Wednesday, November 14, 2012

REVIEW: Celebrity In Death by J.D. Robb

Title: Celebrity In Death (In Death #34)
Author: J.D. Robb
Publisher: Putnam
Publication Date: February, 2012
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Urban Fantasy
Rating: 10/10

Description: Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she's managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. It's a little spooky seeing the actress playing her, who looks almost like her long-lost twin. Not as unsettling, though, as seeing the actress who plays Peabody drowned in the lap pool on the roof of the director's luxury building.

Now she's at the center of a crime scene-and Eve is more than ready to get out of her high heels and strap on her holster and step into the role she was born to play: cop.

My Thoughts: Another fabulous Eve Dallas installment! One of the things that I noticed strongly with this book are how different Eve and Peabody are. They are like night and day but get along together and complement one another perfectly. For that matter, Eve and Roark are the same as well.

Eve is not easily influenced, swayed or impressed by much of anything. She plays her cards close to the chest at all times, shows emotion, but keeps her inner spirit locked down so tightly that most people, even those closest to her, don't know where they stand with Eve or what she is thinking or feeling.

CELEBRITY IN DEATH has Eve and Peabody rubbing elbows and hobnobbing with the glitzy and glamorous Hollywood types while filming The Icove Agenda. Where Peabody is gushing over meeting all the stars, Eve is strongly detached. Eve would much rather put on her favorite boots and coat instead of fancy party dresses and shoes designed to torture one's feet.

I really enjoy seeing Eve outside of her element and comfort zone. Thanks in great part to Roark's presence in her life, Eve holds her own quite well at social gatherings and functions but it's such a joy to see Eve switch gears from high society wife to murder cop.

Still not enough Somerset in this one, but I got my Mavis, Leonardo and Bella fix, so I'm satisfied for now. I always enjoy Eve's interactions with Bella, especially Bella's insistence that Eve give her a smooch.

This case hits a little too close to home for many of the characters. The actress portraying Peabody in the movie has been murdered. Her striking resemblance to Peabody is so acute that seeing her corpse causes many characters to display a strong emotional response.

Unfortunately, the victim is not very well liked by anyone at the party. K. T. Harris has plenty of enemies for Eve to focus on as potential suspects. After a drunken tirade at the dinner party, even Eve is not one of the victim's fans.

Once again, Eve does a fantastic job of ferreting out the most obscure clues that eventually lead her down the path to finding the killer. The speed with which she accomplishes this amazes me even more. It's almost as if the crime scene speaks to Eve, tells her its secrets. Being a cop is all Eve has ever known. It's definitely in her blood, but it's also in her soul. I'm glad Peabody is so different and that she doesn't try to mirror Dallas. She can hold her own just the way she is, but I never get tired of seeing these two wonderful characters in action, two halves of a whole.

I think fans of this series will be very pleased with what CELEBRITY IN DEATH has to offer. A lot of fast-paced action, snappy dialogue, several laugh out loud moments and an intriguing plot makes this one of the best Eve Dallas books out there.

No comments:

Followers

Blog Archive

About Me

My photo
I am not a professional reviewer, but I love to read and share my opinions on my reading with others who are interested. I work full time but my ideal perfect day would be to curl up with a good book. The majority of the books I review here are from my private collection and my reviews are provided purely for entertainment purposes. I receive no compensation whatsoever for sharing my thoughts and review on any book. If you would like me to review your book, please email me at sharalsbooks@yahoo.com Happy Reading! :o)