Imitation in Death

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

A copy-cat killer is on the loose, and he's re-enacting famous murders of the 19th and 20th centuries. Accompanying the murder scenes are letters written on expensive English paper, addressed to Lieutenant Eve Dallas. There are suspects galore, but can Eve catch the madman before he commits the ultimate crime and kills her?

That's the thumbnail sketch of the suspense component of Imitation in Death. In the continuing development of characters and their relationships, Morris and Eve share a quietly effective moment after the first body is discovered; he "gets" her in a way that few do. Peabody, whose growth as a police officer is showcased quite well in scenes involving one of the suspects, studies for and takes the detective exam, with reminders from Eve and McNab not to second-guess herself (McNab's reward system for Peabody involves way more than chips, btw). Eve and Roarke attend a barbeque at the Miras - Dennis, Charlotte, and extended family - after which Roarke decides to try his hand with BBQ. And J.D. Robb manages to sneak in a reference to Voldemort when Eve thinks about the now-vacationing Summerset.

As far as Eve and Roarke's relationship progression in this installment of the series, there are few fireworks, although Eve is less than thrilled when Roarke insinuates himself, as he is wont to do, over Eve's head into the most dangerous part of her investigation. As for the lieutenant herself, she decides to keep mum about her latest nightmares, which involve her mother, because of what Roarke learned about his own mother in Portrait in Death, but Roarke would have done the same thing had their situations been reversed. They have great sex, he comforts her after her nightmares, and slowly, oh-so-slowly, Eve continues to learn how to live in a marriage. No, she doesn't tranq Roarke's soup as she did in Portrait, but she's more settled and accepts that Roarke loves her...and always will.

Among the book's other highlights are the Mira BBQ (it's priceless when one of Dennis and Charlotte's grandkids climbs up on Eve's lap and nabs a piece of peach), and Eve and Mavis' visit to the wife of a suspect (Mavis in general kinda annoys me, but she was put to good use here and does more than screech). There's a nice bit of turnaround after Eve's tough questioning of that suspect. She second-guesses herself, and Peabody is there to back her up and provide the sort of support she is generally receives from Eve. Later the two disagree about how involved Peabody will be in the operation's final push. Their sarcastic give and take, as always, is great, but watching them weather the actual slights and perceived slights of a friendship provides additional depth to their relationship. Roarke's first try as a barbeque master doesn't go as planned, and watching him blame the machinery as opposed to admitting his own incompetence provide a very "male" moment. Finally...there's the killer, and the killer's motives. It won't take a rocket scientist to determine the villain's identity, but the motivations behind the murders are truly creepy.

Who do I want to see more of? Baxter and Morris. Baxter started out as a wise-cracking male slut, but in his work with Trueheart, we see him as far more than that by now. As for Morris, in none of the books of the series does he get the sort of screen time I'd like for him. His character fascinates me.

TTFN, Laurie Likes Books

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