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    Festive in Death
    Festive in Death
    Festive in Death
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    Festive in Death

    Written by J. D. Robb

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Eve Dallas deals with a homicide—and the holiday season—in the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

    Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn’t count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

    Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who’d been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler’s enemies, she’s also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband’s upcoming holiday bash.

    Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year’s 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 9, 2014
    ISBN9781480511743
    Festive in Death
    Author

    J. D. Robb

    J.D. Robb is the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. She is the author of over two hundred novels, including the futuristic suspense In Death series. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

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    Reviews for Festive in Death

    4/5

    324 ratings22 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A Dallas/Roarke romantic mystery. Not a blockbuster but a continuation of the series. The cast is all here and each adds their bit to the series.
    • 3/5
      Festive in Death
      3 Stars

      Eve and company investigate the murder of a personal trainer with a mean streak. The question arises as to who didn't want the jerk dead.

      A solid installment although to be perfectly honest, the victim is such a nasty piece of work that it is difficult to summon up much sympathy for him. The twist at the end is pretty good although it isn't all that surprising.

      The Christmas shopping/party scenes are cute and add a festive air to the book.
    • 5/5
      In this 39th book in the In Death series Eve is getting ready for Christmas when she catches a case. Her hair and body consultant, the terrifying Trina, discovers the body of a personal trainer who had just broken off a relationship with a friend of hers. The more Eve learns about the murdered Trey Ziegler, the less she likes him. He was a narcissistic user who drugged, raped and blackmailed. The list of women he did wrong and the men in their lives is really, really long. She has quite an array of suspects. As she and Peabody interview the variety of cheating spouses, Eve takes the time to articulate her views of marriage and the promises that are its core.As the list of suspects narrow and Christmas gets closer, Eve is determined to get things done before the holidays. I love Eve's relationships with her friends. She is still getting used to the idea of having friends, of letting people into her life. I love how well she knows them and how she manages to get each one the perfect Christmas gift despite waiting until the last minute to get them. I also love Eve's relationship with Roarke. Neither one of them takes the relationship they have for granted. Both are willing to work to keep it. I love the way that they continue to surprise and delight each other. This is a marvelous series. I read it because I love Eve and Roarke. The mysteries are a side issue for me. This one had an intriguing one that kept me guessing up until the end. I can't wait to see what comes next.
    • 5/5
      Eve and Roarke never disappoint, nor does J. D. Robb. Another excellent addition to the series.
    • 3/5
      It is Christmas time again and Eve and Roarke are gearing up for their Christmas party. Eve has to solve a murder of a personal trainer that was a huge narcissist jerk. And the possible people list of people that might have had a reason to kill him is fairly long due to his practice of drugging, raping and then blackmailing his clients when they think that under the drugs they were consenting to the sex. The supporting cast at this point is what makes the books so enjoyable to read.
    • 3/5
      For some reason I didn't like this as much as a lot of the other In Death books. It just seemed very slow. I felt like there were basic things forensically which would have ended the book much earlier if they used them, especially fingerprints. Not one of the more fun J.D. Robb books.
    • 4/5
      I'm a JD Robb addict, that's pretty much good for at least a 3 star review across the board. Some books are certainly better than others and, once you reach the addict level, that largely depends on what characters and types of plots you prefer. There's so much character development in the series, it's always fun to tune in to see what happens with who.

      I don't think that this book is a read alone or "welcome to the series" book. The biggest scene of the book is one that you really need to build up to through reading the overall plot of the series. That being said, the characters are richly developed as always and there's a good amount of humor and thrill in the story.
    • 3/5
      Certainly it is as good as at least the median books of the series. Eve and Roark still adore each other, Eve still hates the conventions of social engagement, people still kill each other, etc. Maybe I'm getting a little tired of the formula, or maybe the plot wasn't original enough this time. Glad I read it, but it would never have gotten on my reread list.
    • 3/5
      No one mourned when Trey Ziegler was found murdered but Eve found herself involved even more than usual for it's Trina, her unfavourite stylist, who found the dead body along with a former girlfriend of ZieglerAs Eve and her partner detective Peabody run the background checks on their victim they find that he's a scumbag of the first order, but it's their duty to stand for him so they have to go work their way through his victims and their spouses wondering who would have the guts to have done murder most foul. Just to add a little more tension to the situation, the detectives have to wrap up their case before the Christmas holidays disperse investigators and suspects alike. It's not a really tension filled story but there are some good bits of humour mixed in with the details of the case.
    • 4/5
      Another good entry in this excellent series about cops in the future. It showcases the Dallas world and it's denizens as she prepares for Christmas. Nice little hook to keep you interested in reading until the end.
    • 4/5
      Now while there were moments when I was wondering about her commitment to the case, she does also need to have a life, particularly around major feasts like Christmas. J D Robb/Nora Roberts has created a great cast of characters in this series who read like a long-running TV series with complicated relationships and many more long-term relationships and a lot of good female characters. WIth humour, something like a cross between Castle and Rizzoli and Isles but set 30-40 years in the future.And I'm a fan of this show. I enjoy the characters and their interactions and the Mistletoe temporary tattoo Eve ends up with during a party, and Peabody's reaction to the coat (and the general reaction to the gifts) and Eve overcoming her allergy to shopping for just a short time and all of this wrapped in a murder mystery of a guy no-one really misses because he was pure scum.As they research the death they discover how much of a scum he is, but still he's been murdered and they have to investigate and some of the other people he deals with aren't much better than him, but Eve is driven to investigate and to find the truth and the twists and turns kept me reading (I did suspect but there are plenty of red herrings thrown to taste). Things do wrap up quite quickly at the end but overall I had fun reading.If you have enjoyed this series this isn't a bad example, readable as a standalone but the character motivations make more sense if you've read the series.
    • 4/5
      Sima is heartbroken. Her boyfriend, Trey Ziegler, broke up with her and she’s hurt and bitter. Her friend, Trina, encourages her to get back at him. It’s a simple prank. Late at night and aided by a little tequila, they enter his apartment and plan to snip a bit off the toe of one of each pair of socks; add itching powder to his moisturizer; and replace one of his golf clubs with a toy one. Sima is sure he is away for business. But the prank turns horrifying. They find Trey dead — placed on his bed with a sign held in place on his chest by a kitchen knife. It reads, “Santa Says You’ve Been Bad!!! Ho, Ho, Ho!” Trina immediately tags Lieutenant Eve Dallas while trying to keep Sima quiet and somewhat subdued.Eve’s investigation finds many people who had a huge dislike of the man who was a personal trainer at Buff Bodies, so finding the killer will not be easy. As much as Eve comes to dislike him through what she learns through her investigation, she still feels she owes it to him to find his killer.This In Death offering begins with Christmas season 2060. What woman doesn’t await the first appearance of Rourke? It’s page 43, Ladies! As this is a Christmas edition of the series, it included a lot of prep time to the party being hosted by Rourke and Eve. While it was all fun to read, it did draw away from the investigation and main story line. Through interviews, Eve had determined that Trey was probably using a form of drug on unsuspecting women to obtain sexual favors. She felt the need to either browbeat or bribe the lab’s Chief Tech Dick Berenski (Dickhead) to confirm. Roarke recommends she bring him his Christmas gift, unblended scotch (bribe) in a Christmas bag. As she’s ready to leave:‘Where’s the hooch – for Dickhead?’‘Fourth-floor gift room.’She stared at him for ten silent seconds. ‘We have a gift room?’The whole story flowed well together. The primary characters, as always, are wonderfully included — each for their own unique offering to the investigation. The author has taken care with Eve’s evolution, so to speak, from the beginning of the series to now. She’s still very tough in her job and I suspect she always will be, but her personal relationship with Rourke is warm and loving. For my taste, there were a few too many ‘f’ bombs. Rating: 4 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      Certainly better than the last Eve Dallas, Concealed in Death. Eve seems to have finally let go of a lot of her hang-ups and being easier with the idea of friends, holidays, etc. I won't give up the series as I had thought I might after reading Concealed. There wasn't as much of the 2060 technical aspects which I have always enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      I have yet to be disappointed by one of Robb's "In Death" books. Though some have been much better than others, I have enjoyed them all. This is one of the better ones.First, Eve and all the characters have grown a lot since the series began. Eve is more comfortable in her personal life than ever before, and truly sees how important her friends are in her life. The story takes place over Christmas, so Eve finds herself having to buy gifts and help plan a Christmas party (after making a deal with Summerset). Her interactions with Roarke and Peabody are pure gold. I loved those moments.Not only was there continuing character development, but the case was also one of the best I've read. What happens when Eve has to investigate the murder of someone who was a revolting human being? She stands for the dead, so she gives it all she has of course. But, the victim being despicable added a new layer to the investigation - where Eve found herself sympathizing with possible suspects and hoping it wasn't a particular person she interviewed. It was eye-opening. Plus, we had the usual interactions with Mira, Morris and her gang at cop central.Overall, this was another great read that left me eager for more. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      This was one of my favorite stories in this series. We keep getting to know a little more about all the characters and this one just moved so smoothly. Keep up more like this.
    • 1/5
      No Party for the ReaderDallas has to solve the murder of a scumbag. Now, this should be interesting – a fair portion of murdered characters seem to have earned their abrupt endings. I enjoy a really bad bad-guy. But Festive founders - nothing happens. No plot twists, no curious side trails. No interesting characters. Oh, we glimpse all the old friends and we have Christmas. But still, nothing happens. Dallas figures out who the villain is – that’s what her job is, right? But the rest of the story is missing: the human interest, and the bigger picture. This plot plodded. And disappointed. I expect bigger mysteries for Dallas – bigger villains, bigger consequences. After all, this is the detective who almost slid off the Statue of Liberty, who solved an off-world murder, and unraveled the Icove case. The worst danger Dallas encounters in Festive is forty minutes of Christmas shopping.What else went wrong? Boring suspects –with one exception, all the suspect characters are from the same social class, one small circle. There is almost no distinction among characters because values, attitudes and mores are all the same. And I’d lay all the blame on the worthlessness of the victim. It’s hard to work up a head of steam over a nasty SOB. It may be Dallas’s job, to stand for the scumbag, but it doesn’t make for a great book, when there is so little detecting to do, so few leads to follow, such a paucity of red herrings.What do I know for certain? The next Eve Dallas book will be better. I look forward
    • 4/5
      I very much enjoyed this book. I felt when I was reading the last few books in this series, that Ms Robb was trying to turn it into just a mystery series – with more emphasis on the murder than the people trying to solve it. The crimes were getting more graphic – and the language more coarse. It seemed to me that Eve was using the F-word in every conversation she had – this didn’t happen in this book. I did not miss the over usage of that word at all! I liked the fact that in this book, some of the characters that were totally missing in the last one (Mavis, Trina, etc) were brought back. There also seemed to me to be more of Eve’s dry sense of humor showing up. That is one thing that has made me love this series over the years – not only does each installment have a good mystery – but there is enough humor to balance the murders. The characters have always been extremely easy to know – and like. I especially like the fact that Eve is definitely growing and changing as a woman and police officer. The series would be extremely boring if she wasn’t changing to adapt to her new lifestyle (while still retaining her edginess as a cop). All in all, I feel this book was much better that the last two or three – and hope the next one follows in its path.
    • 4/5
      A low-life scum is murdered two days before Eve and Roarke throw a Christmas party. Both storylines are good. Eve doing party prep is adorable.
    • 4/5
      I love all of these. They are my "popcorn books!" I liked that, in this one, the victim was extremely unlikeable, and that the author kept me guessing as to who killed him. And, as always, I loved the interaction between Eve, Peabody, and the rest.
    • 5/5
      The thirty-ninth book in the series finds Eve Dallas investigating the murder of personal fitness trainer Trey Ziegler who, she soon discovers, was a less-than-stellar example of humanity. But he is, of course, hers, thanks in part to the kitchen knife in his chest, and in true Eve Dallas fashion, she sets out to find the killer. Complicating matters are bits of personal life in the form of a holiday shopping list and the annual bash she and Roarke will host.The holiday theme, a counterpoint to the viciousness of the crime, allows for a bit of humor as Eve attacks the gift-giving and holiday-decorating . . . and finds herself making a deal with Summerset. The story is true to the characters readers have come to know and love; as Eve relentlessly investigates, the requisite twists ultimately expose the murderer. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      OMG this was so good!!!
    • 4/5
      [Festive in Death] is a feast for the In Death series fan. In Festive Norah balances the murder investigation of a sleazy personal trainer with Eve's annual Christmas dilemmas. We are given details of Eve's Christmas shopping and their annual Christmas bash.While I highly recommend the book for the series lover, it is probably not a good stand alone for someone new to the series. Series lovers will eat up the little details and will probably rejoice as I did at the proper origin of the button in Roarke's pocket ;)