Transcript

AJ (00:03.598)
All right, are you about ready?

Tara (00:05.455)
Yep, I’m opening it. It’s just thinking really hard. It’s not hard.

AJ (00:11.756)
Well, I mean, I have to do the intro and all of that anyway, so we can do that while you’re opening it.

Tara (00:16.007)
I’m gonna turn this, let’s turn the sound down too. Okay, I’m good.

AJ (00:20.534)
Okay. All right, so here we go.

Tara (00:24.625)
Woo.

AJ (00:25.966)
That’s okay. Well, that’s fine. No, that’s great for this episode. Trust me. All right. Hey, everyone. Welcome once again to podcast in depth, the weekly podcast where we discuss the in depth series of books by JD Rob. I am AJ.

Tara (00:29.607)
Sorry, this is who you get today.

Tara (00:48.231)
and Terra.

AJ (00:49.494)
And this is episode 279, I believe of podcasting deaf. And in this episode, we’re going to review the reviews of framed in death. And some of them are horrible. I, people, people suck. and some of them it’s same phenomenon that happened before where when they use a new book. So

There’s not so many reviews as an older book would have, but on Goodreads, two one stars. And there, remember how I said in the last couple, when I went into Amazon, there’s been like zero one star reviews and I’m like, that can’t be. Again, there are zero one stars reviews for this book. In on Amazon. Yeah, it’s really interesting.

Tara (01:34.223)
Yeah. Yeah.

AJ (01:46.786)
I’m also, mentioned this on the briefing room, but, I think, did we, and then mentioned, we’ll mention it here that I’ve got my new mug that I got from our merch store. If, if some of you out there don’t know that this exists, I made a, an Eve’s mantra mug. So the mug says, yeah. And it’s, so the mug, the mug says, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this, fuck this.

Tara (02:09.031)
It looks really cool.

AJ (02:16.594)
And I put it on a jumbo mug. So this thing holds, think 20 or 24 ounces of coffee. I have tea in it right now, but it’s, it’s a huge mug. It’s, it seems really well made. It’s very heavy. This one I think can go into the wash, into the dishwasher or you can wash by hand. So yeah, everybody has to go and get you one of these and whatever else we have in our.

Merch store. I’m going to have to upload. I’m going to have to upload more things. Yeah. And I haven’t yet uploaded all the different designs that we have that were in our other store, but I’m going to have to do that. But yeah, visit our merch store, go to our website, podcast and death.com. And at the top, you’ll see the link to the merch store and go there. And, uh, I did get Tara, I, cause I showed you, I ordered a set of.

Tara (02:50.887)
because it’s a new merch store, right?

AJ (03:15.594)
is now in the merch store because before in our other merch store, had penny pig glasses, but just a pint glass. That’s really all they had available in that merch store. But this one, I created a rocks glass and whiskey glass and a shot glass. And I sent Tara a picture of the shot glass. It’s so tiny and very cute. Yeah, has the penny pig logo on there, so.

Tara (03:41.371)
This is very cute.

AJ (03:44.872)
yeah, go and check it out if you haven’t already. We also have our Posse shirts.

Yeah. So, okay, now that that little advertisement’s over, we can get to reviewing the reviews.

Tara (04:03.073)
yes, because these will be very nice. This episode won’t have any emotion or heat in it at all.

AJ (04:09.55)
Ha

Maybe, you know, hopefully there’ll be some laughs.

Tara (04:16.657)
Well, we do tend to find something to laugh about, so.

AJ (04:20.256)
Yeah, let’s hope so we find something here and not just rage baiting.

Tara (04:27.547)
Well, we’ll start with one of the two one-star reviews.

AJ (04:31.383)
Yeah.

Tara (04:33.105)
So here we go, one star. I don’t care about the bad guys anymore. I care about Roarke and the relationship. If there’s action, then great. We went from bombs and blowing up stadiums to gunfire and tunnels, and now there’s nothing. Paperwork and procedures. It’s as dull as an Oral Roberts movie, but for different reasons. In America, we drag out a series until it’s no good. Feed it to death.

England does a bit better. If only 20 are great, stop. And these awful holes in the plot. Mavis has been writing her own songs for a while yet now it’s a new thing. Ugh. It’s always a sting operation. Always a confession. Give me a denial. Give me an Eve Goes to Trial book.

AJ (05:22.584)
This is not, this is not, you know, Matlock. We’re not gonna get Eve, yeah, I’m showing my H here, but they’re bringing Matlock back though. But like, this is, know, Eve goes to try, who wants to read that that’s, that’s dull. Eve.

Tara (05:28.615)
Ha

Tara (05:41.297)
Do you know how dull it is watching a fucking trial?

AJ (05:45.0)
Yes, I do because I watched the Karen Reed trial. That, but that was fairly interesting just because of the circumstances. But, yeah, trials are boring. And look, Tara, I have been a jury on an attempted murder trial and it was boring. Like it was boring. So we don’t want that either.

Tara (05:47.737)
I can’t read what…

Tara (06:10.855)
think this person has no idea what they’re asking for. They, they, yeah. Okay.

AJ (06:14.611)
No.

No, but also like Mavis has been writing her own songs for a while. Has she? Where in the book has it said that?

Tara (06:23.815)
I mean, she’s, I know that she’s been writing songs. Does that mean that like, also here’s the thing is that, so when I read that in the book, I was like, okay, she’s gonna get better. So if we’re gonna go with the whole like, yes, Mavis has been writing her own songs for a while because I guess that that is technically canon, but has she been writing them solo? We don’t have that answer and we’re not talking about it.

AJ (06:47.874)
But wait, how was it, okay, so I must’ve missed something. So how is it canon? Where is the set in the?

Tara (06:54.447)
Well doesn’t, well hasn’t, I mean wasn’t she writing her own songs back in like the blue squirrel and stuff?

AJ (07:02.922)
I don’t know that it ever said that.

Tara (07:04.226)
And and maybe I’m wrong saying that but here was here’s what I was trying to say was that what does the fuck does it matter if she’s been writing her own songs for the last five years? It’s not I don’t I do not believe that it was presented as it’s something new. I thought I thought of it more along the lines of it being presented as one, she’s better at it if she whether she has been or not. And two, what the fuck does it matter? Like I’m just

AJ (07:09.166)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (07:27.883)
Okay.

Tara (07:33.029)
very confused by this reveal.

AJ (07:36.238)
All right.

Tara (07:37.499)
How was that a hole in the plot also?

AJ (07:41.998)
Hang on, let me try this out.

Tara (07:42.555)
I don’t know.

AJ (07:57.999)
So I had set up ChatGPT to go through our Wiki and search for things. And so I’m asking it, when did Mavis start writing songs? And we’ll see if anything on the Wiki says like she’s been writing. I don’t remember anything ever said like she’s writing, but it may be. And I just haven’t really thought about it before.

Tara (08:17.283)
I think, I just felt like it was, well, that’s the other thing is like, I’m okay, I’m not sure that that’s what we are worried about. But like, I just always thought it was implied. But I sure as hell wouldn’t be posting a one star review being like, this is factual. But I really, I really did think it was always implied. Like she talks about her songs and things like that.

AJ (08:37.367)
I don’t know.

AJ (08:42.638)
I don’t. Well, I mean, she talks about her music. But like, I don’t know that she’s ever talked about her writing songs. But again, I could be wrong.

Tara (08:53.659)
Yeah. Well, anyway, I was I I was just saying that I think this is a terrible review. That’s what I was saying. But.

AJ (09:00.736)
It is a terrible review, you’re correct.

Tara (09:03.447)
And I also didn’t think that that’s what the book said. That Mavis is now writing songs.

AJ (09:16.76)
wait a minute. See, is why this chat GPT is so funny. Cause I just saw a flash there. Now what I’m seeing on the screen. So everybody that, that hasn’t done this yet on chat GPT, you can have, you can set it up as an, what they call an agent. And what you’ll see is a little window will pop up and it’ll look like you’re looking at somebody’s computer screen and they’re looking through the internet.

in a browser.

So that’s what it’s doing right now. And it’s saying, now I’ll open this page and search this, and now I’ll open this page and search this. And you’re seeing it like they’re opening a browser page. It’s really fascinating. So it’s going to search, but it did just in that little flash in there as it’s searching, I saw something about a song called Knocked Up by Love. And isn’t that a song that she said that she had wrote?

Tara (10:14.171)
Yeah.

Tara (10:21.05)
Yeah.

AJ (10:22.37)
Because that sounded really familiar as soon as I saw it. was like, wait a minute. Yeah Okay, so Whatever, you know, mean Nora gets shit wrong and look this is a long series and we know that she doesn’t keep any kind of You know really detailed records to go back on and search so Okay, do you want to see what it says finally

Tara (10:48.293)
No, sorry. Yeah, what does it say?

AJ (10:52.474)
Mavis, didn’t wait until she was famous to start writing music. She was already composing her own songs when she was still playing and playing in back alley clubs. Gloria and death. Eve meets Mavis at the blue squirrel and asked what she thought of the, and, asked what she thought of the set. Mavis proudly replies. She wrote the last number herself and confides that she might have a shot at a recording contract. She would tell us Eve that she’ll perform a self written song.

That self-written song again, if Roarke shows up. Her bio on the In Death Wiki notes that she writes wrong music and was chasing a recording contract at this point. Later books confirm that she continues to compose, for example, in Purity in Death. Eve remarks that Mavis was writing a song called Knocked Up by Love to celebrate her pregnancy. There’s no earlier mention of her songwriting, so Glory in Death is the first time in the series.

The series shows Mavis writing her own songs.

Tara (11:57.598)
I’m still okay. I’m still hung up on I’m not trying to remember exactly what it said in the in the book But doesn’t it just say she’s starting to doesn’t you just say I’m starting to write songs, but she like just showed them the recording studio so like I’m starting to write songs because I’m in the recording studio. So I’m starting to write songs in the recording studio I guess I’m just so annoyed by the way that this review implies this because

AJ (12:11.562)
Right.

AJ (12:20.686)
Right.

Tara (12:24.801)
I didn’t necessarily think that it implied that she was just writing her own music now. I thought it was just more along the lines of she’s doing it now that she’s like better and she has her own space. What do I know? What do I know? I just.

AJ (12:35.31)
Well, yeah, yeah. And it could be that. Yeah, I don’t know. Hang on a second, let me open it up and see.

Tara (12:41.937)
But I also can’t remember what it says in the book, so.

AJ (12:51.528)
It’s saying. I’ve already worked here a few times and I still can’t believe it’s mine. I can come down here and record I can practice and no chuckles. I’m starting to write songs. Why would I chuckle? With a shake of her head Mavis slid an arm around Eve’s waist. A big long way from the blue squirrel and even longer way from scouting for marks on the street. So.

Tara (13:16.859)
Yeah. Now I think that that’s, yeah. I mean, I guess if Nora wasn’t trying to come across that way, whatever, like what a weird thing to get. I say, what a weird thing to get hung up on. And when I’m just like, yeah, but that’s not what it said. I’m going to get hung up on it, but that’s not how I read it. So.

AJ (13:33.358)
It’s fine. Right. And it doesn’t really, it’s not like, it’s not like a plot hole.

Tara (13:41.339)
But yeah.

It’s not a plot hole. Because again, how that’s a line that’s definitely open to interpretation. Maybe this is I’ve just started writing songs in my new house.

AJ (13:47.105)
So I don’t think you know what that means.

AJ (13:53.1)
Right.

AJ (13:57.674)
Right. Or maybe she was writing lyrics and finding somebody else to write the tunes and now she’s writing a whole song. I don’t know.

Tara (14:02.662)
Yeah.

Tara (14:06.279)
The series isn’t about her. So love her. But anyway, I know that I just like blew up on that. But also, like, why are you mad that there’s a sting operation in confessions? Like, what do you want? A denial. Yes, people deny it all the fucking time. What are you talking about? Give me a denial. Have you read any books in this series? Everyone’s like, I didn’t do it. I’m innocent. I was protecting myself.

AJ (14:08.14)
Yeah, so we don’t know what she’s been doing. Yeah.

Hahaha

AJ (14:22.806)
Yeah, yeah, they do.

AJ (14:28.908)
Yeah.

I mean, she does have enough, you know, people that, you know, confess, but we’ve had a few people that have denied it from, and don’t confess. We’ve, you know, mm-hmm.

Tara (14:45.177)
and she’s got her evidence and we know that’s going to go to trial, which by the way would be boring.

AJ (14:52.682)
Right. All right, so let’s go to this next, the last one star we have because apparently, yeah. One star. Fully didn’t finish this book, barely got through the first 100 pages. Bad. Very convoluted and confusing. Too many named insignificant characters that you need to keep track of. A lot of written scenes that don’t really contribute to anything.

Tara (14:58.651)
The final one star review.

Tara (15:19.153)
How would you know you didn’t finish it?

AJ (15:21.342)
Right, exactly. And this is what a police procedural is, right? We’re seeing the procedure. And it’s not always very exciting. You know? It’s fine. Anyway.

Tara (15:39.687)
Some.

AJ (15:41.036)
Yep. So, but now we’re on to two stars.

Tara (15:43.173)
Okay, well, two stars in which I don’t think they’re going to get any better. Am I right?

AJ (15:48.45)
They are not, and there’s a lot of really bad two stars and I’ve put a bunch in here, and really bad three stars as well.

Tara (15:56.199)
good. Well, let’s go. Two stars. I don’t think our author loves Eve anymore. While I accept these books are generally formulaic, Framed lacks any kind of depth, warmth or humor I expect from the in-depth titles. It reads like a series Mad Libs. Insert Dallas and friends here, requisite sex scene, Somerset makes an appearance, call Mira in, profiler completely unnecessary but will suspend disbelief.

Roarke gets a playdate with the E-Geeks catch the bad guy. I’m not going to go so far as to say AI was used, but it feels like AI was used. Part of the charm of the previous books in the series was knowing that one of the many people she would interview in the course of her investigation would be the one and trying to figure out who it is. She’s deviated from that part of the formula, allowing the reader to know from the beginning to end who Dallas and Gang are looking for.

So it’s only a matter of trudging through the mountain of exposition to get to him. And there are mountains of exposition. Some pages read like the straight dialogue you would find in a script. I might give her one more shot to woo me back with her next book, but I may have to accept that after 24 years, it’s time to step away.

AJ (17:10.846)
did you hear that Nora? You have one more shot to get this person back. One more. She’s going to lose some sleep.

Tara (17:14.627)
Yeah, yeah, guess what? Nor does not nor does not give a fuck. OK, I guess I can’t speak for Nora Roberts, but I’m going to say with some confidence that she don’t give a fuck.

AJ (17:25.326)
So you just not give a fuck to have you back, honestly.

Tara (17:31.759)
Also, it’s disgusting to go on to a public forum like this and accuse a bestselling author who’s been writing for like 45 fucking years of using AI. Like that’s disgusting. That’s… Yeah, that’s gross. That’s gross. It’s just as disgusting as the G word. the other thing is like…

AJ (17:44.726)
Right? Yeah, AI is the new Ghost Rider, right?

AJ (17:52.642)
Yeah.

Tara (18:00.807)
This does not happen every time that we know who it is from the beginning. Like that’s literally been, I say this every time. I like that she changes it up. Sometimes we do meet them during, you know, meet them during the interrogation process. Sometimes we know who it is from the beginning. Sometimes they’re a mysterious person that we keep interacting with, but we don’t ever learn their name. and if you haven’t, if you’ve been reading this series for 24 years, you know that.

AJ (18:16.759)
Right.

AJ (18:27.948)
Yeah. But yeah.

Tara (18:29.479)
It’s like, it’s like you didn’t like this book, so you suddenly have forgotten 85 % of the rest of the series.

AJ (18:34.35)
Yeah, no, Tara. This is the first time she’s ever written it this way.

Tara (18:39.111)
Yeah. So, suddenly you’re just like, you know, deciding that all of this shit that’s completely untrue is the case. Like, I just… Annoying.

AJ (18:42.188)
Ha ha.

AJ (18:52.214)
Yeah, it’s weird.

Okay, so let’s go on to the next two star review. Fairly Mid Book. I didn’t realize this was part of a series. Maybe if I was invested in the series and characters, I would have liked this more. But as a standalone book, it’s quite predictable. The plot line is very basic. Crime happens, detective tries to solve it, more crimes happen, detective solves it, and they capture the killer. I kept waiting for a turn or plot twist or a new take, but nothing happened.

Even Roarke’s relationship is also super boring to read. And it feels way too convenient that he just shows up at every moment when she needs help and fixes the issue for her.

Tara (19:37.831)
Did that happen? Did he just show up conveniently?

AJ (19:42.237)
no. No. I mean, she called him a couple times.

Tara (19:43.271)
No.

Right. mean, that’s that’s how that’s how people know to show up. That’s not necessarily convenient. You let them know. That’s how that’s how that works. My favorite is. Is the crime happens. Detective tries to solve it. Both more crimes happen. I was waiting for a turn or plot twist. What did you want to happen? What was the plot twist you were looking for? It was it was a. Crime.

AJ (19:50.764)
Right.

Yeah.

Tara (20:15.771)
Fiend solves!

AJ (20:17.75)
You know, here’s the thing, Tara, like they act like murder, other murder mystery series, which this is not a murder mystery series. And we’re going to say that again, before this is over. This is not a murder mystery series, but people keep equating it to murder mystery series as if that’s something somehow better or not formulaic or whatever. But in murder mystery series, as you know, Tara, because you’ve read them, guess what happens? Crime happens.

and the detective tries to solve it and then more crimes happen and then the detective solves it and they capture the killer.

Tara (20:53.639)
I know, it’s amazing. Wait. It’s.

AJ (20:55.246)
It’s, yeah, it’s, it’s, you would not believe.

Tara (21:02.631)
Yeah, I’m not really just I’m not sure what What what are you wanting? Well, you’re like I need I need a plot twist what plot twice like what plot twist did you need?

AJ (21:03.106)
But, okay.

AJ (21:09.07)
I don’t

Right, and you know what, let’s give you a plot twist of maybe it’s not the same person that she thought it was at the beginning, and it’s something that somebody completely knew, right? Somebody completely knew that we didn’t think, plot twist, but guess what still happened? Murder happened, and the detector tries to solve it, and more murder happened, and then the detective solved it, like.

Tara (21:40.451)
It’s exactly.

AJ (21:40.672)
It’s still, even if we have a plot twist, that still happens.

AJ (21:47.768)
So, don’t.

Tara (21:50.311)
anyway, more Dumb Dew Stars. I think this book depends totally on whether you listened to it and then had to hear every word or you read it or you read and skimmed it. We’ve done a book on artists killing for their art. So the originality wasn’t there. I found we has a lot of introspection time with a lot of sappy. I got tired quickly of cat.

AJ (21:51.98)
Anyway, more dumb two stars.

Tara (22:19.719)
closet and ties that burn the retinas. Fulfiller. Dull.

Wow, you clearly know how to get really important information from a book.

AJ (22:27.617)
Okay.

AJ (22:31.438)
Yeah, I mean, and you know, the thing is, yes, guess what? All books, whether you like them or not, depend on whether you listened to it or didn’t listen to it or read it or skimmed it. This is not new. This is just, know, what you get out of a book depends on how you read it. And that’s for every book that exists in the world. So I don’t know what they’re trying to say here.

Tara (23:00.731)
I also just, okay, like, yes, we’ve done a book on artists killing for their art. So the originality wasn’t there. Do you really think that portrait was the only book where an artist was, like, guilty? Like, the number of times, the groom, did he not, like, think of his work as art? There were several of them that were, like, killing people, being art, turning it into a fucking contest between those rich assholes.

AJ (23:22.039)
Right.

Tara (23:30.085)
Like this is, this is the originality wasn’t there like.

AJ (23:30.313)
Right.

AJ (23:35.342)
And you know, the thing is, when I read the first, because she always releases the first chapter a couple of months before, so we can have a little sneak peek. And when I read the first chapter, I was like, oh no, it’s just like portrait. You know? But when I read the book in its entirety, I felt like there was enough different that it felt different for me, even though

Tara (23:45.829)
Yeah.

Tara (23:52.23)
Yeah.

AJ (24:04.342)
You could say like, well, there’s two artists and they killed people in making art from them. There was, there was some things that were the same, but there was a lot that was different. So I ended up not feeling that way when I finished the book, not feeling like it was like portrait too much, you know.

Tara (24:26.885)
feel like he was portrait hardly at all. And I don’t know, for me, I think that the time we spent with the killer, not that I like spending time with killers, I think the time we spent with him definitely shifted the feel. You know, I think that the… I mean, I don’t know. Well, and also the killer in portrait was not well.

AJ (24:42.925)
Yeah.

Tara (24:56.933)
You know, there was there was something else going on there with him. And I don’t know, I just.

AJ (24:57.677)
Yeah.

Tara (25:05.433)
It didn’t bother me at all, I guess, is what I’m trying to say. But.

AJ (25:07.501)
No.

AJ (25:10.86)
Me either.

Tara (25:12.925)
That’s me, that’s my feeling.

AJ (25:15.574)
Okay, so this is really long one.

Tara (25:18.842)
Is it?

AJ (25:19.438)
It’s still trash.

AJ (25:28.482)
whenever you’re ready.

Tara (25:29.415)
you’re not going to read the

AJ (25:32.76)
Did I, I read it. Did I read it?

Tara (25:33.423)
One before it.

Tara (25:38.555)
Did you?

AJ (25:39.214)
I didn’t.

my god, I’m just getting like, terrorists like, aren’t you gonna read yours? Like, are we just gonna skip? Okay.

Tara (25:45.982)
So I was like, I was like, I was, I don’t know. Both of us were wondering, like, which one of us just mentally disappeared for a minute. I’m like, did I miss that? And you’re like, did you not hear me? What the fuck?

AJ (25:53.985)
Right.

Right. No, yeah. Okay, so another two stars. Let me read this one, Tara, before you read the really long one. Two stars. I liked the book. It was once again, a great read with lovable characters and a good plot. Why two stars? There are so many mistakes that it’s distracting.

Tara (26:03.569)
Huh.

AJ (26:26.262)
Words are misspelled or missing punctuation of off and on. some cases, I had to read through a sentence or paragraph to figure out what was being said. This is either a huge mistake in trusting AI, which is the next, the new ghostwriter, or an editor that needs to be replaced. I can ignore a misspelled word or two or a misprint in punctuation, but this was so bad that it detected from

But it this was so bad that it detected from the book. I don’t do I think they meant detracted

Tara (27:05.361)
Yeah, I believe they did.

AJ (27:06.752)
And you know what? This person’s full of shit because look, I’m not, I’m that person that would notice, you know, if there was that many, if there was one or two, might, I might not notice or I might kind of skip past them and not think about it twice. But this person’s acting like so much of it was misspelled or words missing.

Tara (27:33.265)
So here’s the other thing that they could have done, given us some examples.

AJ (27:38.558)
Exactly, and they never do. You know why? Because they’re full of shit.

Tara (27:40.487)
They’ve been like, they’re they’re full of shit on page 76. This looks like it’s missing. And then all of us, because guess what? Only one version of this book has been published so far. So we all the same fucking page 76 and I can look at it and go, oh, I see what you’re talking about. Thank you for bringing that up.

AJ (27:46.625)
Right.

AJ (27:57.58)
Yeah, and then we could have read your review and gone, huh, yeah, this person’s right. didn’t notice. Hmm, okay, yeah. But now we’re just like, this person’s full of shit.

Tara (28:03.623)
That’s a good point, but…

Tara (28:08.411)
Yep. So just you’re full of shit person.

AJ (28:12.182)
I mean, don’t know what else to tell you. If you don’t give me any, so many words misspelled or missing, but not one, you know, was put in here so that we could look at it.

Tara (28:14.168)
hahahaha

AJ (28:29.368)
So.

AJ (28:32.904)
huge mistake in trusting AI like, dude, can we stop with the AI stuff? I’m so sick like

Tara (28:33.927)
Sorry. Yeah.

AJ (28:43.278)
I can’t even, I can’t see myself. I can’t see Nora using chat GPT at all, first of all, but like not in this anyway. So.

Tara (28:54.695)
That’s the thing. It’s like, again, she’s been writing these books forever and ever and ever. She’s not going to use AI. She’s not. If she doesn’t want to write… Listen, she’s not doing this for money anymore. She’s got plenty of money. She’s not doing this for anything other than the fact that she loves to write or else she would have fucking retired years ago. You know?

AJ (29:01.228)
Yeah. No, no.

AJ (29:19.83)
Right, yeah.

Tara (29:21.251)
So why would she be out here using AI to write a book when she could just not do anything and retire and live her fucking life? What the hell is wrong with people?

AJ (29:28.43)
Yeah, just end the series and then yeah, exactly.

They’re done, they’re all done. Hey, guess what, Tara, there’s a really long two-star review here.

Tara (29:37.443)
I’m going to ask this, aren’t I? That’s going to piss me off.

AJ (29:45.09)
Probably.

Tara (29:46.266)
Okay.

Well, here goes. Two stars. You know, I’m a huge fan, but feel free to skip this one. I’ll skip your review, but no, because it’s fun to read on the podcast. Anyway, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, are called into the scene of a body which has been left posed outside of a home in Manhattan. When they arrive, they find that they are at the home of a gallery owner and the deceased woman in the odd clothing.

AJ (30:00.618)
Yeah.

Tara (30:18.617)
is made to look like a famous painting. And so it goes that someone is killing street Elsies and leaving them in costumes wired and posed after various famous paintings outside of galleries or the homes of gallery owners. They easily come to the conclusion that the killer is a rich person since the cost of the materials for each costume runs about $250,000.

I found the idea of this one to be too close to one of her other stories, Portrait in Death, Book 16, where a photographer is killing and posing his victims for photographs. This included Crack’s younger sister as one of the victims. The killer was Meh. Even the witnesses couldn’t remember anything about him. The investigation was OK, although I once again focused on the fact that her whole department picked up parts of the case and that the ME and the lab had information ready for Eve within hours.

This is NYC, even in the future, I can’t imagine that the chief medical examiner in Manhattan can jump on every one of Eve’s cases before the body is even cold. We did get an extended tour of the great house renovation, which has finally been completed, and we get as much joy as Dallas that we can finally stop talking about it. I love this series and jump at every opportunity to receive a copy of the next in depth. I’m coming down hard on what is the 61st story in the series.

and how hard it must be to stay fresh with them at this point. Her relationship with Roarke is pretty solid at this point, and any fights they have gotten into recently feel forced and opportunistic. Like adding an obligatory scene where Eve has a fight with the soda again, or the candy thief strikes again. You know that has to be Roarke with his hands still in it.

While I will apologize for being cranky when a story only comes up as meh, there is a reason most series don’t last as long as this one as it is hard to keep coming up with something fresh and eventually you lose readers no matter how dedicated. Even though this is the year 2061, it seems current technology has caught up with Nora’s imagination and we don’t even have anything cool or sci-fi showing up with the exception of the Great House Tour. There is nothing unique or interesting about this investigation or anything that really furthered the development of the characters.

AJ (32:36.36)
yeah, that was a lot of words about from some, from some days that that’s a little cranky. Yeah. Yeah. Not much really here. I mean, I

Tara (32:36.379)
Huh.

Tara (32:40.647)
Not much. Yeah.

Tara (32:49.339)
But also, they like pointed out the difference between this and Framed, like, or this and Portrait, is that this was literally him copying original works, trying to be like, I can do that, but better, that specific thing. And in Portrait, those people were being, first of all, they were being photographed, not painted, completely different type of art. And it was very like, he was

AJ (32:55.863)
Right.

AJ (33:07.682)
Right.

AJ (33:14.368)
Right. Right.

Tara (33:18.695)
posing them so he could have the, so he could make the photo, not that he could copy some, you know, some painting that existed. I don’t know. I, yeah.

AJ (33:25.751)
Right.

AJ (33:30.414)
And again, you know, candy three candy thief strikes again, you know, it has to be Roarke. I don’t know that.

Tara (33:36.967)
I don’t know that. guess what? She said we’re never going to find out. So or essentially she is hinted that we’re never going to find out. And that’s fun. That’s a fun thing about the series. Let it go. I don’t know why you like are so obsessed with that. That you would put it in this review.

AJ (33:41.485)
Yeah.

AJ (33:45.4)
Yeah.

AJ (33:56.674)
But I don’t even know how you can come to the conclusion that it was Rorick. But, you know.

Tara (34:00.087)
No, I don’t, yeah, I don’t know. Also, I think that’s really uncharitable being like current technology has caught up with Nora and now she can’t even bring cool things into the story. I’m sorry, I’m still not seeing flying cars, thank God. know, holo rooms, do those types of things exist? I still have not seen anything like that. You know.

AJ (34:13.398)
Right.

AJ (34:19.212)
Hahaha

Tara (34:29.967)
I just auto chefs. Listen, like she.

AJ (34:34.092)
mean, we’re getting things that are kind of similar, but not quite.

Tara (34:38.407)
that are, but also like, you really like, is that what you’re upset about? Is that we don’t have, you know, we don’t have anything that’s like brand new. Oh my God, it’s been three years since we were introduced to these characters and their time. And we don’t suddenly have 500 new, brand new, crazy technology things. Like what new things have we had in the last three years that are so breakthrough?

in technology in our time. We’re not moving any faster than Nora’s timeline. So give the woman a break. She has to make up shit in the future. And she started like 30 years ago. Give her a fucking break. I think it’s great. And I think that that’s such a stupid thing. We don’t have anything cooler, sci-fi showing up.

AJ (35:23.639)
Right.

AJ (35:31.792)
Ha

Tara (35:33.083)
What do you want? Like what literally, what are you looking for? Also, not sure if you, if they liked, if they were excited about the house project or not. Cause it was like, there was nothing unique or interesting except for that. But then at the beginning of the review, they’re like, yeah, we’re glad it’s over like Eve. So I don’t know. So I don’t even know if you care about the house project or not. Dumb person. Right?

AJ (35:54.38)
Right. Yeah.

AJ (35:59.192)
I’m gonna say no, but I don’t know.

Tara (36:03.975)
What a silly review.

AJ (36:04.798)
Okay, so this is the one that that made me mad. don’t typically so this person when I looked at some of their other reviews, they openly admit that they are just they are hate reading this series so they can shitpost essentially. I know. Like, yeah, exactly. Get a life like get a different hobby. Like what is the matter with you?

Tara (36:22.503)
Wow, what a, get a fucking life.

Tara (36:30.151)
Like, you are a miserable person. Oh my God.

AJ (36:36.022)
Yeah. And I should say that in a review of, I think, Passions?

Tara (36:47.595)
huh.

AJ (36:48.566)
And I think this review came out after we did our Review the Reviews episode on passions. Just to give you some idea of, you know, what this person has said before. Their review of that opens up with, look, another book in the series written by an ignorant liberal white woman that should have ended a long time ago.

So that you know the mindset here of this person. Okay.

Tara (37:21.413)
Yeah, well, I’m so glad that they are so worried about what Nora Roberts is up to.

AJ (37:27.36)
Right. So here’s their review of this book. Two stars, another in-depth book, another case of, ooh, white man bad, as well as another case of Eve blatantly breaking the law. Except this time it’s not just Eve breaking the law, it’s APA share Rio as well. Okay, not really breaking in Rio’s case, more like bending the law. When a court orders a tracker put on a person,

The police don’t get to just add a second tracker to the person’s personal effects. That’s not how it works. Ding, ding, ding, another one added to Eve’s career criminal record. Towards the end of the book, following close after Eve illegally putting a tracker in the perpetrator’s personal effects, Eve asks a shuttle pilot who’s on the shuttle, a stupid, who’s on the shuttle? A stupid question because the answer at the time would have been nobody.

The shuttle’s passengers hadn’t arrived yet. And well, how did they know? Okay. I don’t want to get sidetracked. And Rio flashes her APA ID and threatens to charge the pilot with obstruction of justice if she doesn’t answer Eve’s question. You can’t charge anyone with obstruction of justice just because they don’t give out privileged information to the police when said police do not have a warrant for the information.

Tara (38:33.543)
Cough

AJ (38:54.452)
Eve also tries to charge someone with accessory to murder, and since that person was not by any legal definition an accessory to the murderer at the time of the charge being levied by Eve and the reader’s knowledge, that charge is ridiculous and would be thrown out immediately. Even with Eve and Ryo’s antics, I might have given the book a three-star rating if the villain hadn’t been explicitly named so early on.

I’m starting to agree with the people speculating that Rob has a ghostwriter for these books now because the author seems to keep forgetting these are supposed to be mystery books.

Tara (39:35.527)
but they’re her books. They’re supposed to be whatever the fuck she wants them to be. And they’re also not mystery books.

AJ (39:38.626)
But they’re not mystery books. How many times have we said they’re police procedurals?

So, okay. So here’s the thing. Yeah. So, I asked ChatGPT to do some research on laws in New York City. And ChatGPT is like, well, you know, give me an idea of what was said in the book. So I pasted a few scenes from the book so that they would know exactly, so that

Tara (39:49.553)
This is wild.

AJ (40:15.106)
ChatGPT would know exactly. So, and ChatGPT said a lot of things.

Okay.

AJ (40:33.678)
And I’m trying to get to where.

it’s

says.

AJ (40:47.096)
So we’ll start with the accessory to murder thing where this person says that Eve could never charge somebody that would just be accessory to murder since that person was not in any legal definition an accessory to murder at the time, you know, that was levied. So short answer, yes, everything in that scene makes Eve’s accessory to murder

and related threats legally plausible. And the scene I put is the scene where Eve questions the mother.

Okay. The mom didn’t just sit on a confession. Because it said that if you tell somebody that you’ve murdered somebody, and they just don’t do anything about it, they’re not necessarily accessory to murder. It’s only when they try to obstruct in some way. Right.

But in this case, saying the mom didn’t just sit on a confession. arranged for the removal of a court ordered monitor procured false ID passports paid for the transport and housing of a non extradition or to a non extradition country and helped him escape after bail. That’s active assistance, not material dithering. Below, I’ll walk you through why that matters. So Jonathan told his mother that he had killed people. Okay.

The mother then contracted and paid a tech to remove and undermine the court ordered monitor. She obtained false ID and a passport and provided transport, lodging, cash and bank accounts under the false identity in a no extradition country. She assaulted or caused assault on officers that actually came later. Essentially she helped him flee after bail.

AJ (42:49.058)
That sequences active help after the fact and facilitation before and around the time of prosecution, not mere silence or emotional confusion.

So she can be charged with accessory to murder. If any person, essentially it’s hindering prosecution in the first degree. If any person renders criminal assistance to a person who has committed a class A felony, knowing or believing that person has committed the felony, you can charge them with hindering prosecution in the first degree. So that’s that, right?

So that person, so his mom can be charged with that. So they’re wrong there. Now, what are the rest of the things that they said? it has to do with the tracker.

Tara (43:44.037)
Yes.

AJ (43:45.166)
The Supreme Court in United States v. Jones held that attaching a GPS device to a suspect’s vehicle and monitoring movements is a search, quote unquote, requiring constitutional scrutiny and ordinarily a warrant.

And Carpenter versus United States later held that accessing historical cell site location information from carriers is also a search requiring a warrant. blah, blah. many States have statute that criminalizes installing a tracking device on another person or vehicle without consent.

The Fourth Amendment normally regulates government conduct, not purely private searches, but when a person, when a private person acts as an agent of law enforcement, that’s RORC. If he had planted the tracker, he would be an agent of law enforcement. So I need, I’m looking at…

AJ (44:57.39)
So what I said was, does any of this change if we take into consideration that the suspect had already been charged and warrants for search of his home and his mother’s home had already been issued prior to charging the suspect? So this is saying, once someone is charged and out on bail with a monitoring device, they’re not a free private citizen, you’re effectively under court supervision.

The original bail order and tracking monitor mean that there’s already a judicial authorization for surveillance on that individual’s location. So essentially you can put something else to monitor them because they’re already under a tracking order. Under the fourth amendment case law, Jones and Carpenter police generally need a warrant to install a tracker on a private citizen’s property.

Tara (45:45.838)
yeah, that makes sense.

AJ (45:54.242)
But here, the suspect’s movements were already subject to court-ordered tracker. When he or his mother interfered with that device, the police are acting in good faith, reinstatement of existing judicial surveillance rather than creating a new search.

This is think of it as retagging a bail violator not tracking a random person

Okay.

Tara (46:21.147)
Yeah, that makes sense.

AJ (46:21.838)
This is saying…

AJ (46:28.846)
In Rob’s near future setting, the law has evolved to allow more integrated text surveillance under certain judicial warrants, which I’ve said before, like in death reasons, right? So we don’t know how the laws evolved by the time we’re reading this. Yeah. So every NYPSD device logs chain of custody data and routinely acts within ongoing warrants issued.

Tara (46:43.855)
Also that, yeah.

AJ (46:57.506)
by the APA’s office. So this is saying that second tracker place post-charge is a continuation of existing warrant bail order usually allowed under good faith and extended, I don’t know what that word is, ex-ingency. So what they’re saying is that in Eve’s world,

If there were extra things put on that, like she could say, we already knew that he was probably going to have a court ordered tracker. And we acted in this way based on our thought that he would probably try to flee. And so you could argue those things in Eve’s world to like still be able to put the tracker on and have it.

This is saying in the real world planting a tracking device on someone’s personal property like a wallet before judicial approval is considered a search under the Fourth Amendment because it’s a physical intrusion information gathering requires a warrant.

Since this occurs before bail conditions are imposed, the suspect is still legally protected as an unconvicted individual out on pretrial status with full privacy rights.

But again, in her world, that could be a little bit different because they had some reason to believe that he was gonna flee. So a lot of this is, you know.

Tara (48:39.175)
Also, like, how much of that is, like, if he turns out to be guilty, I don’t know. I just, and he is, obviously. Like, I just, one, this is fiction.

AJ (48:51.608)
Well, what they, yeah, and what this is basically saying is, while he wasn’t under order for track, like it’s legal if he’s under order for tracking. And if after the judge said that he put the tracker in his wallet, it would be fine. But she put the tracker in his wallet prior to that. that depending on the laws in this world, they could argue.

Tara (49:03.42)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (49:18.796)
Well, you he was still under search and seizure, first of all, but also we had a reason to believe that this person would want to, you know, flee. And we can say that in court, like, because we had evidence that he might flee, that we can argue that it should be okay to put a tracker there because we were suspicious that he might take the judicial

tracker off and blah blah.

Tara (49:52.763)
The other thing about all of this is like, again, back to get a fucking life that you’re reading this just so you can like, try to, it feels like you just wanted to read this and be like, ha, Nora Roberts got this wrong. she got this wrong. like, this is the fucking bad guy. why shouldn’t you be like, yeah, Eve was clever and she got this guy, not like, it’s…

AJ (50:08.022)
Right, exactly, that’s what they’re doing.

Tara (50:21.007)
It’s not like Eve breaks the law to do horrible things to people. She doesn’t torture people. She doesn’t hurt people. She doesn’t like, I don’t know. Like I just, it’s such a weird take to be like, I want to find all these things that Eve does wrong because I’m trying to prove that Nora Roberts doesn’t know what she’s doing. You don’t know what the fuck it’s going to be like in 2060 something. Get the fuck out of here.

AJ (50:23.063)
Right.

AJ (50:41.259)
Right.

Tara (50:46.105)
And honestly, at the rate things are going in this world, like how do you even imagine that we have the exact same justice system that we have now? Because I don’t think we do.

AJ (50:54.07)
Right, exactly. Yeah, there’s no way. No, we don’t. The other thing it was saying also is that Rio is not really breaking the law by saying that she could charge somebody with obstruction of justice if they don’t tell. I mean, even now, law enforcement does that. Like if we need you to tell us or we’re gonna charge you with obstruction of justice, it’s not illegal to do that.

Tara (50:58.843)
So.

AJ (51:22.358)
You know, ethical, maybe not, but you know, I don’t know. But this person is an asshole anyway. So who’s basically…

Tara (51:33.455)
Yeah, they literally don’t even know what the book is they’re reading because they think it’s supposed to be a mystery book. And they’re trying to tell the author what the fuck her book is supposed to be. And guess what? Don’t.

AJ (51:41.226)
Right. Right.

AJ (51:47.008)
Yeah, exactly. So, and you know, just based on, white man bad. This person is clearly a misogynist. I don’t care if they’re male, female, it doesn’t matter. Internalized misogyny is a thing. I mean, so that’s what I’m reading from this. So they can go fuck themselves as far as I’m concerned.

Tara (51:49.317)
Oops.

Tara (52:03.493)
Yes.

Tara (52:13.051)
Yeah, like I also like so anytime you pick up a book, like a police procedural or a book where there’s murder or whatever, if the bad guy is a white person, you’re immediately going to be like, this is so typical feminist, whatever woke shit like that’s that’s the vibe I’m getting. Like that’s literally the vibe I’m getting that this person isn’t going to be happy unless they pick up a book or someone who isn’t a white man.

AJ (52:32.79)
Yeah.

Tara (52:43.435)
is the bad guy because that’s what they’re that’s what they need to see because they feel some sort of like personal attack at them or something and like

AJ (52:44.749)
break.

AJ (52:53.272)
Yeah.

Tara (52:56.753)
That’s whatever, I’m just not even gonna.

AJ (52:59.806)
You know, this person needs to stop being so emotional. Stop being so emotional.

AJ (53:09.422)
So.

Tara (53:09.509)
Also, like, what a police procedural is and stop calling them mystery books. Because that’s not what… yeah.

AJ (53:12.93)
Yeah, and learn what the mystery is.

And if you’re so great, write your own fucking books.

Tara (53:19.471)
Yeah. Well, with all the time that you could be saving with your hate reading, that is that is the worst trend ever. Like aggressively hating on things that other people enjoy. Literally spending your time doing something that you hate just to be an asshole about it. That is the biggest waste of time. That is the dumbest trend.

AJ (53:25.484)
Right.

Tara (53:46.223)
And I will say that as someone who literally read an entire book series because I wanted to hate it and I didn’t like it. And I definitely had some time after reading it being like, ha, I’m going to hate. I’m going to hate on this. I did that. went I absolutely am guilty of that. I’m good. I don’t need to do that anymore.

AJ (54:07.116)
Did you go online and shitpost?

Tara (54:09.031)
I didn’t, because I don’t have that kind of fucking energy.

AJ (54:14.07)
I mean, I don’t, you know, read something and right. Read something and you hate just so that you can ship post, you know, is like, yeah, I don’t read something you hate. Fine. Go do what you want. It seems dumb. It seems like a dumb thing to do. You’re not very intelligent, but just to say like I’m reading something I hate so I can go online and ship post is ridiculous and needs to stop. You need to stop being so emotional and

Tara (54:14.459)
But I definitely enjoyed some like bitching with some friends.

Tara (54:27.558)
Right?

AJ (54:41.639)
You know, it’s not all about you.

Tara (54:44.219)
But the energy put into things like this is just astounding.

AJ (54:48.906)
Yeah. Calm down.

Tara (54:50.201)
I have, I have, yeah, I have a list of things I could be doing instead of this.

AJ (54:54.669)
Yeah.

Tara (54:56.143)
It’s me. And by the way, I don’t always make the best decisions about how I spend my time. So I’m judging you hard.

AJ (55:05.26)
Look, there’s a lot of people that would say that us doing this kind of show is like a questionable, you know, decision on things that we should actually be doing with our lives. But, you know.

Tara (55:16.315)
Well, we have several listeners that would disagree with that person, so.

AJ (55:21.538)
We do. Yeah.

Tara (55:25.403)
And you know what? We’re having a good time. That’s the difference. It’s no different than than if you go play like, you know, in a sports league with your friends or, you know, I don’t know what it what do people do for fun besides besides theater? Right. Like what? Whatever you’re going to do to have fun. Like, that’s fine. Go have fun. We’re going to.

AJ (55:30.444)
Right.

AJ (55:44.494)
Go to a club and get wasted.

Tara (55:54.317)
AJ and I are going to talk about this series. You’re going to go do whatever it is you do. And we’re going to tell them to calm the fuck down. So we’re going to be we’re we’re we’re definitely aware that we are we’re hovering over the edge of being a little contradictory about our about how we feel about these things. But also entertainment, you’re welcome.

AJ (55:57.55)
And we’re gonna read people’s reviews and tell them to calm the fuck down.

You

AJ (56:19.266)
Ha

Tara (56:21.819)
And on that note, how about a two star review that also probably sucks?

AJ (56:27.767)
Yeah.

Tara (56:29.851)
What’s the last two star review? So you know what that means. They’re going to get better from here.

AJ (56:32.194)
Thank you.

Question mark?

Tara (56:38.897)
Question mark? Two stars. My girl Eve is just way too powerful at this point. Nothing is a challenge. Sirius is just formulaic and lacks depth. Did someone just like copy paste this on every in-depth review? yeah, I’m sorry. If I like literally if you get on here and you didn’t like the book and what you write is Sirius.

AJ (56:54.742)
Yes, they just got it. No, it’s AI, Tara. It’s AI.

Tara (57:06.629)
did not have any depth in his formulaic. I don’t. Your review was waste. It’s already a waste, but that’s a big waste anyway. Every every death is personal. Every witness slash family member tells her to find the one who did this. It goes like this in every book. So if someone murdered your friend, you wouldn’t be like, find someone who did find the person who did this. Like, what do you think friends and family are going to do? find the person that killed this person I loved.

AJ (57:12.384)
It’s a waste of our time.

AJ (57:26.134)
Right? Right? Yeah. Every family member says, find the person who did this. Can you imagine Eve going to family members and them going, who gives a fuck? Well, they actually did in this book, to be honest. Yes. So not every family member. Yeah.

Tara (57:35.886)
What else are you gonna say?

Tara (57:41.669)
I mean, we saw that in this book. So so already your your review is a fucking lie because that’s not even what happened anyway. Dallas and Friends scene, sex scene. Somerset is there. Amira is called in. But why? Whitney appearance. McNabb prances in. Roarke helps the entire department somehow gets pulled in. The bad guy is caught. The thing that made it better was actually the last 20 percent after he was caught in the interview scenes.

I would still read the next book in the series purely because the series holds a lot of memories for me. I’ve been reading it for far too long, but the standard has dropped sadly.

AJ (58:21.304)
Just fucking stop reading it. I don’t understand you people. Just fucking stop reading.

Tara (58:25.383)
If yeah, if you’re like, this happens every book, this happens every book, this happens every book, then why are you still reading it? If you’re going to have the same complaint over and over, and that’s the thing that bothers you, because again, you wouldn’t be saying this happens every book if you hadn’t noticed and decided that it bothered you that happened every book. Like suddenly in book 61. Like, it’s, they are not like, I kind of want to

AJ (58:32.641)
Yeah.

AJ (58:48.887)
Yeah.

Tara (58:54.501)
do like an experiment where I read like a really, really early book in the series. And then like, passions or something just like not the latest or first, but just like books that are very, very far away from each other and really, really compare how different they feel. Because I bet they don’t feel as different as we think they do. We see growth, we see that these characters have grown. But the the feel of the story has not changed.

AJ (59:11.853)
Yeah.

Tara (59:23.375)
Nora has written this fairly like it’s it’s very consistently Nora’s story. I get the same fucking humor like Feeny’s humor is the same fucking humor in Naked and Death as it was in this book. That is the same fucking Feeny like

AJ (59:23.949)
No.

Tara (59:44.439)
Eve’s humor is the same. Eve has grown, but her fierce like desire to help the people has not changed. Like I don’t understand how we’re like, these books have become formulaic. No, I don’t see it. I don’t see it. And also stop using no depth and formulaic in your reviews. You don’t

Unless you want to explain to me, and I would rather read like a 16 paragraph review explaining to me exactly where you felt like there was no depth or where this fit into this formula, then read these fucking words ever again in a review.

AJ (01:00:33.058)
Right, also all books have a formula. There’s a formula that people are using. you know, it’s, I don’t understand.

Tara (01:00:38.939)
Yeah. Because I promise you, if there’s not, then the story doesn’t make sense. Or there’s like the stakes are never raised and you don’t really have a plot. It’s not like you can take every single one of like, you guys know that I read a lot of different genres and one of my favorite genres is actually memoir. And a lot of memoir are like short anecdotes.

AJ (01:00:45.963)
Right.

Tara (01:01:08.551)
And probably my favorite memoir writer is David Sedaris. And if you’ve ever read anything he’s written, like he’s got a three or four page essay essentially that he’s written about, you know, when him and his all of his siblings went with their family to potentially buy a beach house. And it was like six pages. And that’s all the story is. And there was a whole fucking formula to get through it. And it

was successful in every way. It brought in the humor. It brought in all of the things about the family. It gave you what you needed because that’s how he writes really, really good memoir. And so it’s not just a 24 chapter book by Nora Roberts or anything else. They all have a formula, like you said. And the best part is that I don’t think about that as a reader. I just go, I’m enjoying this.

But I will tell you that if that formula is missing, I’m going to notice because it’s not going to, it’s not going to peak correctly or it’s not going to, something’s going to be missing. stop using formulaic, stop using that as like it’s a negative thing and also stop using it because it’s a literal waste of space.

AJ (01:02:15.244)
Right.

AJ (01:02:25.484)
Exactly.

Alright, so should we move on to three stars? Surely these should be… bad?

Tara (01:02:31.422)
goodness, guess what? Those will be better.

AJ (01:02:37.218)
Alright, three stars. This book was a bit of a disappointment. I have read every Eve Dallas novel. This was one of the weakest. The crime is a repeat of an earlier novel, Portrait and Death. Okay, crime repeats and the path to solving the crime is different in this book, but somehow the whole thing seems flat. It lacks excitement until the rest of the killer.

And then it takes an interesting turn, similar to the very first novel, Naked in Death, about what happens after the bail hearing. I also like these books for the backstory, the life of Eve, her husband, and their friends. This book spent a lot of time on them specifically moving into Maeve’s new house. But with a few small exceptions, this book does not move Eve’s story forward. I don’t feel like I know her better.

I want Eve to have another personal crisis or a serious professional challenge. Have Whitney retire and the department gets reorganized. Have one of Roarke’s nieces or nephews move in with them for a season in New York wanting the high life. Bring back some earlier characters like Jamie and Quilla. Give Eve a crime that takes her off planet with a different team. Let’s freshen it up.

Tara (01:03:53.809)
Guys, stop trying to tell Nora Roberts what the fuck should be in her books. And also, she is not reading these reviews.

AJ (01:03:56.766)
Exactly. Dude, this is… No. And this is what fan fiction is for. So write your damn fan fiction and stop complaining.

Tara (01:04:06.682)
So like every time I read one of these and we get one of these pretty much every book where people are like have this happen have this happen this is what no no she’s not gonna do what the fuck you think should be happening and also you want Eve to have a personal crisis this series has only been three fucking years it’s you she has had so like and how how much you need her to like grow in

AJ (01:04:19.991)
Right.

AJ (01:04:27.458)
How many personal crisis does she need? Right?

Tara (01:04:35.087)
of four, what this was four days? This story took place over four days, maybe more, maybe five. How much does she need to grow? my God, what the fuck are you like, it’s, it’s like, listen, I understand that, that the majority of fictional stories out there, and I’m not even a majority, I would say a slight majority of fictional stories out there have a longer, like they take place over a longer period of time.

AJ (01:04:37.932)
Yeah. Yeah. She hasn’t grown in those four days.

Tara (01:05:04.422)
For example, the Harry Potter series, each of them takes place over a year. That’s like the easiest one to reference off the top of my head. That does not mean that every fucking book out there only that takes place over this long extended period of time. You see that they’re working their asses off for a week. And to you, that feels like a lot of fucking time. And so it should be several weeks because that’s a lot of work. But guess what? These are police officers and this fiction.

AJ (01:05:09.869)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:05:31.795)
And it’s very clear if you read the book and pay attention that it’s only been a couple of days. So I’m not sure where in there Eve was supposed to have a personal crisis grow. Visit all of her friends, solve a fucking murder mystery. Like, I don’t…

AJ (01:05:42.305)
You

Right, but you know what? I actually don’t even agree that she didn’t grow in this book because we talked about it when we talked about this book about how in this one, I think this is one of the first books Eve actively, like when she gets up in the morning thought about what should I wear today? And in this book was the first time Eve says to Roarke, you know what, let’s have a barbecue.

Tara (01:06:06.076)
Yeah.

AJ (01:06:15.062)
because everybody worked hard and they like barbecues, you like having barbecues, so why don’t we do that? So like these are things that Eve would not have done prior to this. But in this book she does because she’s realizing like, okay, all of these years prior to, know, her being married to Roarke and all of the discussions they’ve had about her wardrobe.

Tara (01:06:15.131)
Yes!

AJ (01:06:43.086)
She realizes now she’s getting up and like, wardrobe is something I need to think about. This is the first time she’s thinking that like, I need to get up and think about what I’m going to wear today. Um, you know, I need to think about rewarding my people because they worked so hard on this and they all like barbecues and Roarke likes barbecues. So why don’t we have everybody over for barbeque? You know, so like she did grow. So I’m not sure even sure

Tara (01:06:54.181)
Exactly.

AJ (01:07:11.736)
how you can even say this, like there’s no growth. Unless you didn’t pay attention.

Tara (01:07:15.559)
Right?

Well, that seems to be a trend with a lot of these reviews.

AJ (01:07:23.49)
You’re correct.

Tara (01:07:26.449)
I just, like, I really, really do think a lot of the people when they get really hung up on this whole Eve hasn’t grown and I want this to happen. you know, I can’t believe we’ve been waiting so long for blah, blah, blah to happen is that they literally cannot comprehend the fact that these books take place over just a couple of days. And they’re not willing to like step outside of that, like.

space that they’re like used to things taking. I don’t know, like that taking a longer amount of time, needing, needing like kind of this like instant satisfaction, I guess of of what of what they they think that this character who got by the way, they did not fucking create should be doing. And again, it has been three years, three years. Three, three and a half like it’s

AJ (01:08:06.669)
Yeah.

AJ (01:08:18.7)
Yeah, around three, three, four years. Yeah, somewhere around. Yeah.

Tara (01:08:22.631)
It’s not been that long, guys. It has been five and a half years since the COVID shutdown.

AJ (01:08:31.234)
Yeah. How much have we grown? It seems like we’ve gone backwards to be honest with you. Yeah.

Tara (01:08:32.443)
Like, so if you, right, we’ve gone backwards. But anyway, like, I just, I just don’t understand this, like, these refuse.

AJ (01:08:45.486)
It reminds me a lot of, and again, I’m going to say something controversial that I probably shouldn’t say, but it reminds me a lot, then this shouldn’t be controversial, to be honest. It reminds me a lot of people that argue against evolution, right? Because, well, I don’t see any place where, you know, a coyote is suddenly a chihuahua. Like,

a coyote gives birth to a chihuahua. I don’t see that anywhere in the record. And it’s like, yeah, you’re not going to because the growth, the changes happen over a period of millions of years. like, so, um, so it’s, it’s like this, it’s like her, her changes are so small within this tiny space of time.

You know, you always see people like, well, if there’s evolution, how come we’re not seeing it today? Because we’re only, you’re only alive for maybe a hundred years if you’re lucky. And you’re not going to see a complete evolution of a species in a hundred years. It’s not going to happen. And similarly in this case, we’re only seeing three or four years of Eve’s life. You’re not going to see a complete change in Eve, you know, in every book like is,

Tara (01:09:47.034)
Right.

AJ (01:10:07.25)
one step higher in her learning about herself. Like that’s not gonna happen because it doesn’t, it’s not realistic. It doesn’t happen in the real world. You have to accept like small, tiny changes are gonna grow into bigger ones as we go along.

Tara (01:10:12.081)
Exactly.

Tara (01:10:26.969)
Exactly. And it’s just such a weird thing to get hung up on.

AJ (01:10:28.205)
So, you know.

AJ (01:10:32.417)
Yeah.

AJ (01:10:37.656)
So, okay.

Tara (01:10:39.515)
Also, these are all really, really terrible ideas and also please don’t write these fan fictions either.

AJ (01:10:45.482)
Yeah.

Tara (01:10:47.783)
I some of them, guess, are fine. just am like, I don’t actually want to read fan fiction about Jamie and Quilla until Quilla is an adult. Thank you. I just don’t. Anyway. So the. Yeah, I mean, literally just saw them. What are they? What are they going to do? It was like two weeks ago. When’s the last time you like, do you see all of your friends every week? Because I don’t.

AJ (01:10:57.142)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.

AJ (01:11:02.476)
Yeah, but also we saw them a couple of books ago. like, stop, stop it. For in Eve’s world, it was like two weeks ago. So like…

Yeah, apparently. Yeah.

Tara (01:11:17.829)
And I do theater with a fuck ton of them. So I am in rehearsal with many of them every day and I still don’t see all of them every week. Come on. Okay. Three stars. Not the greatest, but I loved the wrap up. Reading how Dallas interrogates and gets results absolutely makes my day. Me too, thanks. Relationship wise, it’s great to see that while…

AJ (01:11:24.448)
Right. So, okay.

AJ (01:11:38.125)
Yeah.

Tara (01:11:42.149)
work is and will always be important. She is enjoying her life outside it and relaxing at home. I don’t think she’s close to getting off the streets, but I do see how she is slowly relaxing and could in a few years. Lol. Five to seven question mark. Take a desk position. Just five books ago. I still didn’t see it, but IDK. Something about this book made Dallas breathe more.

AJ (01:12:06.328)
See, and this is change over time. This is some small changes that at least this person realizes she seems a tiny bit different in this book.

Tara (01:12:10.149)
Yes.

AJ (01:12:19.796)
and could… Go ahead.

Tara (01:12:19.889)
So the, no, sorry.

Tara (01:12:27.335)
Oh my God, what was I gonna say? My brain just like shut off. No, no, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have interrupted you because maybe I would have stuck with it. Oh, what I was gonna say is, and this review just made me think that, do you think that, and I don’t see how it would necessarily come up within like the next book or whatever, but do you feel like now that,

AJ (01:12:31.544)
Sorry.

AJ (01:12:44.834)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:12:57.913)
Mavis and Leonardo and Peabody and McNabb have finished this project and they are now living together. Essentially not, but they are, you know, in the same house. Like, do you feel like there’s like an extra bit of security it feels knowing that they’re all kind of together with with Roarke’s nice security and then this beat? I don’t know. just I just I like I just kind of wondered like.

AJ (01:13:06.776)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:13:23.821)
Yeah.

Tara (01:13:26.641)
These are Eve’s closest friends. Essentially, these are her sisters. This is her goddaughter. They are just so important to her. And without Nora having to blatantly say that, I just am wondering. I kind of feel like I bet Eve is feeling just a little more confident and

AJ (01:13:29.303)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:13:40.482)
Yeah.

Tara (01:13:55.995)
I don’t know, confidence, that’s the word, but it’s a little bit more relieved about the safety of her friends, I guess.

AJ (01:13:56.897)
Yeah, yeah.

Right. Yeah. And I think that has to do, yeah, I think that has a lot to do with it, but I also feel like if we’re looking at things in Eve’s world that might make her feel more secure or make her want to breathe more, it’s the fact that, for example, you know, she’s got this really, she’s put together this really great bullpen of really good detectives. She just made Jenkinson a detective sergeant.

Tara (01:14:19.803)
The bullpen is amazing.

Tara (01:14:28.262)
Yep, yep.

AJ (01:14:28.384)
And now Jenkinson, can see she’s depending on him more to, and we said this when we reviewed this book to come in and have him give her the rundown of what everybody’s doing and have him like take some of the paperwork and take care of that. So that’s kind of that’s eased up a little bit for Eve now that she can get that stuff to Jenkinson. So, yeah, I think that, like I said,

Tara (01:14:40.711)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:14:56.116)
small changes over time. It’s an evolution for Eve. It’s an e-volution. Eve, eeve-olution. boy. Right? But yeah, it’s all these changes over time that she’s working toward. And we used to say, and I was thinking about it when I read some of these, some of these reviews, because for a long time we were saying like, we think that

Tara (01:14:58.062)
it yeah

Tara (01:15:02.573)
Eve illusion. Guys were funny. You better have laughed at that.

Tara (01:15:15.43)
Yeah.

AJ (01:15:25.45)
It kind of signals the end of the series. But Nora recently came out and said, no, the series will end when I die at my computer, essentially. So she’s, she is saying publicly that she’s not building in and ending as we go along. So maybe that’s not what it is, but maybe it is this easing up of, you know, Eve’s

Tara (01:15:47.045)
Right.

AJ (01:15:55.872)
you know, feeling more like she can breathe, like she can let other people handle things. Like she’s got more of a handle on her own life. and she’s adulting better. And, and maybe that’s how that’s the reason why we feel that way. That like, it sounds like the, the end of the series is coming because she’s adulting better. You know, and she’s evolved to do that.

Tara (01:16:20.987)
mean, that’s also fair. at the end of the day, also has to adult. She has to be a human being living in this world. Yes, she has a job and her job is, her career is very, very, very important, but like she still has to function as an adult and interact with people and go to work and have a relationship with her husband.

feed the cat and get dressed every day. Like these are things that, you know, that do come in like that sounds very basic. Like, well, that’s what all of us do. If we have pets, we feed them, we get dressed, we go to work. Yes, but I’m not reading about your life, Brenda. I’m reading about Eve Dallas. And she’s married to a fucking gazillionaire and has a funny ass cat. So I don’t know what you want. if your name is Brenda, maybe your life is interesting.

AJ (01:16:54.268)
Right.

AJ (01:17:03.619)
haha

AJ (01:17:08.472)
haha

AJ (01:17:19.33)
Ha ha.

Tara (01:17:21.233)
Please let me know, I would love to hear about it.

AJ (01:17:25.582)
Okay, so should we move on to the next three star review?

Tara (01:17:30.787)
Yes.

AJ (01:17:32.706)
All right, three stars. Before Eve even found out about the first death, it already felt too much like portrait and death. Yes, they were killed differently, but overall it was too similar, including using wire to pose. Mavis Leonard, I don’t know who he is. Delia Ian finally finished their house and have Eve Roarke over to see it. Bella’s language skills need to improve.

Tara (01:17:49.447)
Ha

AJ (01:18:00.778)
I know JD Robb has written 60 in-death books and thinking of new ways to create murders can be challenging, but I’m finding more and more stories are too similar to others in the in-death series. If it wasn’t for the fact that I love the characters, I would have stopped reading them a while ago. Maybe she should make Eve pregnant and end the series. That’s been a long time since we’ve had one of those comments, but I brought it back for old time’s sake.

Tara (01:18:19.684)
no. no.

Tara (01:18:26.033)
Come on! Come on!

AJ (01:18:29.55)
Maybe Eve should get pregnant and end the series. Exactly.

Tara (01:18:30.055)
I’m sick. Come on.

Maybe you just don’t need to read the series anymore. How about that? Because I don’t want you to get pregnant in the series to end. Also,

AJ (01:18:41.71)
Just…

Tara (01:18:45.671)
Sorry. This is, guys, I understand that I literally spend the review, the reviews complaining about people who just think differently than me. So apologies because this is just a thing that bothers me and for whatever reason. But I really don’t like when people refer to Peabody and McNabb by their first names. They are Peabody and McNabb. Like they are referred to that.

AJ (01:19:08.384)
You

Tara (01:19:15.045)
way throughout the entire series. And here’s here’s why it bothers me is because the moments in which you do hear them their names be used are very intimate and like special. Like, for example, it’s like, when Charles and Peabody go on their dates, and they’re trying and Peabody trying to figure out how she fucking feels about these two men. And like, that’s a very

AJ (01:19:17.315)
Right.

AJ (01:19:35.085)
Right.

AJ (01:19:38.796)
Right.

Tara (01:19:40.615)
private moment, you know, obviously we’re reading about it because it’s fucking, you know, it’s like a book, but and then like when I think it’s when McNabb meets Louise after he comes over to like punch out Charles and like a book later, she also refers him by his first name. That’s like, I don’t know, that’s, I just feel like it’s very intimate. In fact, like, I think is it celebrity and death when

AJ (01:19:56.363)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:20:07.963)
There’s a moment between Peabody and McNabb where she, they use each other’s names. And it’s like a very, very sweet moment between the two of them because that’s the day after Katie Harris was killed. I don’t know. It just feels like that’s their thing. so, and he calls her Dee. Yeah.

AJ (01:20:17.804)
Well, right.

Well, McNabb always calls her Dee. Not always, but he calls her Dee. But she doesn’t call him Ian. She still calls him McNabb. But he has called her Dee quite often. Yeah.

Tara (01:20:31.047)
No. Yeah. So like the one time she did is like, that’s like, that’s, I don’t know, for me, I just feel like that’s a very personal thing. And we read this series, essentially from Eve’s point of view, most of the time. And it’s just very weird. Like, I don’t know if part of me is wondering, and if that’s just how you think that whatever like me, obviously, it bothers me. Part of me is wondering, like, people having this like,

reaction to not like to referring to them by their surname instead of their actual names. And so people are like adverse to calling people by their surname, especially a woman. You know, like, and I don’t know, like, is that just is that just me just being like, I’m just really bothered by it. But I wonder because people do it every now and they’ll be like,

AJ (01:21:20.717)
Yeah.

Tara (01:21:29.431)
Ian and Delia and I was like, we barely know that’s their names. Like we barely know that. I mean, if you’ve read the series, you know that but like, do you know, do you know what?

AJ (01:21:33.73)
Right.

But it does seem weird though that we often say even Roarke and we say Mavis and Leonardo, but we don’t, we say, you know, McNabb and Peabody.

Tara (01:21:50.215)
But we don’t say Ryan, we say Feeney. We don’t say David, we say Baxter. We don’t say Lee, we say Morris. And so it just, for whatever reason, like, I don’t know. It always gets me every time. And I know I’ve said this before, and it’s just me having like a little rant because it’s something that bothers me. But it really does. It feels very strange to be like Ian and Delia. And I’m like,

AJ (01:21:55.842)
Right.

AJ (01:21:59.81)
Right.

AJ (01:22:03.629)
Yeah.

AJ (01:22:11.32)
Yeah.

Tara (01:22:19.483)
Okay, no. Like, they’re, you know. Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, whatever. It’s just, it’s a very interesting little thing that for me that I just get like hung up on. But I also, the, the legitimacy of this review when you’re asking for you to be pregnant and ending the series, I’m not… Okay. You’re not serious.

AJ (01:22:20.928)
Right, yeah. It does seem weird. Yeah.

AJ (01:22:40.398)
You’re not a serious person, reviewer, if you’re asking me.

Tara (01:22:48.195)
I just, mean, because you’re not, just stop reading the series.

AJ (01:22:51.98)
Right, you can pretend Eve is in your world Eve has gotten pregnant and the series has ended. Just pretend that and stop reading the series. Yeah. Yeah.

Tara (01:22:57.201)
Yep. Yep. You stopped reading and that’s what’s happening now in your brain. And that’s fine. I just, again, the people who are like, maybe Nora needs to do this to fix this thing that I think is wrong. No, she doesn’t need to do jack shit. She does not need to do any of that. She’s going to do what she’s going to do. It’s her series. Do we want things to happen? We’re like, it’d be cool to see this. Yeah. We think about these characters enough. I’m sure we think about stuff. That would be cool.

AJ (01:23:09.632)
Exactly. She does not. Yep.

AJ (01:23:26.679)
Yeah.

Tara (01:23:26.927)
I’m sure as hell not going to put it out there in the world to be like judged by people like me who just going to be like your idea is shit. I’m just being such an asshole tonight. I’m sorry. But also, Nora literally Nora has literally addressed this. This is that’s the one that kills me. She has addressed this. It’s not happening.

AJ (01:23:36.898)
Right. I mean, no, it’s perfectly fine. Understandable.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

AJ (01:23:55.084)
It is not.

Tara (01:23:55.579)
And also stop telling her how to write her fucking story. Why not? Maybe she should make you pregnant. Maybe you should put the books down.

AJ (01:23:58.987)
Exactly.

Tara (01:24:07.288)
I’m so sorry.

AJ (01:24:12.492)
No, mean, it’s, tell you, you’re only gonna get worse with this next review, unfortunately for you, Tara.

Tara (01:24:18.918)
Mmm.

good. And it’s a three star. you know, these are always three stars are always like, which way is it going to go?

AJ (01:24:24.675)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:24:29.318)
Right, you just never know. It’s always, yeah, it’s weird. Three stars are always weird. Yep.

Tara (01:24:32.063)
never know. So three stars. It was fine. Just not exciting, kind of boring. We knew from the beginning of the book who the murderer was and we also knew from the beginning why he was doing it. So there was no mystery whatsoever.

Tara (01:24:54.275)
insert my comment about how this isn’t a mystery series. There was also almost no Somerset in this book, would have enjoyed more of him. Thankfully, just the two apparently mandatory sex scenes between Eve and Roarke. The house is finally finished and everyone will live happily ever after over at Mavis and Peabody’s place. But what the heck is wrong with Bella? She still says Das and Orc rather than Dallas and Roarke.

AJ (01:24:57.321)
Right, exactly.

Tara (01:25:22.023)
Seriously, is the kid about 10 now? No, you don’t know how to fucking read. This book took place over four days. No, I know she’s not that old, but I don’t understand why the author insists on keeping Bella a baby like an infant because she is still a fucking like toddler. Does Bella have a learning disability?

AJ (01:25:25.29)
Mwahahahaha

AJ (01:25:39.374)
She’s not two yet. And I look, I get it. I complained about the same thing when we talked about this book, but then I was like, wait a minute. Yeah, she’s only two. So yeah, I mean, sure.

Tara (01:25:49.671)
She’s, Wow. Does Bella have a learning disability? If so, nothing wrong with that, but I don’t think that’s the author’s intention. Cool. Just keep on assuming you know what the fuck’s going on in Nora’s brain. For some reason, she thinks that kids talking like babies is cute, probably because Bella’s a fucking toddler. Shh. Right? It is fucking cute. Get out of here. Show Bella some respect and let her say Dallas and Roarke.

AJ (01:26:01.824)
Right?

AJ (01:26:09.782)
And it kind of is cute, be honest.

Tara (01:26:17.895)
It’s really not that hard. I don’t know. Are you a toddler? Do you know? After all, you can write her any way you want. How about smart as a whip instead of slow in the head? Wow.

AJ (01:26:19.566)
I mean, I’m an adult and I can say it. Why can’t a toddler say it?

AJ (01:26:40.535)
Yeah.

There’s a little bit of disability shaming here.

Tara (01:26:47.911)
Oh my God. It’s not that hard.

AJ (01:26:48.716)
Yeah.

AJ (01:26:54.286)
You’re kid, you’re two. You can’t say these words correctly. You’re a little slow in the head then I think. Like, I’m sorry. Wow. Yeah. What the heck? Because look, I’ll tell you. Caitlin was pretty smart for a kid. You know, she didn’t have any kind of learning disabilities. She was pretty smart and she talked pretty early. But, and I think we’ve talked about this on the show.

Tara (01:26:57.113)
You can’t!

Tara (01:27:03.874)
Wow!

AJ (01:27:23.826)
she, so when she was two, she had just turned two. when her grandma on her dad’s side, passed away. and we went to the funeral and Caitlin was two years old. And, I thought it would be fun or cute to give Caitlin a,

one of those disposable cameras. She’s two years old. She figured out how to use that goddamn disposable camera I gave to her. And she was taking pictures of people during this week that we were up in Utah, you know, getting ready for my mother-in-law’s funeral. And she, so then after we got the pictures developed,

We went through them, I put them in like a little album. And we went through them, this album had spaces where you could write like notes on each picture. So I thought it would also be cute for me to go like, okay, Caitlin, what is this picture? And then she would explain it to me. And in a lot of the words she said correctly, because she was a really smart kid.

Tara (01:28:38.673)
Yeah.

AJ (01:28:53.528)
But like my sister Leah, she could not say that L. So, and I was writing it down exactly as she said it. And I, okay, Caitlin, what’s this picture? Yee-ah. Okay, well put that down. Yee-ah with a Y. You know? And so, there were a lot of words she said that way, even though she was two years old. Bella’s not two years old yet. Caitlin was already two years old.

and was actually talking pretty well by that time. But there were still words that were difficult for her and it wasn’t because she was slow in the head. You know, it’s just some words are difficult.

Tara (01:29:30.983)
That’s like, ugh.

This is… wow, this review is…

AJ (01:29:37.078)
Yeah, I mean, even for even for grownup people, Tara, apparently it’s hard to say the word to see the minifin if you’re the president of the United States.

I’ll just cut that part out, but you know what saying.

Tara (01:29:53.066)
I mean, that’s the thing. And like, I just…

Tara (01:29:59.793)
Guys, I’m around children.

I don’t interact with them for very long. When I am around them, I see them in the hallway when I walk through the hospital. And again, it’s a hospital, so many of them are very sick. It’s also attached to Center for Autism. So there are all kinds of levels of ability to speak, ability to communicate, everything happening in that hospital.

AJ (01:30:26.306)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:30:32.362)
I would not even, I don’t think that there’s a single like autism specialist in there that would come on here and say, this is exactly when a child should be able to say a word clearly or not. Because there are so many different spectrums of how people learn and that has nothing to do with ability, has nothing to do with development, has nothing to do with like whether or not there’s something wrong with them, which is just.

AJ (01:30:44.972)
Exactly.

Yeah.

AJ (01:30:53.314)
Mm-hmm.

Tara (01:31:00.795)
disgusting to even like that that that’s not there’s nothing wrong with that them there. They’re different, you know, and so like I just I’m so triggered by this by this review. But again, let me just remind you, this child is less than two years old.

AJ (01:31:02.882)
Yeah.

Tara (01:31:20.251)
What? And I also I guess we found another person who does not want to use their brain to recognize that this this story took place over the course of four days. And the last one took place like a week ago, which means the one before that took place maybe a week or two before that. It has been three years since we met even rock. Like, I just it is astounding to me like how

AJ (01:31:42.664)
Yeah. Yeah. yeah.

Tara (01:31:50.181)
how hard people go for like saying the wrong fucking thing and like literal incorrect things on these reviews. She should be old enough to do that. I don’t know. Have you read the book? Cause I.

AJ (01:31:59.5)
Yeah. Yeah.

AJ (01:32:04.406)
And it’s like, not even like, you know, I know she’s not. No, no, I know she’s not that old. I understand why the author is. I don’t understand why, like, cause she’s not. Like, you know, you’ve already said you, you know that she’s not. So why are you seeing here going like, would she slow in the head? Like, I don’t know. Yeah.

Tara (01:32:16.487)
Yeah.

Tara (01:32:22.213)
Yikes, yeah, like what? God forbid that your children don’t do things as quickly as you think they should and you decide that they are not well because that’s not your job to determine. that’s so gross.

AJ (01:32:31.242)
Right.

AJ (01:32:36.791)
Yeah.

AJ (01:32:40.462)
Alright, should we move on then to the last? This is the last three star review. No, that’s fine. I share your disgust. Trust me. Alright, three stars. I usually love this series. I still love this series, but this book felt slightly flat for me. The twist at the end was somewhat unseen, but all in all, I was bored throughout most of the book.

Tara (01:32:45.179)
Yeah, sorry.

AJ (01:33:09.036)
The secondary characters were not as involved with the exception of Peabody. I want the excitement of the previous books. I want the imagination to be present again. I want Eve to grow more personally, to start a family or consider it, maybe a puppy at least. I didn’t enjoy the artist angle. The killer was plain draft.

Tara (01:33:22.435)
my god. No!

Tara (01:33:27.654)
my God.

AJ (01:33:35.284)
Even Roarke was subdued and Somerset was like in one scene. Franny face. Come on JD, get us back to the wow factor of your writing. I’m an avid reader of this series and I have read every installment. Please give me something new. New technology, new investigative techniques, new puppy, something. Lol.

Tara (01:33:52.391)
meh.

Tara (01:33:57.467)
Wah!

AJ (01:33:58.542)
hahahaha

Tara (01:34:01.351)
This is a new one you want Eve to get a puppy when is she gonna hang out with the puppy? When is she gonna raise the puppy? When is she gonna walk the puppy? No That’s but listen I fucking love dogs I get it I would love a dog when am I gonna give the dog the attention it needs and I Understand that you have a Somerset Somerset didn’t ask for that dog that ain’t Somerset’s problem You know like what the hell?

AJ (01:34:05.608)
Right, exactly. They’re not dog people. Some people aren’t dog people. They’re cat people.

AJ (01:34:16.971)
Right.

AJ (01:34:24.191)
No. No.

AJ (01:34:30.954)
New puppy. Like, I don’t understand, like, what is that? How does that? What does that bring to a police procedural series? A new puppy.

Tara (01:34:33.275)
Wow.

Tara (01:34:38.065)
What does that bring to this? Thank you for saying Police Procedural Series for the 40th time, because no one seems to fucking understand that’s what this is. And also, I fucking love Somerset. Why do you need him in all these scenes? Why do you need, read the last several reviews? All these people. the only secondary character we saw was Peabody. That’s her fucking partner.

AJ (01:34:53.954)
Right.

AJ (01:35:04.854)
Right. Yeah.

Tara (01:35:06.663)
Who do you want? what? I just, get it. I’m like, I don’t understand. We saw so many fucking…

AJ (01:35:11.308)
No, we saw all of the secondary characters, not as involved with the exception of P. Well, they’re not as involved. Like this is even Peabody’s case. This is pretty standard throughout the entire series.

Tara (01:35:20.805)
Yeah, like, are you?

Right? Like, what are you looking for? Do you want Kraak to come in and help solve the murder? Because that’s dumb. It would be fun as hell, but I don’t know that that’s what we’re going for, guys.

AJ (01:35:28.054)
Yeah.

AJ (01:35:35.074)
Look, True Heart had to talk to a French lady about hats. Well, I don’t know what more you want with secondary characters being involved.

Tara (01:35:44.017)
Right? That was great.

I just it’s so crazy. Wow, the wow like, again, Eve, Eve’s caseload is interesting and busy and wild as it is. Do you need every single one to be a wow case and insanely like crazy and emotionally draining because it’s it’s already so much and she like, again,

AJ (01:35:51.992)
So.

AJ (01:36:09.454)
Apparently.

Tara (01:36:15.365)
The last case was like last week.

AJ (01:36:18.284)
Yeah, calm down.

So.

All right.

Tara (01:36:25.083)
But don’t worry, don’t worry. They did make sure that we knew that they are an avid reader and they read every installment. Your medal is in the mail.

AJ (01:36:31.672)
Well, let’s give him a medal. I have really got to look into seeing if we can find some cheap medals that we can give people.

Tara (01:36:44.903)
wish we could sell those on the shop. Just like on a merch store. It’s just like a medal. I read all the death books.

AJ (01:36:49.186)
That’s what I’m thinking. Of metal.

Tara (01:36:55.751)
I’ll go ahead and I’ll read the first four star review So we’ll see hopefully this is gonna. It’s hopefully it’s on the upswing Because I’ve been triggered enough today friends. You’re like, okay.

AJ (01:36:57.174)
I’m looking at it.

AJ (01:37:02.413)
Yeah.

AJ (01:37:10.99)
Okay.

AJ (01:37:15.15)
No, there’s ornaments. can make ornaments.

Tara (01:37:22.343)
Okay, four stars. I mean, 61 books in and you kind of know what you’re getting. It was fun to revisit this world and these characters, who are some of my favorites. The case was interesting, though not particularly challenging. It’s one of the books where the reader knows who the bad guy is from the outset. He’s a narcissistic douche who uses his own name. So we’re just watching Eve puzzle it out. Right? She was very clever with how she bagged them, so that was fun.

AJ (01:37:23.16)
All right. Yes.

AJ (01:37:45.326)
truth.

Tara (01:37:51.515)
We didn’t get much work overall, though, which is why I’m just giving it four stars. Still, had fun with it as always. Looking forward to the next. Four stars, not enough work.

AJ (01:38:00.01)
Okay. Sure. I mean.

Tara (01:38:04.999)
I thought Brooke was in it the correct amount.

AJ (01:38:10.158)
Yeah, you know, I mean, you could even say that Brooke was in it a little too much, but I’m not worried about that. don’t really care about that, to be honest.

Tara (01:38:22.151)
Honestly, yeah. mean, but clearly you want more work, so okay. But it was a decent review.

AJ (01:38:30.412)
Yeah, at least this person wasn’t, you know, saying horrible things about the books. just, know, you know what you’re getting. Yeah. I mean, you know.

Tara (01:38:37.095)
It was fine. You what you’re getting. Just not enough work for me.

AJ (01:38:41.965)
Yeah.

So, okay, let’s go to the next four star. Four stars. This is the 61st book I’m reading in this series and I keep having a lovely time. I missed it so much that it’s a four star book. I will read everything until Nora Roberts decides to end it. As long as there’s a new book, I will be seated. Okay. Nothing was groundbreaking here. It’s like watching a detective show, but with your ears.

Tara (01:38:54.279)
Aww.

AJ (01:39:12.638)
I’ve come to love these characters and the way Eve Dallas and her squad catch the killer. And I cannot forget Roarke and Galahad, even though I hate cats.

Well, I mean, you know, some people do. Some people are just like we were saying earlier. Some people are dog people. Some people are cat people. It’s fine. You know.

Tara (01:39:25.283)
allowed. Yeah. Yeah, some people are.

Tara (01:39:31.887)
And they still love Galahad, so.

AJ (01:39:34.186)
Exactly. Susan Erickson is and forever will be one of the best, if not the best, narrator in the game. She’s been narrating all these books and she has a different accent and intonation for each character. Like I know who is speaking before the name is mentioned. Absolutely fantastic work from her. Nora Roberts keep writing these books till the end of time.

Tara (01:39:42.971)
Woo!

Tara (01:40:00.484)
Yeah.

AJ (01:40:02.422)
Yeah, that’s the kind of review we like to see.

Tara (01:40:03.324)
Ahem.

Great. We love a Susan mention. She’s the best.

AJ (01:40:10.467)
Yep.

Tara (01:40:12.711)
the next four star review.

I will never not share these books. Framed and Death is your somewhat basic detective mystery, that is, if you lived in the 2060s. Filled with humor and banter and character growth, Framed and Death does justice to characters we see and have grown to love over 30 years. NYPSD detective Eve Dallas is presented with yet another insane murder to solve. But as always, she goes about her duties with respect for the law and the New York City citizens.

She uses her ever-growing group of friends and family as support and maybe skirts the very edges of the law, but even her handsome husband, the reformed thief Roarke, finds ways to support staying just on the right side of what’s legal. I have reviewer that disagrees with you, but that’s okay. I have so enjoyed the continued humor Eve unknowingly brings to each story, as well as her acceptance that sometimes having friends and family around can truly make a difference.

AJ (01:41:02.06)
Hahaha

Tara (01:41:14.063)
I wait every winter and summer for the February and September release of the next book, and I hope you will join me as stolen and death is due out in February 2026. Aww. I love how excited you are about all this. That is very nice.

AJ (01:41:27.31)
Yeah.

AJ (01:41:31.904)
Yeah, it was, it was a good, a good review.

Tara (01:41:35.463)
I also appreciate this line about how Eve unknowingly brings humor to her story. She is definitely one of those people where she’s fucking hilarious and has no… She’s never intentionally hilarious. She is kind of hilarious. I love that. That’s one of my favorite things about Eve that I’ve never really like pinpointed. She just lives her life and is funny as hell.

AJ (01:41:51.723)
Yes. Yeah.

AJ (01:42:02.7)
Yeah, she really is.

All right, let’s go on to the next four star. Four stars. A frequent theme in the Eve Dallas series is the wealthy parent, usually the mother, who overindulges every whim of their offspring, usually a son, from early on and in the here and now of the setting of the read is a serial killer. Sometimes mother explicitly knows and other times she is an unwilling dupe or an unwitting dupe.

Said serial killer has a trust fund that pays out monthly and or yearly installments of large amounts, which gives the killer the freedom to stalk and kill the citizens of New York City. The person dabbles in something art perhaps, and is not very good at it at all. When rejected, the person never takes it well and that their creative gift, their vision as it were is just not good at all. Said killer begins to lash out again and again in murderous ways.

designed to prove their own unappreciated greatness and to garner media attention. Such is the case here in this latest installment of this long running series, Framed in Death by JD Robb. It is September 19… 1961? No, this is 2061. And the body has been posed at the door of a basement apartment. Thanks to an unseen fingerprint scan by NYPSD Lieutenant Eve Dallas, she is…

able to identify the victim as 22-year-old Lisa Culver, who works as a licensed companion. The murdered woman is posed in such a way to resemble the painting Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, a painting that is in The Hague in the Netherlands.

AJ (01:43:52.418)
She is the first in a string of art-themed murders that keep Dallas detective Delia Peabody and the team working hard to stop. As almost always happens, readers know the identity of the killer and much of the why from early on in the read. Catching the killer and how it is done is a major point in these reads, not figuring out the case as a reader.

As always, there’s a major secondary storyline involving Dallas Roark and their friends who have given her the family and support she never knew she needed. The Eve Dallas of this book has come a long way from the woman that she first was when she hit New York City and she knows it. She does appreciate the fact that when there are moments that the friendships…

Tara (01:44:22.983)
you

AJ (01:44:47.944)
She does appreciate that fact even when there are moments that the friendships and the marriage rules drive her nuts to. Always entertaining these books are fast police procedurals with a small dose of romance. A very enjoyable series that I never would have started if not for a push by Lisa Holstein. Okay. Thank you again, Lisa.

And by all means, go and read her review for this book. I didn’t read that. Maybe I should have read that and added it here because now I feel bad because I don’t have Lisa Holstein’s review. Ignored by the famous author and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press on NetGalley for nearly three months prior to the publication day earlier this month.

Tara (01:45:28.023)
right?

AJ (01:45:46.444)
I settled in to wait a long time for the Dallas Public Library system to get it. While I was very far back in the print queue, I happened to catch the ebook listing within minutes of it going online at Overdrive Libby and grab the third slot for their ebook copy. That meant the book came to me last week, which was relatively quickly, especially with the ongoing budget cuts that are also now closing library branches.

The next book in the series, Stolen in Death, is currently scheduled for publication in February 2026.

Tara (01:46:26.561)
am glad that they were able to get it quickly on Libby.

AJ (01:46:31.158)
Yeah, after they were ignored by the famous author and publisher. I don’t think that they were ignoring you on purpose.

Tara (01:46:35.281)
come we have rude but like I’m not I feel like also I feel like that’s that’s not where that’s that’s not where your beef needs to be me I’m

AJ (01:46:46.254)
No, I agree with you there.

Tara (01:46:48.967)
I think you were hinting toward the beef toward the end of this paragraph, which is very fair. So yeah, another person who’s like, check out Stolen in Death. Everyone is so fucking excited for Stolen in Death, I guess.

AJ (01:46:54.838)
Right.

AJ (01:47:00.759)
Yeah.

AJ (01:47:05.07)
Yeah, I haven’t even looked into that one.

Tara (01:47:11.868)
I have not either and it’ll be there when it’s there. don’t know. Well, we are now at the five star reviews friends. So this will be fun. I hope.

AJ (01:47:13.774)
So maybe I should.

Okay.

AJ (01:47:20.651)
Alright!

Tara (01:47:26.471)
Excuse me. Okay. Five stars. You would expect with such a massive long running series like In Death, that at some point the characters would start to feel stale and repetitive. I can say unequivocally that this is not the case here. Dallas’s hunt for a killer targeting prostitutes and posing them in replicas of famous paintings takes her from the slums of New York into the glittering privileged world of the elite. When she finally tracks down the killer,

She uses all of her considerable resources to bring the killer to justice. Rob’s precise attention to detail and her ability to write scenes so immersive it feels like watching a movie rather than reading words on a page are her superpower, and she displays it in spades here. I’ve been a fan since book one and one of my favorite things about this series is Eve Dallas’s evolution as character.

These books are as much about Eve’s journey to heal from the trauma she suffered and learning to open herself to the people who love her and accept her as they are about the nature of the killers she’s meant to hunt and the victims she stands for. The level of research Rob puts into the slightest details is mind blowing. Her knowledge of police procedure and human psychology shine through without being clinical and overly detailed. The futuristic setting brings just a touch of sci-fi to her world building.

but it’s done in such a way that it feels extremely natural and authentic and doesn’t distract from the plot or overwhelm the reader. All in all, a fantastic addition to a solid series and just another reason that JD Robb continues to be one of my favorite authors.

AJ (01:49:06.53)
I really love that somebody has acknowledged the amount of work that Nora puts into these books.

Tara (01:49:14.821)
Yeah. She really does.

AJ (01:49:16.46)
Because I think it, I think it goes, it often goes unacknowledged and unappreciated. Yeah.

Tara (01:49:22.471)
and unappreciated and often challenged. Like often people are trying to say she’s wrong about this or she’s wrong about this. you know, and we’ve said oftentimes like, you know, in death reasons or, you know, we don’t know what it’s gonna be like in 40 years or whatever. But to be fair, that doesn’t mean that she’s not doing the work and she’s not like, it’s not like she just sits down and

AJ (01:49:27.95)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (01:49:32.301)
Yep.

AJ (01:49:39.392)
Right.

Tara (01:49:50.705)
types out a book for eight hours a day for three weeks and has a book and that’s it. Like she takes the time, you know, like the work she did about all of these paintings and like the references to like, you know, all of that. then understanding the police process enough that she can share it with us through the storytelling without it feeling like I’m reading Greek, you know?

AJ (01:49:55.747)
Right.

Tara (01:50:20.263)
It’s very accessible and there is actually a lot of merit to the research that goes into that. And you’re right, it’s not acknowledged enough. And sure, you’re gonna find at some point some expert who, whether or not they’re an expert or not, actually an expert reading this and being like, well, that’s wrong, that’s wrong. Okay, but there was clearly work done. The work was done.

AJ (01:50:20.396)
Right.

AJ (01:50:48.28)
Yeah.

Tara (01:50:49.411)
And the internet is a fucking mess, guys. There’s so much incorrect shit out there. So let’s forgive any kind of mistakes in that area because guess what? This is also fiction because you see the work that she puts into these. If you stop to really pay attention, there’s a lot of work being put in there.

AJ (01:50:52.792)
Ha ha ha ha.

AJ (01:51:01.708)
Right.

AJ (01:51:05.293)
Yep.

AJ (01:51:10.114)
Yeah, there really is.

Tara (01:51:11.993)
I do, I also appreciate that they brought that up.

AJ (01:51:14.509)
Yeah.

All right, so let’s go on to the next five star review. Five stars. I always look forward to reading the next in-depth novel by J.D. Robb. I initially read each installment as it was published, beginning with the first novel, then prior to and then prior to the publication of book number 50. I set myself the pleasurable task of rereading all of the novels. That is too much. You’re doing too much.

Tara (01:51:21.691)
Oui.

Ahem.

Tara (01:51:46.394)
Yeah.

AJ (01:51:46.476)
I think you need to, I think you need to stop and kind of like sit and have some tea and biscuits or something. You know, that’s just 50 books before another one comes out. Like, dude. And I feel like we read too many in-depth books sometimes. That’s all I’m ever reading. But this person, like you just, like, I appreciate it, but it just seems too much. It just seems like.

Tara (01:51:54.501)
Right? Maybe, maybe pick up another book.

Tara (01:52:08.176)
Yeah.

Tara (01:52:11.953)
Right? Good for you.

AJ (01:52:15.81)
Too much, too much, but okay. So I set myself the pleasurable task of rereading all of the novels and the connected novellas and supplementary stories. Yeah, that’s way too much. In order of sequence, which was greatly satisfying and rewarding. In the handful of novels published since that milestone publication, I found nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the series in the world of NYC circa

1961 again, dude, it’s 2000. We’re gonna sit, we’re gonna, know, just a small thing. We’re gonna just assume that she put it correctly here. We’re gonna say, damn, you ought to correct. Yeah, the characters, both main and supporting, continue to bring me joy as their stories evolve. One of the most extraordinary facts about this latest book,

Tara (01:52:57.765)
Yeah.

AJ (01:53:10.12)
is that the author still writes convincing steamy glorious scenes of intimacy between her heroine NYPSD’s Lieutenant Dallas and her soulmate, the deliriously handsome fabulously wealthy reformed ne’er-do-well Roarke. I love that you don’t often get to say the words ne’er-do-well. So I love that it was in this review so I could say it.

Tara (01:53:31.108)
No, you don’t.

AJ (01:53:37.294)
The power of connection between these two characters is the heartbeat of the series and I will never tire of reading the novels that tell their truths. While I will always purchase and devour and likely reread any new novel by Nora Roberts, it has always been these in-depth books that bring me the most enjoyment. Of course, the next book is already in my pre-ordered list. Please join me in praying for Nora’s continued good health and vigor.

Tara (01:53:58.535)
Aww.

AJ (01:54:06.198)
and laud her for her work ethic, fertile imagination, and insanely challenging writing schedule.

Tara (01:54:15.185)
Yes.

AJ (01:54:16.566)
I mean, I’m not even religious and I will join you in praying that Norah’s, you know, for Norah’s continued good health and vigor.

Tara (01:54:27.419)
Because… yes.

AJ (01:54:27.828)
I, and like, I tell you, Tara, if, if there is a somebody up there and they decide to take Nora before fucking Donald Trump, I will be so.

Tara (01:54:41.927)
same.

AJ (01:54:46.606)
All right, so one more review. Actually, two more because I found Lisa’s review. I don’t, doesn’t say it because it’s on Lisa’s BookCritics.com. So I don’t know if it’s a five star, it doesn’t really say that, but.

Tara (01:54:47.739)
All right. there’s one more? Okay.

Tara (01:54:56.135)
Is it a five star?

Tara (01:55:03.854)
okay.

AJ (01:55:09.612)
But go ahead.

Tara (01:55:10.279)
Okay, well, I’ll read the last five star review here, then we’ll end with Lisa’s. So five stars. It’s hard to believe that this is the 61st book in the Indus series. Yet JD Robb continues to deliver fresh gripping mysteries. This time Eve Dallas is tracking a twisted killer who is an arrogant talentless artist desperate for recognition, who stages his victims as human art in the properties of gallery owners.

AJ (01:55:15.393)
Okay.

Tara (01:55:40.293)
The case is dark, chilling and fascinating from start to finish. What makes this series so addictive, though, are the personal threads. I loved seeing Eve and Rorke visit the house now that it’s complete, as well as the warm and sometimes humorous bullpen dynamics. Watching the team juggle their individual cases while rallying behind Eve always feels like coming back to old friends. I always buy both the e-book and the audiobook in the series.

because the audio gives me a different perspective or reveals things I miss when reading. Susan Erickson’s narration remains unmatched in my opinion. Her ability to give each character a distinct recognizable voice adds depth and personality that elevates the entire story. She is truly the voice of Eve Dallas and her world. An engaging case paired with beloved character moments makes this another excellent addition to the series that I love. Now it is

And now it is way time for February to roll around so I can read another edition.

Tara (01:56:43.291)
more Susan Erickson love, more stolen and death mentions. yay.

AJ (01:56:44.94)
Yay. We love that.

Yeah, we love that.

Yay. So I was laughing because I was, I was looking to see something on Instagram. I was checking to see something and I see somebody post this. this, do you see this?

Tara (01:57:09.661)
I see Sherlock Holmes. What does it say?

AJ (01:57:11.822)
The poster says, it’s dangerous to go homes alone. Take a Watson with you so they have a Teren. can.

Tara (01:57:22.288)
amazing. I love that. I love that so much. That makes me so happy.

AJ (01:57:28.408)
You

Tara (01:57:30.727)
AJ (01:57:30.846)
funny. Anyway.

Tara (01:57:33.542)
Anyway.

AJ (01:57:35.114)
so yeah, so let’s read this Lisa’s book credits. because apparently Kevin is her biggest fan. and Kevin even commented on this basically complaining again, that, he didn’t get a ARC. I don’t know what Lisa is supposed to do about it, but okay. Anyway, so this is Lisa’s review. Although Framed to Death by JD Robb can be read without having read previous books in the In Death series.

Tara (01:57:50.41)
Right?

AJ (01:58:03.714)
There are minor storyline continuations from previous books. It certainly makes the story more enjoyable if readers have followed the characters and the changes in their personal lives. However, as a police procedural, Framed in Death works without having read the earlier books. The murders and crimes are wrapped up in this one. Death was his art. When an artist begins to kill a licensed street sexual companion,

They are posed as if they were in a masterpiece from the past and left in front of a home of an art gallery owner. For several days, Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, are awakened early to arrive at the site where a body was posed. It’s frustrating for Dallas, who was determined to provide justice to the victims and those who mourn them. Clues indicate that the artist has access to a great deal of money.

The costumes the victims wear, a clue on the body, are expensive. But even Peabody can’t get cooperation from the sources until they have warrants. Dallas’s team at New York Police and Security Department have so many threads to follow. They combine interviews with witnesses and friends, with legwork and paperwork until everything breaks at once. It won’t be easy to bring the artist to justice.

Despite all the details of the investigation, J.D. Robb’s Framed in Death is a fast-paced, intriguing story that covers just a few days. Robb excels at storytelling while including personal details about her characters, including the ongoing love story of Eve and her husband, Roarke. It’s another accomplished story from a master.

So there you go.

Tara (01:59:54.343)
Let’s see. Thanks Lisa, that was a great review.

AJ (01:59:58.21)
Yeah. And you know, you can go see it when you go to Lisa’s book critics.com critiques. it’s critiques. Sorry. And Lisa spelled L E S A Lisa’s book critiques.com and you can find Framed to Death and all of her other critiques of books.

Tara (02:00:09.319)
yes.

AJ (02:00:19.214)
she’s also, hey, wait a minute, Tara. She’s also given us a review of the In Death Cookbook by Teresa Carl Sanders. Should we read that?

Tara (02:00:32.71)
As long as it’s a good one.

AJ (02:00:33.549)
So it says, mentioned Teresa Carl, I mentioned Teresa Carl Sanders book, the in death cookbook several months ago. The forward is by JD Robb who writes the wonderful in death series featuring Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the photographers who shared photos of New York City and the food featured in the recipes, Al Douglas and Jessica Amon or Amon.

The cookbook is formatted in a typical way, breakfast, lunch, snacks, and appetizers, et cetera, but each entry features a related quote from one of the in-depth novels. For fans of the series, this makes the cookbook more enjoyable. Rob’s humor and Eve’s snarkiness is evident. Readers know that Eve lacks food knowledge, and that’s evident in some of the titles of food. Roarke often prepares meals for Eve with the hope that he can entice her to eat because

She forgets or she would skip meals if it was up to her. But he knows her favorites. In a quote from Random in Death, he mentions there’s bacon in the bacon and spinach frittatas. She swore she saw Galahad’s ears twitch when the word bacon, at the word bacon. Since she shared that affection, she sampled. In Secrets in Death, Eve asks, why do they call it a waffle iron? What sort of name is waffle?

Were they just not sure what it was so they, you waffled or does it mean something? And Roarke says, the question will haunt me now. There’s a comment just before Carl Sanders’ recipe for overnight waffles. A delicious stress-free breakfast the next morning which leaves us all more time to ponder the most important of life’s questions. I like that the author sometimes reacts to the quotes from the in-depth books.

In the comments about cauliflower and smoked cheddar soup, Carl Sanders says, the perfect way to warm up and calm down after working a cold autumn day filled filled with terror. There are recipe titles that reflect Eve’s lack of food knowledge, chicken stuff with dumpling things or salmon thingy with the stuff. And of course, there are favorites from the characters of the books, Nadine’s jelly donuts, Somerset’s sweet cherry pie.

AJ (02:03:00.918)
and a drink called the Roarke. As much fun as it is to read the In Death Cookbook, it’s more than a tribute to J.D. Robb’s futuristic novels. It’s an enticing cookbook with interesting recipes. If I was a cook, I’d be sampling some of the recipes. As it is, I enjoyed them as background to Robb’s writing. The In Death Cookbook to Die for Recipes of the World of J.D. Robb by Teresa Carl Sanders, St. Martin’s

Griffin 2025, blah, blah. So there you go. Yeah.

Tara (02:03:33.543)
That’s awesome.

AJ (02:03:38.292)
It’s a really amazing cookbook.

Tara (02:03:38.823)
awesome.

AJ (02:03:43.456)
So I’ve only made one thing so far, but I’m going to make more.

Tara (02:03:49.223)
That’s more than me, but I did promise I would make something. Is it gonna be like from the drinks or the salads? Probably, but.

AJ (02:03:54.197)
You can make a

You can make the roark and tell us how it is. The roark is basically just whiskey with hot water and a little bit of whipped cream in there. So, I don’t know.

Tara (02:04:00.869)
Okay. Heck yeah.

Tara (02:04:11.931)
Those are things I could actually, I know don’t have any whipped cream, but there are stores.

AJ (02:04:15.596)
I don’t either, but there’s stores. Are stores open where you are, because apparently they’re not in Portland. that.

Tara (02:04:24.423)
yeah. No, I was like, I’m going to I did I did say I was going to make something from that. And I will. And I’ll let you know how it goes. Yeah, I I can absolutely put things in a blender.

AJ (02:04:34.92)
Yeah, you know, there’s smoothies. So.

AJ (02:04:43.872)
Yeah, yeah, that’s easy to do.

Tara (02:04:47.111)
I can cook, guys, I just hate it.

AJ (02:04:49.198)
Tara (02:04:51.055)
It’s a good thing. It’s a good thing Eve didn’t fall in love with me because she would continue to eat like a child. I’m just saying.

AJ (02:04:57.162)
Well, you know, I mean, to be fair, Tara Roark can’t cook either. just puts he just orders stuff from the Otter Chef. So, know, anyway, so, yeah, those are the reviews.

Tara (02:05:02.191)
And just, yeah. That’s fair. That’s fair.

Tara (02:05:12.379)
That was fun and also infuriating.

AJ (02:05:16.584)
Yeah, fun and infuriating and frustrating and all of the things that a good review the reviews episode should be.

Tara (02:05:25.063)
right. Sorry for literally going off so many times, having a lot of feelings. You know what? Sorry. Yeah. Yeah, let’s do it.

AJ (02:05:30.638)
I’m not sorry.

AJ (02:05:34.303)
Sorry. Okay. So should we go on to podcast business?

AJ (02:05:46.348)
So no new patrons, but I did get an email from somebody. me see if I can find the email and tell you who it’s from.

AJ (02:06:06.363)
well…

AJ (02:06:11.448)
Where is the email?

I know it’s here, sorry.

Tara (02:06:16.839)
No, you’re good.

AJ (02:06:21.87)
Oh, Elizabeth says, Hi, I started listening to your podcast fairly recently and I’ve listened to all of them from June 17 2020 to April 2 2022 on Audible. After that date the rest tell me playback failed. Try again later, which I’ve done. This makes me very sad. I’m a big fan of these books and really love your podcast. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I’m not really sure what’s going on. I do know that

Well, we had a problem with Audible before and I thought I had fixed it. But when I went back in after I got this email, I was no longer able to log in through just Audible. When I tried to log in through Audible, it took me to Amazon. So that tells me that there was another change within Audible and now it’s an Amazon problem.

Tara (02:07:16.583)
you

AJ (02:07:16.682)
So I did send an email to Amazon because the link that they had for the episodes is good. So I’m not really sure why they wouldn’t all be playing, but there’s another link that I can use. It’s our direct link to where we post them on Spotify.

but it won’t let me use that link. So I send an email to support, like explaining the problem. And hopefully they’ll get back to me and be able to tell me what the problem is. But yeah, and I went and tested it and she’s right. you try to go to any of those old, after April 2, 2022, any of those old episodes won’t come up. So, yeah.

Tara (02:08:08.142)
Interesting. That’s annoying.

AJ (02:08:12.042)
the only thing I can say is go to one of the other players if you can, because as far as I know, that’s working on all the other players. So I’m not really sure why it’s not working for audible. So anyway.

Tara (02:08:27.559)
That’s still very annoying. Every now and again we’ll get messages about stuff not working for our snitches.

AJ (02:08:36.131)
Yeah.

Tara (02:08:42.001)
Really can’t figure it out. Open for the best.

AJ (02:08:44.556)
Yeah. I mean, sometimes, sorry. Sometimes you can’t, and you have to go to, you know, the, tech support and have them figure it out. And I’ve done that before for audible and, audibles for some reasons, give me problems anyway. so yes, I am working on that. So hopefully we’ll have it fixed pretty soon. and I think that’s it. don’t think I have anything else.

Tara (02:09:02.257)
fast right there.

AJ (02:09:15.054)
Do you, can you think of anything else we need to talk about?

Tara (02:09:16.485)
I don’t have anything. I don’t know what doing. What are we doing next?

AJ (02:09:24.654)
So next, feel like let’s go ahead and try the topic that I had come up with about the universe according to work.

Tara (02:09:35.067)
Ooh, okay, right, because we’ve already gotten some responses on Facebook. Do we also want to do, I haven’t gone into the chat, do we want to do another framed where we talk about what people said in the chat or is there really not anything to add?

AJ (02:09:39.96)
Right.

AJ (02:09:54.904)
We didn’t have a whole lot of people talking about framed in the chat.

Tara (02:09:58.009)
Okay, I still want to leave it out in case.

AJ (02:10:01.078)
Yeah, it’s not like, you know, some of the other books recently, like Random and Passions, we had a lot of people talking about, you know, know, conversations back and forth. So but I don’t I didn’t really see that with this one. But again, I mean, if you guys feel like you would like us to talk about your comments. We’ll do that, so let us know.

Tara (02:10:08.476)
Yeah.

Tara (02:10:14.801)
Yeah.

Tara (02:10:18.459)
Okay.

Tara (02:10:25.157)
Yeah, let us know. But I love, I’m excited about Universal According to Roarke and talking about it.

AJ (02:10:31.724)
Yeah. And then after that, our next book is…

What is it? It’s not Echoes, we just… my gosh, I have been reading it and I’m like, what is it?

AJ (02:10:51.5)
The next book, Terra, is…

AJ (02:10:57.92)
secrets.

in death. And I actually forgot how much I love secrets in death. It’s such a great book. Do you remember it? Anything about it?

Tara (02:11:02.279)
God, I don’t know anything about it.

Tara (02:11:08.795)
I don’t, I don’t, I’m excited. It’ll be like reading it. I think I’ve only read it once. So we’re getting into the books I’ve only read once, essentially. So I’m really excited.

AJ (02:11:17.366)
Yeah. Yeah. I, so many great moments in this one. So many really funny moments in this one.

Tara (02:11:27.751)
Yes.

AJ (02:11:28.824)
So, yeah. And it’s always interesting when Eve has to investigate the murder of somebody that she really dislikes. She actively dislikes. That’s always interesting, how she handles those cases.

Tara (02:11:31.504)
exciting.

Tara (02:11:47.375)
That’s right. This is that Larenda Mars one. OK. I remember that.

AJ (02:11:50.838)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, so that’s going to be the next book that comes up. We probably won’t be talking about that, though, until first part of November.

Right.

Tara (02:12:12.561)
Well, what this one is coming out on the 18th and then we’ll do RORC. That’ll be the last Saturday of the. Well, yeah, we’ll figure it out.

AJ (02:12:12.941)
Yeah.

AJ (02:12:19.553)
Mm-hmm.

AJ (02:12:25.294)
Unless we can think of between now and then, you know how I love my themed episodes. So unless we can come up with another Halloween themed episode, I would love to do another Halloween themed episode.

Tara (02:12:33.67)
Yes.

AJ (02:12:46.12)
I mean, that would come out day after Halloween, but still it would be fun to do a Halloween themed episode. So if, if any of you have an idea for that too, let, let us know. We’ll think about it. So, okay. And so I think that’s it for, this episode of podcast and death, unless you have anything else to say to.

Tara (02:12:58.777)
Yeah, because I don’t have any ideas for that, but…

Tara (02:13:12.653)
I don’t, that was fun, that was a good one.

AJ (02:13:14.998)
It was really a good one. If you have anything to say to us, if you want to, you know, comment on anything we’ve brought up in this episode, you can do so by, if you’re one of our members of our Facebook group, go to Facebook and you can talk to us there. You can send us an email at show at podcast and death.com.

You can call the number the number is 205-476-2753. That spells out 2054-RORC. We’re on any of the social medias. We’re on Instagram and we’re on Blue Sky and we’re on TikTok. So you can also send us messages there as well. And I think that’s it. We’d love to hear from you so send us a message. Yeah.

Tara (02:14:05.137)
Yes, please.

AJ (02:14:07.446)
So that’s it for this episode of Podcasts in Deaf. So for Podcasts in Deaf, this is AJ.

Tara (02:14:13.349)
This is Tara.

AJ (02:14:14.836)
And we’ll see you next week, Bye.

Tara (02:14:16.849)
Bye guys.