The Barnes & Noble Review
Whatever name she's writing under, mega-bestselling author Nora Roberts crafts top-notch stories with engaging characters and compelling plots. The latest volume in her near-future mystery series starring New York City homicide detective Eve Dallas is a perfect example of that: In Imitation in Death, summer has come to the city, but it's anything but a vacation for Eve as a serial killer with a flair for the dramatic begins a deadly game. The first victim is a prostitute, found slashed to death in an alley. What makes the case unusual is the message found beside the body -- a taunting note on expensive paper, addressed to Eve and signed with the name Jack. Initial clues point to a wannabe Jack the Ripper. But, as the body count rises, the elusive killer's M.O. shifts in baffling new directions, turning up the heat on the investigation. Eve is the first to realize that her quarry is not limiting himself to copying one classic criminal but is taking inspiration from a rogue's gallery of the most notorious villains in the history of homicide. The killer thinks Eve is the perfect audience for this lethal performance...and also a perfect victim. But Eve has a very different role in mind -- Nemesis -- and has put together just the supporting "cast" she needs to orchestrate a surprise ending for the killer. Sue Stone