Dark in Death by J.D. Robb

Dark in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This book has been my favorite of the In Death series, as the plot centers around books. The killer imagines themselves a better writer than an author they once greatly admired, and decides to recreate her books in real life, but making the villain victorious. After the second murder, the author sees the disturbing similarities and alerts the police. Eve and her team must stop the killer before people die, and eventually the author herself becomes the target. The author, her mother and two teenage daughters are strong female characters who offer great clues, and know how to take care of themselves.
This is my favorite mystery series at this point in time. As a rule, I pick cozy mysteries over other sub-genres because I don't like gratuitous violence. But I also don't care for bumbling, helpless female detectives. This series has the best of both. The murders usually happen off-scene, and in the books I've read so far, no torture has been involved (granted, I've only read 4 books). Eve is smart, savvy, brave and flawed. Her relationship with her colleagues shows respect, leadership and empathy. Her relationship with her husband, Roarke, is hot, full of passion, but also of mutual admiration, adoration, love and desire. They complete each other, and together they are more than the sum of their parts.
As much as I enjoy them, I don't think I could take a steady diet of them, and at the rate of 2 or 3 a year, I may never finish the whole series. So I'll pick and choose, and stop reading if Eve and Roarke ever split up. I have to give a shout-out to Debbie, the Drake Library housekeeper, who introduced me to this series. I think she probably re-read the entire series each year, as I never saw her on break without one in her hands.

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