Calculated in Death: In Death, Book 36

My book arrived quickly and in a very secure mailing envelope. The book was in pristine condition and was the lowest price I have seen. Books by Ian is a quality business--one I look forward to working with again.

Calculated in Death is the 36th full length novel or the 45th story in the In Death series by J.D. Robb, depending on how you are counting them. Personally, for my records its number 45. Needless to say, that this far into a series, there is a LOT of back story that just can't be condensed for someone new picking up this book as a starting point. That said, most of the novels are self-contained stories and there are no major cliffhangers, so you could try this book and jump right into the action. J.D. Robb is a pseudonym for the internationally acclaimed Nora Roberts, but only for this particular series.The series chronicles the life and cases of NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Lieutenant Eve Dallas, Homicide Division in the not so distant future. A future where Urban Riots gripped and changed the world just some 20 years before, where automobiles can and do fly, guns are banned and stunners are the norm. But a future where people are still people, so hatred and greed are still very popular murder motives. We met Eve Dallas for the first time in book 1 just before she met her husband, Roarke in 2058. Roarke is a self made multi-billionaire who grew up dirt poor on the streets of Dublin and used his brains and a live of crime to get started. Eve was an orphan who found in an alley in Dallas, Texas and has made the NYPSD and New York her home. Basically, if you like a good solid mystery, wrapped in a little science fiction and topped with a little romantic bow, you would really enjoy this series. The characters are all very vivid and unique. With a long running series such as this, you can easily follow along with the lives of your favorite characters, and there are a lot of reoccurring characters.I will admit that I was a late comer to the In Death party. I knew that Nora Roberts had a long running series called In Death, but I just putting off reading it. Then finally one day, while looking for some new audiobooks to listen to on my work commute, I received the In Death series as a recommendation. I had been listening to Iris Johansen's Eve Duncan, Robert Ludlum's Bourne and Stuart Wood's Stone Barrington series. The In Death books were a natural progress. I got the first 2 books in the In Death series on Cassette Tape from Paperbackswap.com. Oh boy. Loved THEM! It wasn't long before I had to get the actual books to read and reread and read again.Today, I have all the books in print, e-print & audio versions, and am slowly working on replacing the paperbacks with actual hardbacks for the older books. I still go back and reread either sections or even whole books. All I can say is that you really should pick one up. Trust me on this, you won't be disappointed. This particular title got 4 stars on Goodreads. I am sure that I will reread it at minimum of twice before the next book comes out.

Good read!!

CALCULATED IN DEATH, the 36th book in the In Death series, emphasized the police procedural. This story was very focused on Eve solving the case of the death of an accountant, mother of two and happily married. She also happened to be the sister-in-law of one of Eve's favorite judges.This mystery finds Eve deep in the world of big business. Luckily, she has an expert guide in her husband Roarke who is the biggest of big businessmen. Eve has to follow the trail and untangle the threads that bind a number of companies together uncovering fraud, money laundering, and other scams while she is digging. Along the way another accountant is killed and one of the partners in an investment business too. Eve is pretty sure which over-privileged but not over-bright executive is pulling the strings but she has to set herself up as a target before they can catch the underling who is actually doing the killing.This was a very enjoyable mystery and I loved the byplay between Eve and Roarke. This one showed how well they have come to know each other and how well they work in tandem. But I missed the contributions of the many characters we have seen in the series. The only other character who had a substantial role in this one was Peabody who was her charming self. We just had cameos by McNab and Feeney, Mira and Nadine Furst, and Mavis and Leonardo.I liked the recurring references to the upcoming movie premiere and the necessity for Eve's appearance on the Red Carpet. You could just tell that Eve would rather be anywhere else. At least, she wanted to be anywhere else until she arranged to trap the killer there. I also liked that Eve was more nervous about having Trina do her hair and make-up than she was at the possibility that the killer would succeed in his plan to eliminate Eve and Peabody.Fans of the series won't want to miss this one. I think it would also work for newcomers to the series as an entry point without having to read the previous 35 books.

When accountant Marta Dickenson is murdered it initially looks like a mugging gone wrong, but something just doesn't quite add up for Eve and Peabody so they decide to take a closer look. They quickly discover that Marta was specifically targeted but what reason would anyone have to kill a normal woman who just did her job to the best of her ability before going home to spend time with her family? The deeper Eve digs the more she starts to see there has been a cover up and it looks like someone powerful will stop at nothing to avoid getting caught.I don't know how J.D. Robb consistently manages to come up with such different cases for Eve to investigate. The mystery in each book is different to the last and she always manages to find new ways to surprise me. I really enjoyed watching Eve and the others work this case, we know from about the halfway point who is ordering the murders but it takes longer to pin down who is actually carrying them out. We get to see Eve test out the strength of her special Roarke designed coat, Peabody gets to do a little play acting and we also see the whole team invited to the premier of the movie about the Icove case.There's a lot going on in this book but we still have all the banter and fun moments I've come to expect plus plenty of time with my favourite book boyfriend Roarke. I just love spending time with him and Eve, they never ever disappoint. 36 books in (although that's probably closer to 45 stories by the time you add in all the additional novellas I've read up to this point!) and I'm still totally addicted to this series and I seem to be reading them faster and faster the closer I get to the end.

I know that JD Robb has received some criticism about the formula of this book, but in all fairness, she knows her readership very well. Certain things are expected and would be missed if not included in the storyline. The Eve Dallas characters function much like a family, and while we get the usual sexual tension between Eve and Roarke, bloody murder and the solving of the case, we also get to see that the characters are progressing. Eve isn't having quite so many nightmares about the bad old days, Trueheart is going for promotion and the whole 'family' has a part to play in the outcome - one way or another. it is formulaic, but this is driven by readers expectations, and on its' own, 'Calculated' stands as a ripping good yarn. Robb writes very well, and whether you like this kind of novel or not, she is a master of her craft. I enjoyed this immensely and look forward to the next instalment!

Before I start lets just say I love J D Robb, want to marry Roarke (if I could think of a way to get rid of Eve without getting killed) and will still buy the next instalments but something is wrong! The books are about the same length in page style but there doesn't seem to be the interaction that there was in previous novels. I can't quite put my finger on it but it all seems so abrupt.I felt this in her last novel as well and this incarnation has not changed my mind. Yes the usual characters are here but they seem to flit in and out so fast you never get a chance to get a grip of them. The murder mystery was excellent, a woman found on the steps of an apartment no coat, bag or anything else for being out in the dead of winter. A very thin margin of clues which took some putting together, but Eve and Peabody did it, but this isn't why I love these books.A fundamental part of the Novels for me is Eve's developing relationship with all the characters, her bewilderment in their place in her life, often her reluctance (in the case of Summerset) to admit she cares at all. This seems to have deteriorated and with it the magic of the books. A previous review said they feel that there is a checklist to the formation of these books and once an item has been ticked off the author moves on. I don't think so. I think she has gotten lost in the emotional aspects though and this is proving very lacking now, less gore and more depth would be appreciated in future novels please Ms Robb, open up the characters again let us see what they're really made of.

How Ms Roberts manages to split her incredible imagination to weave so many different strands into her various genres is amazing, from romantic novels, supernatural or suspense to her "In Death" series a futuristic police procedural she holds my attention from the start to finish. I love all her genres but as with many of her other series I have followed the story of Eve Dallas and her husband billionaire Roarke from the beginning; for me, her novels are unmissable, they draw me along at a tremendous pace and I can't wait to the get to the final chapter, which is totally ridiculous because I am on pins until the next In Death is available in September. I just love her characters, Eve, Roarke, Peabody and McNab, Mavis and Leonardo and Trina who Eve would rather go 10 rounds with the latest villain to avoid her ministrations. There are so many characters and they are verbally o well drawn that I feel I know each and every one of them personally and care about them. If you haven't read J D Robb you will miss a treat. I hope I have done her justice, it is hardly surprising she has so many awards and fans world-wide.

If you want a review of the book itself - skip this one. It's more a review of some of the reviews ... though I just loved that the coat finally got a try-out ... and the baby catching incident!Having read some of the latest reviews of this book, I felt I had to put in my twopenneth! I've been hooked on JD Robb since picking up a copy of Naked in Death in 1995 - when it first came out (and when the name Nora Roberts only appeared under the copyright). And then battling to get hold of the next book from the US in the days before widespread internet availability, and before they were published in the UK. I've also just finished a complete re-read of all 36 novels, the short stories, and the half-book in chronological order. While the latest wouldn't be up there with my favourites, I can say that the series goes through cycles (they can't all be 'wowsers') - and just when you wonder if another jawdropper is ever going to arrive, one appears - often followed by a second, and very occasionally a third. It's only 3 books since Treachery and New York to Dallas - both of which (particularly the former) were superb. To those reviewers suggesting it's time to end and go out on a high - go back and read them all! When read in sequence the slightly more mundane ones actually gain new momentum, and read much better.And for those who think the family links are pretty much done and dusted - what about grandparents?? Aunts and uncles? Evil twin?And finally - although Eve and Roarke really aren't ready for a child yet (it's not that long since they were both nearly freaking out over Bella Eve) - I think the possibility has great potential, and if you read through them, you can see things progressing towards this. Possibly. Perhaps.Absolutly no way these books should end yet.