Audible Book Review; Print Giveaway: Rapture in Death by J. D. Robb

Another fast paced listen!

Rapture in Death: In Death, Book 4

• UNABRIDGED
• by J. D. Robb
• Narrated by Susan Ericksen

Genre: Crime Thriller
My Rating:  4.75 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary:
They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common - and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsies revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder?

Eve's investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games - where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction.

Crack another case with Eve Dallas.

Review: This is the fourth story in this great series.
Eve and Rourke are finishing up their honeymoon when they are disrupted by an apparent suicide of one of the employees. There is no reason for the young man to kill himself and the death scene is odd with the man hanging naked with a smile on his face.

Soon Eve is called to another death scene which again appears to be a suicide with the victim, a brutal defense attorney, naked and smiling.  But neither the man’s lover nor Eve believe he would kill himself.

Next Eve is pulled in to talk down a high profile journalist who is threatening to jump off a building ledge.  The naked woman is happily raving and almost takes Eve with her. Eve learns of another death of a controversial politician and her persistence, and a bit of stretching the rules, helps to find evidence of a burn spot on the brains of three of the victims. Now Eve is even more convinced that something, or someone, is triggering these deaths.

While Eve struggles with the investigations, her good friend Mavis is cutting a song demo. The music producer is very eager to get support from Eve and Roarke. They don’t realize at first that they have some intensely wild behavior each time they listen to the demo music. But an uncontrollable incident makes Eve suspect that the bizarre deaths are being instigated by music and possibly a new virtual reality headset. Although Eve has a suspect, he doesn’t fit all the profiles and they are having trouble linking him to the deaths.

There is plenty of fast paced momentum in the mystery with clues and misdirection as to the culprit(s). The personalities and interactions of the characters is wonderfully human and engaging.  Even though Mavis might drive you crazy she is an eccentric change of pace in the characters. I enjoy Peabody’s (Eve’s new officer assistant) directness and wry wit and Feeney’s (Eve’s former partner) dependable support and talents that complement Eve’s efforts.

The narrator does a fine job with all the accents and the high energy and pace of the book. I listened to it in two days!

Three word description: Intense, intriguing, “mag” (as Mavis would say, which I think means magnificent!)

This series consists of 33 full length novels plus a few Novellas and a few in anthologies.  I will be starting book 5 very soon and I read one out of sequence last year. If anyone wants to join this challenge let me know and I will set up a linky.

I listened to the Audible version but I had a used copy of the book.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE USED PAPERBACK COPY of Rapture in Death:
If you have already read this book tell me about it and if you win this giveaway you may pick from the review or ARC books and I'll award this book to another winner.


1.Mandatory entry: Visit the author's website and tell me the title of another of the books or the full name of one of the characters.
Please leave your e-mail!

2. For an extra entry tell me if you have a series you like enough to do as a challenge.

3. For an extra entry, become a follower or tell me if you are already a follower.

4. For two extra entries, blog, facebook, tweet (any of those networks!) about this giveaway and tell me where you did.

(Five total entries possible.)
It is not necessary to use separate entries unless you want them in different chronological order.

* This contest is open to US and Canada only. (So sorry this can't be international. The book is available at Book Depository though.)
* No P.O. Boxes Please - for shipping reasons.
* This contest will close 10:00 PM (Central) on June 24, 2011.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.