Monday, May 31, 2010

In Death Challenge Post: May 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 fifth month of the In Death Reading Challenge. It's going to be a shorter monthly post than usual at the moment, because I'm too exhausted from a busy and long weekend to write a full post, and it would drive me batty if May's challenge was posted in June, so I'm getting something up for now. I'll come back and edit this post tomorrow and include a few words on my monthly In Death read as well as a discussion topic of sorts.

In the meantime, link up any In Death posts you made this month here. 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 latest 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 in August.

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NOTE: Edited to add review and discussion below on June 2, 2010.

Loyalty In Death by J.D. Robb
In Death series, Book 10

The year is 2059 and a terrorist group calling themselves Cassandra is terrorizing New York City, planting bombs in the city's most treasured landmarks, and making demands for money and the release of various political prisoners Cassandra refers to as heroes, all through letters delivered directly to the city's toughest police detective, Eve Dallas. Eve is also investigating two other seemingly unrelated homicides while racing to determine the individuals behind Cassandra and stop them from destroying her city and the people in it whom she has sworn to protect.

Loyalty In Death is another great installment in the In Death series. The crime fiction is well drawn, suspenseful, and dramatic as some of New York City's most beloved landmarks are targeted and innocent lives are lost. Loyalty In Death was published in October 1999, yet reading it now, after the events of 9/11, the crime aspect of the novel was even more affecting in light of the fall of the twin towers that claimed the lives of real people in my community, so that devastation and traumatic loss of life is all too real. In light of this serious resemblance to grave real life events, Loyalty In Death perhaps made me laugh out loud more than any other installment so far. It also offered some genuine familial comforts as Peabody's Free Ager brother shows up in this book and I was also very happy to see another intimate relationship develop in the story line in addition to Eve and Roarke's. Please use ***SPOILERS*** in your comments if you chose to mention it there.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Loyalty In Death and am anxious to continue reading Witness In Death. I already read the first couple of chapters.

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Loyalty In Death is also a source of some of my favorite quotes or insights from this series so far.

This one is from Eve's perspective as she observes Peabody and her brother Zeke interacting.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming to New York?" Peabody demanded.
"Wanted to surprise you. Didn't know I'd come until a couple of days ago."
He stroked a hand over her hair in a way that had Eve think of relationships again. Some weren't about sex or power or control. Some were just about love.

I found this small scene rather poignant. Although Eve is discovering more and more about relationships that are about love--both romantic and platonic, something like this love between Peabody and Zeke is something she is becoming cognizant of for the first time, yet will most likely never feel for herself.

Much later in the book, Eve and Roarke are in the midst of rubble of a bombed building doing what they can to help the survivors and find the dead, when Roarke has a revelation of sorts when he realizes that he uses his money and business prowess to serve justice to the world whereas Eve uses her skills as cop to serve, both doing what they can to make the lives of others better than the lives of their pasts.
He had the power to see that this was rebuilt, that it was put back as it had been. He could put his money and his energies into that and see it as a kind of justice.
And Eve would look to the dead.


What are your favorite quotes or scenes from the series?

Please indicate which book it is from at the beginning of your comment so that others can avoid spoilers. Thank you.



17 comments:

  1. I read Ceremony in Death this month. Not my favorite but it had it's good parts. :)

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  2. This month I read two ID stories. Loyalty in Death and Witness in Death. I loved them both! If I had to choose which one was better, then I would probably pick Loyalty, but like I said… I really enjoyed both stories!

    Both murder mysteries were great and I didn't get the feeling "I've read about something similar before" (I'm looking forward to reading rest of the series and seeing whether Robb is able to deliver new mysteries each time - I'm really hopeful that is the case).

    There were also some fantastic scenes between Eve and Roarke and I think I'll remember them for a long time. Wasn't the dinner thing in Witness (already from the planning part) a lovely one or what?

    I also liked how we got to see relationships grow between other characters. Can't wait to see where certain things will lead…

    Yesterday I received Judgment in Death and I'll start reading it this evening. I'll be getting Betrayal in the mail tomorrow I think. Lovely times ahead… *content sigh*

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  3. I did Loyalty in May. I started Witness yesterday.

    I've been wondering as I read exactly how much Roarke has to do with stealing the candy. He just seems way too innocent when she mentions that the candy thief struck again

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  4. Leslie...
    The beauty about rereads though is that you can skim and just read the good parts. ;)

    Maija...
    A twofer! I liked Loyalty In Death a lot. I laughed at quite a few parts, actually. Which was good that there was some humor in there, because the content of this one was quite heavy. I'm glad the twin towers were not targets of the terrorist group in the book. That would have hit way too close to home. I'm looking forward to reading Witness In Death this month. I already read a few dozen pages, and I'm already trying to figure out who the murderer is!

    I'll keep my eyes out for that dinner scene, although I doubt I'll miss it...

    Enjoy your next In Death books! :)


    Gina...
    I had never thought about Roarke being the candy thief, but it does make sense since he's always trying to get Eve to eat healthier, right?

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  5. Christine, you won't miss it - I promise :) Although you have some reading to do before you get to the dinner part...

    How nice that there is a few of us that are currently proceeding at the same pace and reading just about the same books. We have the upper hand in knowing what the other one is talking about since we recently read the book and the story is still clear in our heads :)

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  6. I'm late with both my read and my review for May. I began reading Ceremony in Death but, but, but... my wonderful daughter began reading this series a couple of weeks ago and has become a raving MANIAC! She caught up with me and just took the book right from under me, lolol!

    Sooo, I now that have Ceremony... back I'll probably do a two/fer Ceremony and Vengeance soon. Of course SHE (who shall not be mentioned), is already reading Holiday in Death! ;P

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  7. I didn't read any In Death books last month. I still have only Fantasy in Death to read before I've caught up, but...I'm having unhappy thoughts about the series ATM and so am thinking of perhaps calling it quits... *shock horror*

    @Hilcia - LOL! I had a friend who had the same thing happen - very amusing (from where I sat :)

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  8. Orannia, no, no no....!!!!

    *ahem*

    Okay, I can understand why a person may have a certain... ambivalence about the series (I'm still working on a post about some of my issues with it) but I have to be honest: even though the last two installments haven't been anything (for me) to write home about, I'm still gonna be buying the next one in hardback.






    Now, if that one's a dud... *starts biting fingernails in full blown anxiety*

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  9. In case anyone is interested in popping back over-- and no pressure if you don't!! -- I just posted a few thoughts on Loyalty In Death and two of my favorite quotes/insights from the book.

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  10. Maija... I thought the same thing! It is definitely more fun when others are reading the same book each month.

    Hilcia... That is so funny! And very cool that your daughter is into the series now, too! :)

    orannia.... I second azteclady's *gasp*!!! Oh noooo! Why quit now? You've come so far!

    azteclady... Thank you for chiming in. That has got to be one of the most disappointing feelings to have followed a series for so long for so many books to feel like you're losing faith in it. I hope the next one rises to the occasion for both of you.

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  11. Honestly, Christine, there are parts of the books--including the last two--that will always hit the spot for me.

    Those moments where a character has a revelation, or even some of the more mundane exchanges (between Summerset and Eve, for example, or when Peabody is hungry and has to strong-arm Eve into getting something to eat, or McNabb prancing into a scene...) remind me, every time, why I stick with the series.

    So I can't say I'm terribly disappointed, and I don't think I'll quit the series any time soon--but I may stop buying them in hardback if the next one doesn't grip me like say, Memories in Death or Innocence in Death...

    And who knows, maybe the next one will rise to the level of my all time favorite, Survivor in Death ;-)

    Hope springs and all that.

    --------------------------

    As for Loyalty in Death... I loved seeing Peabody in a different light. Mind, Robb didn't suddenly make her character into something she's not, but the glimpse into her background, seen through her relationship with Zeke, is just... perfect.

    One of my favorite lines is when Eve says (last page) "Let's get out of here before I say anything else stupid." Honestly, don't ask me why, but it makes me giggle every time I read it.

    Perhaps because it's such a snapshot into the complexities and contradictions of Eve--considering what they've just faced, who really cares what she says or how she says it? Plus, exhausted, hurt, achy and reeling, she still has the heart to think about Peabody and Zeke.

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  12. At the beginning of the series I started to write down some details about each book. What is the murder mystery, who's the victim, who is to blame, how relationships grow… Just to remember what has happened and in which book. But what I haven't done, is list all those wonderful quotes that can be found in every book. Now that you asked about those quotes Christine, maybe I should add those also, starting with the next book I read :)

    I'm currently devouring Judgment in Death and loving it. I thought the previous two were fantastic but I think I like this one even more. Is it possible (especially if I gave the other two five stars already ;)? I just skimmed through what I have read and tried to pick up good quotes and scenes, but damn, there's just too many there…

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  13. azteclady... Your response makes a lot of sense. I already feel emotional invested in the core characters and think I'd always want to know what's going on with their personal development and in their relationships. It gets to the point that you can't NOT want to read their stories, even if you're not happy with how it all plays out or if the writing isn't what you've come to rightfully expect.

    I can't wait to get to those three books you mention!!

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    YES! I agree with how Peabody was casted in this book. Like you said, her character has been developing all along, but Loyalty In Death was really a lot about her. And her brother Zeke's presence was a perfect segue for that depth.

    Oh yes! That's a good Eve line, too! :)

    Maija.... the InDeath wiki page has a lot of the factual info about each book, like the victims, the crime, the basic premise, etc.. but be careful. It's very easy to accidentally read spoilers! But keeping track of favorite quotes is a great idea. I'm going to try to do that with each book, too.

    Wow! You're on Judgment in Death already?? I still have to get back to Witness In Death, but need to finish Lover Mine first as it's only a 2 week book from the library and I'm running out of time!!! :)

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  14. Christine, yep, I noticed the InDeath wiki has a lot of info about the books. Maybe I could make my work a bit easier and start grabbing all the relevant information from there - but only after reading each book, because I really want to avoid spoilers. I know writing these summaries is a bit pointless when everything can be found in the internet, but what the heck, I'll keep on doing them as long as I still have the energy :)

    I've been on a roll with these ID stories. At first I thought I should slow down, but I don't want the ID reading slump to strike again. So I've decided to make the best of this mood and enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. I'm not revealing what book I'm reading now ;) I'll report the books at the beginning of the next month. Hope you get to finish the lovely Witness soon - and remember to watch for that dinner planning thing…

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  15. Oh sheesh. Mr. Linky is so smart he remembered my entry for the year of the historical challenge. The link goes to my mini-review of Portrait in Death. (which I still want to review in full on the blog)

    So happy you're liking the books as much as I am, Christine. And sometimes, especially with these books, quotes just show & tell so much better than we could do it, ya know?

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  16. I did Naked In Death. I posted in the original challenge post saying how I've had about the 1st 8 or so in e-book just sitting on my puter for 7 mos and finally read it. I just loved it, loved Eve, loved Roarke, wonderful! I know I'm behind, but I'll catch up ;)

    I am now a follower, great blog, what a great challenge!

    Paula
    Tomes Devotee

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  17. Lori: That Mr. Linky really has the worst memory. He always has some link saved up from two or three times ago... not even my more recent one. Wacky. :)

    I am starting to stick little bits of paper in the pages where I find a quote or passage that I really like. I love the serious and thoughtful ones, but I also love the ones that make me laugh out loud. Eve & Peabody are really pretty funny.

    Paula: HI! I'm so glad you found the challenge and have decided to join! This series is SO much fun to read as it is... ten times more so when reading it with friends. :)

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