J. D. Robb's Divided in Death

If you've been following the ... In Death series pseudonymously written by Nora Roberts, you'll be delighted with #18, Divided in Death. I took a lengthy gander at it at Border's. Hey, I'm poor, what else do you expect? Anyway, #18 is a worthy continuation of this terrific series. Regrettably, it's in hard cover and costs $21; I'm going to wait until it hits paperback for $7.99. All the words will be exactly the same as the hard back version, and they'll cost less. I even remembered to pick up my eyeballs from the copy I browsed in Border's.

Anyway, for a quick review of Divided.... It is 2059 and Eve Dallas and the divine Roarke, as well as the top dogs in the NYSPD, take on the baddies from Homeland Security Organisation (HSO). This is a story about corruption that goes long and deep, and Robb forces the reader to ask whether corruption at state organizations exists because of the state or the people. Robb shows HSO as it could be if its power is exercised badly and without regard for the welfare of citizens.

She presents this theme through the story of Reva Ewing, a trusted employee of Roarke Enterprises who is a suspect in a double-homicide of her husband, Blair Bissel, and his lover. Having been apprised of the murders, Roarke comes to Eve for help. In the course of the investigation, Eve discovers that the murders cover greater crimes and help to reveal older ones; moreover, she finds out that all of Bissel's computer files were deliberately corrupted.

From corrupted files, Robb takes the reader on a hi-tech tour of a world in which sophisticated audio and video bugs are hidden in the most unlikely places and require equally sophisticated and hi-tech means to evade them. Adding leaven to the dramatic tension of the novel, is the interaction with Eve's long-time friend, Mavis, and the one person who strikes terror into Eve's heart, the hairdresser Trina. Furthermore, Robb adds to the novel's tension by tossing into the mix Roarke's reaction to discoveries about Eve's early childhood.

The novel really is a great read, and I'm impatiently awaiting the soft-cover version.

Divided in Death is available everywhere. Lemme give Nora's bookstore a plug; who knows, she might take pity on me and send me a free copy . You can order autographed copied from Turn the Page Bookstore.