Naked in Death
J. D. Robb
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2004 G. P. Putnam's Sons
ISBN: 0399151575

In a future New York City Lt. Eve Dallas hunts a ruthless killer who seems to know her every move.

With more than a decade on the police force, Eve Dallas, who has her own abused & terrible past, lives entirely in the present, entirely on her instincts & her ability to get inside the killing scene & the killer's mind. It is when she is seeking justice & speaking for the killed that she knows who she is.

This time her alarm bells are going off like crazy when she has to investigate Roarke, the legendary, enigmatic Irish billionaire. This is a man with the face made “by God on his most generous day”, the wealth to own just about everything on or off Earth, & an unsavory past begun in the alleys of Dublin. & when they meet, sparks fly.

J. D. Robb's writing is fast & fluent; her characters feisty & interesting, & the source of the stories, murder & mayhem, have a different twist as each are set in the dire straits of a future America, after the Urban Wars, primarily in New York City & East Washington, (DC no longer exists), & a few off-world locations.

The In Death series crosses several genres: Police Drama, Romance, Suspense & Science Fiction. Set in 2058, life is quite different & yet curiously the same. J. D. Robb has extrapolated the trends she sees today into a world where the chasm between the “haves” & “have-nots” is the difference between real coffee & the slop offered by Auto-Chefs. Where transportation & living quarters are space age as are the tools & toys, music, drugs & fashion. Where the laws & politics will have you despairing & giggling, in the same paragraph.

It's always fascinating when an author flexes her muscles & launches into a whole other genre. Nora Roberts is best known for her suspense romances, a few of which I have read. They are not as gutsy, bloody or interesting as Lt. Dallas & her homicide investigations; her struggle with dark memories & her blossoming from a driven loner, after her marriage (which is both hot & heavy & fraught with issues of trust & giving), into a woman with friends & loyal co-workers.

It's such delight to find an author who tickles your toes, brings a novel perspective to old tales, especially when you can share them with your spouse! The Lt. Eve Dallas is just such a series. We have been wading through them like children in a river chasing Salmon. Fascinated by glimpses of the toys of the future; the mad social mores; the manic murders; the awakening of a deeply damaged woman into a new life filled with all things romantic, sexy & social. Laughing out loud, reading superb lines to each other: J. D. Robb does have a way with words, especially her dialogue, we've been thoroughly enjoying these topnotch cop tales.

Thoughtful, engaging & tasty reading candy. Highly recommended. Mag! Iced! Frigid! We've been wondering which of today's actors could portray Dallas, Roarke, Summerset, Peabody, McNabb, Feeney, Mavis, Dr. Mira, Charles, Nadine Furst & the rest of their motley crew.

Here they are so far, in order of publication:
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgement in Death
Betrayal in Death
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Divided in Death
Visions in Death & Remember When which is a bridge between Nora Roberts' suspense romance & Lt. Eve Dallas.
Then you have the Nora Roberts books which are too numerous to list here.
(08/15/04)

Rebecca