I don’t read a lot of Nora Roberts, but I love her J. D. Robb “in Death” series. I have all of the books and there are over forty of them. They’re futuristic, murder mysteries, and some of the best romance I have read. Roarke is to die for . . . pun intended . . . and Eve is one of the strongest, most human, female characters I know.
Anyway, the books are just good. That sounds like faint praise, but really, it’s not. There’s a reason they’re still going on after forty books and it’s because they’re so good.
Because these are murder mysteries, they are intense. The dialogue can definitely give the reader a chance to breathe because it lightens things up. In this excerpt, Roarke is telling Eve about the first wife of one of the victims. This woman had moved to Australia after the divorce.
Roarke —
” . . . she used to purchase a sheep station in Porongurup — that’s Australia.”
Eve —
“Why do sheep need a station? Are they catching trains? Where are they going? Why do they have to go there?”
Roarke —
“I imagine they find themselves herded onto trains from time to time, but a sheep station’s a ranch.”
Eve —
“They why do they call it a station?”
Roarke —
“Blame the Aussies. In any case,” he continued before she could take him further into the weeds, . . .
I love Eve’s literal take on things.
Later on, Roarke is trying to get Eve to take a break and she refuses.
“A pick-me-up then. Milk and cookies.”
“I’m not drinking milk. Do you know where it comes from?” The idea made her shudder.
“As does the cheese on the pizza you’re so fond of.”
“Entirely different. . . .”
And her logical illogic.
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Elaine Reads . . . constantly! 