My first Eve Dallas (and Nora Roberts for that matter). I've been wondering about this series since I used to see entries for it in the New Books section of Locus.

To get the SFnal part out of the way, I'm not sure why it's there. In this book, and others from what I've read, there's no speculation or attempt to make the future play any role in the story. The future bits are just dusted on, with no particular attempt to make them coherent. Criminals may use blasters, everyone communicates via a 'link (apostrophe required -- not quite as silly as 'puter which used to be popular), the Big One finally hit California, and occasionally there are references to people live off-world. But everything else is exactly the way it is now. The one reference to anything significant is climate change.

The police procedural aspects are the strongest element. It's a serial killer story with no surprises but reasonably done. The detective work emphasizes legwork and building a strong case by collecting a lot of circumstantial evidence, not Mike Hammer silliness. But scenes involving other cops are straight from 1940s B movies. Cops can't resist doughnuts, annoying reporters hang around the precinct house, and male cops make unending sexually suggestive remarks.

There's also the buddy cop interactions between Eve and her aide Peabody. Cliched but I enjoyed those.

The weakest aspect is the romantic sections. Pure wish-fullfillment. Husband Roarke is rich, brilliant, tender, and a sex machine, a direct match for Mr Big from Sex and the City, without the uncertainty of the relationship. The sex is R-rated not X -- a lot of writhing and heavy breathing. Unconvincing on all levels.

The detective part was enough that I'll read another.

Recommended but weakly. ( )

Book 17 of the In Death series by J. D. Robb is IMITATION IN DEATH. I don't know what it says about me, but I enjoyed the reenactments of infamous serial killer crime scenes that give the book its name. One of my favorite parts is trying to guess which serial killer inspired Eve's suspect before she revealed it. I also appreciated that one inspiration is fictitious, not having occurred yet in our timeline but in history in Eve's. That this fictitious killer went on his rampage in 2023 is a bit eerie, but Ms. Robb did publish IMITATION IN DEATH twenty years ago. I'm sure 2023 was far enough in the future to not be an issue.

As always, I enjoyed the character development as much as Eve's case. Watching Peabody stress about the detective's exam was cute. More importantly, we see Eve take steps towards sharing her feelings instead of keeping them to herself. Granted, she isn't smooth or gracious about it, but it is Eve Dallas. Sensitive and suave are not words one could ever use to describe her.

This series never gets old, and I think that is in large part due to Susan Erickson's narration. I have no idea if she narrates anything other than the In Death series, and I don't want to know. For me, she is the lifeblood of Eve Dallas' world. I can't imagine the devastation I would feel should she stop narrating Ms. Robb's series. For now, it is all I can do to stop myself from starting the next book in the series immediately upon finishing another. I am definitely an In Death addict! ( )

Imitation in Death
4.5 Stars

Homicide Lieutenant Eve Dallas is in pursuit of a vicious killer with a penchant for copying the crimes of the most notorious serial murderers in history. With several suspects to choose from, Dallas and her team will have to use all of their skills and wits to narrow the field before the monster strikes again.

The best book in the series so far, but then I have a Jack the Ripper fetish, lol!

In terms of the case, my preference is for those with several suspects and clues that the reader can follow in an attempt to determine who-dun-it (rather than those in which the perpetrator is revealed up front or the mystery takes a back seat to the character development, i.e., Portrait in Death). Imitation in Death is one such investigation and it is very well done.

The characters in Robb's book are always a delight. Whether it is the amazingly sexy Roarke or Peabody's and her sarcastic one-liners or even the despicable villain, the people who populate the books are incredibly real and never trite or one-dimensional.

Add to all this the laugh-out-loud humor (although I do wonder what it says about me that I find the descriptions of Eve threatening to commit grievous bodily harm so amusing), and this is a virtually perfect installment.

( )

In the 17th In Death mystery, Eve is trying to track down a murderer who is recreating the crimes of earlier, famous serial killers. Her one clue is the notes he left for her on the first two bodies. The paper is exclusive, unrecycled paper only available in England. She has five suspects - a sleazy producer with a history of violence toward women who is living with one of Roarke's past lovers; a guy in his seventies who lives for golf and has a young, dumb third wife, a British aristocrat with diplomatic immunity and a really snooty attitude; a famous soft pop musician who had a troubled past; and an author whose first two best-selling books are all about serial killers. All of them have the British stationary and have pasts that might have twisted them enough to make them murderers.

Meanwhile, Peabody is getting cold feet about signing a lease agreement for her and McNab to live together in the same building as Mavis and Leonardo. And she's really worried about her upcoming test to become a detective.

As part of the stressors of the case, Eve has a dream or recovered memory about her mother which tells Eve that the woman not only didn't love her but actually hated her. It puts paid to the faint hope that her mother is our there somewhere and misssing her. She is slow to share this with Roarke because he's still grieving the loss of his own newly discovered mother. ( )

It is the summer 2059 as Imitation in Death by J.D. Robb begins and the September heat is just as bad as August was. It is too hot, even for sex work, as Jacie Wooton has found out in recent days. She is a licensed companion and longs for her recent past where she had the same job, but better clients as they were rich and lonely. She has a plan to stay clean, be professional, and get back where she belongs in six months. Her plan did not involve being murdered by a psycho.

But, that is what happened. She is very much dead and her case is the latest for NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Jacie Wooton had her throat slit by somebody in the alley. The crime scene is blood bath. Much of that is due to what he did to her afterwards. If there was any mercy, she never felt it. The scene is so bad that even Peabody is shaken to the core and spends some time losing whatever was in her stomach. She is not alone as at least two other officers are going through the same thing.

Dallas got through the scene and thus found the note on the body personally addressed to her. The note used a fancy font on expensive paper and is a calling card taunt by a killer who sees it all as an elaborate game.

A sick and very twisted game where he begins duplicating famous serial killers across history. With each one, he dares Lieutenant Dallas to catch him. While she sees the end game as he envisions it playing out as well as a couple of possible potential kills if he continues the patter, she can’t figure out who he is or where he will strike next. Identifying the killer and stopping him is going to take a team effort.

Book 17 of the long running series has all the usual flaws of the previous books. It also again plays with the idea that a killer is working his way to the ultimate prize of killing Dallas. At the same time, though we have seen it all before, the read is fun and well worth your time.

My reading copy came by way of the Libby/OverDrive app and the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022 ( )