Book 46 Divided in Death

 

Divided in Death by J.D. Robb fulfilled the “Favorite Prompt from a past PopSugar Reading Challenge” category for this year’s challenge. This novel also fits the categories: series with more than twenty books, and author who has written more than twenty books. I chose the Audio Book prompt as it’s my favorite. I read tons on audio, and this was an easy fill.

Actually, I read most of my novels that way this year as I merrily cross-stitched over fifty bookmarks I plan to sell at book events. (Hit me up if you need a handmade bookmark for the holidays.) To be honest, I listened to thirty-four audiobooks for the challenge, but not all made the blog.

I went with Divided in Death instead of two other novels because I realized I have few romances on the list this year. I’m a romance writer, so you’d figure I’d have tons of romance in that list of fifty books. But I’ve tried to have a wide variety of titles for the blog to appeal to a wider audience. Then I forgot my regular audience. Sorry. So, I grabbed a Nora Roberts, and here we are. (For those who don’t know, J.D. Robb is a pen name for Nora.)

This is novel number eighteen in the In Death series. I’ve read the previous seventeen, enjoying the mix of romance, mystery, police procedural, and a splash of sci-fi. The novels take place in the near future, and Ms. Robb gets to invent any kind of tech she needs to solve the case. But it’s done so well and flawlessly, you don’t notice. That might sound like I’m trashing the course and this story.

No way.

I love these books. Ms. Robb creates the perfect mix of the genres. She thumbs her nose at the idea romances are limited to one story per couple. The series has fifty titles with the same couple, and at eighteen, they are still in love, still hot, and still learning about each other.

The main plot deals with the murder of two people and a false accusation of an employee of the hero. But the couple subplot was my favorite part. The two main characters, Dallas and Rourke, are very different but share a passionate, almost heart-breaking love for each other. In Divided in Death, they are at odds about a huge issue that could tear them apart. The tension between them runs through the murder mystery, heightening the stakes, pushing all their issues and the main plot points at the same time. Hence the title.

This book is a template for anyone writing a mystery with romantic elements. Just look at the way Ms. Robb weaves the subplots together, never missing a beat. The flow is seamless, the action intense, the love scenes still blush-worthy after eighteen full novels.

I like the In Death series, but I loved this title.

I give Divided in Death by J.D. Robb Five Bizarre Metal Art Statues.