Innocent In Death- J.D. Robb

Innocent In Death by J.D. Robb
(Here you go Lauren)


Description as found on Nora Roberts' website:

NYPSD Lt. Eve Dallas hunts for the killer of a seemingly ordinary history teacher-and uncovers some extraordinary surprises. Craig Foster's death devastated his young wife, who'd sent him to work that day with a lovingly packed lunch. It shocked his colleagues at the private school, too, and as for the ten-year-old girls who found him in his classroom in a pool of bodily fluids-they may have been traumatized for life.

Eve soon determines that Foster's homemade lunch was tainted with deadly ricin, and that Mr. Foster's colleagues have some startling secrets of their own. It's Eve's job to sort it out- and discover why someone would have done this to a man who seemed so inoffensive, so pleasant . . . so innocent.

Now Magdalena Percell . . . there's someone Eve can picture as a murder victim. Possibly at Eve's own hands. The slinky blonde-an old flame of her billionaire husband, Roarke-has arrived in New York, and she's anything but innocent. Roarke seems blind to Magdalena's manipulation, and he insists that the occasional lunch or business meeting with her is nothing to worry about . . . and none of Eve's business. Eve's so unnerved by the situation that she finds it hard to focus on her case. Still, she'll have to put aside her feelings, for a while at least-because another man has just turned up dead.

Eve knows all too well that innocence can be a facade. Keeping that in mind may help her solve this case at last. But it may also tear apart her marriage.

First, I'll start off by saying that anyone who blames Roarke for any understandings in IOD is whacked. He did nothing wrong. Nothing. Yes, for a fleeting moment Eve saw something that threw her for a loop, and, sure, circumstances left room for reasonable doubt, but when has Roarke ever given her a reason to doubt his love for her? Never. So, IMO it was Eve's neuroses and fear that led to the bad feelings and understandings, and the fact that she didn't communicate her feelings to him only blew the situation up even further. Communication is key in a relationship and had she talked to him about things there would have been no room for doubt.

***SPOILER*** Highlight below to read the spoiler.
***Roarke finds himself repeatedly saying he did nothing wrong, but the evidence was damning at times, and when Eve tells him she wasn't worried that he'd cheat on her, but rather that he'd look at her and regret. ***

I cried. I did. More than once. I always do with Eve and Roarke. *sigh* Their's is a love so deep and tender and true it makes my heart ache. What? Yes, they are too real! The way Nora writes it feels real, doesn't it? Lovely. Perfect. Soul mates.

And the mystery? Wow. I'd have never imagined... though I suppose it's possible. I won't elaborate in fear of ruining it for others, but HOLY COW.

Jane at Dear Author sums up Innocent In Death perfectly. This book does make Eve and Roarke more human and more realistic.

Overall Grade: A (of course)