Today I finished re-reading all of JD Robb’s In Death novels. I started this project in early October after finishing Nora’s latest addition to the series Forgotten In Death (#53!). I’m thrilled to have completed the series (so far!) before the next book hits the shelves. Abandoned In Death is due out on February 8th… and I can’t wait to read it.
That’s right. This will be book #53 (not counting all the novellas in the series, which I also re-read) and I’m still hooked and chomping at the bit to read more!
Nora’s secret? Aside for intriguing plots and diabolical bad guys, she is a master at writing characters who literally jump off the page and take up residence in your heart. I *love* her team. Dallas and Roarke… and their awesome love story… are to die for! But Peabody and McNab, Morris, Mira (both Charlotte & Dennis), and Dallas’s whole bull pen of detectives and uniforms are so well drawn that I feel like I know each and every one of them. And don’t get me started on Nadine and Mavis and those they love.
Nora Roberts / JD Robb is a master of writing characters who live beyond the page. I found in my re-read that my imagination had added scenes to favorite books. Scenes I’d’ve sworn were written in black and white, but which existed only in my brain. That’s power. When an author’s characters take on a life of their own and live on in the reader’s thoughts beyond what the author actually wrote.
It’s been a delight to revisit these books… and an education in character creation!
