Several years ago, I started reading the In Death series by J.D. Robb. I was quickly hooked on the series and picked up all the books that were out at that time. I now get the new books as soon as they are released. I love these books and recently started to read the books again. I just finished reading Immortal in Death again, the third book in the series.

The In Death series is a futuristic mystery/romance series. Immortal in Death takes place in 2058. Robb created a very interesting futuristic world for the series that included futuristic gadgets. The series follows Eve Dallas, a homicide detective on the New York police force, on the different homicide cases she works on. Each book deals with a different investigation. Some time is also given to Eve’s personal life, mostly for her relationship with Roarke, a billionaire with a shady past. The two met during an investigation when he was briefly a suspect. Feeney, the detective in charge of the Electronic Detective Division (EDD), usually worked with Eve on her cases. The two had worked together before Feeney transferred to the EDD. Mavis, Eve’s best friend, was usually around.

Some of what I mention when talking about the plot of Immortal in Death could be spoilers for the first two books if they haven’t been read yet.

Eve was not looking forward to everything involved in planning the wedding. She was using a rare day off to go shopping for a wedding dress with Mavis, something that caused Roarke to panic since Mavis had a very unique sense of style. Mavis had started dating a designer named Leonardo who was preparing for his first big show. Mavis thought he should design Eve’s dress. When he was taking measurements, Pandora, a temperamental famous model, showed up enraged that Leonardo wanted out of their relationship. Soon after that encounter, one of Eve’s snitches, Boomer, was found murdered. Eve insisted on handling the case even though it wasn’t a high priority for the force. Officer Delia Peabody, who had briefly helped Eve on a previous case, identified the body and Eve wanted her working with her. Eve soon found herself with another high profile case when Pandora was murdered and Mavis was a suspect.

Eve started out focused on the murder of Boomer because she felt he had been hers since he had given her information that helped in prior cases. Delia was one of the first officers on the scene and knew that Boomer had been one of Eve’s snitches. Eve had been impressed with Delia’s work in the past and she insisted that Delia be assigned to help work Boomer’s murder. Once Pandora was murdered, Delia also ended up working on that investigation with Eve. The two well worked well together and the beginnings of their friendship started. There wasn’t much evidence in Boomer’s murder, which made it harder to solve. When Pandora was killed, the mystery aspect of the book did get more complex. It wasn’t so complicated that I couldn’t keep track of what was going on. It did keep my guessing and wondering about how everything would work out. Pandora wasn’t a well liked person, so several people seemed to have a motive for killing her. None of the murders were described as they happened, which did cut down on the violence in the book. This was probably one of the least violent books in the series even though there was a little bit of violence in later scenes. Two characters did get into a fight at one point which was described to Eve later.

Eve and Roarke met during an investigation in Naked in Death and ended up falling in love even though it wasn’t the best time for them to start a relationship since he was considered a suspect for a while. Eve was more resistant to the relationship but did get to the point where she would admit her feelings to him. She was still adjusting to being in a committed relationship even while struggling to plan the wedding. Roarke was much calmer about the process, though he did give into a rare bout of panic over the thought of Mavis helping pick out Eve’s wedding dress. Their relationship has been developing since they first met, something that I do enjoy reading about. They were living together before the wedding, so there were some sex scenes between them included in the book. Those scenes were descriptive without getting too graphic. Delia did end up dating another cop. None of her dates were described, though she did share some details with Eve.

Eve and Roarke continued to be the main characters in the series. Eve was in more of the book than he was, which did add more to her development. Mavis being a suspect in Pandora’s murder was very difficult on Eve and she ran herself ragged trying to clear her friend. In addition to that and planning the wedding, Eve was also having to deal with more intense nightmares about her childhood. She had blocked out the abuse she’d suffered and was now remembering. Eve was adjusting to the idea of being married, though she could still be stubborn about certain things with Roarke. This book showed the first time that Eve freaked out over the idea of having her hair done by a professional. That was amusing to read. Roarke helped with the investigation when he could, as well as handling the bulk of the wedding plans. Summerset, Roarke’s butler and friend, continued to dislike Eve, especially once Mavis had to be charged with Pandora’s murder. Summerset liked Mavis and felt that Eve had let her friend down. His opinion of Eve started changing the night he overheard her in the grip of a horrible nightmare.

Mavis and Eve had been friends for years. Mavis was flamboyant and free spirited, changing her hair color as often as some people do their socks. She worked as a singer in a nightclub in town. Mavis could be passionate about certain things. Leonardo was the fashion designer that Mavis had started to date. He was preparing for his first big show but was going to take time to design Eve’s wedding dress as well as some outfits for the honeymoon. He seemed flamboyant as well, though he realized that Eve’s style was very different from Mavis’s. He’d been involved with Pandora, who threatened to destroy his career if he left her for Mavis. Delia Peabody was a street cop that first identified Boomer. She had good instincts on the job and was glad to get the opportunity to work with Eve.

Nadine Furst was the reporter that Eve seemed to be developing a friendship with. Nadine was on the look out for big stories, but she would hold off on stories after talking to Eve. Dr. Mira was the psychiatrist that worked for the police force. She would do profiles on suspects or talk to officers after incidents in the line of duty. She thought of Eve as a friend. Feeney and Eve had known each other for years and had worked together in the past. They still frequently ended up working on cases together. Several other characters also turned up in smaller parts. There were a few other police officers, including the one that Delia dated. Pandora was briefly introduced before she was murdered. She was really a flat character, but that worked all right. None of the people that Eve talked to during the investigation were developed much either. The cast of returning characters received the most attention, which was fine with me.

J.D. Robb is the name that author Nora Roberts uses for the In Death series. All of the books that she writes are descriptive with well developed main characters and interesting plots. The plots of her earlier books aren’t as strong, but that is to be expected since she hadn’t been writing as long then. The main difference between the books is that the In Death series is set in the future while the books she writes under her own name are set in current times. The mystery and suspense tend to be stronger in the In Death books, while there seems to be a bit more emphasis on the romance in the books she writes under her own name. I started reading the In Death books first and then moved on to her other books. I’ve enjoyed all of them. She has written one book, Remember When, that started in current time and then concluded in Eve’s time. I thought the way the two halves of the book were connected by a mystery was interesting. Remember When took place between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death. Robb has also written three short stories featuring Eve and her friends. Nothing really important to the overall series has happened in those short stories, so people won’t be missing anything if they skip those. Remember When did include an important development for one character, so I do think it should be read.

Immortal in Death was another entertaining book in the In Death series. People who liked the first two books should definitely pick it up. Fans of Nora Roberts may also enjoy the book since she is J.D. Robb.

www.noraroberts.com

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