Festive in Death by J.D. Robb

Festive in DeathNarrated by Susan Ericksen

Festive in Death is book 39 in the In Death series and I’m not sick of it yet. That’s saying something because I am easily distracted by the shiny. Yes, there are some aspects of the series that feel a little tired – Eve’s misunderstanding of common idiom and her dreams when she talks to dead people are a couple that spring to mind, but I am invested in not only the main characters but the secondary ones too. I’ve known them so long they feel like friends. Sort of.

It’s nearly Christmas and someone has murdered Trey Zeigler by bashing his head in and then sticking a knife in his chest with a Christmas-y note attached. Charming. Trey, it turns out, was an asshole. But Eve will stand for him anyway and find out who killed him. I don’t read a lot of mystery so maybe this is really common but I do admire the way Robb can create so many characters who are more than placeholders. There were a number of realistic suspects and in addition, there were plenty of other side characters who gave the book life and flavour. I’ve always been impressed how Robb can make me care for the victim of a crime in only a few words, how she can create an empathetic link and have me choking up when someone gets bad news about a loved one. (Although, I have to say, not many were getting choked up about Trey.)

Susan Ericksen’s narration is part of that empathetic connection too. When I hear her speak, I hear the grief and loss that character is experiencing, the mystified sadness and the confused rage.

One of the people who finds Trey’s body is an In Death regular and I recognised her just from her voice. It is rather distinctive. I imagine in print it’s supposed to be more of a surprise as her name isn’t used for a few pages, but it’s obvious on audio. And, no, I’m not going to tell you who it is.

Many of the usual crowd turn up in this book – for some it is just to attend Eve and Roarke’s annual Christmas bash and for others, it is to play a part in the investigation. I was pleased to hear Morris is starting to come out of his grief and that Charles and Louise are still madly in love.

Eve struggles to buy Christmas gifts for her friends, fitting that around the crime-solving and in moments of reflection, realises that even though friends and family can be a PITA, she wouldn’t be without any of them.

Susan Ericksen is the voice of In Death for me. Even when I read the books I hear her reading them to me. I can’t imagine Eve speaking any other way than the way Ericksen portrays her (which could make things interesting if the Naked In Death movie goes ahead) and the same goes for the other characters – from Roarke to Peabody to Dr. Mira. It is clear Ms. Ericksen draws on her long experience with the series when she reprises her characterisations and that familiarity brings a wonderful consistency to the listening experience.

There were a (very) few vocal errors and one time I picked up where Roarke’s voice was used when Eve was speaking, but for the most part, Ms. Ericksen is a reliable and solidly good narrator for a series which continues to entertain me.

Kaetrin


Narration: B+

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence: Fighting

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Police Procedural with Romantic Elements

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

 

Festive In Death was provided to AudioGals by Brilliance Audio for review.

6 thoughts on “Festive in Death by J.D. Robb

  1. I read/listened to this and though I’m a fan of the In-Death series, this was a little disappointing. I didn’t care for how it ended. IMHO……a bad choice for the murderer and the second murder was so UNNECESSARY!!! Another holiday story with the same old shtick. Eve hates to shop, but does it marvelously. Party time, Trina, the exceptional gift giving and fighting with Summerset…..again the same stuff as usual. The best/worst about this series is that after 39 plus books it’s only the third year of Eve and Rourke’s marriage. That said, I will always read/listen to this series. Eve Dallas is so compelling as a heroine and she’s still growing emotionally and socially. Susan Ericksen (a terrific narrator) “is” Eve Dallas, so I’ll keep coming back as long as the series continues.

    I must say I agree completely with you about the idioms and dreams….it’s become tedious.

    Thanks for the review!

  2. I’m more a “listener” rather than a reader. I have enjoyed all Eve-Roake-Peabody books and have shared them with my daughters and we love them, but this time, Festive in Death, seemed to be different . Their attitudes, their voices seem to be different. I’ve check prior books and Susan Ericksen was listed as performer on them all, but this one was different. Sorry. It is difficult for me to listen to this CD but I will be sure to READ Festive in Death and “hear” the voices I’ve heard for the past 38 books.

    1. That’s interesting Veronic. I’ve listened to all of them and Festive in Death sounded the same to me in terms of characterisation/voice. There were a couple of books (around bk15ish I think) which Ericksen narrated first and they have since been re-recorded as the character voices were different at first when she was finding her way into the series.

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