Warning! This review contains minor spoilers for earlier books in the In Death series.Fans of the In Death series are already aware that Lieutenant Eve Dallas dealt with some tough stuff in her childhood. Memory in Death deals with Eve's past, but takes a different approach by focusing on what happened to her after being discovered in a hotel room at eight years old. While it was not my favorite of the series by far, I found this one to be enjoyable and a great example of how good JD Robb is at character development.The action starts early when Trudy Lombard shows up to talk to Eve at Cop Central. Trudy was her first foster mother after being put into the system and the treatment that Eve suffered during those few months comes racing back. Trudy attempts to blackmail Eve and her billionaire husband, Roarke, in order to keep certain aspects of Eve's past a secret. And things get even more complicated when Trudy is found murdered in her hotel room and Eve is first on scene.I thought this particular mystery was interesting because there was only one victim and it was someone that Eve and her team didn't care much for while they were alive. Eve's determination to finding Trudy's killer shows how devoted she is to her job and the victims of murder. She doesn't have to have liked the person, but she will defend their right to live to the best of her ability. I did figure out the identity of the killer early on so that was a different reading experience for me. It was interesting, though, to see how JD Robb fit all the pieces together by the end.Besides the case, Eve is also dealing with her "favorite" time of year: Christmas. I love the fact that such a strong, intelligent woman is completely freaked by buying, giving, and even receiving gifts. I think my favorite scenes involved Eve giving the people that have become so dear to her their presents. She is so uncomfortable, but also very good at figuring out what would work best for each of them. I think Roarke's reaction was the best though Peabody was pretty awesome as well.I mentioned at the beginning that Memory in Death shows Robb's character development skills. When readers first meet Eve, she is a loner who is work-obsessed and completely anti-social. She has grown so much since this time and I think the little scenes show so much. Eve may never be completely comfortable with accepting fatherly hugs from Dennis Mira or with coaching her best friend Mavis during her upcoming labor, but she has figured out how important they are which is all that matters.
This story was more formulaic than the others have been so far. Maybe JD needed a break, or she seriously thought we wouldn't notice if she dumbed down the plot a bit in this one. Not going to stop me, though. I love me some EVE and ROARKE. I could see who the killer was from a long way off, but that was the only thing I didn't enjoy about this book. There were too many cute moments in it, especially when Eve was choosing presents for her 'family'. And we got to see how Eve's early life in the foster system began, which I hate to think is the norm in the real world. Poor Bobby, and poor Eve. We also learn why Eve became a cop in the first place. She did it to stop people like Trudy - the foster mom from hell - from being able to abuse children and/or scam the system and get away with it. We learn that in addition to the abuse suffered at the hands of her father, these early experiences with Trudy shaped her notions of right and wrong, and gave her the moral center that anchors her through any storm, large or small.The holidays are such a quagmire for Eve. She doesn't have much experience caring about people in the way she's learned to since meeting Roarke (with the exception of Feeney, her former partner). And she doesn't know what to do about her emotions, or how to rein them in while not becoming a robot. Mira tries to help, by telling her that even she and Dennis fight about things. I cried for our brave heroine when she sobbed into Dennis Mira's shoulder. And nodded with approval (and nearly cheered aloud) when she announced that Peabody's gift was the plane tickets for her and McNab to visit his family in Scotland. I love these characters, and the world that JD Robb has created around them. I'll keep reading as long as she keeps writing.
What do You think about Memory In Death (2006)?
Memory in Death is the 22nd book in In Death series by J.D.Robb. After all those books it was natural to see a slight change of rhythm. This book is a great example of that.This is been a great series so far but it is normal to start to loose the excitement. I have to say, in defence of the author of which I'm a great fan, until this book I've never felt any change in my enthusiasm for the books in this series.But this Memory in Death was different in every aspect. It started out okay, with certain interesting details and I was very excited with the reading. But then, I started to loose some interest. It is true when some people say - they're even more fan that I am - that this book is somewhat difficult to read. There's no fluidity in the writing and the reader starts to loose concentration until all he sees is the words passing by but he's not really absorbing them. That's how I felt reading this book. I understand that this book speaks about something difficult, a period in Eve's life that we weren't aware of until this book. It speaks about the period she spent with a foster mother except you can risk the mother out of the equation. So, you see what I'm trying to say? This is book is indeed sad and extremely difficult. But I could not find the thing, the sentiment that Robb usually puts into her books to make them exceptional. Maybe it's just me, I don't' know.. I certainly hope the next volume is better.
—Filipa
Eve Dallas walks into her office and immediately is confronted with her past. There sits Trudy Lombard, one of her foster parents during her time in Dallas, a woman who'd best be described as "Mommie Dearest." Unprepared, Eve handles the situation poorly and has a physical reaction that levels her. When Roarke discovers what has happened, he smartly realizes it won't be long before Trudy will visit him for a shakedown. This book is worth the read if solely to read that scene!That's all I'll share about the story so you'll have the pleasure of following what happens next. This book is a treacherous path down Eve's memory lane and we gain lots of insight into her past in addition to an intriguing murder mystery she and Peabody are tasked to solve. It's interesting and the culprit isn't easy to identify but it's possible. This ranks as one of my favorites in the series both for the mystery/suspense and the peeling back of Eve's many layers.
—Jonetta
This was not one of my favourites mostly due to the fact that I hated both Zana and Trudy. Trudy was one of Eve's foster mothers and a true "wicked step mother" and you get a glimpse of what Eve went through in those early years. Zana is one of those TSTL characters and I knew early on who the killer would be. Bobby is just a hapless dupe who allowed his mother to run his life but you still feel sorry for him and all he went through at the end. I guess it a sign of a great writer that you can dislike the characters in the book and still want to read it! A nice moment was when Dennis Mira put his arm around Eve and she uncharacteristically breaks into tears and allows him to comfort her and in this book Mira and Eve get back on track. Another fight between Roarke and Eve allows her to learn more about herself and her role in her relationship. I really like the way Robb is developing each character as the series goes on and I'm really looking forward to the coaching classes coming up! I hope they are covered in one of the next books!
—Reen
