“As a favor to her most important client, V. I. agrees t check up on an empty mansion. But instead of a mysterious intruder, she discovers a dead man in the ornamental pond – a reporter for an African-American publication whom the suburban cops are quick to dismiss as a suicide.
When the man’s shattered family hires V. I. to investigate, she is sucked into a Gothic tale of sex, money, and power, leading her back to McCarthy-era blacklists and forward to some of the darker aspects of the Patriot Act. As V. I. finds herself penned in to a smaller and smaller space by an array of people trying to silence her, and before she can untangle the sordid truth, two more people will die – and V. I.’s own life will hang in the balance.
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I knew Sara Paretsky from an introdution of another book by another author. Don’t remember which and when, though. She was mentioned as one of the author’s favorite authors. Since then, I started looking for her books here. Not easy. I have two of her books, I guess. This is my second reading of the I. V. Warshawaski series. I don’t particularly like I. V. Warshawaski. She is tough in a way I don’t like. Eve Dallas is tough, too. But she is my favorite. Not like Dallas, who knows what she is doing and do well, I. V., well, to me, seems to be always fighting a war in the wrong way? Poor girl.
“Reva Ewing was a former member of the Secret Service, and then a security specilalist for Roarke Enterprises – untill she was found standing over the dead bodies of her husband, renowned artist Blair Bissel, and her best friend. But Lieutenant Eve Dallas believes there was more to the killings than jealous rage – all of Bissel’s computer files were deliberately corrupted. To Roarke, it’s the computer attack that poses the real threat. He and Reva have been under a Code Red government contract to develop a program that would shield against techno-terrorists. But this deadly new breed of hackers isn’t afraid to kill to protect their secret – and it’s up to Lieutenant Eve Dallas t shut them down before the nightmare can spread to the whole country.
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The quality of the paper the publisher used for the cover was terribly bad. I had to carry books in my backpack so I could read books on the train. I certainly put it carefully in a compartment so not to damage the cover. I am always careful about my books. But this one, doesn’t matter how hard I tried, it became so ugly after I finished reading.
This is prabably my least favorite book in the In Death series, so far. The conspiracy behind the murders is really boring and tiring.
It was too bad that Roarke couldn’t revenge on those who had stood aside and watched when Dallas was abused by her own father. Too bad!!
“The summer of 2059 has been long, hot – and bloody. On one of the city’s warmest nights, a call from dispatch sends Lieutenant Eve Dallas t Central Park – and into a hellish new investigation. The victim was found on the rocks, just above the still, dark water of Central Park Lake. She wore nothing but a red ribbon tied around her neck. Her hands were posed as if in prayer. But it is her eyes – removed with such precision, as if by the careful hand of a surgeon – that have Dallas most alarmed.
As more bodies turn up, each with the same defining scars, Eve is frantic for answers. Against her instincts, she accepts help from a psychic, who offers one vision after another – each with shockingly accurate details of the murders. And when Eve’s partner and friend Peabody is badly injured after escaping an attack, the stakes are raised. Are the eyes a symbol? A twisted religious ritual? A souvenir? With the help of her husband, Roarke, Dallas must uncover the killer’s motivation before another vision becomes another nightmare …"
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I am collecting this series as best as I can. Everytime I see a book I don’t have, I have to take it home. This way, I can’t collect the books in the order. I just have to read the series in the order. So, sometimes I buy books from online bookstores, like 誠品, 博客來, 金石堂, 三民書局, Book Depository.
However, this time, I had to skip #16, which I realized too late that I didn’t have, and #18, which I couldn’t find anywhere in my house. After I just tidied up a little part of my library, I so wanted to start my want-to-read list, so I skipped #16, finished #17, again skipped #18, and then this, #19.
The plot itself was not very surprising. The way Eve Dallas looks after (she really is looking after) Peabody is really touching. While Peabody was attacked and fought for her life in the hospital, everyone is just so worried about her. This full-of-love atmosphere really makes J. D. Robb’s In Death series very different from other detective novels.
One thing I didn’t like about this book, or story, was Celina Sanchez’s plan to kill her ex-boy friend’s girl friend. Such a woman!! Selfish, evil, and good for nothing.
閱讀, 旅行, 喝咖啡 The Road Not Taken 