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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Forty-third in the In Death romantic suspense series set in a futuristic New York City, January 2061, to be precise, and revolving around Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a homicide cop who frequently partners up with her hunky billionaire husband, Roarke.
You can read the individual stories without starting from the beginning, but I don't recommend it. Eve's personal growth, her relationship with Roarke and with other characters, and her reputation with the general citizenry is much richer for the reader if they've read the series from the start.
My Take
As usual, I had no idea how Eve would figure out whodunnit, something that turned out to be quite easy. To identify the bad guys anyway. Catching them? That was another matter.
Eve grew in this one…voluntarily choosing to go back to the birthday party!! Paying attention to clothing choices?! Roarke is rubbing off on her, lol. Another OMIGOD!! is the change…probably momentary *grin*…in Dallas' and Summerset's relationship! Who knew there could be so much mellowing in one story?
LOL, you can guess how excited Dallas is to find out cops refer to her place as the Dallas Palace…*snicker*…
One of the things I adore about Dallas is her focus on the victims. On getting justice for them.
It's definitely a plus that Roarke is gorgeous and incredibly rich. It's much better that he's so sensitive to his wife's needs — emotionally and career-wise — and fantastic in bed. Hubba-hubba, *grin* And no, “sensitive” does not mean he's a pushover, as Roarke is quite good at pushing back, especially when he's being nurturing, lol. That quickie program Roarke created certainly is making an impression. I could hate him for being so technologically competent, ahem *grin* Oh, boy…the ice cream parlor in Eve's name…
I do enjoy Robb's initial description of Roarke each time. Even better, I love that she isn't doing a cut-and-paste…ahem…unlike some writers.
As for this story…it will make you sick. The destruction of so many lives with so little reason. And when you consider who the mentor is…jesus… Then Robb throws in that twist. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You know in the abstract that people use and manipulate the people around them. That they have no conscience or moral code, but when confronted by someone like this, with the destruction that is wrought in people's lives, their families, their friends… Yep, I'm for the death penalty.
I'm with Roarke. Eve would never have been that girl. She simply isn't wired that way. Robb does make me a bit nuts with how fearful she [the author] makes Eve, although to be fair, Eve certainly does have reason for her feelings. It's hard to overcome such horrendous childhood conditioning.
Ack!!! I know who Robb is voting for in this election, what with Hillary Clinton High School being mentioned.
One last confession…I have the feeling that Robb is winding down with Eve Dallas… I sure hope it's simply my paranoia!
The Story
The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.
Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. Those security videos indicate the killer in this case comes from a very limited group to have those particular skills. It should make finding him easy.
The trail leads to a shocking revelation: there are two — one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas heads up the Homicide Division at Central and has a reputation for getting her man. The one she picked up more than two years ago is definitely a keeper, lol, for her husband, Roarke, is amazing. Galahad is their pudge of a cat with two different eye colors. Summerset is Roarke's father figure and the major domo for the house, er, the Dallas Palace. Ivanna Liski, a former ballerina and spy, is dating Summerset. Mavis has been Dallas' best friend for years and is now a singing sensation married to a popular fashion designer, Leonardo. Bella, their baby, is turning one years old. Nadine Furst is an on-air news host with her own show and is a friend of Eve and Roarke's. Jake Kincaide is a rock star with Avenue A who is dating Nadine.
New York Police and Security (NYPSD)
Homicide, Central
Delia Peabody is Dallas' partner. Other detectives working under Eve include Jenkinson of the lurid ties, Carmichael, Santiago, Baxter and Troy Trueheart, and Reineke. Officer Shelby is the new meat transferred in; Uniform Carmichael distinguishes this Carmichael from the detective one.
Electronic Detective Division (EDD) is…
…headed up by Eve's mentor, Captain Ryan Feeney. Detective Ian McNab is one of his best and is living with Peabody.
Lieutenant Mitchell Lowenbaum is the SWAT commander; Vince Patroni is one of his SWAT officers. Dr. Mira is the chief profiler; she and her husband, Dennis, are friends with Eve and Roarke. Captain Whitney is Dallas' immediate supervisor; Tibble is the chief of police. Officers Fericke is a 30-year vet; Kevin Russo is just out of the academy; Sheridon Jacobs is Russo's beat partner; Minx needs a lot more seasoning; and, Task and Newman are dispatched to pick up Jacoby's son.
Dickie “Dickhead” Berenski is the chief lab tech; Morris is the chief medical examiner and friends with Dallas and Roarke; Morris is spending time (but not dating) Dr. Garnet DeWinter, the forensic anthropologist; Detective Vince Yancy is the police sketch artist; Kyung is the police media liaison; Marian Jacoby is an evidence tech with a son; and, Mary Kate Franco is a nurse practitioner at the infirmary. Kent Pratt is a court-appointed public defender. Jessica Gromer is a Child Services (CS) representative.
Wollman Rink is popular with ice skaters, including Ellissa Wyman, a part-time student/barista who practices daily; Dr. Brent Michaelson, an obstetrician, who loves to skate; Jenny and Alan Markum, teachers, are recreating their first date; Liam O'Dell is Jenny's father; Kate Hollis is Jenny's mother; and, Sherry and Charlie are their friends. Dr. Jack Lansing and Matt Brolin, who had been a corpsman in the army and became a veterinarian, leapt in to help. Wayne Granger knows his rights. Carly Deen and Paul Spicher are rink security.
Marta Beck is the office manager. Faith O'Riley is the midwife. Dr. Andy Spicker is a longtime family friend who is coming into the practice. Holly is the receptionist.
Donnie Shaddery, a dancer, has a yoga studio; Sensa is a partner of some sort. Henry Whipple is a detail-oriented desk clerk at the hotel and checked in Philip Carson and his son. Tasha works in Housekeeping. Grabby Larry is a street thief who needs to retire. Nathaniel Jarvist just turned seventeen. Fern Addison had been shopping. David Chang.
Reginald Mackie recently retired after 20 years on the job. Willow is his daughter. His second wife, Susann Prinz, was killed in a traffic accident. Gabriel was the name they had picked out for their son. Zoe Younger is Reginald's ex-wife, now married to Lincoln Stuben, and they have a son, Zach, age seven. Lynda Track is Lincoln's sister.
Rene Hutchins is the school psychologist while Thomas Greenburg is the principal at Hillary Clinton High School. Brian Fine drove the car. Charlie is the doorman at Nadine's new place. Ms. Mannery and her dog, Mimi, are Nadine's neighbors. Alyce Ellison is an assistant manager at Boomer's where Susann had worked; Darla is one of their top salespeople. John Black and his son, William, are moving to Alaska. Gabe (turns out to be Dwayne Mathias) and Colt Willowby. Grace Woodward is a psychologist and a friend of Zoe's. Jan Maguire and Philippe Constant will have a night to remember, forever. Lucy is their dog. Jonah Rothstein is one of the good lawyers; Aaron Taylor has been friends with Jonah for years.
Deputy Banner is a cop from Arkansas whose family brew has arrived. An Didean is the youth shelter Roarke is building. Father Chale is a Roman Catholic priest helping Morris get past Amaryllis' death. Laurel Esty had been a key witness who is now dating Yancy. Divine is an ice cream parlor.
The Cover and Title
The cover is cold with its pale, icy blue background against which the author's name is writ LARGE. I do like the lit-up office buildings as the fill inside the letters. Très cool. Consistent with previous stories, the bottom third of the cover is a graphic that represents the story, a steep angled view of the street far below, the royal blues of a night-lit road of city traffic, a sniper's view that reinforces the distance that shot traveled.
The title is the whole point in this story, for one of them is an Apprentice in Death.
You can read the individual stories without starting from the beginning, but I don't recommend it. Eve's personal growth, her relationship with Roarke and with other characters, and her reputation with the general citizenry is much richer for the reader if they've read the series from the start.
My Take
As usual, I had no idea how Eve would figure out whodunnit, something that turned out to be quite easy. To identify the bad guys anyway. Catching them? That was another matter.
Eve grew in this one…voluntarily choosing to go back to the birthday party!! Paying attention to clothing choices?! Roarke is rubbing off on her, lol. Another OMIGOD!! is the change…probably momentary *grin*…in Dallas' and Summerset's relationship! Who knew there could be so much mellowing in one story?
LOL, you can guess how excited Dallas is to find out cops refer to her place as the Dallas Palace…*snicker*…
One of the things I adore about Dallas is her focus on the victims. On getting justice for them.
It's definitely a plus that Roarke is gorgeous and incredibly rich. It's much better that he's so sensitive to his wife's needs — emotionally and career-wise — and fantastic in bed. Hubba-hubba, *grin* And no, “sensitive” does not mean he's a pushover, as Roarke is quite good at pushing back, especially when he's being nurturing, lol. That quickie program Roarke created certainly is making an impression. I could hate him for being so technologically competent, ahem *grin* Oh, boy…the ice cream parlor in Eve's name…
I do enjoy Robb's initial description of Roarke each time. Even better, I love that she isn't doing a cut-and-paste…ahem…unlike some writers.
As for this story…it will make you sick. The destruction of so many lives with so little reason. And when you consider who the mentor is…jesus… Then Robb throws in that twist. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You know in the abstract that people use and manipulate the people around them. That they have no conscience or moral code, but when confronted by someone like this, with the destruction that is wrought in people's lives, their families, their friends… Yep, I'm for the death penalty.
I'm with Roarke. Eve would never have been that girl. She simply isn't wired that way. Robb does make me a bit nuts with how fearful she [the author] makes Eve, although to be fair, Eve certainly does have reason for her feelings. It's hard to overcome such horrendous childhood conditioning.
Ack!!! I know who Robb is voting for in this election, what with Hillary Clinton High School being mentioned.
One last confession…I have the feeling that Robb is winding down with Eve Dallas… I sure hope it's simply my paranoia!
The Story
The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.
Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. Those security videos indicate the killer in this case comes from a very limited group to have those particular skills. It should make finding him easy.
The trail leads to a shocking revelation: there are two — one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas heads up the Homicide Division at Central and has a reputation for getting her man. The one she picked up more than two years ago is definitely a keeper, lol, for her husband, Roarke, is amazing. Galahad is their pudge of a cat with two different eye colors. Summerset is Roarke's father figure and the major domo for the house, er, the Dallas Palace. Ivanna Liski, a former ballerina and spy, is dating Summerset. Mavis has been Dallas' best friend for years and is now a singing sensation married to a popular fashion designer, Leonardo. Bella, their baby, is turning one years old. Nadine Furst is an on-air news host with her own show and is a friend of Eve and Roarke's. Jake Kincaide is a rock star with Avenue A who is dating Nadine.
New York Police and Security (NYPSD)
Homicide, Central
Delia Peabody is Dallas' partner. Other detectives working under Eve include Jenkinson of the lurid ties, Carmichael, Santiago, Baxter and Troy Trueheart, and Reineke. Officer Shelby is the new meat transferred in; Uniform Carmichael distinguishes this Carmichael from the detective one.
Electronic Detective Division (EDD) is…
…headed up by Eve's mentor, Captain Ryan Feeney. Detective Ian McNab is one of his best and is living with Peabody.
Lieutenant Mitchell Lowenbaum is the SWAT commander; Vince Patroni is one of his SWAT officers. Dr. Mira is the chief profiler; she and her husband, Dennis, are friends with Eve and Roarke. Captain Whitney is Dallas' immediate supervisor; Tibble is the chief of police. Officers Fericke is a 30-year vet; Kevin Russo is just out of the academy; Sheridon Jacobs is Russo's beat partner; Minx needs a lot more seasoning; and, Task and Newman are dispatched to pick up Jacoby's son.
Dickie “Dickhead” Berenski is the chief lab tech; Morris is the chief medical examiner and friends with Dallas and Roarke; Morris is spending time (but not dating) Dr. Garnet DeWinter, the forensic anthropologist; Detective Vince Yancy is the police sketch artist; Kyung is the police media liaison; Marian Jacoby is an evidence tech with a son; and, Mary Kate Franco is a nurse practitioner at the infirmary. Kent Pratt is a court-appointed public defender. Jessica Gromer is a Child Services (CS) representative.
Wollman Rink is popular with ice skaters, including Ellissa Wyman, a part-time student/barista who practices daily; Dr. Brent Michaelson, an obstetrician, who loves to skate; Jenny and Alan Markum, teachers, are recreating their first date; Liam O'Dell is Jenny's father; Kate Hollis is Jenny's mother; and, Sherry and Charlie are their friends. Dr. Jack Lansing and Matt Brolin, who had been a corpsman in the army and became a veterinarian, leapt in to help. Wayne Granger knows his rights. Carly Deen and Paul Spicher are rink security.
Marta Beck is the office manager. Faith O'Riley is the midwife. Dr. Andy Spicker is a longtime family friend who is coming into the practice. Holly is the receptionist.
Donnie Shaddery, a dancer, has a yoga studio; Sensa is a partner of some sort. Henry Whipple is a detail-oriented desk clerk at the hotel and checked in Philip Carson and his son. Tasha works in Housekeeping. Grabby Larry is a street thief who needs to retire. Nathaniel Jarvist just turned seventeen. Fern Addison had been shopping. David Chang.
Reginald Mackie recently retired after 20 years on the job. Willow is his daughter. His second wife, Susann Prinz, was killed in a traffic accident. Gabriel was the name they had picked out for their son. Zoe Younger is Reginald's ex-wife, now married to Lincoln Stuben, and they have a son, Zach, age seven. Lynda Track is Lincoln's sister.
Rene Hutchins is the school psychologist while Thomas Greenburg is the principal at Hillary Clinton High School. Brian Fine drove the car. Charlie is the doorman at Nadine's new place. Ms. Mannery and her dog, Mimi, are Nadine's neighbors. Alyce Ellison is an assistant manager at Boomer's where Susann had worked; Darla is one of their top salespeople. John Black and his son, William, are moving to Alaska. Gabe (turns out to be Dwayne Mathias) and Colt Willowby. Grace Woodward is a psychologist and a friend of Zoe's. Jan Maguire and Philippe Constant will have a night to remember, forever. Lucy is their dog. Jonah Rothstein is one of the good lawyers; Aaron Taylor has been friends with Jonah for years.
Deputy Banner is a cop from Arkansas whose family brew has arrived. An Didean is the youth shelter Roarke is building. Father Chale is a Roman Catholic priest helping Morris get past Amaryllis' death. Laurel Esty had been a key witness who is now dating Yancy. Divine is an ice cream parlor.
The Cover and Title
The cover is cold with its pale, icy blue background against which the author's name is writ LARGE. I do like the lit-up office buildings as the fill inside the letters. Très cool. Consistent with previous stories, the bottom third of the cover is a graphic that represents the story, a steep angled view of the street far below, the royal blues of a night-lit road of city traffic, a sniper's view that reinforces the distance that shot traveled.
The title is the whole point in this story, for one of them is an Apprentice in Death.
heabooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
Normally I am not bothered by events in a book and how they relate to real life events. But I will be honest and say I had a hard time reading this one because it was about snipers and mass shootings and that’s been so prevalent in the news recently. That being said I still enjoyed the book and I guess you could say that my disturbance with the book just proves how well JD Robb wrote it.
I’ve been reading these books for several years now and I always love reading about Eve, Roarke, Peabody and the whole gang. This was a very serious case and time was very important so there wasn’t a whole lot of personal time for Eve and Roarke but we still got to see the evolution of Eve’s new office and through that just how much Roarke loves her.
Summerset also played a more active role outside of just butler/assistant to Roarke and it was interesting to read. Bella’s (Mavis and Leonardo’s child) first birthday party was really cute and a good end to the book.
I would have liked more personality in Peabody in this one. I felt she was more secondary than usual and rather subdued in her actions and words. I don’t know if it was because of the case they were on or if Robb just didn’t put the same effort into her story line like she normally does.
I’ve been reading these books for several years now and I always love reading about Eve, Roarke, Peabody and the whole gang. This was a very serious case and time was very important so there wasn’t a whole lot of personal time for Eve and Roarke but we still got to see the evolution of Eve’s new office and through that just how much Roarke loves her.
Summerset also played a more active role outside of just butler/assistant to Roarke and it was interesting to read. Bella’s (Mavis and Leonardo’s child) first birthday party was really cute and a good end to the book.
I would have liked more personality in Peabody in this one. I felt she was more secondary than usual and rather subdued in her actions and words. I don’t know if it was because of the case they were on or if Robb just didn’t put the same effort into her story line like she normally does.
katyanaish's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This one was chilling - the apprentice ... so cold and evil.
Eve, Roarke, and the team were scrambling to deal with a lunatic sniper serial killer terrorizing the city. The sniper drops a terrorizing attack on the city daily, so the stress levels in this book are so high that even I was stressing, chewing my nails to nubs.
As always, there were the funny moments, the beautiful moments, all wrapped into a really compelling case. This one was a sprint to the finish, and I really loved it.
Eve, Roarke, and the team were scrambling to deal with a lunatic sniper serial killer terrorizing the city. The sniper drops a terrorizing attack on the city daily, so the stress levels in this book are so high that even I was stressing, chewing my nails to nubs.
As always, there were the funny moments, the beautiful moments, all wrapped into a really compelling case. This one was a sprint to the finish, and I really loved it.
vandermeer's review against another edition
1.0
Beim Abschuss einer Laserwaffe muss man auf die Windgeschwindigkeit achten. NEINEINEIN! Plus schmalzig.
sparklelys's review against another edition
5.0
You don't get to Bella's birthday party until the end of the book, but it's mentioned thruout as an upcoming event. And Bella is the perfect, perfect capper to the book. Mavis & Leonardo, you're doing it right.
amethystbookwyrm's review against another edition
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me this book to review.
It is January 2061 and New York is recovering from the Festive Season, when a mysterious sniper starts a killing spree. Are the victims as random as they seem or is there method in the madness? Lt Eve Dallas is the primary investigator with the NYPSD. How will she and her team be able to find a killer who can strike from miles away?
I enjoyed this book, which is the 43rd in the series because it goes back to the tried and trusted format of knowing who the killer is from an early stage, but the challenge is in trying to find and capture them. As usual, the Eve Dallas and Rourke books have fast paced action, interspersed with logic, and some quite spicy bits. While it is set in the future, it is in a world which you can imagine progressing from ours, which is not too dissimilar to the present, but with some very cool gadgets.
Eve Dallas is, as usual, focussed and intense, her husband, Rourke, is too good to be true, but I always enjoy reading about her NYPSD partner, Delia Peabody. She is such a grounded character, who, whilst dedicated to her job, also has everyday gripes and worries, such as the size of her butt, or whether she can afford those shoes!
As usual, I enjoyed Apprentice in Death as J D Robb’s recent “in Death” books have been quite political or with lots of twists and turns, and this was a welcome return to the more “outthinking the bad guy” type cop book. I would recommend Apprentice in Death to any readers of other J D Robb novels, people who enjoy reading Nora Roberts (same author, different pen-name), or people who enjoy good crime novels.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
It is January 2061 and New York is recovering from the Festive Season, when a mysterious sniper starts a killing spree. Are the victims as random as they seem or is there method in the madness? Lt Eve Dallas is the primary investigator with the NYPSD. How will she and her team be able to find a killer who can strike from miles away?
I enjoyed this book, which is the 43rd in the series because it goes back to the tried and trusted format of knowing who the killer is from an early stage, but the challenge is in trying to find and capture them. As usual, the Eve Dallas and Rourke books have fast paced action, interspersed with logic, and some quite spicy bits. While it is set in the future, it is in a world which you can imagine progressing from ours, which is not too dissimilar to the present, but with some very cool gadgets.
Eve Dallas is, as usual, focussed and intense, her husband, Rourke, is too good to be true, but I always enjoy reading about her NYPSD partner, Delia Peabody. She is such a grounded character, who, whilst dedicated to her job, also has everyday gripes and worries, such as the size of her butt, or whether she can afford those shoes!
As usual, I enjoyed Apprentice in Death as J D Robb’s recent “in Death” books have been quite political or with lots of twists and turns, and this was a welcome return to the more “outthinking the bad guy” type cop book. I would recommend Apprentice in Death to any readers of other J D Robb novels, people who enjoy reading Nora Roberts (same author, different pen-name), or people who enjoy good crime novels.
This and my other reviews can be found at Amethyst Bookwyrm
anbananova's review against another edition
4.0
nora roberts aka j.d. robb
okay so nora roberts (or j.d.robb in this case as her pseudonym) was my favorite author growing up. her books were my introduction to the romantic books addiction. this series about eve dallas the homicide detective i started years ago but i stopped bc there weren’t any translated books available as at the time i read everything in my native language. so recently i got reminded of the beginning of my reading journey so i decided to reconnect i guess with this series and all other books of nora roberts that i didn’t have a chance to read. i’m actually nervous bc i was really young when i got introduced to her work so i’m afraid my memories of her books won’t stand my current judgement of romance books and i’ll get disappointed.
it was so nostalgic for me to read the series again. i wasn’t disappointed. the only thing i forgot about it that these books are first detectives and romances second. yes there’s a romantic storyline. but it’s a steady force between eve and her husband roarke. they are together more times that not, working on cases in tandem even though roarke isn’t a cop. there’s little to no smut as the accent of the book is on the police work.
i loved roarke and eve together. they were together for more that 2 years at this point and their connection was still strong.
i didn’t know i missed the world of this series and its humor. it was like returning home, everything was so familiar and comforting.
i loved roarke for that.
the beginning was a little bit slow and hard to dive into bc the book had so many professional acronyms that i should’ve known i guess if i read prevent books in english. but after about 10-15% of the book i got used to the terminology and the phrases and the plot increased its speed so much that i couldn’t put this book down. and yes i am going to start the next book immediately after posting this.
okay so nora roberts (or j.d.robb in this case as her pseudonym) was my favorite author growing up. her books were my introduction to the romantic books addiction. this series about eve dallas the homicide detective i started years ago but i stopped bc there weren’t any translated books available as at the time i read everything in my native language. so recently i got reminded of the beginning of my reading journey so i decided to reconnect i guess with this series and all other books of nora roberts that i didn’t have a chance to read. i’m actually nervous bc i was really young when i got introduced to her work so i’m afraid my memories of her books won’t stand my current judgement of romance books and i’ll get disappointed.
it was so nostalgic for me to read the series again. i wasn’t disappointed. the only thing i forgot about it that these books are first detectives and romances second. yes there’s a romantic storyline. but it’s a steady force between eve and her husband roarke. they are together more times that not, working on cases in tandem even though roarke isn’t a cop. there’s little to no smut as the accent of the book is on the police work.
i loved roarke and eve together. they were together for more that 2 years at this point and their connection was still strong.
“The odds of me finding where those strikes initiated? I wouldn’t bet on me.”
He reached over, covered her hand with his. “I would.”
“Yeah, but you’re rich, and soft on me.”
i didn’t know i missed the world of this series and its humor. it was like returning home, everything was so familiar and comforting.
“Peachy.” She stuck her head back out. “Why isn’t it appley or melony, or just fruity?”
“Why ‘break a leg’? How the hell can you dance if you break a leg?”
“Just hold your water, Lieutenant.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Don’t piss yourself,” Feeney informed her.
“Then it oughta be ‘don’t piss yourself.”
“I mean others. The others who crawl or walk like drunks with their hands waving, or zip around like Bella.”
“Ah, as in children.”
i loved roarke for that.
“Don’t you even know what you drink?”
“Roarke’s coffee.”
“Which has several blends. Yours is Dallas.
the beginning was a little bit slow and hard to dive into bc the book had so many professional acronyms that i should’ve known i guess if i read prevent books in english. but after about 10-15% of the book i got used to the terminology and the phrases and the plot increased its speed so much that i couldn’t put this book down. and yes i am going to start the next book immediately after posting this.