Monica (is working the heck out of 's Reviews > Golden in Death

Warning: very lengthy and detailed review below.

Susan Erickson’s outstanding narration notwithstanding, I didn’t go into J.D. Robb’s Golden in Death expecting a fun or exciting reading experience.

This is why I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this installment. At least, I enjoyed it much more than I did the previous one.

But make no mistake, this was far from a four or five star read.

First, as has been the case with installments of the last three years or so, book 50 reflects Robb’s diminished enthusiasm for the series. This is evident in the transparent recycling of ancient themes and character-types, as well as in the perfunctory employment of the characters that once added depth, humor, and warmth to the novels.

Summerset, the Miras, the EDD detectives, Charles and Louise, the Commander, Dr. Morris, Rio, Dickhead and many of the other people we’ve come to know over the course of Dallas’s journey have brief and uneventful walk-on parts. Others, like Nadene, Mavis and Crack, are mentioned in passing. Still others, like Jamie and the various members of Roarke’s family, seem to have been completely forgotten.

Now, I know very well that there is limited space, even in longer novels like these, for multiple and detailed scenes or dialogue exchanges with all minor characters, but the sparseness of this metaphorical gathering, as Eve would put it, came down in the minus column.

And as usual, Eve and Roarke’s relationship grated on my very last nerve; see the drinking game in the updates below for why and how. Suffice it to say that Roarke has been reduced to a mere device. More specifically, he functions to emphasize Eve’s “evolution” into a more feminine, less gender transgressive woman.

There is no argument, no compromise; Eve simply goes to bed when she is told, eats what and when she is told and wears what she is told. So “developed” is she that she asks him to select gender appropriate work attire for her, right down to the “girly” jewelry at which she once balked.

The romance has a disturbing, Fifty Shades'esque feel, one that I, for one, could do without. I'm not interested in watching Eve "learn to be a better (better specifically meaning well-trained) woman" because lurve/"marriage rules" (Robb).


To continue, When Roarke isn’t taking his “stubborn” cop in hand, he is being worshiped and slobbered over by everyone else because sexy/talented/rich. I think we're all clear on his attractiveness; enough with the Roarke porn.

To be honest, the paragraphs of reverential, deep purple and recycled description that punctuate each installment have and continue to read as if Robb, more so than us readers, needs convincing re: Roarke's otherworldly beauty and unparalleled intelect and sexual prowess.

Also, his superfluous presence during nighttime fieldwork continues to be a head-scratcher. In previous installments, Roarke has either remained at home or stood in for an indisposed Peabody.

On other occasions, his presence was requested, especially when he owned the building or had E skills to offer to the team.

On other, very rare occasions, and in an effort to emphasize his role as the “romantic,” overprotective alpha-male, Robb has had him insist on accompanying his wife during early morning/late night fieldwork. This made zero sense but, for whatever reason, didn't annoy me as much as it does now.

More importantly, Eve would either clear with or disclose to her commander his involvement in police business. Now, his presence during next-of-kin notifications (to me, this has always been highly inappropriate, even if he is there in his capacity as “expert consultant, civilian”) and fresh crime scenes is a foregone conclusion. Even if you take into account Robb’s creative treatment of law enforcement procedures, this aspect of their marriage is more and more at odds with Eve’s image as the “kickass” New York homicide cop.

Over the course of the series, I've seen enough to suggest that Eve isn't superhuman that hammering it home at book fifty reads as redundant sexism for its own sake.


I also missed Eve's aprehentions of stray criminals. I guess, for whatever reason, Robb has decided that Eve has"developed" beyond the point of undertaking physical and "masculine" displays of heroism. She allows two criminals, a hopped up streaker and a mugger, respectively, to get away. These little scenes once illustrated Eve's heroism and brought some much needed comic relief to the books.

On a side note, I do appreciate that, for the most part, Robb keeps the romance to a minimum, even if I *did* have to skim through the sex and mushy at-home scenes.

To continue, I am very, very weary of Delia Peabody’s body image wangst. This has been a major aspect of her character over the years, but at book 50, I think it’s past time that she quit obsessing over the looseness of her pants. This ubiquitous preoccupation with her weight is especially problematic when you consider that part of her role in the novel is to pose as a foil for her more “masculine” partner.

As for the antagonists, I’d say that as killers go, they were much easier to despise than was the murderer in the previous book. I really appreciated that the weapon of choice was one I haven’t seen(well, I've seen poison, but the method of delivery is new) in this series ). What I *have* seen is the wealthy, prominent, sociopathic, misogynistic, spoiled, and “complicated” team of killers. Seduction, Indulgence and Leverage in Death all feature a pair of arrogant, pampered little boys who take “toys out of the pram” to new and deadly heights.

Everything from the post-arrest, interrogation room threats (I'll have your badge, you cop bitch!), to the “shake them up” visits to their respective workplaces to the protracted tales of their past cruelties is so painfully familiar that I started to feel embarrassed for Robb, most especially because her use of this character type is as recent as last year.

All that said, Golden does well as a police procedural, from the systematic uncovering of clues to the revelation of who done it. I especially enjoyed the suspect and pricy lawyer “in the box” portion of the resolution. Watching Eve and her team manipulate the suspect, seeing the reaction as the increasingly “hard to explain” evidence is piled on and hearing the murderer come apart piece by piece as the reality of the situation begins to dawn on him/her is always priceless, especially when said suspect is a rich, arrogant, and self-important asshole who thinks the rules don’t apply to him/her. The deliciousness of seeing them realize that they were stupid and are, as a consequence, going to die in a cage, defies description!

Ultimately, Golden in Death is one for the completists; while not terrible, it can hardly be called excellent. Three stars.