“Divided in Death,” by J. D. Robb

FM’s ratings:

1. Premise 10
2. Prose 9
3. Plot 9
4. Characters 10
5. Overall 9

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Another outstanding installment of one of my favorite series. In an interview of Lee Child about John D. McDonald, he says that great fiction is about the Character, not really the story. His "Jack Reacher" books, McDonald's "Travis McGee" books, Koontz's "Odd Thomas" books, Charlaine Harris's "Sookie Stackhouse" books, Rowlings's "Harry Potter" books, and here, J. D. Robb's "Eve Dallas" books are all cases in point. We don't remember the stories so much as we remember the Characters. This one just misses earning a "10" from me, partly because it focuses just a little TOO much on Eve's relationship issues with her husband, Roarke, and partly because it really bogs down badly in the middle for pretty much the same reasons. Peabody brings in just the right amount of humorous counter-play to Eve's hard core seriousness, as always. Roarke is always impressive. The bad guys are wonderfully realistic. And the procedural techniques are fascinating to watch. There are so many of these books I can't really say I'm interested in reading every single one of them. But they will continue to be a staple in my reading for many years to come.