The In Death series by J.D. Robb is a very successful, long running series of books. New books are still being released and every so often Robb writes a short story that fits into the series. Eternity in Death is the fourth of those short stories. It was released in a book along with short stories from other authors. It was also released alone in what I have seen called a library edition and as an audio book. The other three short stories, Midnight in Death (Short Story), Interlude in Death , and Haunted in Death were released in similar formats.

The In Death series is a futuristic romantic suspense series set in New York City. Eternity in Death started on April 18, 2060, a little over a month after the end of Creation in Death. Eve Dallas, a homicide detective, led the group of characters that has returned for all of the books and short stories. Some of the supporting characters haven’t been in every book. Every book and short story has focused on a different murder investigation that Eve was working on. Aspects of Eve’s life with her husband Roarke as well as some of the interesting futuristic gadgets were also mentioned.

Eternity in Death started off with a short prologue, something that has only rarely happened throughout the series. The prologue took the time to share some information about Tiara, a vain twenty three year old woman who was already obsessed with staying young. She was preparing for a ritual her new boyfriend was coming to perform that would awaken her and let her live forever.

Delia thought the two small puncture wounds on Tiara’s neck looked like a vampire bat right from the start even though she didn’t really believe in vampires. While interviewing one of Tiara’s friend, Eve and Delia learned that she had believed her new boyfriend, who she only called her Dark Prince, was a vampire. The investigation took Eve and her team into an underground world where people believed in vampires and went to a club called Bloodbath.

Eternity in Death was much shorter than the full length books in the series. The mystery wasn’t as developed or as complicated because of that. The same thing happened with the previous short stories and it really only makes sense that the mystery would be simpler since there just wasn’t the time to develop a fuller, more complex mystery. The story was still well written and very interesting, things I expect from Robb. I thought the story was very interesting and fit in well with the series. There weren’t any major developments for any of the important characters, so fans of the series won’t miss anything important if they miss this short story.

Eve was very logical and level headed in general and that carried over into how she handled her investigations. She had a few previous cases that had paranormal elements, like a haunted crime scene in Haunted in Death, but she was very skeptical about that sort of thing and didn’t believe in it. Certain things about the case in Eternity in Death were making Delia a bit more jumpy and uncomfortable that she usually was which did. Eve was surprised when Roarke gave her a cross to wear. It wasn’t that he really believed the killer was a vampire, but he thought it wouldn’t hurt. Roarke has shown that sort of open mindedness a few times in the past, so Eve really shouldn’t have been so surprised. I liked how some paranormal elements were added to the story and thought it was interesting to see Eve deal with something she thought was nonsense. It was also interesting how believing in vampires and following their life style of not going outside during the day was considered a religion in the time of the story.

The relationship between Eve and Roarke has been important throughout the series without taking over as the main focus. Their relationship has gone through some changes since they first met in Naked in Death and I have really enjoyed reading how it has grown and changed since then. I have never thought that their relationship has detracted from the mystery of the books. Eve and Roarke have been married for close to two years and they have an active sex life. There was one short sex scene between them in Eternity in Death. The scene wasn’t as descriptive or detailed as similar scenes in the full length books, so it shouldn’t bother anyone.

All of the returning characters who turned up in Eternity in Death had been introduced and developed earlier in the series. With how short the story was, there just wasn’t time to add to the development of the returning characters and still have time to develop the plot. There was enough information shared about Tiara to show what a vain and rather stupid woman she was. I really think she was supposed to be a version of Paris Hilton since she was a member of a wealthy family who didn’t do much of anything beyond go to parties. A few other people that Eve and Delia talked to related to the case really weren’t developed.

When Nora Roberts decided to start the In Death series, she decided to use the name J.D. Robb instead of her own name. I have read all of the In Death books as well as many of the books she has written under her own name and I have really enjoyed all of them. The two groups of books are similar in some ways while still having some differences. The most obvious difference is that the In Death books are set in the future. Those books also tend to have stronger, more complex mysteries while the other books focus in more on the relationships. Fans of one group of the books may also enjoy the other group since Robb and Roberts are the same person. One of her books, Remember When, actually has Robb and Roberts both listed as the author. The first part of the book took place in current times and it concluded in Eve’s time in the second half. The two halves of the book were connected by a mystery. Eve’s part of Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.

Eternity in Death was very short, but it was an entertaining addition to the In Death series. Fans of the series will probably enjoy it.

In Death Series
Naked in Death ~ Glory in Death ~ Immortal in Death ~ Rapture in Death ~ Ceremony in Death ~ Vengeance in Death ~ Holiday in Death ~ Midnight in Death (Short Story) ~ Conspiracy in Death ~ Loyalty in Death ~ Witness in Death ~ Judgment in Death ~ Betrayal in Death ~ Interlude in Death (Short Story) ~ Seduction in Death ~ Reunion in Death ~ Purity in Death ~ Portrait in Death ~ Imitation in Death ~ Divided in Death ~ Visions in Death ~ Survivor in Death ~ Origin in Death ~ Memory in Death ~ Haunted in Death (Short Story) ~ Born in Death ~ Innocent in Death ~ Creation in Death ~ Eternity in Death (Short Story) ~ Strangers in Death ~ Salvation in Death ~ Ritual in Death (Short Story) ~ Promises in Death ~ Kindred in Death ~ Missing in Death (Short Story) ~ Fantasy in Death ~ Indulgence in Death ~ Treachery in Death ~ New York to Dallas ~ Celebrity in Death ~

J.D. Robb and Nora Roberts
Remember When

Recommended: Yes