Witness in Death by JD Robb

This is the 10th book in the Eve Dallas series. The key murder in this book happens in a theater on stage. What's interesting is that since this series is set in the late 2050s, theatrical performances are apparently a thing of the past. Which I hope doesn't actually happen since I absolutely love attending live performances at the theater! Anyway, Roarke restored an old theater and then hired some of the most talented actors and actresses to star in the Grand Opening performance at the New Globe Theater. Roarke chose a murder mystery to be performed. Eve had never been to a theater and she was intrigued by the live performance, as well as trying to figure out which of the characters had murderous intent. The murder within the play ends up being a murder in real life, and that's when Eve and company step in. So, Eve herself is the "Witness in Death".

Since the majority of the suspects are actors, Eve has her work cut out for her. They are very, very good at lying and "telling their stories". With Roarke's help - which she certainly needs in order to do her job as quickly and efficiently as she does - she is able to track down personal histories and prior scrapes with the law. She also discovers all the decades-long connections this group of actors have with each other. The one thing they ALL have in common is that they detested the very talented and good looking star of the show, and victim: Richard Draco. Richard was a scumbag by all accounts and absolutely no one is sad that he is dead. Each of the suspects has a legitimate reason for wanting him dead as well.

I like how we get to see some of Eve's vulnerabilities as this series progresses. All of her relationships are developing as well. Peabody is starting to come into her own and pushing back a bit at Eve when it's warranted. Even Eve's interactions with Summerset are comfortably antagonistic. There is a mutual trust and respect between the two. It's just buried deep.

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

This is a great discussion book! I highly recommend it for book clubs. The premise is that everyone 22 years old or older, worldwide, gets a box delivered to them on the same night. Inside the box is a string, along with a message: The measure of your life lies within. So every adult gets a string, but the strings are all different lengths. At first people think it represents how long each person has left to live. Before too long though, they realize that the length of the string represents the length of their entire life. So, for obvious reasons, people who receive a short string are upset. Every day, as people turn 22 years old, they receive their box.

It's super interesting, and completely realistic, how different people react to the length of their strings. People are quickly referred to as "short-stringers" or "long-stringers". Short-stringers are abandoned by their significant others because of their short lifespan. Short-stringers decide not to have children, leave their jobs to travel, give up on their long-term goals/dreams. Short-String therapy groups are formed for support. It doesn't take long for society to be prejudiced against them. The military forces everyone in a military service to show their strings. The people with short strings are relegated to desk jobs. They only want long-stringers in active combat or in high positions.

There is a presidential election coming up, so the presidential candidates use string length to try to get elected. Counties like China force their citizens to register their string length with their government. Some long-stringers do crazy, dangerous things because they know they will live a long life. What some don't realize though, is that they could live a long life being paralyzed from the neck down because of some stupid stunt. Living a long life doesn't mean that it will be a good life!

There are some people that choose not to open their box. They want to just live their life not knowing how long they have. Some of these people are betrayed by their family members or significant others, who open their boxes without their knowledge of consent.

Again, this is a great discussion book! So many different opinions!

Wendy's Rating: *****

Loyalty in Death by JD Robb

Eve Dallas book #9. This installment in this futuristic New York Police Department's crime fighting series involves a bomber. The bomber leaves letters that explain the purpose of the bombs: destroy the corrupt, over-indulged, repressed society of New York. The letters end with the phrase "We are Cassandra". The letters refer to Cassandra causing destruction in the name of, or for the sake of, an unknown "Him". The letters always mention their loyalty to "Him".

In addition to this, Eve is called to the scene of the murder of a wealthy man, J. Clarence Branson. JC Branson, by all accounts a kind, honest man, is murdered by his mistress, Lisbeth Cooke. She stabs him with one of the tools that his company manufactures. She kills him because she finds out that he is cheating on her. The problem is, he is not the type of man to cheat - and no one has any evidence of this.

We are introduced to Peabody's brother, Zeke, who comes to town for a job. He stays with Peabody. Zeke is actually in love with his new client's wife, which is why he took the job. Also in the romance department, Peabody and McNab finally succumb to their attraction to each other.

Eve and crew (including Roarke, of course) try to track down the origin of Cassandra, who link themselves to Mt. Olympus (power and prophecy). Eve/Roarke eventually connect Cassandra to an earlier (30 years prior) group who went by the name of "Apollo". Most of Apollo's top leadership was killed at once, which is what stopped them.

All of these stories are interwoven. There are definitely a couple of surprises along the way, which is always nice. I love twists that I wasn't expecting. Eve and Roarke have been married for six months by now and they finally have a fight which causes Roarke to give Eve the silent treatment. Ha! It's about time. She would be difficult to be married to!

Wendy's Rating: ****

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch #4. Harry is in a bad place, career-wise and in his personal life. He's pretty much falling apart. He has lost everything he cares about: his home, his job, his girlfriend. He drinks a lot, smokes even more, and has acted out physically against a superior. I guess you have to reach rock bottom before you can start climbing out of the self-inflicted abyss though.

Since Harry has a little "break" from work, he decides it is way past time to discover what happened to his mother when he was a child. She was a prostitute who was murdered and left in a alley to be discovered, ironically, by a cop. This mission turns out to be a lot more complicated than he thought, and not only because of how long ago it happened. Certainly, some of the interested parties are retired, deceased, living in a different state, etc., but some of the people involved are wealthy and politically-minded and don't give Harry an inch when questioned. People are also murdered because of Harry's actions, which adds guilt to Harry's already-burdened soul.

The good news is that Harry finally starts opening up with the psychiatrist, Dr. Hinojos. Not only does he start sharing some of what he is feeling, but he starts to listen to her suggestions about changes he could make in his life to be happier. It takes a lot of energy to be so negative all the time! Harry does have a couple of people in his corner, which is lucky for him. He also meets another woman, who he connects with. I was definitely surprised by this turn of events. I thought he would become more self-aware of his actions which resulted in Sylvia breaking up with him and try to get her back. He gave up way too easy on that relationship.

Harry does discover what happened to his mother. His investigation definitely ended differently than I expected however. These books are very engaging and fast-paced. I like this series a lot.

Wendy's Rating: ****