Ginny Frost
Divided in Death by J.D. Robb fulfilled the “Favorite Prompt from a past
PopSugar Reading Challenge” category for this year’s challenge. This novel
also fits the categories: series with more than twenty books, and author who
has written more than twenty books. I
chose the Audio Book prompt as it’s my favorite. I read tons on audio, and this
was an easy fill.
Actually, I read most of my novels that way this year
as I merrily cross-stitched over fifty bookmarks I plan to sell at book events.
(Hit me up if you need a handmade bookmark for the holidays.) To be honest, I
listened to thirty-four audiobooks for the challenge, but not all made the
blog.
I went with Divided in Death instead of two
other novels because I realized I have few romances on the list this year. I’m a romance writer, so you’d
figure I’d have tons of romance in that list of fifty books. But I’ve tried to
have a wide variety of titles for the blog to appeal to a wider audience. Then
I forgot my regular audience. Sorry. So, I grabbed a Nora Roberts, and here we
are. (For those who don’t know, J.D. Robb is a pen name for Nora.)
This is novel number eighteen in the In Death
series. I’ve read the
previous seventeen, enjoying the mix of romance, mystery, police procedural,
and a splash of sci-fi. The novels take place in the near future, and Ms. Robb
gets to invent any kind of tech she needs to solve the case. But it’s done so
well and flawlessly, you don’t notice. That might sound like I’m trashing the course
and this story.
No
way.
I
love these books. Ms. Robb creates the perfect mix of the genres. She thumbs
her nose at the idea romances are limited to one story per couple. The series
has fifty titles with the same couple, and at eighteen, they are still in love,
still hot, and still learning about each other.
The main plot deals with the murder of two people and
a false accusation of an employee of the hero. But the couple subplot was my
favorite part. The two main characters, Dallas and Rourke, are very different
but share a passionate, almost heart-breaking love for each other. In Divided
in Death, they are at odds about a huge issue that could tear them apart.
The tension between them runs through the murder mystery, heightening the
stakes, pushing all their issues and the main plot points at the same time.
Hence the title.
This book is a template for anyone writing a mystery
with romantic elements. Just look at the way Ms. Robb weaves the subplots
together, never missing a beat. The flow is seamless, the action intense, the
love scenes still blush-worthy after eighteen full novels.
I like the In Death series, but I loved this
title.
I give Divided
in Death by J.D. Robb Five Bizarre Metal Art Statues.