Immortal in Death

Long-time readers know I adore Nora Roberts and will gleefully read anything she publishes. Despite my love for her, I always avoided her In Death series because I didn’t want to have to tackle the 50+ novels in that series in addition to everything else I want to read. Still, I tasked myself with listening to my long audiobook list in order of publication date, and it just so happens that my husband had downloaded the first book in the series. So, I started Naked in Death, not knowing what to expect. I finished it in a day and immediately listened to books two, three, and four in short succession. Yeah, I’m a fan, and I cannot wait to get back to the series. First of all, I love the tone of this series. Not only is it darker and show more grittier than the novels she writes under her name, but there is also a rawness to Eve and Roarke that I adore. Everything about the series has an edge, from the characters to the world itself. Sure, it has fancy technology and gadgets, but there is something broken in Eve’s world that draws you to her. Only my self-control is preventing me from using my extra credits from downloading as much of the series as I can get and devouring them all. show less

Eve's personal and professional life clash once again as another New Yorker is murdered, this time a powerful model, and the prime suspect is not Roarke (this time, at least) but Mavis, Eve's best (?) friend. But this time Eve knows the prime suspect is innocent. The hard part is proving it with all the damning evidence.

Once again Roberts brings reader's back into her future world of crime, where love, lust, and greed continue to rear their heads within basic human nature. In this novel we see more of Eve's and Roarke's dark pasts, we get a more sinister look into the drugs of the future (called Illegals), and we see Eve's sharp mind once again tango with both crime and her love for Roarke and her friends. We also get to see a frankly show more hilarious-at-times dynamic between Eve and her new tag-along Peabody.

Also, it always fun to guess which of the initially introduced characters end of being the criminal. Because despite what some might say about crime, I believe Roberts indeed demonstrates that murder tends to be closer to home than people expect it.

I guess the only mildly disappointing thing about this novel was the fact that Eve doesn't end up fully solving the case. Rather, the criminal ends up revealing themself to her because she wouldn't let the case go and was about to find out eventually anyways. show less

Eve's friend Mavis becomes a suspect for murder when the former mistress of her current bf is killed. Eve has to follow the book, but prove her friend's innocence, all while planning her upcoming wedding. Or..actually..trying to avoid planning her wedding.
Eve's so salty towards Roarke, I'm surprised he puts up with it. Although, he seems to like it, so maybe it's a case of the rich, powerful, handsome man finding it refreshing when a woman doesn't fawn all over him in a gold-diggy kind of way.
I'm really starting to adore Officer Peabody. I hope she figures more in the series to come and hopefully gets a steady love interest.
Loved, loved, loved the bachelorette party scene. Mavis, Mira, Peabody, Nadine, Eve. What a great group of show more interesting, strong, intelligent female characters. show less

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb
#3 "In Death" series
3-1/2*

At the end of the last book, Eve accepted Roarke's marriage proposal. Now they are in the midst of wedding plans, fittings, etc. Of course, Eve is gritting her teeth over all the attention placed upon her. Her best friend, Mavis, however, is beside herself and is all over planning the wedding. Her newest love interest is an up-and-coming fashion designer and is in the process of designing Eve's wedding dress and trousseau when he and Mavis are implicated in a murder which occurred at his home.

Eve knows Mavis is innocent, but because of their close relationship--Eve loves Mavis like a sister--Eve is a bit distracted and misses some clues which could have led her to the culprit(s) show more faster. Then additional murders happen which are obviously connected to the first, causing even more stress and urgency to find the real killer(s).

In this installment we see more of Delia Peabody, whom Eve has taken on as an aide in order to help boost her career in homicide. Eve still has Feeney as her go-to guy for anything security or computer related. We are also introduced to another cop within the department, Jake T. Casto, a handsome and charming cowboy-type who has a thing for the unavailable Eve, but ends up starting a relationship with Delia (DeeDee). Casto comes from the department called "Illegals" (Narcotics) and works in tandem with Eve regarding the homicides as they are connected with a new and illegal drug called "Immortality" which works like the fountain of youth but is deadly if taken long term.

This is another enjoyable installment in the series. We learn more about Eve's past, as well as (Roarke's grumpy butler) Summerset's history and why he and Roarke are so loyal to each other. Roarke continues to prove himself the ultimate in catches; Eve worries me a bit with her hesitancy and snappishness with Roarke. I worry she's going to wear on his last nerve which could cause some problems in their future relationship. show less

Jittery bride-to-be Eve, facing the dreaded task of shopping for a wedding dress, meets her best friend Mavis’s new love, fashion designer Leonardo. Shortly thereafter, the brutal murder of a top model puts NYPSD homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas in a difficult position when Mavis becomes the prime suspect in Pandora’s murder. But the trail soon leads to illegal drugs, more deaths, and whispers of the fountain of youth and immortality. Will Eve find the answers she needs to save her friend?

Third in the “In Death” series, readers will find the expected sarcasm, humor, and tireless dedication they’ve come to expect. The unfolding of Eve’s heartbreaking backstory adds tension, and the fashion industry machinations keep show more the anxiety levels rising. An intriguing mystery combines with the strong sense of place and compelling characters keep the pages turning in this unputdownable tale.

Highly recommended. show less

I love the In Death series but part of me had forgotten how laugh out loud funny some of the earlier books are. This one had me giggling several times. The funnies lines are often the kind of throw away lines between characters and this contributes to the feeling of the characters are real. The realism of the characters is something I really appreciate. Although things have happened to Eve and Roarke that have never happened to me I can relate to their problems in blending lives and wanting to keep your life as it was. I can also relate to the dry sarcastic wit that Eve employs as this is something that we use in my family quite a bit.

This book also discusses what family is and that we make our own family. This is something that I show more personally find fascinating and important. I have a fantastic family but at the same time I also have a fantastic family that isn’t my family by birth but by love. I would like this type of discussion to be more prevalent in today’s world.

Overall this is a great book. show less

I began this series in a book group, and I've read others in the series but not always in publishing order--so I'm going back to fill in some of the titles in the series that I missed.

If I had read this in publishing order, I might have rated it higher than I did now. One of the problems with reading ahead, is sometimes knowing some event is coming--and that was the case with this book.

I didn't realize until now how quickly in the series the author had Roarke and Dallas marry. I do think Dallas was right to question how quickly they moved to marrying each other. It fits her character, but even if it didn't, I think it was good questions to ask.

It's still a bit weird to see Dallas without her "team" though her group is growing. Dallas show more requests Peabody as an aide/attache. It's supposed to be temporary but by the end of the book seems to be permanent.

I still find that more characters (including Roarke) smoke than what I remember. I'm wondering when that ends.

The title here seems to come from the new drug (called Immortality). No one in the book becomes immortal and no ones name seems to become so important that it would be recalled for generations to come. Perhaps it's that many people want to become immortal--to hold on to their youth and beauty. show less