In Death Challenge Post: April 2010

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time. See the sign up post HERE.

This is the round up post for the fourth month of the In Death Reading Challenge. Congratulations to everyone who has kept up with the challenge and has read at leasts one In Death book per month since January! I, for one, am quite proud of myself for keeping up with the challenge. Let me say that it's not so easy to pick up a book from the same series every month that was published over a decade ago when there are so many new releases calling your name! Of course it helps that this series is so entertaining to read--wonderfully developed characters, realistic and varied relationships between the primary and secondary characters, and a decent murder mystery, all set in a futuristic New York City and other locations on and off planet.

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APRIL 2010 CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
If you made a post on your blog whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's April In Death posts easily.

If you're just keeping a running list of the books as you read them, grab the link to your list post and enter in the Mr. Linky so we can recognize your success this month.

If you're reading or rereading without documenting it on your blog, let me know in the comments which book(s) you read in this month. This will also help me keep track of who's eligible for the challenge giveaway this month.

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CHALLENGE GIVEAWAY:
As promised, I am going to do a little giveaway for the participants in this challenge. Since real coffee is so rare and coveted in the year 2058 and it happens to be Eve's favorite vice--and mine, too-- I thought it would be apropos to give away coffee. The easiest way for me to do that is via gift card, so I'm giving away a $5 gift card to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts to one randomly selected challenge participant. Don't worry--if you don't drink coffee, there are plenty of other vices to indulge yourself in at either of those shops. If you live in an area or country that doesn't have either of those shops near you, we'll work something out.

To qualify for the giveaway, you must do or have done the following:

1. Be signed up for the In Death Reading Challenge in this post HERE either with Mr.Linky or in the comments if you do not have your own blog.

2. Have read FOUR In Death novels between January 1, 2010 and April 30, 2010. Actually, let's make that by May 7, 2010 to allow any stragglers to catch up.

3. Have documented the In Death novels you have read for the challenge by:

Maintaining a running list somewhere on your blog ...
OR
Posting reviews or commentary on your blog ...
OR
Having notified me which book(s) you read in comments on any of the In Death Challenge posts ...
OR
Any combination of the above.

Pretty simple. You read four In Death books, leave me proof, and voila! You're in the drawing.

I'll select a winner on May 8, 2010.

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BOOK REVIEW

Conspiracy In Death by J.D. Robb
Book 9

Conspiracy In Death starts out with Eve investigating the death of a homeless man on the streets of futuristic New York City in the middle of winter. The man's death is unusual because he was found dead in his own crib with his heart carefully and expertly removed in a surgical manner. While on the scene, Eve has a heated confrontation with one of the first officers on the scene, a female cop named Ellen Bowers who creates all kinds of trouble for Eve, including filing official interdepartmental complaints about Eve.

Soon another body is discovered, this time a licensed companion (legal prostitute) who is perhaps past her prime, is found with one of her vital organs also surgically removed. With the help of Eve's investigative team, other victims in other cities around the world are discovered and possible scenarios and leads are being explored. In the meantime, Eve and officer Bowers continue to cross paths with horrendous results, putting Eve's badge on the line and interfering with Eve's ability to capture the serial murderer.

I can see why Conspiracy In Death is a favorite by many fans of the series. Eve is under tremendous pressure in this murder investigation and exposes her vulnerabilities more than any other story so far. The murderer is most likely one of the world's best surgeons who most likely has the support of some powerful politicians. Making matters worse is this screw up of a cop Ellen Bowers whose goal is to make Eve's job and her life as miserable as possible--and she damn well near succeeds. It was fascinating to watch Eve deal with this pressure and these tremendous injustices that took a stab at the very core of what makes Eve who she is-- a survivor, a fighter, and a deliverer of justice for the dead. Not to mention how far she'd go to deliver that justice and solve these crimes. I was surprised about some of that, actually.

So far, each story offers a solid murder mystery--some a bit more transparent than others, but basically they've all been interesting and well paced, and each offering some new slant to futuristic crime. It's also simply so much fun to observe the various relationships developing between all of the characters. As their relationships get more established, their personalities are becoming more evident and Eve struggles with accepting that she now has a circle of friends who care about her... and for whom she cares as well.

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I hope you've been having as much fun as I have with this reading challenge and continue to forge ahead through your In Death reading list.

Have you noticed that nearly everyone who comes into Eve's office--whether it be her home office or her office at Cop Central-- takes advantage of the fact that her AutoChef is always stocked with real coffee.

If you had an AutoChef, what would yours offer in never ending supply?

NOTE: Please mark your comment with ***SPOILER*** if you are going to mention something about the characters, series or plot that may be revealing. There are some participants who are reading the first couple of books. Thanks! :)