"Bag of Chips" series

Any additional comments?

Instead of doing a review on each book in this series I'm reviewing the series as a whole.

I'm not a Nora Robert's type of girl. In fact, I was proud of the fact that I'm not a "Nora Robert's type of girl". After reading the first 4 books of this series I looked up the author and... well crap - I guess I am a "Nora Robert's type of girl".

These books are like a bag of chips. You start out buying the first book - perhaps the second and third - and before you know it, all 35 books are in your wish list and the credits don't come fast enough.

I don't do plot summaries, but if you have gotten this far then you pretty much have a good idea of the story outline. If you're looking for a good long series this one is fun, fast paced, and her main characters get more and more developed as the books continue.

It's not crucial for the reader to start at the beginning of the series to understand what's going on. Each book has its own story line and plot - with the larger story arch (Eve and Roarke) moving through all books.

I recommend for light and fun reading...

133 people found this helpful

Don't Judge the Series by the First Book!

This is a wonderful series that is definitely worth your investment. Naked in Death is pretty good, but it wasn't J.D. Robb's best, so don't judge the series by the first book. To be honest, I waited half a year before I read the second book. After that, I knew I was going to spend like 30 something credits on the In Death series. I was completely addicted to them!

Each book gets better as the story progresses. It took me 2 to 3 books to really get to know all the wonderful and interesting characters. Characters you will come to love, respect and admire.

Susan Ericksen gave a stellar performance on the narration. Each character's voice was so distinctive that you could instantly tell who the speaker was. Listening to Susan bringing all my favorite characters to life is a much more enjoyable experience than reading the books myself. I couldn't imagine the narration done by anyone else! I highly recommend that you give it a try!

221 people found this helpful

WOW!! Sexy and Suspenseful!

I have read many books by Nora Roberts and couldn't put them down, but I thought the futuristic setting of this series would be hard to relate to. I WAS WRONG!! I have gotten so absorbed with Eve and her love life with rich and sexy Roark that I had to get the next 4 titles all at the same time from Audible. I listen to them while I piece together quilts.Matching fabrics and listening to Susan Erickson's narration is what retirement was meant to be!

83 people found this helpful

WOW! What a surprise!

I am a huge fan of J D Robb's 'Death' series. Eve Dallas is one of my most favourite characters! I eagerly wait for each book and buy it in hard cover. When deciding to purchace this series of (so far) 32 books i was sceptical ... could anyone capture Eve Dallas the way i had always evisioned her to be? YES! Susan Eriksen IS Eve Dallas and Rouke and Peabody and Charlotte oh the list goes on! This narrator reintroduced me to all the reasons i love this series! Get them all!

85 people found this helpful

More focus on romance than mystery

This reads a lot more like a regular Nora Roberts romance novel with a mystery section. Narrator did all the voices wonderfully except the voice of Eve Dallas - it sounded a bit too rough and aggressive most of the time. Still, I am looking forward to the development of the relationship across the series

35 people found this helpful

Let’s try again…

You’ve got to love a prolific writer. If you’re fortunate enough, you might even find a good prolific writer. Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb is one of the best. There is one problem though…it’s expensive to become a fan. It can be intimidating to find an author that is already established. In the case of J.D. Robb, we’re talking about a series that is heading towards 45 books ALREADY. That is a lot of moola, and when you’re at #1 it can even put you off starting the series. It has the potential to start you on an adventure of epic proportions…or…an addiction where you may never see the light of day again. Well, in my case, I read #1 and #2 a wee while back and enjoyed them, then I got distracted…next thing I know we’re past 30 and 40. I’m stressing that there is no way I can catch up, let alone afford to catch up. So, I put the In Death series on hold determined that I will get back into the series…soon…ish.

WELL, THAT DAY HAS COME!!

I have a shocking memory and back in those days, I didn’t write reviews so it was back to square one and re-reading from the beginning. I had heard good things about the audio version, so I splurged and stepped forward in time and met Eve Dallas and Roarke. Now, remembering that I have a shocking memory, I vaguely recalled some of the details as I went along, but it was more like a first-time read, to be honest.

I enjoyed it. The problem is that when you start an already established series that has been around for a few years, it can seem a bit dated. What makes it even weirder is that the story is set in the future. So, while it’s attempting to be shocking with new and exciting technological advances, in some ways, it’s not that new and exciting anymore. We’re kind of already there and it’s not 2058. Obviously, it’s not the author’s fault, but I wasn’t left gasping in awe and wishing for it to be 2058 now.

The storyline, while probably shocking when it was first released, isn’t that shocking now. There are plenty of stories with miserable characters who get off on power and use their authority to get away with a crime. Sure, the crime committed in this one turned my stomach, but again, I’m not shocked by it. Maybe “dark” has become more mainstream…or…maybe authors are feeling more accepted in revealing their darker side (while still staying in the Romance genre).

Naked in Death provides us with an intriguing look into the future. We get to see a serial killer case as it plays out and how the police will solve it. The dialogue, storyline and characters are interesting. The steamy scenes between Dallas and Roarke show an intense connection between two people not used to feeling anything more than sexual satisfaction. I loved that Roarke knew way before Eve that he was in for the long haul. Their coming to terms with having a relationship was quite amusing. I enjoyed meeting the additional characters and hope some of them will pop up in future reads.

I’m looking forward to going on with the series but it will take time…lots and lots and lots of time. I will not be reading them one straight after the other because I can’t afford to not see the light of day for the next month or two. I will continue listening to them. So, listening to them should take me approximately 10 years…and I may not be joking. I kind of wish that I could have the first 30 downloaded into my brain and I’ll start reading/listening from 31 onwards. Because, there’s always the worry that if I read out of sequence, or skip a few…THE WORLD WILL END!! (First World Reader Problem #1).

14 people found this helpful

Police Procedural with a Dash of Romance

Set in a not unrealistic future where violence and murder has been greatly reduced through education, government legislation and social engineering. Eve Dallas is a cop who gets the job done and does so by following the book.

During this case she meets a love interest which J.D. Robb intricately weaves into the plot of murder mystery. Two parts CSI/Law and Order with a dash of the Silk Stockings this is a great book for the beach, park or a long weekend because you will be riveted to it.

The narration by Susan Erikson is nearly flawless with a good range of accents, characterizations and an amazing range of emotional inflections. At one point in the reading she reads a scene where a female character is crying and a male character was consoling her and both were done flawlessly.

If I have one complaint the sex scenes in the book are a bit derivative and somewhat distracting from solving of the case. That being said it was an immensely satisfying listen and highly recommended.

42 people found this helpful

Naked in Death

I first picked up a J.D. Robb audio book featuring Lt. Eve Dallas in a retail store and now I cannot seem to put them down. The book is fast moving and everytime you think you have solved the crime. Think again. Wonderful book series.

22 people found this helpful

Pretty good

This is a very good "first" book for a series. Several scenes are set up for future books to play off. Although that is obvious, it's OK, since a few dozen are already written, and they aren't exactly cliff-hanger scenes. There are also cliche's, but I got this book as a "light read" and was very pleased with what I got. As long as the characters are filled out in future books, I'm sure I'll be happy with them, too.

I didn't do my homework by reading reviews, so I was a bit surprised at the romance part, but it never occurred to me to stop listening. I wanted to know if I was right in the "whodunnit" guess. I was. I'm hoping future books are a little less obvious, but I'm about to download book 2 and find out!

26 people found this helpful

Naked in Death

Finaly!!! I have read every one of the "in Death" series by J.D. Robb, and have several on disc, which are a pain to transfer to my i-pod, and right now I could not be happier... terrific murders, wonderful characters that become friends... every one of this series is a gem...Susan Ericson has so become the voice of Eve, that when I am reading them I use her voice in my head...and then there's Roarke... oh yah...Roarke...Peabody, McNab, Feeney, Mavis, Leonardo, Nadine, and Somerset..a great way to spend the day, with them, in the future.

53 people found this helpful