Fantasy in Death by JD Robb
In Death #30
Suspense Thriller
Piatkus | July 21, 2010
About the Book:
Murder did that. Took lives, crushed others. But why? Money. Jealousy. Revenge. Secrets. Passion. Whatever the answers, the method had been bold and complex.
They were best friends, driven by a shared vision to rule the world of virtual reality games. Their newest invention, developed to transport the player into a fantastical virtual world, is about to be launched. But suddenly, Bart, the brains behind it all, is found brutally killed – defeated by his own game. Their close-knit group is torn apart. Who could have engineered such a devastating virtual death?
Even Eve Dallas, New York City’s most cunning investigator, is thrown. But as she peels back layers of secrets, revenge and misplaced allegiances, she realises the depth of the killer’s master plan. And she knows his game is far from over . . .
Oh, how much I loved and missed the In Death series. Being too busy for beloved books is the only real downside of being a reviewer, I think.
You see, young Birdie, without a blog and Goodreads, used to fall in love with a book (or characters) and immerse myself in the series completely. The longer the series the better, that way I would never run out of things to read. In Death was a perfect series for me. I discovered it when there were around 10 books, and they came out so fast (never ending) I always had more Eve and Roarke books coming.
Then I discovered the joy of reviewing, and a whole new world of books. It made sticking with those longer series much harder.
New goal for 2020? Remedy that!
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel coming back to this series after years of not reading. It felt good. It felt familiar, and not just because I’m pretty sure I’ve read Fantasy in Death before. It was hard figuring out where I left off, but I think I got close. It felt familiar because long, much loved, series means the characters became family. I have history with this crew, and I’ve missed them.
Fantasy in Death reminded me of how much I missed Eve and Roarke, for sure. It also reminded me of all the side characters I’d also grown to love. Peabody and McNab, both hilarious and adorable. Galahad the cat, and Summerset the butler… They’re all part of my fictional family. They’re consistent. JD Robb, or Nora Roberts (whichever name you prefer for the author), never strays from the core of the characters she created. They all exhibit character growth, thank gosh at more than 50 books in the series, but their basic values never change. In a world of authors who alter their character to fit the plot, JD Robb is a breath of fresh air.
As for this plot, as usual, it was better than I remembered. Every book is original, well thought out and paced. I can follow Eve’s mind as she figures out the killers pattern, and while there is some fantastical (this is a futuristic series, obviously), I can still believe in the science that allows these crimes to happen. They’re not so fantastical they’ve become unbelievable.
For anyone out there who hasn’t read this series, if you’re looking for something dense, that stays consistent, amazing characters, and well thought out plots… if you were a fan of Nancy Drew, and you want something for adults that’s on par, In Death is the series for you.
I promise.
Birdie Bookworm 