Lieutenant Eve Dallas is chasing after a serial killer who is taking posed, artistic pictures of his victims before dumping their bodies in Portrait in Death. Robb actually creates a sympathetic villain in Gerald Stevenson, who literally went crazy after his mother's death from cancer and thinks he's making his victims immortal by taking their light inside his body.

The "b" plot line to this book is one of the biggest reveals/changes in the whole series, where Roarke discovers that his birth mother isn't the abusive woman he thought she was, but instead a victim of his father's violence. He then gets to meet his biological aunt (and the rest of her family) giving him one of the best biological families in the series (seriously, they could have a nice-off with the Peabodys).

One of the best In Death books.

"It seems to me that the shape of something is important, more important than the color."

http://viv-omundoencantadodoslivros.b...

Mais um livro desta série fantástica foi publicado no nosso país e, como não podia deixar de ser, teve de ser lido assim que chegou às minhas mãos.

Desta vez J.D. Robb apresentou-nos uma historia focada na fotografia e que nos volta a deixar sem respiração.

Cheio de ação e mistério, este foi um livro que mostrou mais um pouco acerca do passado de Roarke e que fez com que largasse algumas lágrimas. Eu sei que sou uma chorona e que são vários os livros que já me puseram neste estado, mas ler sobre que se passou com a mãe de Roarke abalou-me um pouco e por isso acabei por deixar cair livremente as lagrimas que me iam aparecendo nos olhos.
Tristezas à parte, Eve e Summerset continuam com os seus habituais momentos de picardia que nos fazem sempre largar umas boas gargalhadas, pois apesar de algumas palavras mais amargas entre eles, é possível ver que ambos se preocupam um com o outro e que no final acabam sempre por trabalhar em conjunto de forma a ajudar Roarke a superar os seus problemas.

Em relação aos crimes…mais uma vez fui surpreendida. Normalmente, neste tipo de livros, é possível descobrir logo o culpado da historia, mas a verdade é que esta autora consegue manter-nos quase sempre em suspense e é torna-se muito difícil encontrar o verdadeiro culpado. Neste caso foi-me completamente impossível descobri-lo e quando finalmente soube tive se voltar a ler essa página só para ter a certeza daquilo que estava a acontecer.

Foi também muito bom rever outras personagens, como a Peabody e McNabb, pois a relação dos dois é completamente hilariante. São, sem duvida, um casal difícil de igualar.

Tenho apenas a apontar pequenos erros de ortografia ao longo do livro, mas ao mesmo tempo queria também dizer que a Saída de Emergência melhorou bastante acerca desse assunto. Nota-se algum cuidado nesse campo e fico muito feliz por isso, pois houve um tempo que, infelizmente, isso não acontecia. Muitos parabéns pelas melhorias e espero que o próximo livro desta coleção seja publicado em breve.

In Death: 16 (Reread)
Set a month later, in August. This book is unusual in that the murder investigation almost takes a step backwards to concentrate more on Roarke's history. FThe author continues with side character development. Eve sets Peabody to studying for the detective's exam, and Louise Dimatto and Officer Trueheart, now under Baxter, play significant roles. Crack, the owner of the Down and Dirty strip club from previous investigations, appears here as well. This is another case story. The mystery is not reader solvable, which is a bit disappointing, and the resolution isn't very satisfying. However, the character development was very well done. A solid read.

n  We begin to die with our first breath.n

Eve is ecstatic that Summerset is taking a three week vacation...until he trips over Galahad and breaks his leg. Then she picks up a case via Nadine of a young college student that has been posed and photographed after death.

Roarke is blindsided by news of his childhood and shuts Eve out completely. This portion of the book was so hard to read. I've become so accustomed to Roarke being there 100%. To see him pull away from the woman he loves more than life was so difficult. Eve's response from hurt to confusion to anger is a sight to behold. I hope this doesn't happen in further books. It was heart wrenching.

The usual cast is present. Peabody becomes more confident as the series progresses. Mavis is just as wild even with her pregnancy. Eve and Nadine have some strife that tests their friendship but is survives a bit stronger. I'm glad Eve has Dr. Mira and Feeney to lean on when she has questions about her marriage. I'm extremely glad that she will ask.

Roarke's personal struggle is poignant. I love that with all that is going on he still keeps that stupid button in his pocket to remind him of Eve. I'm hoping that we will see more of characters that were introduced in his quest for truth.

As always, the plot is twisted and suspects abound. I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this series and look forward to the next one.

Though Roarke made me a bit angry in this one, in the end it became one of my favorites of this series, because there's something so real and visceral in watching these two both learn to be a strong unit. Even when they fuck up, they learn from it, and that's really gratifying to see. And it is even more gratifying to see that they are both equally essential to the other. Eve is sometimes baffled by her emotions - unlike Roarke, who at least had Summerset, Eve literally has never had anyone and so has no experience with healthy, loving relationships at all - but she never fails to recognize how much Roarke means to her, and the fact that him struggling kicked her so off balance... it is proof of how connected she is to him. She doesn't have to understand with her brain, she feels it with her heart, her gut. It's lovely.

I don't know - this woman is a genius. I know this is a re-read but I seem to find more in the re-reads ... maybe because I am doing the audibles too - not much time for reading so I am using my time in the car, to and from work or out and about, listening to them ... great narrator. One or two little nitpicks but I get over them quickly.

Roarke ... what to say that I haven't said before. I adore him. He had some stark facts revealed to him in this one and he didn't handle it very well - didn't handle his relationship with Eve very well either. Sort of shut her out a bit. He ended up in Ireland, met Brian, his childhood friend ... got a little tipsy.


"when in Ireland", I suppose!

n  "I'm bound for Clare tomorrow."n

My home county in Ireland ... I swooned when I read this. You see, me and Roarke were meant for each other.

n  He rarely thought of his heritage, and had never held the grand and weepy sentiment of Ireland so many did those ancestors had left hose green fields behind. But driving alone now under a sky layered with clouds that turned the light into a gleaming pearls seeing the shadows dance over the endless roll of green and the lush red blooms of wild fuchsia rise taller than a man to form hedgerows, he felt a tug.n

n  "I couldn't find my balance ... until I stood out here in the mist of the morning and saw you."n

And no matter how much I love Roarke, I love Eve just as much! My heroine.

This book had me all in my emotions.

Summerset is injured before his vacation. Roarke has a hard time with this because he loves him like a dad. Eve does a good job stepping up at times with Summerset. They both seem to egg each other on but respect each other because they both love Roarke.

Roarke goes through some stuff after finding out something with his past. He can't let it go and pushes Eve away which is really odd for them. I love that while it's still difficult for her, she is reaching out to her friends more for advice.

Trueheart and Baxter are great additions to the group. I really love the dynamic with all of them.

I really had no idea with who was the murderer in this one. I had some guesses but was completely off base.

3.5 Stars

The mystery part felt bland but loved it because of Roarke.

review to come

Adoro a série Mortal. E este livro para além da investigação policial, vai desvendar mais um pouco da vida pessoal de Roarke. O passado vai voltar e quando menos espera o marido de Eve vai ter desenterrar novamente a sua infância.

One of my faves in this series!