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A review by kathydavie
Brotherhood in Death by J.D. Robb
5.0
Forty-second in the In Death romantic suspense series revolving around Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her gorgeous husband, Roarke.
My Take
It’s a classic case of greed with one heir wanting the money and uncaring of promises made or family loyalty. And it’s another case of a victim whom no one cares about. No one but Eve, that is. That Mandy Mira…jesus…there are no words awful enough for her. The contempt she has for Dennis! I love that Eve lets no one intimidate her.
Snicker, I enjoyed Peabody’s analysis of why Edward Mira decided not to run for Congress. [spoiler]I can’t say I’m upset about hearing how he died.[/spoiler]
It is so sweet that Eve keeps wearing the snowflake hat that Dennis gave her, even though it embarrases her. And I love that Eve has this crush on Dennis. It says so much for what is truly important to Eve. And I’m with Eve. Dennis is such a sweetheart and his appreciation of the “science and art of what [she] does” is so comforting. Her later interaction with Dennis will have you weeping. He’s such a total contrast with his cousin and his wife, both of whom are completely absorbed by status. Wait’ll you read about their children and the roles they were forced to play.
Then there’s the generous Roarke who sees Dennis Mira as family. Another bright note is Trueheart. He’s getting his detective shield!
I keep trying to figure out if Eve purposely twists up clichés or if it really is a reminder of her unnatural childhood. That speculation about idle hands and the devil’s workshop cracked me up. Of course, that would be Raff speaking with Riff considering, ahem. I don’t know where the doll thing comes from. Sure, I expect that roomful was creepy, but Eve really goes nuts with it. Nor does it make sense that Peabody falls into the fear so easily. I suspect Robb was on deadline…
Sweet. We learn of Roarke’s dreams for building his “castle”, and it sounds of childhood dreams that take me back to my own fantasies as a kid. That said, I’m with Eve about those catapults, lol. Roarke has his usual too-funny comments about male anatomy: “Well…” Roarke glanced down at his own. “It does have opinions.” However, even Roarke can make mistakes. Who’da thought?
It's a mistake that leads into a diatribe by Roarke about what he had to do to get Eve to consent to come live with him, which in turn, leads to Eve denouncing Roarke’s actions. Whew… Of course, it also surprises Eve into that remark that warms his aching heart.
There isn't as much interaction with Eve's command, Peabody, Ian, or Feeney, etc., in this.
I gotta say…I’m slowly buying up the installments in In Death, and I’m not sure I want this one. It is so full of disgusting people and their self-righteous attitudes, that it makes me want to throw things and find a shotgun.
It’s trouble. Dennis has been attacked in his grandparents’ deserted house and his cousin is missing. The cousin who had been bound to a chair and bleeding.
Luckily, Dennis' wife is good friends with the indomitable Lieutenant Eve Dallas who lets nothing and no one stop her when she's on the trail, and she intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate…and a new case that no one saw coming.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas has been softening into marriage with its rules and loving every minute of learning how to love. Roarke is one of the richest men in the world and one of the most gorgeous and compassionate. He adores his Eve. Summerset is their majordomo and has been a father figure to Roarke. His and Eve’s relationship is hysterical; you can’t help but laugh when Eve thinks of the bedsheets! Galahad is their fat cat with quite the appetite. This is another crack-up as Roarke refuses to allow Galahad to get away with his desires. Richard Troy was Eve’s unnatural, pedophile of a father.
Cop Central, New York Police and Security Department is…
…where Eve is based. Detective Delilah Peabody is Eve’s partner. The newly minted Detective Troy Trueheart is getting his shield, and his partner, Detective Baxter, is quite proud. Heck, the whole Homicide department is proud including Detective and Officer Carmichaels, Detectives Santiago, Jenkinson with his eye-burning ties, and Reineke. Commander Jack Whitney is her immediate supervisor; Anna is Jack’s terrifying wife and fully on line with Eve’s attack on Mandy. Chief Tibble is the head of it all.
Dr. Li Morris, the chief medical examiner, attends Trueheart’s swearing-in as well. Harvo is the queen of hair and fiber. Detective Hanson will head the missing persons investigation. Officers Tanker and Messing talk to Laurel who has quite a good memory. Detective Yancy is their premier sketch artist. Uniform Shelby is with the Five-two and may be joining the Homicide Division at Central. Cher Reo is the assistant prosecuting attorney Dallas works with most often.
The Electronic Detective Division (EDD) is…
…headed up by Eve’s old mentor (and her own father figure), Captain Ryan Feeney. Detective Ian McNab is Peabody’s live-in sweetie, and he’s quite handy with technology. Detectives Callendar and Juju are also in EDD.
Dr. Charlotte Mira is the New York City Police and Security Department’s shrink and top profiler, and both friend and mother to Eve. Her sweetheart of a husband, Dennis, is a professor at the university. Gillian is one of their daughters, a Wiccan who lives in New Orleans.
Judge Bradley Mira, their grandfather, had been a respected prosecuting attorney for New York who died a year after his wife, Gwen, passed. Their home was left to the two oldest grandsons. Frankie Trent was the Miras’ housekeeper back in the day. Sila Robarts, Frankie’s daughter, runs Maid to Order and her husband, Mel, runs We’re Handy out of their townhome. Dara Robarts is their daughter who helps with the cleaning end of things.
The Mira Institute is…
…a think tank formed by the bullying, cheating, highly functioning sociopathic former Senator Edward Mira (he sounds a right twat) when he retired from Congress. He's Dennis' cousin and the two of them are at odds. The cousins attended Yale at the same time, but Dr. Mira graduated early, magna cum laude, while the senator was seventy-something in his class. I know. I'm being catty. Mandy is his horrible bitch of a wife. Tressa MacDonald has a Harvard law degree and was Mira’s chief of staff when he was in Congress. Aiden Bannion is MacDonald’s admin. Wyatt Book and Liddy also work at the Institute. Somehow these Miras have two great kids: Edward “Ned” Mira, Jr., and Gwendolyn “Gwen” Sykes, who adore Dennis. Zoe is Ned’s wife.
Hank is the Miras' long-suffering bodyguard. Eugene and Jonah are the doormen at the Miras’ home. Eve takes such delight in jumping on them, lol. Then the delight she takes in ticking off Hank and the indomitable Mrs. Mira, ROFL. Silas Greenbaum of Greenbaum Realty had been Mira’s Realtor. Senator Fordham was a friend of Edward Mira’s.
The mistresses include…
…Lauren Canford, a married lobbyist. Mylo is the officious, young, receptionist in her office. Curtis Flack is the head of the organization and a lawyer who will represent Canford’s interests. Charity Downing is an artist who works at Eclectia. Marilee is a coworker. Dr. Lydia Su is Charity's best friend and a biophysicist at Lotem Institute of Science and Technology. Laurel Etsy is Charity’s chatty neighbor with a roommate, Reb. Asha Coppola, on her second marriage (to Jack), works for a nonprofit; Allyson Byson is on her third marriage. Carlee MacKensie is a free-lance writer who roomed with a small-time loser, Marlee Davis. Deena Lacey is Carlee’s neighbor; Georgie is Deena's coworker.
Inner Peace is a lifestyle enhancement center. Therapists include Dr. Natalie Paulson; Dr. Kim Ping; and, Felicia Fairburn, a body-mind-spirit therapist. Elsi Lee Adderman was a victim who couldn’t take it; Tara Daniels, Marcia Baumberg, and Grace Carter Blake (Ms. Kolo and Ms. Jackson are neighbors) are more victims. Cecily Anson, a biographer, is married to Anne C. Vine, a software designer; they’re also known as the Moms. Both women are part of Femme Power and volunteer at women’s shelters. Lillith is Vine’s daughter, an architect. Detective Mike Bennet is Lillith’s fiancé, and he’s on the job at Central.
The other Yale housemates include…
…Jonas Bartell Wymann was the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers some years back. Vanessa is a pediatric surgeon and his ex-wife. Jonas Wymann Baker is his grieving grandson with an interest in theater. His grandson makes him sound like such a great guy… Gavin is Jonas’ brother and is in law school at Yale. Frederik Betz is the third-generation head of Betz Chemicals. George is his usual driver from Royal Limo and Transportation Service. Stevens is the officious house droid. Mrs. Betz’s masseur is Sven. Marshall Easterday, a third-generation lawyer and senior partner at Easterday, Easterday, and Louis, is currently married to Petra whom he loves dearly. Marian is the Easterday’s housekeeper. Ethan MacNamee currently lives in Glasgow. William “Billy” Stevenson was the sixth one; he committed suicide a few years ago.
Nadine Furst is a friend (and on-air TV reporter) trying to decide between a warehouse loft and a triplex. Charmaine Delacroix is an interior designer who has worked with Roarke before, including the dojo. Lloyd Kowalski works at the Palace, one of Roarke’s hotels.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a deep and bright orange at the top in a close-up of Eve’s lieutenant’s shield with the author’s name large in an embossed metallic royal blue. A wide band of honeycombed black forms a band for the title which is in an embossed pale orange while the bottom sixth is a graphic collage of buildings, white roses, and a glass elephant that started it all.
The title is true, it is a unwelcome tie leading to a Brotherhood in Death.
My Take
It’s a classic case of greed with one heir wanting the money and uncaring of promises made or family loyalty. And it’s another case of a victim whom no one cares about. No one but Eve, that is. That Mandy Mira…jesus…there are no words awful enough for her. The contempt she has for Dennis! I love that Eve lets no one intimidate her.
Snicker, I enjoyed Peabody’s analysis of why Edward Mira decided not to run for Congress. [spoiler]I can’t say I’m upset about hearing how he died.[/spoiler]
It is so sweet that Eve keeps wearing the snowflake hat that Dennis gave her, even though it embarrases her. And I love that Eve has this crush on Dennis. It says so much for what is truly important to Eve. And I’m with Eve. Dennis is such a sweetheart and his appreciation of the “science and art of what [she] does” is so comforting. Her later interaction with Dennis will have you weeping. He’s such a total contrast with his cousin and his wife, both of whom are completely absorbed by status. Wait’ll you read about their children and the roles they were forced to play.
Then there’s the generous Roarke who sees Dennis Mira as family. Another bright note is Trueheart. He’s getting his detective shield!
I keep trying to figure out if Eve purposely twists up clichés or if it really is a reminder of her unnatural childhood. That speculation about idle hands and the devil’s workshop cracked me up. Of course, that would be Raff speaking with Riff considering, ahem. I don’t know where the doll thing comes from. Sure, I expect that roomful was creepy, but Eve really goes nuts with it. Nor does it make sense that Peabody falls into the fear so easily. I suspect Robb was on deadline…
Sweet. We learn of Roarke’s dreams for building his “castle”, and it sounds of childhood dreams that take me back to my own fantasies as a kid. That said, I’m with Eve about those catapults, lol. Roarke has his usual too-funny comments about male anatomy: “Well…” Roarke glanced down at his own. “It does have opinions.” However, even Roarke can make mistakes. Who’da thought?
It's a mistake that leads into a diatribe by Roarke about what he had to do to get Eve to consent to come live with him, which in turn, leads to Eve denouncing Roarke’s actions. Whew… Of course, it also surprises Eve into that remark that warms his aching heart.
There isn't as much interaction with Eve's command, Peabody, Ian, or Feeney, etc., in this.
I gotta say…I’m slowly buying up the installments in In Death, and I’m not sure I want this one. It is so full of disgusting people and their self-righteous attitudes, that it makes me want to throw things and find a shotgun.
Hey, “it was one harmless night a year.”The Story
It’s trouble. Dennis has been attacked in his grandparents’ deserted house and his cousin is missing. The cousin who had been bound to a chair and bleeding.
Luckily, Dennis' wife is good friends with the indomitable Lieutenant Eve Dallas who lets nothing and no one stop her when she's on the trail, and she intends to shine some light on the dirty deals and dark motives behind the disappearance of a powerful man, the family discord over a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate…and a new case that no one saw coming.
The Characters
Lieutenant Eve Dallas has been softening into marriage with its rules and loving every minute of learning how to love. Roarke is one of the richest men in the world and one of the most gorgeous and compassionate. He adores his Eve. Summerset is their majordomo and has been a father figure to Roarke. His and Eve’s relationship is hysterical; you can’t help but laugh when Eve thinks of the bedsheets! Galahad is their fat cat with quite the appetite. This is another crack-up as Roarke refuses to allow Galahad to get away with his desires. Richard Troy was Eve’s unnatural, pedophile of a father.
Cop Central, New York Police and Security Department is…
…where Eve is based. Detective Delilah Peabody is Eve’s partner. The newly minted Detective Troy Trueheart is getting his shield, and his partner, Detective Baxter, is quite proud. Heck, the whole Homicide department is proud including Detective and Officer Carmichaels, Detectives Santiago, Jenkinson with his eye-burning ties, and Reineke. Commander Jack Whitney is her immediate supervisor; Anna is Jack’s terrifying wife and fully on line with Eve’s attack on Mandy. Chief Tibble is the head of it all.
Dr. Li Morris, the chief medical examiner, attends Trueheart’s swearing-in as well. Harvo is the queen of hair and fiber. Detective Hanson will head the missing persons investigation. Officers Tanker and Messing talk to Laurel who has quite a good memory. Detective Yancy is their premier sketch artist. Uniform Shelby is with the Five-two and may be joining the Homicide Division at Central. Cher Reo is the assistant prosecuting attorney Dallas works with most often.
The Electronic Detective Division (EDD) is…
…headed up by Eve’s old mentor (and her own father figure), Captain Ryan Feeney. Detective Ian McNab is Peabody’s live-in sweetie, and he’s quite handy with technology. Detectives Callendar and Juju are also in EDD.
Dr. Charlotte Mira is the New York City Police and Security Department’s shrink and top profiler, and both friend and mother to Eve. Her sweetheart of a husband, Dennis, is a professor at the university. Gillian is one of their daughters, a Wiccan who lives in New Orleans.
Judge Bradley Mira, their grandfather, had been a respected prosecuting attorney for New York who died a year after his wife, Gwen, passed. Their home was left to the two oldest grandsons. Frankie Trent was the Miras’ housekeeper back in the day. Sila Robarts, Frankie’s daughter, runs Maid to Order and her husband, Mel, runs We’re Handy out of their townhome. Dara Robarts is their daughter who helps with the cleaning end of things.
The Mira Institute is…
…a think tank formed by the bullying, cheating, highly functioning sociopathic former Senator Edward Mira (he sounds a right twat) when he retired from Congress. He's Dennis' cousin and the two of them are at odds. The cousins attended Yale at the same time, but Dr. Mira graduated early, magna cum laude, while the senator was seventy-something in his class. I know. I'm being catty. Mandy is his horrible bitch of a wife. Tressa MacDonald has a Harvard law degree and was Mira’s chief of staff when he was in Congress. Aiden Bannion is MacDonald’s admin. Wyatt Book and Liddy also work at the Institute. Somehow these Miras have two great kids: Edward “Ned” Mira, Jr., and Gwendolyn “Gwen” Sykes, who adore Dennis. Zoe is Ned’s wife.
Hank is the Miras' long-suffering bodyguard. Eugene and Jonah are the doormen at the Miras’ home. Eve takes such delight in jumping on them, lol. Then the delight she takes in ticking off Hank and the indomitable Mrs. Mira, ROFL. Silas Greenbaum of Greenbaum Realty had been Mira’s Realtor. Senator Fordham was a friend of Edward Mira’s.
The mistresses include…
…Lauren Canford, a married lobbyist. Mylo is the officious, young, receptionist in her office. Curtis Flack is the head of the organization and a lawyer who will represent Canford’s interests. Charity Downing is an artist who works at Eclectia. Marilee is a coworker. Dr. Lydia Su is Charity's best friend and a biophysicist at Lotem Institute of Science and Technology. Laurel Etsy is Charity’s chatty neighbor with a roommate, Reb. Asha Coppola, on her second marriage (to Jack), works for a nonprofit; Allyson Byson is on her third marriage. Carlee MacKensie is a free-lance writer who roomed with a small-time loser, Marlee Davis. Deena Lacey is Carlee’s neighbor; Georgie is Deena's coworker.
Inner Peace is a lifestyle enhancement center. Therapists include Dr. Natalie Paulson; Dr. Kim Ping; and, Felicia Fairburn, a body-mind-spirit therapist. Elsi Lee Adderman was a victim who couldn’t take it; Tara Daniels, Marcia Baumberg, and Grace Carter Blake (Ms. Kolo and Ms. Jackson are neighbors) are more victims. Cecily Anson, a biographer, is married to Anne C. Vine, a software designer; they’re also known as the Moms. Both women are part of Femme Power and volunteer at women’s shelters. Lillith is Vine’s daughter, an architect. Detective Mike Bennet is Lillith’s fiancé, and he’s on the job at Central.
The other Yale housemates include…
…Jonas Bartell Wymann was the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers some years back. Vanessa is a pediatric surgeon and his ex-wife. Jonas Wymann Baker is his grieving grandson with an interest in theater. His grandson makes him sound like such a great guy… Gavin is Jonas’ brother and is in law school at Yale. Frederik Betz is the third-generation head of Betz Chemicals. George is his usual driver from Royal Limo and Transportation Service. Stevens is the officious house droid. Mrs. Betz’s masseur is Sven. Marshall Easterday, a third-generation lawyer and senior partner at Easterday, Easterday, and Louis, is currently married to Petra whom he loves dearly. Marian is the Easterday’s housekeeper. Ethan MacNamee currently lives in Glasgow. William “Billy” Stevenson was the sixth one; he committed suicide a few years ago.
Nadine Furst is a friend (and on-air TV reporter) trying to decide between a warehouse loft and a triplex. Charmaine Delacroix is an interior designer who has worked with Roarke before, including the dojo. Lloyd Kowalski works at the Palace, one of Roarke’s hotels.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a deep and bright orange at the top in a close-up of Eve’s lieutenant’s shield with the author’s name large in an embossed metallic royal blue. A wide band of honeycombed black forms a band for the title which is in an embossed pale orange while the bottom sixth is a graphic collage of buildings, white roses, and a glass elephant that started it all.
The title is true, it is a unwelcome tie leading to a Brotherhood in Death.