Leafing Through Pages - Memory in Death (In Death # 22)
First posted on WordPress here.
For review of all books in the In Death series, go here.
Stars: 4.5 / 5
Recommendation: A futuristic urban fantasy mystery thriller throwing the readers into a world that they understand as well as can envision what it would be like; and at the same time keeping it grounded to the world they know so they get hooked. A much less action-packed than normal for Robb, it however takes us on an emotional journey for Eve and a charming Christmas mystery to cheer even in the midst of horror.
Memory in Death is the twenty first book in the long running In Death Series by J. D. Robb, the alter ego of the famous American romance novelist Nora Roberts, first published in January of 2006. We continue to pursue Lieutenant Eve Dallas juggling her role as a Homicide Lieutenant and also being a wife to the Irish Billionaire Roarke.
The stories in the In Death Series are set in mid-21st century New York City, New York in United States, featuring NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke, an Irish billionaire, CEO of Roarke Industries, and one of the richest man in the world. First started in 1995, as of April 2024, 58 books have been written in this series. The first book begins in the year 2058 and showcases that technology completely dominates the world, yet Robb has her main characters still believe in human impulses, passion and emotions that are key to solving every single case she comes across or in her relationships with her husband and people. They complete their first year of their marriage in Reunion in Death (#14)
We are in December of 2059 - a good 64 years ahead for when the series began in 1995 - and begins a couple weeks after the incidents in Origin in Death (#21). Dealing with hardcore criminals or weird cases such as a Santa splatted on the sidewalk or even facing he wrath of Trina, her hair stylist, was all a piece of cake for Eve and even Roarke when aiding her. However when Trudy Lombard, under whom she was fostered as a kid, comes to visit them seeking money, she feel truly terrified. But again when Trudy is murdered, Eve and Roarke put all their resources together to find the killer, despite the horrific past Eve had with Trudy.
Normally a case by a cop ends when they apprehend the culprit and hand them over to the lawyers for sentencing. We rarely get to see what happens afterwards in a purely cop-based novels. However, Robb brings in the "Order" part of "Law & Order" in this book revisiting a case from a few books ago where the cops provide their witness statements on the stand.
Robb also neatly ties in the title "Memory" not only with memories from their past that Eve and Roarke constantly get haunted, but also with the Memory Box that Leonardo and Mavis gift them. And there is more to "Memory" that she brings in to the plot.
In Remember When, Part 2 (Big Jack), Roarke promises to buy some of the diamonds for Eve from the last quarter that is finally found at the end of the book, almost 50 years later. In this book we see that he indeed buys some of the diamonds into earrings. But there is hint that he bought all of that last quarter.
This book was filled with more memories and less action. Considering the past two books had Eve and Roarke in the thick of it and also injured, this felt like a laid back novel. And it has a sort of sadness to it. Also felt a bit monotone when the reader guessed who the murderer was sometime in the middle of the plot. Considering it is set during Christmas, perhaps Robb toned down the intensity of crime in this.
Robb continues to show us futuristic world in the various concepts and technology that may have been unimaginable in 1995, but are much more acceptable and some available now in 2024. And perhaps in a few years we might see more of her imagination in the series come to life. Check the Spoiler Alerts below for some of them that I identified and grouped them.
Incidentally most of the futuristic world and technology innovations that the book gives the reader, Robb had mentioned them to have begin since 2023. When this book was written in 1995, 2023 was 28 years ahead. However, I have started reading them in 2023 so for me some of the concepts seem very real or close to real for the way our world is heading now.
A futuristic urban fantasy mystery thriller throwing the readers into a world that they understand as well as can envision what it would be like; and at the same time keeping it grounded to the world they know so they get hooked. A much less action-packed than normal for Robb, it however takes us on an emotional journey for Eve and a charming Christmas mystery to cheer even in the midst of horror.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. On Pg. 293, Line 2, it should be "…switched it on…"
2. Plot Reveals:
a. Nadine gets her own show that she calls "Now" as she deals with what's happening up to the minute she airs every week. It will be a full hour weekly.
b. The Icoves case from Origin in Death (#21) is being made into a video or film.
c. Eve used to have long hair until she was bested by another rookie in hand-to-hand training.
d. Roarke and Eve plan to go on a vacation for a few days after the New Year's
e. Futuristic technology and concepts for the time the book is set in (2058) which Robb imagined in 1995:
i. For Security and Tools: Police Sensors and Porta-sensors; Seal It for hands and feet instead of gloves and shoe covers; laser weapons instead of guns and has ability to adjust it's power making it deadly yet less messier than a gun; Compuguard, a software to detect unregistered and illegal equipment; Force Fields and Security Shields; Sensor Bugs, to keep all food establishments in-check; Anti-mugging Spray; Detox Bowls and Radiant Heats used by ME's office; Space Traffic Control who control interplanetary traffic.
ii. Buildings and Landmarks / Travel: Multihabitation Buildings; Graves for loved ones is for rich; Flash Transport for interplanetary travel; minichopper by Roarke's company; EZ Tram and other airstreams, air transport service; medi-copters and ambu-jets; Air/Land Sports Streamer by Roarke industries; Traffic Hovercraft controlling air traffic; Land, Sea and Sky traffic; Rapid Cabs similar to yellow cabs;
iii. Electronics and gadgets: Body Driers / Drying Tubes; Automatic and voice controlled electronics, appliances and lights; AutoChef, like a vending machine that makes fresh food on order; Droids / Drones / all Robots of all kinds - working for humans in all walks of life, and even pets; Virtual Reality headphones; Moving Maps, People Glides and Glide-Carts ease a shoppers life; PPCs - Portable Palm Computers; Laser-faxes, holograms, holo-rooms, holocards and holographs; send-receive units and tele-links; Gear to help fight gravity off-planet, like gravity boots; Rain Shields; SCAN-EYE, a security system for home buildings; Mood Screens; scan-cams; viewing discs like DVDs; palm-sized computer with holofunction; Identi-Pad for creating images for a forensic sketch artist; Privacy Screens on windows; Elevators went up and across; music on Sound Sticks; A hollow standing scanner to scan a person's body internal and external like the one we see in airports but more advanced, being developed by Roarke Industries; memo cubes for leaving voice memos; Videos or films are Vids;
iv. Money, Food, Sports and Health Related: Real food like coffee and meat is premium due to depletion of rain forests; twenty four hour facial cosmetics that wont smudge; Recycling is a must; Soda and Beer come in recyclable tubes; Rehydrated food is commonly used such as irradiated powdered eggs or soy burgers; Medicines such as Sober-Up for being sober after a drunk night, Alert All to keep one alert and bright, Stay-Up to stay awake; Suturing Wand that would mend ripped flesh without any trace left; Cash is called credits and they are not paper money; human organs synthetically manufactured; anticancer vaccines; surgical freeze-coat to stop the flow of blood; Arena Ball Game, a new kind of game; skins casts as opposed to plaster casts; for quick way to move thru the streets - airskates, zip bikes, city scoots;
v. Global incidents that changed the course of the world to what Robb imagined - Population Adjustment Theory (Two Parents one Child); The Revisited Period (a new period for artists post whatever wars the world went thru); Genetic Engineering and in Vitro repairs; Urban Wars changed the world; Gun Ban introduced in 2022-2023; Depletion of Rain Forests.
3. Sub Plots:
a. Law Enforcement: Commander Jack Whitney, Eve's commanding officer, and his wife Anna, daughter Linda, son Steven; Chief Harrison Tibble, Chief of NYPSD; Prosecuting Attorney / Assistant Pas - Jonathan Heartly, Carla Rollins, Cher Reo; Adam Quincy, Chief Legal Counsel for NYPSD; Lab Staff - Chief Tech Dickie Berenski aka Dickhead, Harvo; ME's Office - Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Morris, Duluc, Foster, Marlie Drew; Morgue Staff - Chambers, Rochinsky, Herbert Fienstein, Feeno; Lieutenants and Captains - Don Webster IAB, Medavoy from anti-crime, Desevres at one six-two, Marks, Hayes on 128 Precinct; FBI Special Agent Karen Stowe; FBI Assistant Director Sooner; Interplanetary Law Enforcement (ILE); Darcia Angelo, Chief of Olympus Police; Mayor Steven Peachtree; Sweepers - Lobar, Beaver, Tweeser (head sweeper); Detectives - Crouch, Marion Burns, Brinkleman with 4-1, Darlymple, David Baxter, Cartwright, Zeno, Yancy Ident-artist, Briscoll, Ute, Jannson, Jules, Brinkman, Amaryllis Coltraine, Jenkinson, Slader; Officers - Carter, Carmichael, Miller, Frohickie, Troy Trueheart and his mother Pauline (he is being trained by Baxter), Clark, Rinsky, Briggs, Lopkre, Beth Ricky, Nalley, Queeks, Grimes, Ivansky, Bilkey, Bennington; Tomjohn Lewis from Maintenance; Media Liaison Lee Chang;
b. Close friends and family of Eve and her husband Roarke: Lawrence Charles Summerset, Roarke's valet and butler; Mavis Freestone, Eve's friend and her boyfriend Leonardo, the fashion designer, pregnant since Purity in Death (#15), due in February; Galahad, their cat; Detective Third Grade Delia Peabody, partner to Eve as of Imitation in Death (#17) (has two brothers - Zeke and another one - and a sister; mother Phoebe and father Sam); Captain Ryan Feeney, Eve's ex-partner and head of Electronics Detectives Division (EDD) and his wife Sheila; Dr. Charlotte Mira, behavioral psychiatrist & her husband Dennis has a Wiccan daughter Gillian living in New Orleans has three kids (Lana, ???) and a husband, Callie and Bryce (???), son Anthony & his wife Deborah with a new born Matthew James Mira; Nadine Furst, Channel 75's reporter; Detective Ian McNab, from EDD, cohabbing with Peabody since Survivor in Death (#20), has a cousin Sheila; Charles Monroe, an LC; Dr. Louise Anne Dimatto, doctor at the Canal Street Clinic, manages Dochas and is dating Charles; Jamie Lingstrom from Ceremony in Death and Feeney's God child
c. Other characters frequently appear: Roarke's family - dead father Patrick Michael Roarke, dead mother Siobahn Margaret Mary Brody, step-mother Meg; Eve's family - dead father Richard Troy "Rick" and mother Stella (Not sure dead or alive); Siobhan's family - father Colin Brody and mother Patricia Carney Brody or Alise Brody, son Eemon and his wife Reenie with a kid Cassie, brothers Edward "Ned" married to Mary Katherine with four children (Connor,?,?,?) and Fergus married to Meghan, twin sister Sinead and her husband Robbie with three children, Connor married to Maggie has a kid Devin; Roarke's staff - Caro and her daughter Reva Ewing, Yoshi Tokimoto in love with Reva, LaSalle, Ariel, Loreen; Larinda Mars, Channel 75's reporter for Social Information; Wilson Buckley aka Crack, a street dealer and runs the Down and Dirty Club in the East End; Biff, a fabric expert; Trina, hair stylist; Dr. Engrave, leader in horticulture; Dr. Ambrose, at Midtown Rehabilitation Center for Substance Addicts; Dr. Ward, on the Olympus Resort; Spirit Quest owners - Isis Paige and Charles "Chas" Forte; Cassandra, a palmist; Kevin, an abused 6-yr child, along with his cat Dopey get adopted by Richard DeBlass and Elizabeth Barrister - characters from Naked In Death (#1), he has a dog named Butch now, they adopt Nixie Swisher in Survivor in Death (#20); Carmine, owner of Gametown; Ratso, a weasel; Rue McLean, manager at Purgatory; Milo Horndecker; Dr. Stiles, works for Allegany; Physician's Assistant Spence; Moira O'Bannion, head crisis counsellor of Dochas; Dirk Hastings, an image artist / photographer; Brian Kelly, Roarke's childhood friend; Quinton Post, a reporter; Sade Tully, receptionist at the law offices of Dave and Grant, mother in service still as City Beat Sergeant in Trenton.
d. Off planet locations: Silas I; Silas Three; Taurus I - Alpha Colony; Taurus II; Taurus Three; Taurus Five; Refini; Arts Colony on Mars; Penal Station Omega; FreeStar One; Star 50; Stellar Five; Starlight Station; Eden Colony; Vegas II; Terra Colony; Olympus Resort, owned by Roarke, completed in Interlude in Death; Regis III; Regis Six; NASA Two; Space Station Delta; Travis II; Attica Two; Station Utopia; Rembrandt Station; Alfa Six; Planet Disney; Optima II; Nexus Station; Rexal facility for Mental Defectives; Flora; Planet Disney; Green One
e. Roarke's gifts to Eve can be seen here
f. Wilson McRae, an ex-detective with CPSD in Chicago is introduced in Conspiracy In Death. He has a wife who is very pregnant with their second child, and they have a 5-yr old son, Will. Will he come back in future books?
g. Someone is stealing candy bars from Eve's desk at Cop Central. Wonder who that is?
h. Will Summerset and Eve call truce to their animosity and get at least form a sort of bond enough to reduce their bickering?
i. Miranda rights are revised in this series. We don’t get to see the actual revision though.
j. From Immortal in Death #3: A new sect - Members of the Pure Sect - devotional and similar to monks. Perhaps we will come across them in future?
k. From Ceremony in Death #5: Isis mentions that she had met Roarke in another life and another time; and that he had saved her life. Roarke kind of gets a vague memory but that doesn’t complete to fruition to see if he remembers too.
l. From Conspiracy in Death #8: Hans Vandervahen, one of the accused, is never caught at the end of the book. Will he surface again?
m. From Judgement in Death #11: Max Edward Ricker, Roarke's archenemy, vows revenge against Roarke and Eve. Wonder if he would surface again in a future book. We do see him being mentioned in this book.
n. From Betrayal in Death #12:
i. Dominick J. Naples and his son Dominick II escape at the end of the book. See in another book?
ii. FBI Special Agent Karen Stowe mentions that she owes Eve a favor on account Eve handing her collar to him. Will she be back?
o. From Seduction in Death #13: Detective Matthew Renfrew from one-twenty-eight precinct has issues with Eve and he thinks she is an IAB mole based on the case she unravels of conspiracy and fraud at his station resulting in revealing corrupt cops in Judgement in Death (#11). Will he become a problem for Eve in future?
p. From Reunion in Death #14: As fun joke, Roarke names their fictional kids as Carlos Junior, Robbie, Anna and Alice. If ever they have kids, does Robb have them naming any one of these? I wonder.
q. From Portrait in Death #16: It is also revealed that Patrick Roarke was killed by Summerset which Roarke was never aware of.
r. From Imitation in Death #17:
i. Eve muses about VR for pets and thinks Roarke might jump at that idea.
ii. Marlene Cox, a survivor of a brutal attack by the serial killer, and her family seem to be the kind of characters that we could potentially see them in future books. Perhaps!
s. From Remember When (#17.25): Will the Gannons (Max, Laine, Samantha) show up in any of the future books?
t. From Divided in Death (#18):
i. Eve and Roarke's fathers knew each other when Eve was 8 and Roarke was perhaps 11 or 12 yrs old. Accurate age of either is not mentioned clearly. We did see in Portrait in Death (#16) that Roarke was a whole year younger than what he was led to believe.
ii. Will ever Roarke avenge what the Homeland Security Organization (HSO ) ignored and let Eve suffer when she was a child?
u. From Visions in Death (#19):
i. Could Eve be psychic? Is that why she can see and feel what a killer does; thus making her one of the most successful lieutenant.
ii. Mavis and Leonardo ask Roarke and Eve to be their backup coaches during her birthing. Needless to say that both of them turn white as a sheet even though they accept the role. :)
iii. Eve and Roarke plan on taking two to three days off after things settled and Peabody healed enough at the end of the plot.
v. From Survivor in Death (#20): Several political reasons hinder Eve's promotion as a Captain per Whitney in this book. However Eve is also not ready to ride a desk yet.
w. From Origin in Death (#21):
i. The fate of Avril Icove and her sisters, and Diana Rodriguez and her sisters is left open giving hope that they might surface again somewhere in the future.
ii. In Portrait in Death (#16), Siobhan and Sinead's mother was called Patricia Carney Brody, but in this book she is called Alise Brody. Which is it?
x. From Secrets in Death # 45:
i. Garnet has a daughter Miranda; shows interest in Morris.
ii. Nadine is looking for an admin; Eve has someone in her mind. A past character surfaces perhaps!