Hiiya fam! I hope you’re doing good? I’m splendid, you know. Feeling super good. Lol!!!
Soo.. you know how i said before that Nora Roberts is my ultimate favourite author ever!!? (J.K. Rowling has a spot too and she’s never, ever, ever moving from there. Harry Potter was, sorry, IS dope!)
Well, i deemed it fit to start off my book review with one of her novels. I’ve read lots of her books so far and i have a few copies but the ones that have my heart in a lock grip are her ” In Death ” series where she writes under her pseudonym ” J.D. Robb “.
Without mincing words, here is a brief bio of Nora Roberts according to Wikipedia and IMDb.
“Nora Roberts was born on October 10, 1950 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA as Eleanor Robertson. She is known for her work on Sanctuary(2001), Blue Smoke (2007) and Carolina Moon(2007). She has been married to Bruce Wilder since July 6, 1985. She was previously married to Ronald Aufdem-Brinke. Nora Roberts is an American bestselling author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the in Death series, and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publications in the U.K. as Sarah Hardesty.”
About three years ago, a friend of mine (bless you Gbemi!), gave me the e-version of about thirty of these books or thereabout. The “In Death” series have 56 books currently in publication. 1 will be released 30th on this month and another will be released in September. Here is a list of the chronological order of the series (from Wikipedia, of course )
- Naked in Death (July 1995, ISBN978-0-425-14829-7)
- Glory in Death (December 1995, ISBN978-0-425-15098-6)
- Immortal in Death (July 1996, ISBN978-0-425-15378-9)
- Rapture in Death (October 1996, ISBN978-0-425-15518-9)
- Ceremony in Death (May 1997, ISBN978-0-425-15762-6)
- Vengeance in Death (October 1997, ISBN978-0-425-16039-8)
- Holiday in Death (June 1998, ISBN978-0-425-16371-9)
- Midnight in Death, Silent Night Anthology (November 1998, ISBN978-0-515-12385-2)
- Conspiracy in Death (April 1999, ISBN978-0-425-16813-4)
- Loyalty in Death (October 1999, ISBN978-0-425-17140-0)
- Witness in Death (March 2000, ISBN978-0-425-17363-3)
- Judgment in Death (September 2000, ISBN978-0-425-17630-6)
- Betrayal in Death (March 2001, ISBN978-0-425-17857-7)
- Interlude in Death, Out of this WorldAnthology (August 2001, ISBN978-0-515-13109-3)
- Seduction in Death (September 2001, ISBN978-0-425-18146-1)
- Reunion in Death (March 2002, ISBN978-0-425-18397-7)
- Purity in Death (September 2002, ISBN978-0-425-18630-5)
- Portrait in Death (March 2003, ISBN978-0-425-18903-0)
- Imitation in Death (September 2003, ISBN978-0-425-19158-3)
- Remember When with Nora Roberts (2003, ISBN978-0-399-15106-4)
- Divided in Death (January 2004, ISBN978-0-399-15154-5)
- Visions in Death (August 2004, ISBN978-0-399-15171-2)
- Survivor in Death (February 2005, ISBN978-0-399-15208-5)
- Origin in Death (July 2005, ISBN978-0-399-15289-4)
- Memory in Death (January 2006, ISBN978-0-399-15328-0)
- Haunted in Death, Bump in the NightAnthology (April 2006, ISBN978-0-515-14117-7)
- Born in Death (November 2006, ISBN978-0-399-15347-1)
- Innocent in Death (February 2007, ISBN978-0-399-15401-0)
- Creation in Death (November 2007, ISBN978-0-399-15436-2)
- Eternity in Death, Dead of Night Anthology (November 2007, ISBN978-0-515-14367-6)**
- Strangers in Death (February 2008, ISBN978-0-399-15470-6)
- Salvation in Death (November 2008, ISBN978-0-399-15522-2)
- Ritual in Death, Suite 606 Anthology (November 2008, ISBN978-0-425-22444-1)
- Promises in Death (February 2009, ISBN978-0-399-15548-2)
- Kindred in Death (November 2009, ISBN978-0-399-15595-6)
- Missing in Death, The Lost Anthology (December 2009, ISBN978-0-515-14718-6)
- Fantasy in Death (January 2010, ISBN978-0-749-94078-2)
- Indulgence in Death (Nov. 2, 2010, ISBN978-0-399-15687-8)
- Possession in Death, The Other SideAnthology (Nov. 30, 2010, ISBN978-0-515-14867-1)
- Treachery in Death (Feb. 22, 2011, ISBN978-0-399-15703-5)
Time of Death ( June 28, 2011) (reprint of novellas Eternity in Death (30), Ritual in Death (33), and Missing in Death (36)) - New York to Dallas (Sep. 13, 2011, ISBN978-0-399-15778-3)
- Chaos in Death, The Unquiet Anthology (Sep. 27, 2011, ISBN978-0-515-14998-2)
- Celebrity in Death (Feb. 21, 2012, ISBN978-0-399-15830-8)
- Delusion in Death (Sep. 13, 2012, ISBN978-0-399-15881-0)
- Calculated in Death (Feb. 23, 2013, ISBN978-0-399-15882-7)
- Thankless in Death (September 2013, ISBN978-0-399-16442-2)
- Taken in Death, Mirror, Mirror Anthology (October 2013)
- Concealed in Death (February 2014, ISBN978-0-399-16443-9)
- Festive in Death (September 2014, ISBN978-0-399-16444-6)
- Obsession in Death (February 2015, ISBN978-0-399-17087-4)
- Devoted in Death (September 2015, ISBN978-0-399-17088-1)
- Wonderment in Death, Down the Rabbit Hole anthology (September 2015, ISBN978-1-501-22377-8)
- Brotherhood in Death (February 2016, ISBN978-0-399-17089-8)
- Apprentice in Death (September 2016, ISBN978-1-101-98797-1)
- Echoes in Death (February 2017, ISBN978-1-250-12311-4)
- Secrets in Death (September 2017, ISBN978-1-250-12315-2)
- Dark in Death (January 30, 2018, ISBN978-1-250-16153-6)
- Leverage in Death (September 6, 2018, ISBN978-0-349-41791-2)
Fantasy in Death is No. 37 on the list. Google Books has this summary about the book.
“Four best friends want to rule the world of virtual reality games. Their newest invention is just about to be launched when one is found brutally killed, defeated by their own game. Their close-knit group is torn apart. Who could have engineered a virtual death with such devastating consequences? As Eve Dallas digs deeper, peeling back layers of secrets, revenge and misplaced allegiances, she realises with growing dread the depth of the killer’s master plan.”
As with every In Death book, Eve Dallas is the main character and she revolves around solving murder cases. Despite this book being set in the future (2059 or thereabouts) where technology is already very advanced, i like how she was able to infuse an extra layer of technology without making it look surreal. Bart Minnock, the e-geek that was murdered, was killed by an imaginary game, Fantastical, which had the technology of a real sword infused into it. As such, when the bad guy loped his head off in the virtual world, it actually happened in his reality.
I also liked the twists and turns in the novel had. Try as i might, i couldn’t figure out which of his three best friends who had committed the murder. At one point, it seemed like the novel was coming to an end and suddenly another spin came into it. Allen Cilla, Bart’s friend and partner at U-Play, was seriously injured while playing the same game, Fantastical. Her near-death experience helped Eve Dallas figure the whole thing out and she nabbed the culprit, Edvar Hoyt, who was also a partner at U-Play.
It was really sad for me that someone who Bart regarded as his best friend ended up murdering him using a platform he loved best- gaming. It goes to show that the unexpected betrayals sometimes come from those closest to our hearts. Bart’s love for games eventually became his Achilles heel.
Apart from these, the storyline had a flow to it. You wouldn’t get lost at any point and Eve Dallas’ character was easily relatable. There were no boring parts so i hardly skipped any page. I just kept at it till the very end. This romantic suspense novel was pretty awesome. Join the In Death series train. You would love it. You can get some of them on https://www.e-reading.mobi. Don’t forget to drop a title in the Comments section. I will review it if possible. Until my next post, ta-ra fam!
Anita is a budding activist. She’s most comfortable in a pair of tan shorts and an old blue jersey. Beans and plantains has literally stolen her heart but she gets to borrow it once in a while. She is a God lover and has a free spirit.