I liked this book more than I thought I would. This series keeps popping up in "What should I read next conversations" so I thought I would give it a try. I'm a littler weary at the legnth of the series. I belive it's at about 30 books and still going. From what I've read about the series it seems that it's consistantly good. I haven't heard anyone claiming it to downfall at a certain point which I would think would be rare for a series of this length. But then again we are talking about JD Robb (Nora Roberts) who I think has some sort of magical power with the way she writes about 5 or so books a year. 
 Anyway, on to this particular book. I was interested in the story from the first page. I was interested in how it was going to wrap up with all the loose ends tied together. I'm really not one for crime thriller / myteries. I've been reading a lot of Urban Fantasy lately, and I think that's why my interest was kept in this book because it takes place in the future. Originally written, I believe, in 1995 the book initially caught me off guard when the victim was shot (with a gun) and the police didn't know what it was. Then we come to see the guns as we know it are a thing of the past and considered antiques. I think that the "future" we are in was kept a little vague in order to be kept relevant for many years to come. Robb didn't go into too much detail beside comlinks intead of traditional telephones and lasers replacing guns. From what I understand there are hover craft and regular driving cars still in this world. I'm wondering if she will broden the horizons of this furture world in later books in the series. 
 I surprisingly liked Eve. I did think that her character was a little stiff and cold at times, and usually I don't care for that kind of character, but I think with her history it's understandable. Robb did a great job showing Eve's heart and sensitivity in places and I think that helped to alleviate some of the coldness that she shows. She is an intelligent woman who has lived through tragedy and still came out relatively on top. I'm sure we will be exploring more of that in books to come. 
 I liked Eve's relationship with Mavis. It seemed that they had a good friendship. I would have liked to have seen more Mavis in the story, but I assume she will continue to be in the series as well. I like Feeney too. I especially liked how he cared for Eve (in a platonic way). It was nice to see our main character have loyal, caring friends who stood behind them and believed in them 
 Then we have Roarke. It's one of the main things to read about when looking into this series, Roarke and Eve's relationship. I think I was expecting a little more because of all the hype. I just thought that it moved a little fast and felt a little forced at times. I think the forced comes from Eve being who she is and what she's been through so that doesn't bother me as much, but I would have liked to see things develop between them a little more before they slept together. I know that the book is approximately 300 pages which doesn't leave much time for solving a murder and getting your main characters into a relationship in the book so things will feel a little rushed. I think maybe it could have benefitted from being drawn out over a few books until they decided to get together, but we'll see how things progress for them in upcoming books. Yes they started out fast but they still have a lot to learn about each other and that can be quite fun, learning along with our characters. 
 The mystery was written very well. I did have my suspicions towards the actual killer but thought I would end of being wrong. The many twists and turns did alienate the readers instead we were learing right aling with Eve which gives us the opportunity to solve the case as well instead of pulling some random bit of information at the last minute that no one would have seen coming, therefore giving no one an opportunity to figure it out. 
 This stoy is told in 3rd person from Eve's perspective with other's perspectives thrown in randomly at different times. I thought that got confusing a little bit, you're reading something from Eve's perspective and suddenly you're finding out what Roarke thinks about Eve in this situation. Once I got used to the writing it wasn't as much of a problem, but at the beginning it made me go back and re-read a few passages. 
 I do intend to continue reading the rest of the series. I liked the ending to this it was all at once closure yet the scene was still left open drawing you in for more. Usually with a new series I will devour all the books one right after another, but I'm thinking with this one (since there are already so many out with no end in sight) I will have to take my time. My only worry is how Robb will sustain the relationship between Roarke and Eve throughout. After 30+ books I would have to think she's get clever to keep it from getting dull. I guess I'll just have to read and see. Until Then!