I enjoyed the thriller part of the story a lot. I did have some difficulties with the future part, so I tried to not think about it and concentrate on the things I liked. Roarke and Eve! Such great characters. Looking already forward reading the next book in the series.

I listened to Naked In Death back in 2009 and was hooked. I have since listened to every book up to date, some I’ve enjoyed more than others but most of them have pushed each character’s story forward. It was fun to revisit the start of the series—where it all began. The character development over the numerous books has been huge, and the number of key characters has increased significantly.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas first crossed paths with Roarke in the role of a suspect during the course of a murder investigation. She is tough, sensible and focussed. Being a cop, finding justice for victims is her mission and she has little to no life outside work. The only people she is close to are her mentor and father figure, Captain Ryan Feeney and Mavis Freestone, a singer and one time petty criminal. Eve was found abandoned in a dreadful state in Dallas one evening when she was around eight years old, with no memory of her name or what came before, except for flashbacks which she isn’t ready to confront, preferring to push them to the back of her mind. Dreams plague her too, especially the last case where she was forced to shoot a man. She’d learned to accept the consequences of her actions when there was no alternative, but the child involved haunted her.

Roarke, now an extremely successful, self made businessman originally from Ireland, also had an abusive and poor upbringing. He has a dubious past but seems to have put that behind him as his businesses flourish, and he has a noticeable code of honour. Although on paper they should never have gelled, there’s a chemistry between them as well as common ground due to their emotionally scarred younger selves, plus the fact they are survivors.

Because Naked In Death is set in a mostly recognisable 2058, the fact that it was written twenty plus years ago means it’s not dated, with many of the futuristic aspects now the norm. A solid police procedural which takes precedence over the romantic aspect. I’d completely forgotten who the villain was, so that was a plus. I always enjoy the way Eve works a case and this is a high profile one involving the secret life of a Senator’s daughter. The killer is targeting ‘licensed companions’ in a well thought through and intricate mystery/drama with believable, complex characters. Even now, it’s still a great introduction to the series.

My thanks to Clara Diaz (Little, Brown Book Group) for offering the chance to read Naked In Death via NetGalley, prior to the release of the 50th book, due in February.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Without doubt, J.D Robb's "In Death" series is an alchemy of the imagination that turns mere words on the page into pure, storytelling gold. It has taken me a re-reading of "Naked in Death", which was published some time ago, to realise just how brilliant these novels are. It is simply astonishing to realise that we are now on book 50 of the series and hopefully the author will keep further instalments coming... and coming. If you have not read any of Robbs's books before, then please start with book 1. It is only by following the series from the beginning that you can appreciate the imaginative world-building of near-future New York and the evolution of its main character, the distinctly complex, Lieutenant Eve Dallas Dallas is not the stuff of stale, hackneyed, detective clichés, even with her infinitely compelling backstory. She is, instead, a character who seems to defy her fictional being - always threatening to burst forth from the page and the constraints of her make-believe existence. Then there stories that put flesh on the bones of this fascinating series. Always satisfying and more often than not, fiendishly clever, you will not be disappointed in spending your free time immersed in the futuristic world of Eve Dallas and the pure imaginative gold of J.D. Robb's infinitely endless, storytelling talents.


Compelling and addictive - the legendary "In Death" series begins here. Don't miss it!

With thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading again.. This is the first of the ‘In Death’ series by JD Robb and I am looking forward to reading the 50th book in the Dallas and Roarke series next, ‘ Golden In Death’. The futuristic police series is a compulsive read for all those who followed the series over the years.
It is a love story that spans all of the books, the story of Eve Dallas and Roarke, the policewoman and the billionaire wheeler dealer. It is also a story with a very moralistic base about the fight between good and evil. With colourful characters and intriguing storylines, the books by Nora Roberts/ J D Robb have stood the test of time.
Highly recommended.

I'm not going to pretend that I don't love this series because anyone who follows my blog will be able to see that I've reviewed books from this series before. However, as the 50th book in the series is out in February I was given the chance to re-read book 1 and rediscover where it all started. 


I don't often re-read the beginning of a series when I'm part-way through it but this was actually an excellent thing to do in this case. Eve Dallas has changed and grown so much as a character from our first meeting in book 1 and it was good to rediscover her origins and remind myself of where Galahad the cat came from and how he got his name. In this book we get introduced to the main characters, Dallas, Roarke, Summerset, Galahad and some of the main police characters. We also get some of Eve's background which is to be expected when she is the main character and is going to carry the series for 50 books and possibly many more. She's a character with a complex past and although the flawed police detective is a bit cliched now, her flaws are what makes her a better person and improves her police work, rather than hindering it. 

The construction of the characters and the near-futuristic world are, unsurprisingly, brilliantly done. Even those characters who are not in the book much have clear and distinct personalities.  The book itself is set mainly in New York and there are aspects of it that are clearly recognisable but also some changes that you would expect for a story set in the future. Even with this though, the city has the feel of the New York that we are used to now and I say that having been lucky enough to visit the city myself earlier this year. 

If you've not read any of this series yet then the first book is a good place to start to get an understanding of the characters, particularly Eve and Roarke but I would also say that once you have that understanding the books can be read in any order. Admittedly you might miss a bit of information and character development but you can easily pick that up later. My reading of this series jumps around depending on what book I get from my library and that hasn't affected my enjoyment of the series.

The book that started a million obsessions with the scarily brilliant Eve and of course her passionate and ever resourceful Rourke ! Futuristic and yet strangely relevant we watch the incredibly spiky Eve learn to trust and love and all while solving a murder. Characters are introduced who will feature heavily during this series but for this reader it's one small button that brought the biggest smile to my face. Be prepared to want to dive into the rest of this amazing series and enjoy what so many of us truly adore reading.

One of my all time favourite book series - Eve and Rourke just totally rock and I can't believe we are now up to book 50!!

If you haven't started this series yet, what are you waiting for? Go go go!!!!

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for letting me go back to the beginning again.

This was my first Eva Dallas mystery and it's a gripping and entertaining read.
Ms Roberts can surely write a book that will keep you hooked till the end and this one was excellent.
I love the world building, the well thought cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
A great read, can't wait to read another instalment in this series.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Nice to read something from Nora Roberts that is futuristic. Murder mystery is always an interesting concept.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is the lead in a murder case of a prostitute who’s family are involved with high level politics. There are plenty of suspects but one of the main suspects is Raouke who is a mysterious millionaire.

The case becomes even more desperate to solve when more prostitutes are murdered and Eve starts receiving items in her own apartment that are linked to the murder.

Interesting concept though I felt Eve's past did keep overriding the main storyline, but because this is a series you probably need more information in the first few books of the series.

I started reading Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb books years ago, and it never disappoints me.
It was great to reread the first book of the In Death series in preparation for the next book.
Naked in Death is a great book, the first of a fantastic series. The author description, not only of the character, but also of the world itself it’s exceptional, it feels like you are right there with the characters solving the crime.
Eve and Roarke will always be one of my favourite romantic pairings, and I can wait for what Nora Roberts have in store for them and their adventures.

Arc generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

J.D. Robb's In Death series is the only set of thrillers I bother with. Normally, by the 20th book in a series I get bored but don't seem to be able to get enough of Eve Dallas & co. Naked in Death is where it all started and it is still as enjoyable now as when I first read it.

An excellent mystery, full of believable characters and an entertaining plot. Highly recommended. Plan on reading more books by this author.

I first read this book many years ago. As an avid Nora Roberts fan I was excited to see what she could produce under the pseudonym J.D. Robb.

What we got was Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her mentor Ryan Feeney, 'Roarke' the single named entrepreneur and of course her best friend Mavis Freestone.

J.D. Robb does an amazing job of introducing interesting characters that readers want to get to know. In this, the debut of the 'In Death' phenomenon, we experience a futuristic world which is not nearly as sci-fi as it sounds! In fact it adds to the separation, in my opinion, of Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb.

The obvious talent this author possesses is evident regardless of which name she uses. As always, the dialogue is one of the things that draws me, time and time again, to her work.

This isn't the second time I've read this book, nor is it the tenth. I will continue to go back, again and again because quality writing with first class characters will always be worth, yet another, re-read from me.

Simply put, 'Naked In Death' is the start of a wonderfully exciting and dynamic journey, encompassing a great many novels, that everyone should have ticket to experience.

JD Robb is the alias of Nora Roberts for her In Death series featuring Eve Dallas, a lieutenant with the police department set in a futuristic New York around the 2050s. Naked in Death was first released around 20 years when some of the gadgets Eve uses in her fight against crime would have seemed more Sci-fi than anything else but now with advances in technology now seem within reach. Personally I’d love a car that could get me out of traffic jams like hers can. Eve has close to no personal life, rather her entire existence revolves around being a cop and representing the victims as she finds justice for them. She only has two people in her life she would actually call friends – Mavis, a grifter she met early on in her career and Captain Ryan Feeney, her mentor on the force and probably the closest thing to a father she’s ever had. She has very little memory of her early childhood before she was found abused and abandoned in a Dallas alleyway. Indeed this is where her name comes from given to her by a social worker. When a senator’s prostitute daughter is found brutally murdered Eve must solve the crime while fighting not only her attraction to her main suspect Roarke, one of the wealthiest men in the world and a man with secrets of his own but demons from her past as her memories begin to resurface.

Naked in Death is a fast paced, gripping thriller full of mystery, suspense and crime with no holding back on the gory details and some twists in the tail so nothing is too predictable before it reaches a satisfying conclusion. The addition of just the right amount of romance adds to the story and the chemistry between Eve and Roarke was tangible. All in all this was a great start to the series and I’m looking forward to seeing how the characters develop as the series progresses.

Fabulous Sci-Fi Romance read!

The world we know today has been totally enveloped in technology and the governments have evolved too. But murder will always be murder, it's just the investigation methods that change.

I loved Eve! She is smart, ballsy and totally badass. She won't sit back and let politics determine justice. And Roarke, well he is a bit of an enigma. Their passion is totally at odds with his position as number one suspect!

Taut technological thriller with some well developed psychological WTF moments! The devious and downright evil acts that are committed. OMG my skin crawled!

The Novel:
Re-reading this book after many, many years was a delight. Naked in Death is the first in JD Robb (Nora Roberts’) In Death series, the 50th instalment of which is to be released in a few months. Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates the horrific murder of Sharon DeBlass, her work placing her in the path of both a ruthless killer and Roarke, the richest man in the universe. Eve must decide whether the two are in fact one and the same, and bring the killer to justice.

The Characters:
Robb’s skill at building realistically flawed, imperfect yet loveable characters is unparalleled. Every character in this novel is instantly appealing- I would like to know them, become friends with them, and as for Roarke, I have been a little in love with him for over ten years now.

Robb’s characterisation is among my all-time favourites, but that is not to say she is infallible. The one flaw in in this novel is that both Eve and Roarke can sometimes come across as omniscient in Robb’s effort to drive the plot forward. This is, however, extremely minor, and is perhaps only noticeable to me because of the amount of time I have spent with these characters. Moreover, while it is arguable that the secondary characters are somewhat underdeveloped, I can attest that the next 48 books are incredibly effective at delving onto their lives and relationships, and it is this cast of supporting characters which make returning to the In Death novels akin to a long-awaited reunion with old friends.

The Story:
The plot is undeniably gripping, and though the pacing can be inconsistent at times, the reader is compelled to read on. Robb ensures that the identity of the murderer is not overly apparent, and there are many candidates for finger pointing early on. The mystery is dark and gritty, and while the writing is frank and detail-heavy, the sometimes-graphic descriptions of murder scenes are far from gratuitous- they drive the plot forward, and keep the reader engaged. They evoke pity and sorrow and fist-clenching anger at the victims’ fates. Robb’s balancing of attention between the romance and mystery elements of this novel creates a burning curiosity within the reader, and when the climax approaches, events unfolding rapidly as the identity of the killer is discovered, one is disappointed that this rollercoaster ride of a story is coming to a close. The storyline is among my favourites, and while it is certainly conclusive and self-contained enough to be read as a standalone, it urges the reader to delve further into Robb’s universe, and I would strongly encourage that you read on.

On a different note, and despite having been published nearly 25 years ago, there are several moral and political issues central to the plot of the novel which are incredibly relevant today. The legalisation of sex work, gun control, scarcity of natural resources, freedom of the internet and population control are all explored to varying extents. While Robb certainly takes a stance, she is not shy of presenting the downsides, and while I would not consider the book to be apolitiocal, I cannot imagine that any reader could be put off by this exploration; it has the good fortune of being situated within an utterly must-read story.

The Writing:
Robb is a veteran writer with proven writing talent. Despite this, her masterful skill with imagery and poetically vivid descriptions never fail to astounds me. Accordingly, Robb’s world-building in this work can only be described as excellent. My only complaint is the pacing. The mystery can appear to move a little slow at times while the romance element feels rushed and a little forced for two characters who have large amounts of trauma in their history and thus more reasons to be mistrustful of love than accepting. While I know that this is explored in greater depth in later books, this is not evident to a reader approaching this book as a standalone. Nevertheless, Robb’s writing is absolutely gripping and addictive, her books written as both Nora Roberts and JD Robb all auto-buys for my physical shelf.

Rating:
5/5. This was an excellent read, and I have and will continue to read more books by this author regardless of genre. I look forward to reading the 50th instalment in this series.

Declaration:
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing this novel free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in the stunning “In Death” series from J.D. Robb and is the first introduction to the fabulous New York homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas!

This first instalment is set in 2058 and we get to see how Eve and Roarke’s relationship began and boy has it developed since then – I loved being able to go back to the beginning.

The book is fine to be read as a stand-alone too and hopefully it will also prompt you to pick up the other books in the series if you haven’t done so yet!

It is 5 stars from me, this is an excellent story, it had me gripped and it was such a good read – very highly recommended and it was great being able to re-read this one too and it was just as good as I remembered!!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book in the series by jd robb who is bringing out book 50 next year in this series

its a brilliant book based in the future but crime is crime and eve dallas goes where the investigations lead her...and this one is right to the door of roarke a self made millionaire...who is the prime suspect in murder

a brilliant series that will keep you hooked right through all the books in this series...

jd robb aka nora roberts can certainly write a brilliant story and i am a big fan of hers

never disappointed with any of her books

highly recommend this book to anyone who loves murder mysteries and futuristic books this has it all and with some great characters,you wont be disappointed...

The first of many ………………….....................………….

The Urban Wars are long gone , Society has changed - guns are illegal , prostitution legal - almost respectable , great advances in medicine - people can easily live to over 100 years of age .

Homicide detective ,Lieutenant Eve Dallas , starts her day with a murder - a high level prostitute is found dead in her bed - killed by a banned gun . Due to the victim's relationship to a US Senator the case must be investigated as a "code five" - Eve reporting only to her Commander .
Roarke, Irish born billionaire , ridiculously handsome and eminently eligible , finds himself drawn into Eve's investigation …………...... what is his name doing in the Victim's diary ?
Their attraction is instant , but can Eve risk her career by getting involved with a man on the suspect list , no matter how low on the list he is . Their relationship nearly over before it has begun - the killer has made a mistake in trying to implicate Roarke and Eve must prove him innocent before he returns from The Olympus Station , even if it means her job .
The killer seems to know what is going on in the investigation , sending videos of the Victims deaths to her home , taunting her.
Roarke is determined to aid Eve in her investigation , he realises that someone is watching her every move - he decides that he will watch the watcher and help draw the killer out .
Thwarted at every turn it is only by working together that they have a chance of catching the killer or is it killers before he/they makes a move on Eve ….. can she survive .

This is a brilliant futuristic , suspense filled , romantic thriller ……………. the first of many .
I look forward to seeing how their relationship develops …………. whilst enjoying all the new technology , particularly the Autochef .

I was given an ARC of this book by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

New York City in the year 2058 and detective Eve Dallas is investigating the brutal murder of a senator’s daughter. Quite soon a second murder, with the same modus operandi, takes place and it becomes clear that a serial murderer is operating in the city. Eve is street smart and driven, she lives alone and likes it that way – I warmed to her immediately. She’s barely got the dual investigations underway before she finds that pressure is being brought to bear by a senior member of the first victims family and the police hierarchy. There’s politics at play here. But then it gets worse.

I’d heard of J.D, Robb (aka Nora Roberts) and knew that she was the author of a long standing crime fiction series, but I was surprised by the science fiction element. It initially threw me and I found it a bit of a distraction, but once I’d settled into the story it really just became an amusing diversion as I registered the changes she’d imagined in this near future world. For a start there are very few guns left in America, such weapons now being illegal. Now that’s an interesting position to take given that at the last count (source: 2018 Small Arms Survey) there were estimated to be four hundred million guns owned by civilians alone in this country – how would you go about repossessing that lot! The ban on guns is said to have come about following an Urban Revolt in 2016, well I guess the author hadn’t envisaged that she’d still be adding to this series well beyond this date.

The most appealing element of the book for me was the way character of Eve and a zillionaire called Roarke, who she meets and develops a relationship with, are brought to life. In fact, all of the characters here are strong and their interactions are well drawn. I thought the general plot was pretty good too and it certainly held my interest through the majority of the tale, but what to my mind was hackneyed and somewhat over-engineered final scene spoilt things a little. Will I choose to invest more time in this series? Yes, I think there’s enough here to bring me back again for at least one more episode and I’ll see where that takes me.