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DIVIDED IN DEATH
by J. D. Robb and Nora Roberts
G. P. Putnam's, January 2004
384 pages
$21.95
ISBN: 0399151540


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Summer 2059, New York. At the Roarke household, calls received in the middle of the night usually summon Eve to a crime scene. This night is different, at least in some respects. The call comes in on Roarke's signal.

Roarke regards the people with whom he works closely as family. The daughter of one of them is in serious trouble; she just came to at the scene of a murder. She'd entered the house in which the murder took place with a strong intent to commit mayhem; she had just found out that the husband she adored was having an affair with her best friend. But she has no memory of committing murder.

Roarke rushes to the scene along with Eve and Eve calls in the crime. It looks like a crime of passion; but Eve spots inconsistencies. As the investigation unfolds it uncovers the illegal acts of a government agency, the plots of techno-terrorists, and the complicity of law enforcement personnel in crimes committed against Eve when she was a child. Roarke's need to exact revenge for her suffering causes a rift between them that may not be healed.

One of the joys of this series is watching the growth in the relationships between the characters. It's as if Nora Roberts (pseudonym J D Robb for this series) decided that, in this series, she would explore the "happily ever after" part of romance (i.e. after marriage). At this point the series includes four couples at different stages of their lives.

Detective Peabody and Detective McNab live together. They support, defend, and fight with each other; but they are not ready for marriage. Mavis and Leonardo are married. As Mavis' pregnancy progresses they deal with the mixture of joy and terror that is the lot of expectant parents. Dr Mira and Dennis have been married for decades. Dennis' health is failing, and his illness affects his memory. Despite his illness his kindness remains; in this book we find out that his kindness was the key to Mira's heart. He and Dr Mira continue to support and to love each other deeply. Eve and Roarke are married. In each book they grow closer. Many of the books in the series bring up issues that have the potential to destroy their relationship. In resolving these issues they strengthen their marriage. It is refreshing to see a series that acknowledges that relationships are hard work and that they must be nurtured.

This book is a fun, quick read with great characters. It could be called a cross-genre book: police procedural/science fiction. The science fiction elements encompass sociological and technological areas, commenting on excesses by government agencies and computer virii as terrorist weapons.

Reviewed by Jill Long, February 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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