Divided in Death

Divided in Death J.D. Robb Grade: B+ Sensuality: Warm

Divided in Death won't please mystery/suspense readers as much as it will please readers looking for character and relationship development. Eve and Roarke weather times even tougher than those encountered in Portrait in Death. Instead of Roarke's history biting him on the ass, it's Eve's this time, as the couple learns that government agents were aware of the crimes committed against her by her father, yet did nothing to protect her. Roarke's need for revenge is soul-deep, but Eve is a cop through and through, and their differing views on the situation threaten their ability to communicate. Eve suffers greatly throughout much of the book, and Roarke reminds her who he really is underneath the smooth veneer. But she does know the real him, and what sets this book apart is how the issue is resolved...and that Eve realizes the cost to Roarke, and vice versa.

As for the story itself, and how Eve and Roarke come to realize the government's complicity in her abuse as a child, here's a thumbnail sketch. Reva Ewing, a security specialist for Roarke Enterprises, is also the daughter of Roarke's personal assistant. Reva becomes the prime suspect in the murders of her husband and a close woman friend, whom she discovers in bed together. Her first call isn't to the police, though, it's to her mother, who in turn calls Roarke, who convinces Eve not to accept on face value the evidence before her. As if!

Somebody has gone to a lot of trouble to frame Reva, and it's going to take time for the e-cops (and Roarke) to figure out just what her dead artist husband, Blair Bissel, was up to, because his computer records were wiped clean. Reva is working on a top secret project involving a contract secured by Roarke Enterprises to develop a response to techno-terrorists who threaten national security. There are some in the government who find Roarke suspicious - once a criminal, always a criminal. They want to find him guilty of some wrong-doing, or at least beat him to the punch by stealing his people's work in order to nullify his contract. It all fits together when it is discovered that Blair Bissel was a spy. Not only are mini-cameras and bugs found in the home Reva and Blair shared, he somehow found a way to inject a device into Reva herself that allows governmental agents to listen - and view - her at work at Roarke Enterprises.

While Roarke is poking around on his non-registered computer, he comes across the information concerning Eve. There are those who would use that same information to thwart her investigation into the government, but her commander and her chief will have none of it, and work continues.

On a somewhat lighter front, Peabody provides comic relief in her constant references to herself as a detective. At one point Eve tells her partner that she's "not going to be able to milk that much longer," to which Peabody replies: "I figure I've got at least a month to mention my detective status three times a day. After that, I'm weaning myself."

I agree with Leigh Thomas, who reviewed this book for AAR, that there's too much Mavis, but as her pregnancy and Eve and Roarke's involvement as coaches plays a big part in a later book, I was willing to deal with it. What works best about the pregnancy here, though, is Eve's reaction to her friend's ever-growing belly. She views the baby inside as an alien being. It all works in the context of Eve's personality, her toughness, her being the opposite of a girly-girl, and her bafflement with Mavis, Mira, Nadine, and Peabody about anything feminine.

Read Divided in Death for the characters you've come to know and love throughout the series, because the mystery/suspense component has a very saggy middle. Had it been less slow, this one would have been a DIK for me.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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