Podcast in Death

This week on Podcast in Death, AJ admits she texted Tara the night before with “absolutely no idea what we’re going to talk about.” Somehow that turned into a two-hour deep dive on first impressions in the In Death series.Highlights include:Roarke’s Mugshot Glamour Shot: Eve basically thinks, “Wow, this man could kill without breaking a sweat,” and we all agree that’s both terrifying and… kinda hot.Feeney’s Rumpled Charm: He looks like a stubby ginger teddy bear, but Eve lights up when he appears. Then he tells her she looks “beat,” but we understand he's just concerned for his former partner.Peabody, Sass-Master: Competent, sarcastic, and irritated with parade duty. Tara calls her a "Sass-Master" and she's not wrong. When Eve orders her to look stern, she deadpans: “I was born looking stern.” Iconic.Somerset’s First Shade: He gingerly handles Eve’s bloodstained jacket like it’s diseased, setting the tone for decades of sniping.Galahad, MVP of Cats: Galahad waddles in like the fat gray MVP he is, immediately claiming Eve as his human.Mavis the Walking Disco Ball: She bursts in with glitter, perfume, and the promise of “dinner, dancing, and debauchery.” Eve's not about it after the day she's had, but honestly, we all need a Mavis.Dr. Mira = Tea + Therapy: AJ admires her “bulldozing over Eve," and giving her tea she doesn't want. Tara points out Mira and Mavis basically had the same thought: “This bitch needs me.” And they weren’t wrong.Crack’s Grand Entrance: Tattoos, bulge, banter. Both Tara and AJ love Crack and his growth in the series.We wrap it all up with the timeless truth: not all humor is for all people. (But if you don’t laugh at Peabody’s deadpan, we can’t help you.)

This week on Podcast in Death, Tara’s off doing theater things, so listener Dana fills in to help AJ dig through a long document full of our favorite "Scary Roarke Moments."We kick things off with Naked in Death, where Roarke decides the best way to show affection is to lurk in Eve’s dark apartment like a sexy burglar. AJ sums it up: “He’s fucking lying here, but, you know, he knew she wouldn’t check him.” Dana calls it both creepy and scary, which really sets the tone for the rest of the episode.Other highlights include:The Dick Twist Special (Rapture in Death): Roarke locks Eve out of her own office and “interrogates” Jess Barrow in ways that had AJ wondering, “Was he wearing stretchy pants? How did that even work?” Some mysteries are better left unsolved.Trudy Lombard Failed Blackmail Attempt (Memory in Death): Trudy tries to blackmail Roarke for “two million dollars, USD, of course.” AJ gleefully points out, “I love that he’s fucking with her. That’s US dollars, right?” Spoiler: her “compensation” was not being murdered.Holiday in Death: Peabody Unleashed: After Peabody decks a groper, Roarke beats the guy up and Feeney gets misty-eyed about Roarke’s brogue: “Listen to the music of it,” while Eve is stuck shouting “Maintain! That’s an order!” and we realize how few times Eve actually has control of an op.The Murder Menu (Vengeance in Death): Roarke rattles off his six revenge killings without remorse. Dana deadpans, “He had variety.” AJ adds, “Yeah, he’s like: 'ChatGPT: tell me the worst ways to kill people.’”The Neener, Neener Move (Delusion in Death): Eve wants Roarke to stay intimidating but not terrifying, so he pulls off what we now officially call the Neener, Neener Move: sitting in someone else’s office chair just to prove he can. Subtle, smug, effective.Peabody’s Word Art (Devoted in Death): Peabody goes full-on scary cop, tossing out gems like “twisted twat” and “sick psychopathic sluts.” Eve gives her high marks for style and alliteration.Jenkinson’s Fashion Crimes: We also take time to appreciate the tie so loud Potter could “see it from space”: a glittery purple rat in a silver cage on a field of emerald green. Iconic.By the end, we cover everything from creeper Roarke to scary-light Roarke, with plenty of side tangents (Harry Potter references included). As AJ notes, “If Roarke ever says something softly, that's when you know you're in trouble.”

This week on Podcast in Death, AJ and Tara dive into the endless amusement that is the Goodreads review section. This time for Echoes in Death.Highlights include:The new sacred rule: Never say the “G-word” (ghostwriter). It’s basically Voldemort for book reviews.A reviewer flexing their massive vocabulary with the word “interiority.”The mystery of the “sparkly strappy purse” that… doesn’t actually exist. (Someone owes us an apology for this fanfiction-level slander.)People who hate the series so much… that they keep reading 44 books of it. Make it make sense.One star reviews from folks who don’t like Sherlock Holmes-type books… while reading a murder mystery novel literally titled Echoes in Death. Sir, the math isn’t mathing.The eternal question: why do people act like remodeling at "Casa Roarke" is a crime worse than murder?Plus, a completely necessary tangent about Bill & Ted, the overuse of the word heinous, and the controversial idea of whether movie sing-alongs should be mandatory or punishable by death.Basically, if you’ve ever hate-finished a book just so you could toss it across the room, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite Feeney moments! Including: Feeney Angry at Roarke in "Naked in Death," Feeney telling Eve to go join Roarke in Ireland in "Portrait in Death," Feeney giving Roarke advice about Eve in "Divided in Death," and more!

So AJ was sick, which meant Tara had to do the heavy lifting, aka talk more than usual (and yes, she noticed, you’re welcome). We dove back into Echoes in Death where the killer is basically auditioning for a Broadway show nobody asked for — costume, props, creepy script and all. Spoiler: it’s less Phantom of the Opera, more Creepy Cousin with Issues.Highlights of our very professional analysis include:Eve once again rolling up to a murder scene in sparkly heels and a gown, while Peabody immediately forgets the corpse and fangirls over the shoes. Priorities, people.HIPAA violations galore! Apparently in the future, patient privacy is just a fun suggestion. Eve’s like, “Sure, catering staff, let me give you Daphne’s entire medical chart while you drop off the soup.”Eve being mistaken for Marlo Dern in an elevator because apparently homicide detectives moonlight as Oscar-nominated actresses now. Poor Eve just wants coffee.Roarke forcing Eve to watch The Avengers, leading to the immortal question: “Is this porn?” (To be fair, Eve isn’t entirely wrong about Thor.)Eve dreaming about Loki and shawarma while trying to solve a case. Honestly, her subconscious deserves its own spin-off.Kyle Knightley, our wannabe thespian murderer, keeping dresses for his sex doll droid. Yes, you heard that right. The man’s got Broadway dreams but chose the horror genre instead.And the big twist: Daphne, long-suffering wife of Dr. Gaslighting McAsshat, actually kills her own abusive husband in self-defense. Cue our standing ovation.Moral of the story: never trust a guy in a devil mask, Peabody will always comment on your shoes, and Roarke will eventually make you watch Marvel movies whether you want to or not.

This week we Review the Reviews of "Rise of the Magicks" by Nora Roberts, and the one thing that the majority of the reviewers can agree on is that they were more than slightly disappointed with this third book of the "Chronicles of the One" series. That disappointment ranged from the One Star "Absolutely Horrible and Annoying" to the Four Star "I just wish it was more."We don't really get it because we liked the book, but, everyone is entitled to their opinions, we guess.

This week on the podcast, we host a group discussion with a few of our listeners and talk about the last two books in the "Chronicles of the One" series: "Of Blood and Bone" and "Rise of the Magicks."

In this episode of Podcast in Death, we read "Rise of the Magicks," the last book in the "Chronicles of the One" series by Nora Roberts. One thing we do know for sure in regards to this series is that we both feel like Duncan Kinda Sucks.But apart from that, this is a good book, lots of planning of battles and fighting of battles, and a very satisfying ending.

In this episode of Podcast in Death, we continue with our Journey through the "Chronicles of the One" series by Nora Roberts by reviewing the 2nd book in the series: "Of Blood and Bone." So many moody teenagers in this one, but there's also so much to love in this book. Malick is one of Tara's favorite characters in this series, so she really loved all of the training sequences. AJ really loved Simon's role in Fallon's life and in this book. So many touching moments with him, and Eddie and other characters, and we absolutely did not ugly cry at all at any point in this series. Also, it's a small detail, but we have to wonder why there's no maple syrup in this series? Aren't there maple trees in Virginia? Anyway, it's a fun read and hopefully a fun show!

In this episode of "Podcast in Death," we're still discussing the "Chronicles of the One" series, but with a twist: we imagine what our favorite "In Death" characters would do if faced with an Apocalypse scenario.

In this episode of the podcast, we opened up a group discussion for members of our Facebook group, and we talked about "Year One" by Nora Roberts. It's a really interesting discussion, and we hope you all enjoy it!P.S.: We will be having this same kind of Group Discussion for the next two books of this series as well, so if you want to be part of one, let us know and we will send you the details.

We said we were going to do it someday, and that day is finally here! On this week's episode of "Podcast in Death," we will be reviewing "Year One," the first book of Nora Roberts' "Chronicles of the One" series.It's a tough book to get through because Plagues are Bad, and there's just a lot of death and dying in this book, but it's also a great book about how people learn to find their strength within, learn to find community, and learn to find tolerance for people who are different from them.We are very aware that there are MANY of you out there that did not at all like this book series, but we are hoping that you will listen anyway, and maybe you will be inspired to read it again. If you haven't read it, and you have been on the fence about reading it, you might give this episode a listen and maybe you will be inspired to pick it up.

TARA'S BACK!!This episode, in celebration of Pride Month, we talk about all of the characters in the series who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The characters we love, the characters we don't love so much, and we discuss how Nora is continually giving us an ever widening circle of queer characters.

This week, AJ talks with listener Melissa who, like Jen before her, has a lot to say about all things medical. Melissa has a unique perspective having a unique background in Emergency Response. It's a very interesting episode that I hope you will all enjoy!

This week, Tara is still recovering from her throat problems, but the show must go on! So, listener Quincey volunteered to co-host the show and talk about a topic that she suggested a while back: all of the pop culture references in the "In Death" series. We talk about everything from James Bond to Iron Man to Star Wars to the Rolling Stones. We also go off topic a LOT, but it's all pop-culture or book related. Don't be surprised if you come away from this episode with some book, TV or Movie recommendations.