In Death Series Reading Challenge August 2011

Oops! I promised vacation pictures, but would you look at that? It's the last day of August already which means I have to give this month's In Death Challenge post priority. It'll drive me nuts if the August post went up in September.

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE
and join the fun!

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
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 this month!

REMINDER: In order to be eligible for the challenge giveaway in August 2011, you must have read four In Death books between April 1, 2011 and August 31, 2011 and have documented that you have either on your own blog, on goodreads [please leave a link to your profile if we're not already friends there] or you can let us know what you read here in the comments of the monthly In Death Reading Challenge posts. See below for giveaway details!

BOOK REVIEW:
I never got around to posting my mini review for this one in last month's challenge post, so I'm doing it here. This book is probably among one of my favorites in the series at this point.

Divided In Death by J.D. Robb
Divided In Death brought some new and unusual stresses to Eve and Roarke's lives. First, the murder investigation becomes a personal one because the prime suspect for a double murder is Reva Ewing--one of Roarke's top security employees who also happens to be the beloved daughter of Caro who is Roarke's executive secretary. Then the stress level is kicked up even more so when Roarke inadvertently uncovers some startling information about Eve's tragic and abusive childhood situation. The revelation is horrendous, and of course Roarke wants justice--or is it revenge?-- for the travesty, yet Eve decides to "let it go." This becomes a source of heat between them, and I don't mean the good kind. It adds fuel to this already stressful time for them, but you know it only brings them closer in the end. The intensity of the friction between Eve and Roarke and the complexity of the murder investigation that hits so close to home makes Divided In Death a winner for me.

Visions In Death by J.D. Robb
In this story, Eve and her team are investigating a serial murderer who is killing women of a specific profile, removing her eyes and displaying her naked with nothing but a red ribbon around her neck. A woman with a psychic gift comes to Eve with information because she has had very graphic visions of the murders and hopes to help. Of course, this is a difficult avenue for Eve's logical and scientific mind, but she handles it well. Someone on her team takes a really bad hit at one point in the novel, and while I felt confident that the author would not let this character die, I have to admit it was quite stressful to read. It was comforting to see the friends come together to support each other and reach out to the injured during this difficult time. There was also an unexpected twist of sorts in the murder plot that I enjoyed. It's good when a crime fiction author can surprise or stump her readers after twenty something books.

SERIES DISCUSSION:
I think I enjoy the progress of the friendship between Eve and Peabody most out of all the relationships in this series. Professionally, Peabody is learning from having Eve--the city's best cop, as her mentor. Personally, Eve is discovering the joys and complications of having friends in her life. While Peabody isn't the only one in Eve's ever expanding circle of loved ones, the fact that they work and socialize together really strengthens their relationship. Plus they have some of the most entertaining conversations!

Which relationships do you enjoy most in this series? 


CHALLENGE GIVEAWAY:

Did anyone read four In Death books between May and August 2011? Let me know.