Check-In with the In Death Series Rapture, Ceremony, and Vengeance

Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #4
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 294 (ebook)
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website
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Description:

When the autopsies of three suspicious suicides reveal small burns on the brains of the victims, Eve's investigation turns to the provocative world of virtual reality games--where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction.

My Rating:
On the story: When people who have everything to live for commit suicide, Eve quickly takes notice.  Determined to figure out the pattern and against all odds, Eve finds herself on the case.
Reaction:  The premise of this one really freaked me out.  Sometimes technology can be so scary.
Roarke check-in:  Roarke was as sweet as ever but  Eve stole the show when she showed her heart and vulnerability in this one.  They are truly the perfect couple.

Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb Series: In Death #5 Genre: Romantic Suspense Pages: 327 (ebook) Source: eLibrary Author's Website Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo
Description:

Even in an age of cutting-edge technology, old beliefs die hard... Conducting a top secret investigation into the death of a fellow police officer has Lieutenant Eve Dallas treading on dangerous ground. She must put professional ethics personal loyalties. But when a dead body is placed outside her home, Eve takes the warning personally. With her husband, Roarke, watching her every move, Eve is drawn into the most dangerous case of her career. Every step she takes makes her question her own beliefs of right and wrong - and brings her closer to a confrontation with humanity's most seductive form of evil

My Rating:
On the story: When a retired cop dies unexpectedly and with a suspicious toxin screen, Eve is asked to put her job before her loyalties.  There are lots of smoke and mirrors but Eve must recognize what is real and what is fake before it is too late.
My reaction:  This one tugged at my heart.  Some of the actions were so grotesque and vivid.  I just couldn't put this one down.  The mystery is this one is more intriguing because we know the bad guys early on but just don't know how they managed to do the deed.
Roarke check-in:  I imagine that Roarke was Rhett Butler in an earlier life.
“For once, he slept first. She lay in the dark, listening to him breathe, stealing a little of his warmth as her own body cooled. Since he was asleep, she stroked his hair.
"I love you," she murmured. "I love you so much, I'm stupid about it."
With a sigh, she settled down, closed her eyes, and willed her mind to empty. Beside her, Roarke smiled into the dark.
He never slept first.”

Vengeance in Death by J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #6
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 343 (ebook)
Source: eLibrary
Author's Website
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo
Description:

In a time when technology links the law and the lawless, predators and prey can be one and the same... He is an expert with the latest technology ... a madman with the mind of a genius and the heart of a killer. He quietly stalks his prey. Then he haunts the police with cryptic riddles about the crimes he is about to commit--always solved moments too late to save his victims' lives. Police lieutenant Eve Dallas found the first victim butchered in his own home. The second lost his life in a vacant luxury apartment. The two men had little in common. Both suffered unspeakable torture before their deaths. And both had ties to an ugly secret of ten years past--a secret shared by none other than Eve's new husband, Roarke.

My Rating: On the story:  At first I thought this one would have a similar premise to the previous but it quickly took a different track.  A murderer is on the loose enacting revenge for a long-ago crime.  Unfortunately this time, the ultimate target is Roarke himself.
My Reaction:  Forget the mystery.  There is so much Roarke and Eve loveliness, this one won't easily be forgotten.  I was mush for most of the book.  Don't get me wrong, there is an incredible mystery at the center of this one but it plays on the relationship between Roarke, Eve, and Summerset, so brilliantly.  This time there is little separation between the mystery and the romance.
Roarke check-in:  Roarke is front and center in this one and I loved every minute of it.  There is a very specific part where Roarke emotions are high and we get to be in his head.  It was so powerful and sweet that I read it multiple times.  I could feel the raw emotion and I loved it.
Have you read any of these?  Thoughts?  Honestly, the names and covers are so similar that is so difficult to remember what happened in each one.  Rapture and Vengeance... those words could really go for any mystery. I really dislike that about this series.