REVIEW OF AUDIOBOOK: JANUARY 24, 2014 - 5 STARSNarrator: Cristine McMurdo-WallisNaturally, I couldn't remember any of the 9 In Death books that I read pre-2008 and to find a review or book blurb on GR is not easy because all anyone really talks about, or remembers, or bothers with, is Roarke. It's nothing but Roarke, Roarke, Roarke, from start to finish; from one book to the next.Long after NR stops writing the series, I and countless other In Death fans, will still be smitten with him. Today, nineteen years after Roarke came to Planet Earth, he is still my quintessential hero. No other hero created by a romance writer has made me actually wish he were real and was mine! Other heroes in the RS and straight-up romance I've read may be drool-worthy but they've never ever made me envy a fictional character - the woman he loves.So, alright I'm still Roarke-crazy after almost 20 years since I read the first book, Naked in Death but I enjoy the stories more today than I did back then (I was very reluctant to try Roberts' new futuristic series) and it's the first time I've read/listened to a series, one book after the next and still am not tired of it.GiD is about the murder of a prominent prosecuting attorney Cicely Towers, whose throat was slashed. So was Yvonne Metcalf, an aspiring actress, with whom Roarke had a brief affair, though 'affair' would be an exaggeration if Roarke's scanty recollection is to be believed. It was fun to see Eve getting jealous.This second installment is narrated by Cristine McMurdo-Wallis, not Susan Ericksen and I find Wallis' voice more pleasant than Ericksen's. The audiobooks I have on hand are lent by a friend who bought them as CD-Roms when they were released though they are all available through my local library via OverDrive. The one from my library is narrated by Ericksen so I was curious as to how Wallis would compare. I am pleasantly surprised at how good she is, that I like her better than Ericksen, though Wallis does not give Roarke that touch of Irish in his voice as Ericksen does (though still very slight). I missed that.The murderer wasn't hard to figure out after the third woman is killed so I have to say, in the end, I love this second title because of the Roarke-Dallas romance, not because the murder mystery is that riveting. I remembered Roarke proposed here but I had forgotten how. It was so good to have my memory refreshed:) At 3am, I started on the 3rd installment, Immortal in Death, but Ericksen's voice was awful in that one and I had to find something else to listen to.-----------------------------------------------------------------------REVIEW OF PAPERBACK: SEPTEMBER 2008I'm a little past half-way through and I can say right at this point that I hate it when Roarke isn't around. Unlike the first book, Naked In Death, I found myself less interested in the murder mystery this time and more focused on Eve's and Roarke's relationship.I'm curious whether Glory will end in a proposal and if it does, will Eve accept or do I have to wait till Book 3 (whatever that title is) to find out - or, God forbid, several titles later! I'll know the first part of my question later today when I've finished the book.Okay, I'm done.I loved this second book of the In Death series. I fell in love with Roarke back in book 1 (together with a zillion other women, I know) and I knew he was incomparable by the time book 2 ended. I'm reading this the second time more than 10 years later and can say unequivocally that there's been NO hero that's gotten my heart and soul as Roarke has and that's really something for me.I don't know how the rest of the series will pan out. I know some titles are better than other and some will have less of Roarke in it. I can only say that I started to give this series a second chance with the intention of understanding and liking Eve - and I do and like her very much now (I detested her when I read Naked and Glory back in the 90s) but what I did not see coming was feeling so intensely about Roarke this time round.He's literally the guy I fantasized about back in my pre- teens (sans the sex(; a best friend who happens to be male; the boy that appears in my dreams and flies me to another planet and finally, he is the man I married who's stuck with me through my horrid "Eve moments" when the existentialist pain bubbles up.
3.5 Stars (though I almost gave it 4- until I wrote the review and realized I was disappointed in NR) I'm sorry to my In Death friends, I'd love comments on any difference of opinion. I like the characters, Roarke is a god and Eve is seriously growing on me. But Nora Roberts rarely gives it her all. Well, I know this is just a book. And I need to suspend disbelief a little to enjoy many of my favorite authors, series, books, movies, etc. But serial killers are not like this at all. I don't mean to be melodramatic, but a dear friend of mine was murdered and the town ravished by a serial killer. Robb wrote the suspense ending of the story without much research and thought. I certainly don't mind suspense-lite, but this book made me feel belittled as a reader. It's definitely not meant for serious reading. Please be assured, anyone reading ths: I can put my personal knowledge of what it's really like aside easily. IMO, the eyes of any suspense fan would call foul on this ending. It was just too 'easy" and cheesy for a pro like Nora Roberts. I wish Nora Roberts would concentrate more on research and quality and less on cranking out quantity. The world of intelligent Romantic Suspense is lacking. Oh and why the hell would Roarke have a huge society party during the pinacle of Eve's case. The night of the party is pretty outrageous. And why on earth would he leave her alone while she acts as bait for a serial killer?!?!?! Oh forgot how angry that makes me. I take back the Roarke is a god statement! While the book has lots of yummy Roarke and Eve drama and relationship issues to increase its value on my ratings scale, the painful scenes with Roarke telling Eve his ex was a great, carefree lover and how much spirit and beauty she had made me almost as crazy as Christian's "bath with the ex-sub" scene in 50 Shades of Crap2. All in all, ths was not nearly as good as the first book in my opinion. Though there is one shining star in the mix-- Susan Erickson narrates the series. She is so damn good in this book, she has easily become my hands down favorite series narrator. The good parts of this book were highlighted by Erickson: Eve who hasn't always been my favorite heroine, gets a fresh perspective that's hard not to love- through the interpretation of Susan Erickson. Oh and her accent and timing for Roarke is almost in league with Phil Gigante's JZB. (before I am flayed alive, remember Erickson is rocks at male and female voices; Gigante is great at sexy male voices, but his female voices leave a hell of a lot to be desired (Dreamman- Linda Howard audio??)
What do You think about Glory In Death (1995)?
I'm really falling in love with these books! The mysteries are in depth and complex, even if I do figure them out way early. It usually takes something exceptional to pull one over on me, so I can't dock a book because it fails to do so, especially if it's quite well written. (I realize that sounds kind of like a humble-brag, but how else do I put it? lol)I'm glad I got the first 4 books of this series on sale, because I'll be inhaling them. It's also comforting to know I have many many more in the series to look forward to!
—Samantha
Overall “Glory in Death” is a good mystery/suspense story but if you’re looking for an equal balance of romance, seeing as it’s listed as « romantic suspense », you won’t get that here. The story is relatively quick paced and you have a good futuristic feel, but I kept wanting to read more about the growing intimacy between Roarke and Eve. The book is more borderline fiction than romance I thought because Robb tends to gloss over the steam a little too often and focus more on the rest of the story than the couple. Book two in the In Death series has Eve on the hunt for a serial killer who could have some connection to Mr Hot to Trot Roarke. Roarke is trying to get Eve to trust him more and you get a few more tidbits about her horrific childhood throughout the story. Eve is fighting a losing battle with herself about whether or not to fall more for Roarke or continue along Independent Road all by her lonesome. In a way she almost feels like he’s suffocating her but she doesn’t really know why because she does like being with him. Roarke starts to get very PO’d at Eve because she’s spending more time working and less time with him. She’s a bit too abrasive sometimes for my taste but it seems to work with Roarke and you can excuse it because you know there’s a likely reason for her behavior that’s no doubt connected to what little you know of her nightmarish childhood.Of course the murder is solved at the end and Eve and Roarke are at another point in their relationship all the while leaving the reader to wonder what steps she plans to take to solidify things more. After finishing the book I thought I’d be done with the series but I am interested in what happens next and how Roarke and Eve’s relationship develops.
—Eastofoz
Glory In Death follows Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she works to capture the person slashing successful women's throats. This was my second "In Death" book and while the murderer is fairly easy to figure out, I enjoyed the mystery plot a lot more than Innocent in Death. However, my rating for Glory In Death is entirely for the mystery because I hated the sub-plot of Eve's relationship drama with Roarke.Basically, the characters are on different levels in their relationship. Roarke wants commitment and for Eve to move in with him. Eve isn't quite ready for that step and is trying to adjust to Roarke's constant, I love you's. Instead of respecting that they've been dating less than a year, and that Eve is not ready for the next step, Roarke plays mind games. I was extremely frustrated with the direction this plot thread took and with how high-handed Roarke was with Eve. Forcing someone to move in with you and say I love you, does not automatically fix their commitment issues. If anything, this would only cause more problems down the road. But since Roarke is devoted to Eve and he's "oh so sexy, smart and rich", we're supposed to think his manipulations are romantic. While reading this, I could not understand why a character like Eve would put with Roarke's actions. It didn't gel for me. So, after finishing this, I decided to read the first book in the series to see if I could figure them out as a couple If you're looking to start this series, I would recommend reading one of the later books. The stories stand well on their own, so you wouldn't be lost.
—Samantha
