Comments on: Conspiracy in Death

By: Allen Latham

Allen Latham — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 21:47:09 +0000

Once again Eve tracks down the sadistic bad guy. Ms Robb has a superior talent. I am glad she decided to share this talent with the rest of the world. I hope she continues in this matter.
Rating: 5 / 5

By: L. Phipps

L. Phipps — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:00:19 +0000

I rented this book on CD and thought, how could I go wrong with Nora Roberts. I found this book to be slow and I really did not care about the characters. The language bothered me and Eve Dallas just did not come across well in this book. I did not find this book interesting and for an 8 hour drive I fought to finish it. Nora is too good for this kind of writing. Read her Irish trilogy a much better choice.
Rating: 3 / 5

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:41:25 +0000

I’ll preface this by saying that the futuristic murder mystery is not my usual genre. I found myself desperate for a book with nothing else around — so I dove into Conspiracy in Death. The “future” setting was gritty, dark, cold and impersonal. The interactions between characters were abrupt and simplistic. Things did not always tie together logically. And, at times, I was almost embarrassed to be reading the book. However, I did read the book. In fact, I galloped through it. It gave me the same sense of complete “escape” that I get from an occasional soap opera or people magazine. I look forward to having a few more of the “in Death” series on hand for the Summer. This book was not a great work of literature … but it did provide much needed and appreciated entertainment.
Rating: 3 / 5

By: Debbie

Debbie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:24:51 +0000

Initially, I enjoyed the series, but after the 4th or 5th book they started reading like assembly line stories. (Deadline is near, better crank out another story.) I was hoping that Eve’s feminine characteristics would develop once she didn’t have to be so tough and on her own.
Rating: 3 / 5

By: M.D.

M.D. — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:28:38 +0000

Let me qualify the proceeding by saying this is the first (and will probably be the last) book of the “In Death” series I’ve read. I assume there has been a good reason in the past for this series to be set in the future but there certainly isn’t for this installment. The future setting adds nothing at all to the story. At the same token it doesn’t really detract either so I’ll just let it slide.
The story just isn’t that interesting. There are no remarkable revelations of evidence and for the most part, you know the basics of the why’s/who’s of the crime and your just waiting for the “official” data to come in. I’ve read alot of police procedurals in my time and this is definately one of the least interesting plots I’ve come across.
I find the protagonist to be thoroughly unlikable. Eve Dallas is completely butch. Ms. Roberts has confused strength of character and toughness with masculinity. So much so that female police officers are actually addressed as “Sir.” I don’t think a paragraph goes by where Eve Dallas doesn’t want to punch someone. Many other writers have written female detectives as tough without stripping them completely of their femininity.
The dialogue is melodramatic and cliche – and not in a charming Raymond Chandler sort of way. The author attempts to impart to the reader how great her characters are by having the other characters tell them how great they are. It’s a classic case of “telling” and not “showing.” – a big characterization no-no.
This is one of the few detective stories where my interest in finding out the details of the murders actually decreased as more evidence mounted. This book is awful – I would suggest Michael Connelly (especially The Poet) instead. I can’t think of a single writer I wouldn’t recommend over Roberts. Very surprised at the reviews here at Amazon.
Rating: 2 / 5