Genres: Futuristic Romance, Romantic Suspense
Published by Berkley
Released on June 1, 1998
Pages: 312
Format: eBook
Source: Library
The Delight
What could be better than a grisly series of murders for the holidays? Well, seeing Eve, Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Dr. Mira, and of course, Roarke together and solving the crime.
Review
Holiday in Death is the seventh book in the In Death series. As I’ve noted on previous occasions, it can be read standalone or out of order, but works best when the reader gets them in order to appreciate the personal stories progressing through the series.
In this latest, Eve is confronted with her worst nightmare. Sex crimes bring unbidden memories back in full force. She’s still dinged up from the previous case and already stressed about a holiday that she has no idea how to celebrate. Roarke wants them to both learn how to step back from their work, form their own family traditions including the holiday. So, on edge and feeling raw, Eve tries to beat a lethal Santa Claus to finding all twelve of his holiday victims who seem to all be tied in through a dating service.
This was one that I felt I only had two options for a viable suspect and so it wasn’t that hard to work out who is the killer. Even though I worked it out by process of elimination, this was still a book that kept me closely engaged from beginning to end. Eve, the gritty, stubborn, flawed, yet oh so caring, generous, and tenacious heroine was the reason. She’s going through another internally tough time while championing justice for the dead and future victims. She’s nearly out of control a few times and is nearly dead from fatigue, but she doesn’t give up. There is also a turning point for Eve and Peabody in this one when they have frank words. And, that irascible tension between Peabody and McNab just continues to percolate.
So much to love with this series whether it is the murder mystery, the futuristic world, Eve and Roarke, Eve’s person battles, or all the wonderful characters. I’m enjoying each installment that I pick up and look forward to my next In Death encounter.
Challenges
Romance Roundabout #210 RS
COYER Summer #5
Library Love #9
Literary Pickers #99
Series that Never Ends #9
Recommendations
Preview
About J.D. Robb
With a phenomenal career full of bestsellers, Nora Roberts was ready for a new writing challenge. As her agent put it, like Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and caffeine-free Pepsi, a pseudonym offered her the opportunity to reach a new and different group of readers. The first futuristic suspense J. D. Robb book, Naked in Death, was published in paperback in 1995, and readers were immediately drawn to Eve Dallas, a tough cop with a dark past, and her even more mysterious love interest, Roarke.
The series quickly gained attention, great reviews, and devoted readers. Since the debut of Loyalty in Death (the ninth In Death book) on Halloween 1999 on the New York Times bestseller list, every J. D. Robb title has been a New York Times bestseller. While fans had their suspicions, it wasn’t until the twelfth book in the series, Betrayal in Death (2001), that the publisher fully revealed that J. D. Robb was a pseudonym for bestselling powerhouse Nora Roberts. Unmasked, Nora Roberts fans who hadn’t yet picked up one of the Robb books were quickly playing catch-up.
Robb’s peers in the mystery world are fans as well, with accolades for the In Death series from such blockbuster authors as Stephen King, Jonathan Kellerman, Dennis Lehane, Kathy Reichs, Lisa Scottoline, Janet Evanovich, David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, Robert B. Parker, Ridley Pearson, Linda Fairstein, and Andrew Gross.
The In Death books are perpetual bestsellers, and frequently share the bestseller list with other Nora Roberts novels. J. D. Robb publishes two hardcover In Death books per year, with the occasional stand-alone original In Death story featured in an anthology.
Forty books later, there is no end in sight for the ever-popular In Death series.
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I know I know I need to start them!
LOL! Someday, right? I have a few series in a holding pattern, too.
I had no idea until now that J D Robb was Nora Roberts!
She writes soooo much! It’s amazing how many books are to her credit.
I see you are getting into the series. You have quite a lot to go through. 🙂
Haha! Yeah, I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to try to catch up or just stop at the end of the year.
I really want to pick up this series but this is such a big series but I really love the sound of this heroine. She sounds fantastic. Glad you enjoyed this one so much. I will have to grab up book one from my library.
Yeah, its definitely an intimidating series if you look at the last number released. I’m trying to ignore that and just read one here or there for this year’s series challenge. I might stop at twelve which is my year end goal or keep going. Not sure.
Hope you like it if you get the chance, Renee!
You’re just motoring along. I love seeing each of them 🙂 It really is a nice series on all fronts. I’m glad you’re having fun with this group!
Its been so much fun. And yes, a stack of three library wait books came in and I motored right on through so I could returned them finished when my time was up. It helped that they were just that good. 🙂
Girl you are cranking this series out! I love that it’s keeping its steam and you are still enjoying them. I read another series where the author confessed it was inspired be Eve and Roarke, and it makes me want to read this so bad!
Great review.
Haha! Yes, I am hitting them hard. I was going for one per month, but then my library waiting list two came in at once so I ended up reading three last month. I’m not a binge reader so its saying something that doing that didn’t sour me on the series. 🙂
Oh cool! What series was based on Eve and Roarke?
It was the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day. If you’ve not read them, though, I wouldn’t bother. The series fell apart catastrophically after book two.
Ouch, yes, I have heard of those and skipped. Thanks, Angie!
The goal is to look out for each other!
So true! I had a review post just the other day where I had to figure out how to moderately endorse the third book, the one I was reviewing, while making it clear that the first two were messes. I definitely didn’t want to give the impression that I wanted people to rush out and buy or bother with a library search/request for that series.
Not to say some books are perfectly fine for others when they aren’t my cuppa, but yes, need to have each other’s backs. 🙂
It was the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day. If you’ve not read them, though, I wouldn’t bother. The series fell apart catastrophically after book two.