Quotes from J.D. Robb

That works for now. Eve's stomach began to clench and jitter. There were tears swimming in her aide's eyes. Peabody's lips were quivering. What are you doing? she demanded. Nothing. Sir. How come you're going to cry? You know how I feel about crying on the job. I'm not crying. And it appalled her that she was on the edge of it. I just don't feel very well, that's all. I wonder, sir, if I could be excused from the briefing at sixteen hundred.

When we get him," Eve continued, "it's going to come out that she—this symbol—knocked him around or boo-hoo broke his heart or made him feel weak and helpless. So his defense lawyers will come along saying: Oh, he was damaged, poor sick son of a bitch. He's not responsible. And that's a pile of shit, that's a big, smelly pile of bullshit. Because nobody's responsible for choking the life out of Elisa Maplewood but him. Nobody.

Put the past behind you—that's what people always said. But those people didn't get that the past was always behind you. Like a hound on the scent.

A vid comes to you, even at you. It's visual, it's auditory, and can, of course, pull you in. Its purpose is to do just that, draw you into the world you see and hear. But a book? You go into it. There's no visual or auditory other than what forms in your own mind. You visualize the characters, the scene, through the words. You, as reader, interpret the tone of voice, the colors, the movement as you physically turn the pages.

It's a fucking pharmaceutical conspiracy, Eve. We've wiped out just about every known plague, disease, and infection. Oh, we come up with a new one every now and again, to give the researchers something to do. But none of these bright-eyed medical types, none of the medi-computers can figure out how to cure the common fucking cold.

Edison, Oedipus, platypus. Whatever.

The goodie drawer of all goodie drawers. This dildo not only throbs, vibrates, expands, and comes equipped with hands-free feature, it sings a choice of five popular tunes." He crouched beside her. "You couldn't have tried it out that quickly." "Pervert. I turned it on to see. He's got some illegals sprinkled through here, too.

I said, you're the beat of my heart, the breath in my body, the light in my soul.

When you don't know what you can have, you do okay with what you've got.

Gee, Vernon, now you're scaring me. Not the union rep. She gave a deliberate shudder. You won't be so smart when you're hit with a lawsuit, and I start bleeding that rich husband you hooked. My God, Peabody, a lawsuit. I feel faint. Don't worry, Lieutenant, I'll catch you.

It worked because, lo and behold, she suddenly remembered her good friend Ariel mentioning she'd seen a strange guy hanging around in the neighborhood." "I'm shocked and stunned. What does lo mean? I get the behold, but what is lo and why is it always handing with behold?" "Behold must like it because it always lets lo come first.

I've got to get out of this place," he said as he eased back. "That's God's shining truth. I can only breathe in cop for so long without choking." "Hey." He tapped his finger on her chin. "Excepting one.

No. Nature, nurture, both matter, both form us. But at some point, at so many points, the choices we make, the paths we take, they define us. You made yours. She's made hers." "Yeah.

Eventually you'll be next. Eventually you'll disappoint him, and he'll feel betrayed by you. Idols always fall, Eve.

life used to be simple." "Mmm." "It did. Because it didn't have all these people in it." "If

As man-candy went, he was a caloric binge. Eve thought it was easy to see why he had so many clients paying for a nibble.

Golly, Peabody said under her breath, it's the great and powerful Oz.

Not like Peabody and her sexual fantasies. I mean, Jesus." "Why that slut. I thought I was her sexual fantasy." Relieved with how he'd played it, she gave him a bland stare as they stepped into the bedroom. "You lead the charge, but apparently Peabody's got the capacity for lots of fantasy partners. Probably all at the same time." "Hmm. Interesting.

Watch the road! Don't look at me, look at the road. Except it's not really a road. It's a track. What are these damn bushes, and why are they here?" "It's fuchsia. Lovely, aren't they?" They made her think of blood spatter, possibly resulting from a massacre by a battalion of farm animals.

When Eve started to climb in, Roarke took her hand and tumbled her into his lap. "Hey." Mortified, she jabbed with her elbow. "I love to fluster her when she's on duty," Roarke said, wrestling Eve back onto his lap. "And how was your day, Peabody?" Peabody

Aren't you a little old for toys?" "It's not a toy, it's an adventure

if caffeine ever makes it to the illegals list, you're going to have to register as an addict.

Two different cops, and both of them fucked up the case. What are they using to train them in Chicago—old videos of the Three Boobs?" "I think that's Stooges," Roarke murmured.

I don't give a rat's warty ass she's dead. It only means she's a dead cunt." "That's a strong opinion." "And the only kind worth having. I threatened to shove a stick up her twat and light it on fire just yesterday. Maybe the day before. I lose track as there was rarely a day that went by she didn't make me want to strangle her with my bare hands after I'd beaten her in the face with a rusty shovel.