Week 39 Review: Festive in Death

From Goodreads:
Eve Dallas deals with a homicide—and the holiday season—in the latest from the #1 New York Times bestselling author.

Personal trainer Trey Ziegler was in peak physical condition. If you didn't count the kitchen knife in his well-toned chest.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas soon discovers a lineup of women who'd been loved and left by the narcissistic gym rat. While Dallas sorts through the list of Ziegler's enemies, she's also dealing with her Christmas shopping list—plus the guest list for her and her billionaire husband's upcoming holiday bash.

Feeling less than festive, Dallas tries to put aside her distaste for the victim and solve the mystery of his death. There are just a few investigating days left before Christmas, and as New Year's 2061 approaches, this homicide cop is resolved to stop a cold-blooded killer.

My Review:
This was a fantastic instalment in this wonderful series! And at 39, you'd think things would get repetitive. It most regards, they haven't. Especially when there's new characters, because the only repetitive element is that she's gathered her team, and they're all great, but they always get recruited, which is why new characters are great!

And I'm tired just looking at this review, because of how many favourite lines I had-I had 75 from around page 100 to the end. So a lot more then that. And so it's long because of that! But oh, well, because it was an awesome, amazing, and fantastic book and Eve is just someone that you have to read about!

We didn't get an update on the case of the candy thief, but one of my favourite lines is about her war being waged with the vending machines. So that was nice! And the mini war she has with Summerset had a truce for the holidays, which was nice, and yeah, I really enjoyed that!

With the way the mystery was set up, there was only 1 dead body for the majority of the book, which was a good thing, because the 2nd dead body was a lady that was nice, and if there could be (and there can't be, since no one is deserving of death, but if they could be) a scale of 1 to 10, then she'd be a 2, and he'd be an 8.5. And the twist in who the bad guy was, loved it, because I was expecting him to be the bad guy, and then it turns out that she was!

Favourite lines: "F**ker dry-cleaned his freaking socks." That is just strange! "Trina narrowed her eyes. got the look in them that chilled Eve's blood." Yeah, having makeovers is so demanding! "She looked, Eve thought, like an Eskimo running away to the circus." Which such a typical thought of Eve's, and just loves what her brain puts together! "If he doesn't want the cops to have all the information they can get on finding out who killed him, he's too stupid to live anyway." That's pretty smart! "In his long red coat and bright green watch cap he looked like a skinny twig in a forest of sequoias." So he really stands out, and he's colourful, as always! "I mean, jeez! Ho, ho, freaking ho!" Yeah, it is a lot of money, and sounds like Christmas! "No sniffing the evidence." Why would you want to? "We're teh spirit of Homicide Christmas. If murder cops can't be festive this time of year who can?" Uh, kids? "What? 'Happy holidays, f**ker, You're under arrest?'" Yeah, does not compute! "I was ready to strangle her with her own hair for getting me up and out at that hour, but-Oh, thank fat Santa and all the pointed-nosed elves." Coffee's that good? "Eve risked the elevator, wondered who had the bright idea to pump in holiday music in a cop shot. And how she could punish them." But holiday music is good! "Duck, goose, what;s the different? They're both weird-looking birds." But it's the goose that's golden! "'What the hell is nipnanna?' 'Turnip and banana pie.'" That does not sound good! "Yeah? I'd guess Ziegler probably feels his big trophy was the bash of the season." Seeing as it killed him! "Elvis has been dead a hundred years. How is it fun to have a dead man gyrating on your chest?" Yeah, that doesn't sound all that nice! "There was no shame in retreat, Eve told herself as she bolted up the stairs. There would be other battles, other wars." Yes, there will be! "Dear God! Are you all right? Should I call for the MT's?" Maybe, it was a harrowing experience! "The alternate universe of a retail establishment, without crime." That would be strange! "A town? Come on." Yeah, you usually buy a lot larger things! "It was like the fog of war, she realized." Yeah. It was just shopping. It can't really be that traumatizing! "And I got roped into buying a talking unicorn." Of course, a toy, but Roarke's surprise was awesome! "And deserve better than being a vehicle for syrup, but ah well." Ah, breakfast! "Why would anyone want to catch flies? What you want is to make them go the hell away." You want them closer, so you can kill them all! "We have a gift room?" Yeah, their house is big, but a gift room? That's kinda strange! And the fact she hasn't been to all the rooms in her own home, one that she's lived in, what, 3 years now? "At least she knew just where to go the next time she needed a bribe." I guess that's a use! "The sweepers had taken the lidless pizza box, but she couldn't imagine what that might tell them." Yeah, that's a weird choice! "We have think it's too damn bad Trina didn't get a chance to skin his balls, but we do the job." Yeah, too bad, because he definitely deserved the balls thing, but nobody deserves to be killed, they should be locked up! "It just pisses me off on principle. Having a bunch of chips and circuits tell me what to do." That is pretty annoying! "Lyrics? Grunts, curses, insults, and orders not to drop your guard, don't be such a pussy, sand out." Yeah, sounds like a place Eve would fit in! "People aren't flawed, Peabody. People are deeply f**ked up." I'm undecided if I agree with this! "Pretty much everyone we've interviewed had motive to bash, bash." Calling the killing wound, "bash, bash" is just kinda hilarious! "Eve decided dshe'd hold her own stunner to her own throat-on full-if she had to live by meetings scheduled minute by minute." I wouldn't go so far as Eve, but yeah, that sounds exhausting and a bit scary if you mess up! "Send a departmental memo. Nobody rides in that car for a month. That should be long enough. I'm not kidding." Expect that she rides in that car just a few days later! "If we did, people would be diving off this glide like lemmings." Well, it did smell bad, but I'm glad that it didn't stick to them! "Beside it stood a sickly gray figure in a Santa suit, grinning viciously." Ah, Zombie Santa, you aren't really scary to me, but you are awesome! I think he's an asshole, but I have to ask myself if it'd just like to find an asshole killer for my asshole vic." Which would be nice, then the case that nobody like, will have been solved pretty nicely! "Jesus, was she supposed to know what he was wearing? Was that another damn marriage rule?" Not being married, or ever have been, I can't say for sure, but I don't think it is! "She supposed it had been Summerset who'd added the bow and bell to Galahad's collar. She'd have said something snarky, but the cat appeared to enjoy the adornment." A little bit of festive cheer! "I would beat the elf into elfin ooze immediately and mercilessly, then...acid I believe. Acid would be the final touch, poured liberally over the ooze." Sounds like what the vic deserved-but sounds like he'd still be alive after this, and able to go to prison! "I put that stupid bell on him." That is kinda funny, that Roarke did, instead of Summerset! "You could give me an early Christmas gift. Provide me a list, and I'll comb over the financials" Well, he does like working with her, which would/could make it a present! "I had thought to change into black tie for a bit of cyber stealth, but I can stay as I am if you like." Yes, don't let her explain her comment fully! "You are, forever, all points of the triad, Lieutenant: victim, killer, cop. And you know each section intimately." This is a pretty meaningful line! "Your victim truly was more than a bit of a pig." Yes, yes he was. Evil little bastard! "Not for that. Jeez, sit on a guy's lap and he goes straight into sex mode." Pretty much. "'The day of the week doesn't mean squat in your endless quest for world domination. Could be you're slipping, pal. Then where will I get my coffee?' 'I can always buy a solar system this afternoon if it makes you feel more confident in my ability to supply coffee.'" Just because he isn't working that morning? I love their teasing! "'A law that every day has to start with an orgasm.' 'I believe I could adhere to that law without complaint.' 'You should run for office so you could make it the law.' 'If I ran for office I'd have myself committed as I would have, unquestionably, lost my mind.'" Tee hee. Both thoughts in there! "Now I have to face the smirking disapproval of our resident corpse?" That's a tough decision-work and face that, or don't work, and fulfil her end of the bargain with said corpse! "She decided it was bet not to mention she'd just recently banged said abso-ult iced Roarke into a mutual puddle." Yeah, that might not go over too well! "Eve got a strange picture of a pirate ship sailing through fields of corn and cows." Yeah, that is strange! "Satisfied with the bargain, she drove through the gates. And stopped the car in the middle of the long drive to gape. Appalled. Trucks and vans and people crowded and swarmed at the entrance of the house. Those people carted trees-how could they possibly need more trees-plants, flowers, carts and boxes and God only knew." Sounds pretty bad to Eve, but sounds like party prep, which isn't that bad! "You didn't need armies for a party. You needed armies for a war. Apparently, this was war." That doesn't sound good! "I could point out, that if you'd read the manual, you could have parked out the front and sent the car to the garage by remote, but that would be rubbing it in, wouldn't it?" Yeah, kinda would! "No question there'd been some addictions because the man purchased vehicles the way others might buy socks." Because vehicles cost about the same as socks do, to his wallet! "A garage you could live in. Who knew?" Well, probably Summerset and Roarke! "Shipshewana? Are you winding me up?" Nope, name of the place! "Secure your weapon, would you, Lieutenant, before you join in? Otherwise you may be tempted to use it before we're done." Yeah, I can see that! "Then again, Eve figured no one over the age of four could equal Felicity's level of naivete." This is very true! "Within ten minutes, with her head throbbing, she admitted Roarke had been right to tell her to leave her weapon in her office." So no one but Eve was hurt, which is a lot better then it could've been! "Both women, elated with the idea of having another space to haggle over, rushed off." Yes, more kinda-fighting! Fun! "The head there is nose to nose with the head decorator. There may be blood." Which would make things more exciting! "Which means I have to go up there and step between caterers and decorators. I'm not wrong for preferring murderers." Nope, not wrong! "Why! Why did you have to say the name? I was mellowing." Yeah, Trina can bring you out of mellow! Eve had to be expecting it, though! "It moves. It's really beautiful. It looks old-in a good, classy way." That's nice! And sweet, early Christmas presents that turns out that they bought from the same store! "I'll take it back if you stop that. I don't even know what the hell it is. Roarke did it. Go find Roarke if you're going to do that." Yes, panic from the tears, Eve! "I don't want people to strip naked when they look at me." This is a reasonable want! "See you at Party Central at Party Time! And we'll woo to the hoo!" That sounds nice! "She'd live with it, that was all. It was one night. She could live with gold toenails for one stupid night." And it's not like people will really be looking at her toes! "He did look strip-me-naked good in hsi dark suit and his perfectly knotted tie of gold and red. He wore the little petunia on his lapel." Yeah, they both have their early Christmas gifts on their person's! "So it is. And it appears to me she's just given you a celebrational way of saying kiss my ass. It's you, darling. Absolutely you." Yes, mistletoe on the butt says that! "If men had to wear heels, they'd be outlawed across the land." Yep. Torture on the feet. Though when I was younger, I walked like I wore high heels, though I never actually did. Parents did not like it for some reason! "It's going to be hours of that. Hours of people wanting to talk to me." Which sounds bad to you! "IT's a magic coat. It's my own magic coat. It's pink! It's a pink magic coat. Holy s*t! Holy pink magic s**t, Dallas." I guess you like your present, Peabody! "'Oh, wow. Just wow. I'm thanking you again right now by not hugging your again and kissing you on the lips.' 'And I'm saying you're welcome by not putting a boot up your ass.'" Ah, how they show love! "The ace reporter and the sex-club owner looked to be having a hell of a good time." Yeah! A strange pairing, but good luck! "'A dance. I'm not taking off your clothes, Eve.' 'I bet you are in your mind.' 'well, I am now, so thanks for the idea.'" Love their banter! "The worlds have collided. And there doesn't seem to be any damage or destruction." At least, not yet, but that's not positive! "What? Like mold?" Yeah, just like it! "Domestic violence, suicide, and homicide percentages rise exponentially between Thanksgiving and New Years." Yeah, that fits in with the conversation nicely. Not. "Great. You're now my excuse." It's your own party, and you're skipping out? How could you *dramatic music and hands flailing* Love! "Carmichael came in, looking loose in a little black dress, bare feet, and sparkly red toenails. 'Is this the bullpen?'" Well, there's certainly a good amount of cops hiding out there to constitute that! "Hey. Anybody else got the weird seeing Whitney tear up the dance floor." Seeing as I didn't see, I didn't feel, but the idea is there! "...winced her way into the bathroom to use the gunk Trina had left her to take off the gunk Trina put on her." Using more stuff to take off the first stuff? Love how it's phrased! "She slapped her hands over her face, but the image of Peabody and McNab groping each other in the pool remained burned on her retinas. 'Why? Why aren't I blind? Why is there no mercy?" Well, if you were blind, just then, after you saw it, then that'd be the last thing you saw. Which I think would be worse then seeing it in the first place!"It was an oddity, really, just how much gossip could be distilled over a full Irish." Yep! "Are we driving up a mountain?" Nope, but looks are important! "Your mind is the most marvelous machine. Murder to threesomes to shoe sizes to speculative murder." Yeah, it's the best! "There wouldn't be enough left of it to stab. I expect I'd have already cut out your cheating heart and set it on fire. This, of course, after I'd-what was your phrase-'beaten your lover into paste.- after which I'd have castrated him. But not with a kitchen knife, mind you. I'd have used a dull, rusty, and jagged blade , putting it to use again in the aforementioned cutting out of your heart. And I'd feed his cock and balls to a vicious rabid dog I'd acquired for that specific purpose." That is very detailed and planned out for a spur of the moment thing! Bloody, but awesome! "Who says I'm joking about dancing on your battered body?" Uh, we are, since the hypothetical would never happen, so this would never happen! "Yeah, right. I didn't read it or do the lawyer thing. I just signed it." and "Roarke Industries needed the legal document. You and I never did." This is so sweet, but you should never put your name and signature on something you didn't read! What if some bad dude had hacked the file, and added some bad thing to it? Then there would be trouble! But yeah, the idea behind not reading the prenup was sweet! "You keep Summerset-that's firm." Seeing as the little war they wage, this makes perfect sense! "I keep telling you, the corn's just the delivery system for the butter and salt." Well, it's called popcorn for a reason, if you wanted butter and salt, why don't you have something that has those 2 things as ingredients? "'I don't get aliens.' "Don't you?' 'They're always zipping down, wanting to take over the planet, and blowing up major cities on the way,, It never works out for them. Smarter to start in the middle.' 'The middle of what?' 'The country-since they're apparently all about the U.S. on top of it. Start in the middle, the less populated areas-like, say, Shipshewana, Indiana.' 'Of course it must be Shipshewana.' "then, work your way out to the cities as you gain ground, eliminate the populations. You'd think if they could get here from wherever the hell, they'd be smarter.'" Love the kinda complained about the town that was culled as the home town for one of the ladies in this book! I think they pick the big towns to try and wipe out a) leadership and b) weapons and c) the biggest population in one go. I think. "Looking at it that way, we should hope for an alien invasion." Yeah, but then it's pointed out that you two already have that, so don't need the aliens! "Would've been fun, too,' McNab said wistfully." Yeah, for people who like computers and things like that!"Last time I was on this, Drunk Santa let loose a nuclear fart while showing me his grimy little dick." See, said that they went back on it shortly after! Also, DS was really gross!"Maybe her soft-pedal will keep him from going purple and flopping on the floor like a fish." Again. And being weird!"All the many people who are cops." That is very true. And a good amount of people, too!! "Both of which can be enormous pluses as well as motives for murder." True, that! "Why did rainy days require more money than dry ones? she wondered. Really, how much did an umbrella cost?" Probably it's more surviving the flood, then from keeping wet, I think!"Suspicious minds do, which equal yours and mine." Yes, they do, and yes, so good! "The short vignette on street life entertained her during the red light." Petty, but fun!"Overhead, over all, an ad blimp blasted frantically through the dull gray sky, announcing THE LAST CHANCE! THE FINAL HOURS! so that Christmas Eve in New York took on the aura of the apocalypse." That is pretty funny! "You look like some sort of pink candy with a fuzzy ball on top. Strutting pink candy. The strutting ceases immediately." Strutting is that bad! "True. But somehow that's not enough. Maybe if they played those poppy, jingling Christmas songs on an endless loop in the tank it would be enough. Maybe." I like Christmas songs, so it wouldn't really work on me unless it kept me from sleeping, or it gave me a headache! "Makes me wonder why people don't need to take a psych test before they get a marriage license." I think this should happen. It'd maybe prevent some bad together couples from marrying, and hopefully less crime! "Isn't the corn thing Thanksgiving? Why is fake corn hanging on that tree?" Apparently corn is important to some late December holiday!"Knowing she wasn't the only one to war with those machines cheered her right up." Yeah, they seem to not like some of the cops they supply food to! "Or, to any f**king body before this moment?" I would think, not! "NO MATTER YOUR RACE, CREED, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, OR POLITICAL AFFILIATION, WE PROTECT AND SERVE, BECAUSE YOU COULD GET DEAD." That is a great sign, that she talks about in the next line, great thing, the one thing I find funny, is the "get dead" part, it should be "get killed." seeing as they're the homicide division, and get dead isn't very good grammar! "'The rest of you? That-' she pointed toward the banner. 'That stays up. Anybody from Maintenance or Standards of Legal tries to take it down, kick them to me." Because that sign deserves to stay up! "And this 'unknown assailant' mysteriously went poof?" Yeah, flaw in your theory, dude! "'Okay, if you didn't do it for kinky watching, what did you do it for?' 'For Felicity!' 'She got to watch?'" Go Peabody, aggravate him! "Even if some of that laughter was Summerset's." Yeah, because some of it was Roarke, and it's almost Christmas! "We lit it with mini, bat-powered torches, and some enterprising soul stole a case of MREs from the enemy camp so we had a feast." And of course, that soul was Summerset!"'Go...do something,' she suggested and fled to wrap the gifts she'd neglected to wrap because there was plenty of time." But now there's not!"So I deduced when you reached for your weapon." Yeah, that would say something! "The explosion." and "The crescendo." Kinda playing charades, because she can't remember the word for what she meant. But the second one's right! "You can buy your own clothes-you can buy everybody's clothes, but this is..I want you safe, too." Love this so much! "Relived the emotional jag had passed, she ripped in. And found the exact same photo. Different frame, but the same photo. Nothing could have struck her more." Love this! So sweet! And yeah, I know, lots of favourite lines. I think I gave myself a headache transcribing these. I know it makes me tired just looking at this!

Wow, I really loved this book, and it was a great instalment in this series, and yeah, she even gets to face what she'd do with her dad if she had the chance, now. And it ended just awesomely!

Author: J.D, Robb
Series: In Death #39
Read: September 22nd, 2014
Source: Tuebl
Reason Why: Love this series, and it's a 2014 Dystopia Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: Putnum Adult
Published: September 9th 2014

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars