Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I adore J.D. Robb/Nora's books and have been a loyal fan of this series from the beginning. I've loved all the previous books, although I felt the book right before this one was lacking sparks. I was shocked and very disappointed by this latest installment. The main focus is on the atrocities committed by the murderer and there is far too much from his point-of-view and far too much detail given to the grisly, brutal torture of his victims. After the 3rd murder, I honestly couldn't stomach reading the rest in detail, it made me feel physically ill. I ended up skimming to read about Eve and Roarke -- and yet found that part of the story oddly bland. Roarke came across as a "cardboard cutout" of himself, with none of his usual charisma. Even the love scenes felt recycled from other books, and seemed to be dropped in as an obligatory element rather than woven into the main thread. I am usually pleasantly surprised at how fresh and fun Robb/Roberts continues to make the sexual relationship between Eve & Roarke after so many books. Not in this one. Our beloved secondary characters also continue to be mostly missing in action, like in the previous book. As other reviewers have stated, this doesn't even read like Robb/Roberts wrote it. Being a Thanksgiving themed novel, I expected to get a larger dose of our favorite couple's family life, but that didn't happen. I've been looking forward to this for months and I am just sad at this outcome. Unlike so many authors, Robb/Roberts very rarely lets me down. "Treachery in Death" and "New York to Dallas" were such wonderful installments in this series, focusing so much on Eve and Roarke and their journey, and now I'm wondering about the ghostwriting speculation myself. Were those the last two books Robb/Roberts actually wrote in this series? Because the books after that have felt stale and were definitely missing the brightness and enthusiasm and the sly, witty prose I've come to expect from this writer. I sure hope not. And I hope she gets her mojo back, because Robb/Roberts at her best can't be beat. I will preview the next book first before I decide to buy it...or not. :(