking back 50 years to compare how things are now.
Since I was around 50 years ago I find it very interesting to see "progress" played out and future progress suggested.
Pepsi is still around so the "future" is secure in my world. LOL
Colleen wrote: "I came to this series completely out of order, starting with two of her most recent ones, then backing up, but still w/gaps. Must say, have absolutely loved them all, despite back-to-back reading. ..."I agree Colleen; New York is definitely a great part of the books and it's funny that Roarke seems to own a large amount of it. It makes for some funny scenes when Eve sometimes gets more cooperation than she wants.
Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them off, although I ..."I personally find the futuristic setting appealing. I love how, in these books, technology, medicine, transportation, etc. can change so drastically, yet humanity and our sin nature--ambition, greed, evil, etc. remain totally unchanged and the city government is still wrestling with all the same problems we have currently. I doubt technology can cause mankind to ever really evolve, except on our very thin surface veneer. I am also intrigues by the fact that Pepsi still exists, but Coke seems to have gone under.
Lola4 wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them ..."Actually Lola, there is a book where Coke is mentioned, although I couldn't tell you which one it is. One of the characters is actually drinking one, and so I guess it still exists. Eve is obviously a Pepsi drinker.
Vanessa wrote: "Lola4 wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind o..."Thanks. I hope to reread the whole series sometime this coming year, and I will keep a lookout for what is still surviving in 2058. In theory I could be since 110-120 years is no longer an unusual life span.
I was watching the news tonight and there was a discussion about taser guns which made me think about this thread. I find it interesting that in 1995 when Naked was published our local police force did not have tasers, yet today about half of them have them in our area.
I like that its a little in the future, so there is some difference but not totally different. It doesn't seem like the cars fly much anymore as they did in earlier books. I'd love to have an autochef though I'd hate not having real coffee or chocolate. I continue to enjoy the books, but I miss some of the angst between Rourke and Eve. I would love one that involved one of them more directly like Rourke is kidnapped or something. Although, I don't know how that could happen.
Vanessa wrote: "Does anyone have a hang-up about the fact that it takes place in 2058 on? I recommended this series to someone in another thread and the future time line aspect kind of turned them off, although I ..."I'm coming into this thread late (but heck, I only started this series about a month ago, maybe two, when someone lent me a couple of books, and I was hooked, now I'm reading the whole series from the start).
Anyway, I digress. My only hang up about the futuristic aspect is it's not very FAR into the future. That's only, what, 50 years, give or take? I'm not sure things will have progressed that much (vertical cars, drying tubes, etc) by then. But I love it. And no, the futuristic aspect doesn't play a major role. It's just a fun part of it, seeing how "J.D. Robb"/Nora Roberts sees the future in her imagination.
I love this series. I'm actually doing the audio books in this series and have since about October. I just started Witness in Death today on my way to work. I love the characters, their interactions and their ongoing stories and that's more why I read this. The murder mysteries are more of background for me. Similar to Vanessa I don't even notice the futuristic setting as it has become part of the "norm".
Sam wrote: "I love this series. I'm actually doing the audio books in this series and have since about October. I just started Witness in Death today on my way to work. I love the characters, their interacti..."Sam,
I totally agree with you about the characters. They are the best part of the books and the main reason I keep coming back to the series. I listen to the audio also; Susan Erickson is awesome and really makes them come alive. The books I enjoy most are the ones that have a lot of action with the secondary characters. For example, one of my favorites is Immortal in Death because there is a lot of Mavis, we get to meet Leonardo and Trina; Peabody begins working towards her place as a major secondary character, and I think Summerset is also developed more in this one as well. The story is great and the killer hard to figure out, but the character development is rich and there are moments of great humor as well.
Jess wrote: "Maybe it's just because I've been reading the series back to back, but I'm beginning to find that the same things happen in every book. It's like they're all written with a formula.the killer i..."
same thing happened to me but i LOVE the series so much, so i just took a break and started reading some others that i had abandoned upon my shelf, and after about a week or so the id book was ALL i could think about, and i just HAD to start reading them again. :)
All series are formualic to a degree - Grisham, Lawrence Sanders - if not how would the character grow from one book to the next. I like reading them back to back so when they refernece a character or a case, it is still fresh in my mind.
Mod
I've re-read the series twice.
I'm not saying I DON'T like to read them back to back, in hustdauig that when I begin to get annoyed I take a little break and then I'm good to go again!
I do that too I'll read 2-3 of the books back to back and then take a break and go back after a while to get my fix. I just finished re-reading naked in death after a year or so and i loved it even more this time around !
I don't care if they're repetitive; I love them any anyway! The characters develop throughout the series, and that's the part that really matters to me the most.
@ Elizabeth, I totally do ! @ Vanessa- it's the character development that I love the best as well, it's amazing to read the later books or go back to the first ones and see how far everyone has come!
I agree with pretty much all of you, lol. Are they repetitive? YES. Do I care? Not in a million years, lol. How could they not be repetitive though? Eve is a very methodical & structured character, she has to be given her line of work. As a successful Homicide Lt. she goes about solving her cases the same way so there is bound to be some repetitiveness. For me, I have no problem in listening/reading the books back to back, as a matter of fact that is my goal this year. I want to listen to every book in order from Naked to Treachery. Like you ladies the character developement is my favorite thing about the series as well. I love the progression of all of the characters. Each book is like a 'family reunion' where you're catching up on everyone's lives.
ELizabeth, didn't mean to offend anyone with my comment, just trying to make an observation.
Alyssa (Hesperia) wrote: "I agree with pretty much all of you, lol. Are they repetitive? YES. Do I care? Not in a million years, lol. How could they not be repetitive though? Eve is a very methodical & structured charac..."So true and not offended :)
I tried reading this back to back, aomewhere around Creation in death I got bored. I don't think the plots are so repetitive but being a cop series forces Robb to go through the same steps. also, since it is the same writer she is going to have the same writing style. Frankly, I found reading any series back to back. I don't know what I was thinking when I tried to read it that way. I love this series and I don't want it to get stale.
I decided about mid-year to mi in 2 other series -Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar) and David Baldacci (Camel Club) to keep my mind fresher - I am now done with the In Death until NY to Dallas comes out in paperback! Yes I even inished the short stories n the anthologies (they were a quick easy read).
There are a few books that are similar and Creation, in my opinion, is not one of her best. I don't read them, though, I listen to the audio. I think that makes a real difference in interest, at least for me.
I've just finished Born In Death and while I do think at times the books can be repetitive, it's not enough to make me give up on the series. I have spaced the books out more lately so I don't tire of them. However, my biggest pet peeve with the series is in each book the constant references to Eve's abuse as a child. I understand that surviving these traumatic events have made her who she is, therefore, making it a pivotal plot line of the series. But do we have to read about it in every book? I've read 26 books in the series so far and all of them have referenced what happened to her.This is not a deal breaker for me, I still love the series, but I just wish that as Eve's life with Roarke gets better and better, we won't be subjected to her dark past as much.
Of course they are repetitive. Each writer has a certain style of writing that is going to make the books repetitive to a certain degree. Also think about what it would be like in a real police department. You go to a crime scene, you look for evidence, you question witnesses, if it becomes necessary you pull those little stunts like leaking things to the media. etc.
Dee wrote: "Of course they are repetitive. Each writer has a certain style of writing that is going to make the books repetitive to a certain degree. Also think about what it would be like in a real police d..."Plus if you think about it...LIFE is repetitive. LOL I mean how many people get up, shower, get food drink, get dressed for work then go to work only to come home in the evening to get dinner and do "homework" or chores around the house then maybe watch a little TV before going to bed and doing it all over again the next day?
I think the very repetitiveness is what makes these books more real or honest.
Diana wrote: "Dee wrote: "Of course they are repetitive. Each writer has a certain style of writing that is going to make the books repetitive to a certain degree. Also think about what it would be like in a r..."that is so true! and deep..lol
Denise wrote: "I've just finished Born In Death and while I do think at times the books can be repetitive, it's not enough to make me give up on the series. I have spaced the books out more lately so I don't tire..."i completely agree with your point about the childhood abuse, i know its sounds awful but it has ruined some of the books in the series for me . i think unless it's actually a part of the plot Ms Robb should stop focusing on the theme.
I think with most of it being dealt with in New York to Dallasmaybe it will not be as predominate moving forward.
i agree. Maybe Roberts sort of realized that while it was a huge part of Eve's life..that the whole thing was a TEENSY bit repetitive and so that is why she wrote NY2D. This way Eve can realistically move on and everybody will be placated?
Maybe so... maybe so.... I guess we'll find out on February 21st! :)
Sara ♥ wrote: "Maybe so... maybe so.... I guess we'll find out on February 21st! :)"I guess so!!
J.D. Robb
Books mentioned in this topic
Immortal in Death (other topics)New York to Dallas (other topics)
New York to Dallas (other topics)
the killer is introduced in the first chapter, eve gets called on a case, she leaks info to Nadine, she argues a little with Peabody, her and Roarke go over the case, someone on her team gets hurt, then eve finds the killer.
I don't know if other people are getting a little tired with the books.. or if its just because I've been reading them one after another.
Any thoughts?