Podcast in Death

AJ and Tara spend this episode reading (and roasting) reader reviews of Dark in Death —including the ones that confidently misunderstand how books work , how math works, and how being a police works. The 1-star novel-length review that required a hydration break “ YOU DON’T KNOW HOW BOOKS WORK ” becomes the unofficial slogan of the episode The “GHOSTWRITER!!” drama, served with peak theater-kid en...

In this very special (and very chaotic) holiday episode, AJ went full Roarke-level genius and built a working White Elephant Exchange game from scratch (with the help of ChatGPT and possibly a little magic). Here’s what you’re in for: A real-time virtual White Elephant exchange featuring 34(!) of your favorite In Death characters. Hilarious chaos as characters like Mira, Roarke, Peabody, Baxter, a...

AJ and Tara discuss Dark in Death by J.D. Robb, where Nora Roberts delivers a not-so-subtle warning to obsessive fans: Don't be like the killer! This 2018 release is clearly Nora addressing fans who: Accuse her of having a ghostwriter Demand characters hook up on their timeline Complain about the word f*ck Tell her how to write her own books The hosts LOVED this clap-back disguised as a myster...

In this week’s episode, AJ and Tara embrace chaos, caffeine, and questionable Google Sheet scripts as they attempt something completely new: Cards Against In Death — our homemade, wildly unofficial, definitely ridiculous In Death -themed version of Cards Against Humanity. Tara showed up technically at work (muted meeting, webcam off, priorities firmly in place), AJ threw together a game at 11:30pm...

This week, we took on a topic that absolutely demanded visuals… which is hilarious, because you’re listening on Spotify. But don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. In this episode, we take a deep dive into Ian McNabb’s truly unhinged wardrobe across the entire In Death series. AJ put together an actual McNabb Look Book PDF (yes, really) using every outfit description Nora Roberts ever threw at us —...

This episode kicks off with the spectacle of male-centric one-star reviews, a fascinating ecosystem where disgruntled dudes, some of which are "Authors" with deeply mediocre Goodreads ratings who feel uniquely qualified to mansplain crime fiction to Nora Roberts. From there, we descend into the wonderfully unhinged world of two, three, and four star reviews, one of which gives us a whole...

This week, listener Leah sends us a harmless little list of questions… and we immediately blow it up into a 2+ hour episode that is pure fun. Honestly, she should’ve known (but maybe she did). AJ threatens anyone who dares steal her rock-music-marketing-podcast idea, Tara passionately confesses her honey-mustard devotion, and we spiral into condiment debates (Salsa is declared a California condime...

In this episode of Podcast in Death, we tackle Secrets in Death and discover it's actually way better than we remembered—probably because we haven't reread it 47 times like the early books. This week's theme? TRUTH, because apparently "secrets" was too on-the-nose even for us. Everyone's hiding something, Lorinda Mars is weaponizing those secrets for cash, and Eve's o...

With Tara off doing theater things, AJ’s joined by her daughter Caitlin, who knows just enough about the In Death series to ask all the right “newbie” questions. From Eve and Roarke’s epic romance to Peabody’s chaotic charm, they dig into why fans stay hooked after 50+ books. Plus, AJ reveals how a bored afternoon at Granny’s house started it all. There’s laughter, nostalgia, barking dogs, and may...

It’s Halloween, and Tara can't believe we are back again after 5 years of this podcast and still managing to find Halloween themed stuff to talk about. We do it because AJ LOVES all things Halloween, and Tara confesses she likes “lacy things and witchy stuff” which then becomes the official episode title. Join us as we imagine the Great House Project's first Halloween! complete with glitte...

In this episode, AJ drags Tara into one of her more ambitious ideas: trying to figure out what The Universe According to Roarke (you know, that game Feeney made for Roarke) would actually look like if it were real. Cue hours of overthinking, caffeine-fueled hilarity, and way too much ChatGPT involvement. Here’s what we came up with: Gameplay Basics: Earn XP for solving cases, lose XP for bad coffe...

In this episode of Podcast in Death , AJ and Tara tackle the good, the bad, and the absolutely unhinged reviews of Framed in Death . Along the way, they prove that the heart of this series has always been about one thing: watching Eve Dallas grow. An Eve-olution , if you will. Sure, there’s murder, mayhem, and Roarke looking fine in another expensive suit, but beneath it all, the In Death series i...

This week on Podcast in Death , AJ and Tara stay up way past their bedtimes to tackle a surprisingly deep (and surprisingly hilarious) question: If you could read one “In Death” book entirely from a supporting character’s point of view, whose would it be, and which book? What starts as mild confusion on AJ's part (“I have absolutely no idea what you’re saying”) quickly turns into one of the be...

This week on Podcast in Death, AJ and Tara dive into Nora’s latest, Framed in Death. Spoiler: the killer is basically an overgrown toddler with a trust fund, a mommy who thinks he poops gold, and a portfolio that belongs in the “Shit Universe,” as Peabody so eloquently put it. We discuss: Eve’s Softer Side™: Apparently, wanting a cookout doesn’t cancel out her “kick-ass” status. Growth, people. Pa...

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… kind...

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...

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 act...

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...

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 bec...

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.

This week on Podcast in Death, we Review the Reviews of the second book in the "Chronicles of the One" series: "Of Blood and Bone." People have a LOT to say about this one, and not all of it is good. We have people who dislike the Magic in this series, or think there's too much magic, or they hate that all the spells rhyme, or they hate that Nora spells the word: M-A-G-I-C-...

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 s...

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.