Review: Naked in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death, #1
Released: October 10th 2010
Publisher: Piatkus
Length: 360 pages
Buy: Amazon

It is the year 2058, and technology now completely rules the world. But New York City Detective Eve Dallas knows that the irresistible impulses of the human heart are still ruled by just one thing-passion. 

When a senator's daughter is killed, the secret life of prostitution she'd been leading is revealed. The high-profile case takes Lieutenant Eve Dallas into the rarefied circles of Washing-ton politics and society. 

Further complicating matters is Eve's growing attraction to Roarke, who is one of the wealthiest and most influential men on the planet, devilishly handsome... and the leading suspect in the investigation. 

I’ve done with this series something I’ve never done before, jumped right in with the latest installment and skipped everything that came before. I soon realized my mistake, though. While each book can easily function as a standalone, missing even a word of this enchanting series is a crime. So here I am, going back to the beginning, meeting Eve and Roarke in their early days and sharing their journey from the start.

Naked in Death was first released in 1995, but it’s still fresh and innovative today, which tells you everything you need to know about it. It’s set in a futuristic version of New York, 2058 to be precise, but the reality isn’t so different from today. Yes, people have expanded their activities and moved some of them to various other planets, and technological developments have moved forward just enough to make them interesting even 20 years later, but human nature has more or less remained the same.

Enter Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a competent homicide detective. She handles the most complicated cases with unwavering dedication and a strong sense of justice. Her own past is incredibly painful, which left her emotionally closed off, but when it comes to her victims, Eve has all the compassion in the world.

In Naked in Death, Eve investigates the murders of three prostitutes. Cold, vicious, calculated crimes, all videotaped and left for her to find. Her investigation takes straight to one of the richest men in the world – Roarke – but as hard as she tries, Eve just can’t see the honest, competent man as her killer.

Naked in Death has a strong romance, yes, but it’s so much more than that. The case Eve investigates isn’t just something to fill the pages between romantic encounters. If anything, it’s the other way around. These murders are painful, well planned and with a huge emotional impact for both Eve and the reader. In addition, Robb gives us splendid characterization on multiple fronts. It’s obvious even in this first installment that she’s building her characters to last.

This series is up to its 40th installment now, and each one is better than the last. There is no noticeable decline in quality or intensity, which is not only rare, but absolutely brilliant as well. The descriptions can be a bit wordy at times, but they only add to the impression that we’re dealing with much more than a simple murder mystery/romantic suspense. After all, this is Nora Roberts we’re talking about. She can do so much more than that.