In the world of romance novels, one of the best-known authors is Nora Roberts. And perhaps some of the best novels written by Roberts are written under her alternate pen name, J.D. Robb.
"New York to Dallas" was published in paperback in 2012 by the Berkeley Group. It is part of the "In Death" series featuring Detective Eve Dallas, a homicide cop in New York City, and her crime solving Irish husband, Rourke.
Although to my mind, Rourke is the main character, and Eve Dallas is the wife he always has to rescue. But I guess that is why they are called romance novels.
Both Rourke and Eve survived horrific childhoods to become successful in their chosen areas; Eve Dallas in crime fighting and Rourke in crime. However, when they begin to make a life together early in the series, Rourke mends his evil criminal ways and instead spends his time and incredible cyber skills aiding his wife in her crime fighting efforts. The stories of those crime solving escapades are told in the series, which includes such best sellers as "Celebrity in Death," "Betrayal in Death" and "Portrait in Death." The entire series takes place in the future, when cars can fly, and there are human colonies (and penal colonies) on other planets and interplanetary transports.
In "New York to Dallas," Eve Dallas is faced with an old adversary, a rapist/murderer/child molester she captured early in her law enforcement career, who escapes from prison and sets his sights on payback against her. But along the way, some people from her past make this case more difficult to crack than it should be.
One of the more humorous aspects of the book is the setting, mostly in Dallas, Texas. Eve, a typical New York cop, cannot reconcile crime fighting with clean and spacious offices and polite law enforcement officers. The idea that total strangers will stop and have conversations with you on the street is almost too much for her to bear, and helps to break up the tension of the horrible aspects of the crime she and her team are working.
I can't say this one keeps you guessing, because like any good romance novel it follows a standard formula, and of course the endings in these books are always happy. However, as romance novels go, this and all the J.D. Robb books are in the way-above-average category.
There are, of course, love scenes. Some of you read books for those scenes; however, I do not, so I generally tend to skip over those pages. However, by the simple fact that the romantic male lead in this series is so strong and likable, and of course the added fact that Nora Roberts is among the best in that genre, I am sure these are some of the best love scenes of any of the romance novel category.
They are not, however, suitable for younger readers for that reason. I would not recommend these books for anyone under 14 or 15, both for the adult content and for the violent content. For that reason, I give this book 7 out of 10, and absolutely recommend it for any adult who enjoys romance novels. "New York to Dallas" can be purchased in paperback form from your local book store, or online at any book selling outlet including Amazon.
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