Silver James

So…Yesterday intruded. A lot. No new words on NIGHT MOVES, or any other upcoming projects. No Universal thoughts to share. Just stuffs happening and keeping me distracted. Sadly, no bear stuffs because bear stuffs would be infinitely more interesting than what I had to deal with yesterday.

As a result, I headed to bed after dinner, dog and cat dinners, and KP duty, with the idea of getting lost in a book. See, after finishing BROTHERHOOD IN DEATH, the current JD Robb release, something in that book triggered a thought and I went looking for the book where Roarke and Eve first put together that HSO had known about Eve’s terrible childhood. I finished it and as I was laying there trying to entice sleep (it really was a shitty day), and I started thinking about my review of BiD and how I’d mentioned it was on my list of favorites in the In Death series. With 40 books and handful-plus of novellas, there are a LOT of books to choose from. So, here’s my list of top five favorites. And why. Because this is Thursday and I’m usually all philosophical and shitstuff.

5. IMMORTAL IN DEATH #3 – Tied. In this book, Eve has agreed to marry Roarke, and she’s embroiled in Mavis’s love life–mainly because the naif’s soul mate, Leonardo, is designing Eve’s wedding dress and trousseau while Mavis is under suspicion for murder. This book highlights the friction between Summerset, Roarke’s major domo, and Eve. While Roarke is away, Eve has a massive nightmare that terrifies Summerset and he finally sees her for what she is. That’s a defining moment in the series in many ways.

5. INNOCENT IN DEATH #24 – Tied. I’m tempted to reread this one, given the division between Eve and Roarke that occurred in DIVIDED. Every time I read this book, I spend it totally pissed at Roarke. I mean seriously cut-him-off-my-book-boyfriend list angry at him. How can such a brilliant man be so stupid and blind, and how can he NOT see what he’s done to Eve? Grrrr. Any book that can stir me to such intense emotions definitely belongs on the list.

4. DIVIDED IN DEATH #18 – This one makes me sad. The information that comes to light, the paranoia in dealing with an all-powerful government spook squad that has done despicable things, Roarke’s need to protect Eve and gain vengeance for her, Eve’s need to keep him from doing so. Even when they’re together, they’re apart. Until they finally figure it out–with a little help from Dr. Mira.

3. TREACHERY IN DEATH #32 – This one hit home. Wrong cops. Peabody in danger but coming into her own. This one hit all my buttons.

2. NEW YORK TO DALLAS #33 – Eve had been back to Dallas once, had been to the dingy motel room of her nightmares. Now she’s there to take on a serial killer from her past and to confront some hard truths about her “heritage.” This is Roarke at his totally instinctively loving best and it faces hard truths that adoptees try very hard not to think about. Yeah, this one took my breath away.

1. NAKED IN DEATH #1 – This is the book that started it all. I came late to this series, around 2005 when I was dealing with a bout of depression, when I wasn’t writing, wasn’t reading, wasn’t doing much of anything but shuffling through life. Someone suggested I read this book. I checked it out of the library. I stayed up all night (not that I was sleeping anyway) to read it. My imagination caught fire. My reading mojo kicked into high gear and at one point when I couldn’t get the next book, I dug into savings to buy all the paperbacks used. This is still my “Chicken Soup” book–the one I reach for when nothing else will do.

One other note. The Button. When Roarke and Eve first met at the funeral of her murder victim, her ugly gray suit had a loose button. Roarke found it on the floor of his limo, slipped it into his pocket and it became his touchstone. I watch for the moment in each book when he reaches into his pocket to touch The Button–sometimes when he is angry with Eve and it reminds him of what they have, sometimes when he is hurting for her and it reminds him of how strong she is. Of interest is the fact that in DIVIDED IN DEATH, The Button is not mentioned. Not once. To my knowledge, this is the ONLY book where Roarke doesn’t acknowledge its existence. To me, this only illustrates the gulf that formed between them in this chapter of their lives.

So those are my bear thoughts this morning. And now that I’ve wasted a chunk of it, time to check in with social media–briefly–and then get to work. I have words to write because when I grow up (as a writer), I want to be JD Robb. Just sayin’…

What are you thinkin’ about today?