Calculated in Death

In Death, Book 36

By: J. D. Robb

Narrated by: Susan Ericksen

Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

Lieutenant Eve Dallas must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke’s world of big business to uncover the identity of a hit man in this thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series.

On Manhattan’s East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn’t seem the type to be on anyone’s hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta’s murder was the work of a killer who’s trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta’s office and the killer’s violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait…

©2013 J. D. Robb (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Worthy, but not best of

This is not the most dramatic or creative book, but it’s worthy of the series. Between flying babies and the vid premiere takedown; to their raw knuckle & black eye photo, it’s pure Robb.
And I get a kick out of Eve’s absurdisms.
As always, Ericksen does a very good job of narration.

Always Entertaining

Another interesting story, although perhaps not as suspenseful as some of them. Susan Ericksen again narrated this so well. Loved how she does the voice of Peabody. Pacing, intonation and expression is perfect.

Calculated in Death

Any additional comments?

About thirteen hours, read by Susan Erikson, Calculated in Death is book 36 in the In Death series. If you’re a fan of the series, you will be comfortable and feel as if you’ve slipped on some warm slippers. Eve Dallas is her usual snarky-smart self, Roarke the brainy-blue-eyed lover, Peapody, McNabb, etc., all the characters are represented. One thing I found interesting in this particular episode is the extraordinary cooperation on the part of all the potential suspects, everybody is as helpful as can be. Ergo, the reader will enjoy, more than usual, identifying the bad guy.

Erikson does a wonderful job with all the voices. She’s had several years to perfect the unique voice of each character, excellent reading as usual.

Nora Roberts has a winning formula with the In Death series, in story, characters, and narration. Calculated in Death does not disappoint. Not earth-shattering literature, but it is not intended to be … the formula is in tact. Enjoy!

Still a fan!

I think it must be hard to keep things fresh after writing 36+ books, short stories and so on. Roberts has a good equation going in the In Death series- a crime happens, Eve and Peabody investigate, Roarke is drawn into the investigation, there are a few sex scenes, Roarke worries about Eve, Eve meets with Mira, they figure it out, wrap it up and there is an op to catch the bad guy. And Trina sometimes makes an appearance. The crime changes and the supporting characters (Mavis, Leonardo, Baxter and so on) have a big or small role depending on the crime and how much they can help. She writes a good story, the characters are old friends and well written. The story here is a solid one. I will continue to read this series because I can count on Eve and crew to entertain.

Good, but below par for this series

If you could sum up Calculated in Death in three words, what would they be?

Confusing. Frustrating. Anticlimactic.

Would you recommend Calculated in Death to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, but please, please, please -- don't make this the first book you read of the In Death series. I'm afraid that if you read this one first, it could discourage you from taking the great ride of reading this series from start to finish.

I am a big fan of this series and I have rarely been disappointed. In this book, however, the story drags, the central murder just doesn't make much sense (I know, sometime it's just senseless, but it's hard to buy the motivations here), the trajectory of the murderer's storyline doesn't make much sense, and the motivations for many of the others involved are convoluted and incomplete and seem to be disconnected from their lives before this book.
It's a rare thing for Robb, but this murder case seems very contrived to me.

Also, I found it disappointing that potentially great scenes that could have existed around the vid premiere simply never happened. Oh, the embarrassment of Eve we could have witnessed, the groupies hanging on Roarke, Peabody and McNab charming the paparazzi. Mavis breaking into improptu music vid trilling and inciting a riot. Leonardo raptly murmuring, "Isn't she precious?" Sigh. The author has a habit of doing this (anyone wish we'd gotten more about Eve's and Roarke's wedding?!?) but it's infuriating. But, of course, I remain a loyal reader. Maybe I need abuse counseling . . .

Perhaps in print this book flows better, but I found it suprisingly confusing. So many new characters with so many new names questioned more than once, several accountants here, several real estate types there, here's three partners, there's two partners, here's a judge, there's a date, an ex, another ex, another . . . You get the point. Poor Susan, what a narrating challenge. Who can differentiate that many people in a coherent manner? By the time Roarke finally named the person he suspected, I swear I honestly had no idea who that was. I'd totally lost track. An accountant? An investor? Who? Which one? Why?

Let me emphasize. THIS IS AN EXCEPTION. Even with these issues, it's a good book. It's just not up to the normal high standard of this series.

What about Susan Ericksen’s performance did you like?

Fantastic as always. For the recurring characters, it takes literally one word and you can identify who is speaking. She is tremendous!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A scene near the beginning involving notification of death and one near the end with Dallas and Roarke.

Any additional comments?

The recent books have been so good . . . maybe that's part of why this one seems disappointing in comparison.

Couldn't stop reading

Would you consider the audio edition of Calculated in Death to be better than the print version?

yes

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eav as always the reading of her is portrayed so well

Which scene was your favorite?

when eav's cat was offended about her being around a panther cub, one of those moments that lightens the story

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

alot of parts were amusing because of the way Eav is so offten twisting common sayings and the parts about m murder and greed just made me sad. because it's so true of so many

JD and Susan Erickson awesome team

This was not one of my favorites as it was a little slow, but it was still a great story. I am addicted to this In Death series. Can't wait till the next one.

Good, Solid Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book, but only after having read some of the others in the series. This book was solid and a good listen, but there were a lot of details that were left hanging, which isn't usual for Nora Roberts. She mentions the villain has a mistress, starts to develop the character and... nothing. The book veers off and she never comes back to it. Very strange for her and a little perplexing, almost as if she changed her mind in mid story. Still a book I enjoyed.

What about Susan Ericksen’s performance did you like?

I love Susan Ericksen's performances - she's amazing.

Calculated in a Death

I don’t know that I’ll get enough of this series and its’ characters. With every series, the people just become more alive and gel. The narrator does a terrific job, as normal!

Another sleepless night. Can't put it down!

As usual, the story line is exceptional and fast paced. As with all of the "In Death" books it is very hard to put it down. I wish she could write faster. I have read all of this series but this was my first Audible. It was still excellent but some of the characters weren't portrayed right by the reader (in my humble opinion). As another reviewer stated, the reader made Peabody sound dumb instead of strong and intelligent with a softer and quirky edge. I think there were some missteps with a couple of other voices also but still enjoyable as a whole. Because of this I kind of prefer her written books but this was still good as I was driving and didn't want to wait for the time to sit and read.
Don't let it stop you from listening if you can keep Peabody's personality in mind in spite of the reader's interpretation.