I enjoy the In Death series a lot. It’s very fun to read but for the love of God I will pay a million kisses to whoever can get J.D Robb (Nora Roberts) to stop writing Eve interact with characters who are victims of rape and sexual assault/abuse. A lot of times those characters end up killing their abusers or are “in the way” of Eve identifying the killer. For example I recently read Brotherhood in Death and Vengeance in Death, also kinda Purity in Death.

All it does is shows the hypocrisy of Eve’s morals. She seems to have a very hard time understanding that some people’s form of Justice is having their abuser dead by their hand. That is good enough for them. It’s not that she has to agree with it or support it, she can’t cause she’s a cop. But she seems to have a hard time understanding it at all.

All we get is everyone around Eve being like “no Eve you killing your abuser is different! Those other guys who killed their abusers are in the wrong, you’re not.” Even though in the grand scheme of things one can argue her killing is exactly the same.

Also she comes across as rude, unsympathetic, and sometimes heartless. Not because she’s “standing for the victims” and often times because of her job it makes her hunt down victims and stand for the people who victimized them in the first place. However, what makes her worse in my opinion, is the fact that she doesn’t really offer any kindness or sympathy. Just “why didn’t you go to the police” or “it’s your fault you didn’t go to the police” which is ironic because 1) them killing their abusers is sometimes the only reason their crimes get brought to light and investigated and 2) with her (spoiler?) background with Homeland Security she should know that not all organizations deemed to protect and serve are trustworthy. What can be said to a victim of their abuser is powerful enough to just call up the chief of police when they get accused?

My other thing is that Roberts writes Eve as a character who comes off as so deep into the patriarchal bargain (in simple terms a ‘not like other girls girl’) that she is very misogynistic when dealing with women who step out of her schematic of what a woman should be. (This also extends to her friends). Which makes sense in terms of her job, her position but makes her unlikable when it comes to cases where women and their pain are the forefront. I suppose that’s what Peabody is for.

Eve is not my favorite character of the series, she is a good character in some regards. When I read cases like what I hope I outlined above it’s like really hard for me to brush past her (what I deem) character flaws.

This Goodreads review of Brotherhood in Death by reader “E” pretty much sums up my thoughts more eloquently.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1545230948

"Are you and Roarke going to the ball drop?" "Oh, absolutely. If we both suffer extensive brain damage in the next twenty-four hours."

J.D. Robb, Obsession in Death

Happy “In Death” day to those who celebrate.

“ ‘Grief passes, doesn’t it...?’

‘It must...Life is to be lived.’ ”

-JD Robb

Ceremony in Death

Roarke + Eve HC

In the most recent In Death novel, Roarke references GoT which had my friend and me speculating that he most definitely has watched Peaky Blinders and loves Tommy.

It is Roarke's comfort show.

Eve is oblivious to everything happening but asks questions about it despite having been in the room while he watched it an impossible number of times by this point.

His accent gets really thick when he watches it and explains it to Eve.

"Eve, he KNEW the stock market was going to crash. Of course, he knew it...he is Tommy bloody Shelby"

Especially when he talks about how you must keep the illegal side to for a while before your clean. "Tommy's brilliant, Eve. This is EXACTLY what I did..erm, would have done..."

"No, she's dead. That's a drug-induced hallucination." "You can't do drugs to see me if I die" (Eve playfully, teasing) Roarke pauses the show, intense eye contact, as he pulls her into his lap and commands in a deep rumble and that lovely rolling accent, "I will not be without you, Eve" as though he is controlling the Fates themselves. Because he is Roarke and does command even the fates.

REVIEW

ENCORE IN DEATH (Eve Dallas/In Death #56) by JD Robb at The Reading Cafe:

‘another masterpiece to this wonderful series‘

http://www.thereadingcafe.com/encore-in-death-by-j-d-robb-a-review/

Dallas at the Curtis’ house for Christmas Eve. Polaroid taken by Twobit, hence the blur.

Clearer ver:

This is shit, but more on the way! This is kinda rushed, sorry!

"He's killing for me, Roarke. It makes me sick inside." "He–or she–is killing for himself." Roarke came back to her, framed her face with his hands. "You're an excuse. And you'll do better work when you fully accept that, and put all the blame–every bloody bit of it, Eve–where it belongs." He kissed her again. "Now, we'll go into your office, and you can tell me all of it."

J.D. Robb, Obsession in Death

barbara stanwyck + letterboxd reviews 

★ — thomas harley & scott wedgewood via britttanywedgewood's instagram story; december 24, 2023

Fave Anime OPs (3/?)— Gun’s and Roses by Paradise Lunch

(From: Baccano!)