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In Death #1-5
The J.D. Robb In Death Collection: Books 1-5
Together for the first time—the first five novels in the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series, hailed as “a perfect balance of suspense, futuristic police procedural and steamy romance” (Publishers Weekly).Join New York City homicide detective Eve Dallas as she sets her sights on some elusive suspects—including a compelling Irishman named Roarke in...NAKED IN DEATHGLORY IN DEATHIMMORTAL IN DEATHRAPTURE IN DEATHCEREMONY IN DEATH
1469 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 7, 2011
1085 people are currently reading
1996 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Robb
177 books35.2k followersJ.D. Robb is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling In Death series and the pseudonym for #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts. The futuristic suspense series stars Eve Dallas, a New York City police lieutenant with a dark past. Initially conceived as a trilogy, readers clamored for more of Eve and the mysterious Roarke. Stolen in Death (St. Martin's Press, February 2026) will be the 62nd entry in the series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
March 28, 2016
This collection is a great way for readers who are new to the series to be introduced to Eve and Roarke, and I recommended it wholeheartedly!
Naked in Death is intriguing, exciting romantic. I have read a lot of books in my time, and I have to say, nobody,and I mean nobody, can write love scenes like Nora Roberts. Eve and Roarke's first night together? Smoking hot!!!
Naked in Death is intriguing, exciting romantic. I have read a lot of books in my time, and I have to say, nobody,and I mean nobody, can write love scenes like Nora Roberts. Eve and Roarke's first night together? Smoking hot!!!
June 29, 2012
I love this series and think it is important to read it in the order that it was written,
December 16, 2019
5 Totally Get It Stars
* * * * *
This beginning group of J.D. Robb's series was my little gift to me. Friends who I respect and always steer me to excellent reads have been reading this series for quite some time. I have seen them devour each of the current books as they have come out.
Their love for Eve Dallas and Roarke held no bounds...and so I took the plunge and jumped right in.
This was such a pleasure and also an addition. I would finish one and immediately go to the next. The only drawback is TIME.
I am now an official lover of this series and will be planning specific times to keep reading and falling in love with Roarke and Eve. I also may need a second job to afford them as I tend to miss the return dates when borrowing from the library, hahahahahahaha
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
* * * * *
This beginning group of J.D. Robb's series was my little gift to me. Friends who I respect and always steer me to excellent reads have been reading this series for quite some time. I have seen them devour each of the current books as they have come out.
Their love for Eve Dallas and Roarke held no bounds...and so I took the plunge and jumped right in.
This was such a pleasure and also an addition. I would finish one and immediately go to the next. The only drawback is TIME.
I am now an official lover of this series and will be planning specific times to keep reading and falling in love with Roarke and Eve. I also may need a second job to afford them as I tend to miss the return dates when borrowing from the library, hahahahahahaha
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
July 8, 2015
These are a great easy read. I am reading the entire Eve Dallas series for the third time now. There are enough books that after a few years I totally forget 'who done it'. The characters in this series are so well developed that I feel like they are people I know. With just enough fantasy romance to keep me smiling.
August 7, 2020
A great group of books. These are re-reads for me and I happened to find them in a bundle. Great for passing time or the escapism read. Or just anytime. Still love the characters and personalities. Written well and pulls you in. Enjoy!
July 22, 2022
As popular as these books undoubtedly are, I don't share everyone else's view of Eve. She's nasty. Always with the nasty comments to everyone around her. Always everything is about her. I really don't see the attraction. Moving on.
October 2, 2024
I’m 56 books into this series and still love them as much as when I began with book one.
November 7, 2012
It has been a lot of fun reading thise book in order. I very much look forward to j. d. robb in death series
October 23, 2012
Got totally hooked on this series plus its better writing than fifty shades!
January 29, 2018
Ceremony in Death
In Death #5
J.D. Robb
Berkley Books, May 1997
315 pages, ebook, hardcover, paperback, audiobook
Sci-fi romance mystery
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I purchased this book as part of a 5 book set on BN.com for nook. This is my honest review for which I am not being compensated in any way.
Detective Sgt. Frank Wojinski was 62 years old when he died of an apparent heart attack at home alone. He was survived by his wife, Sally, their son and wife, grandsons Pete and Jamie, and his granddaughter, Alice. Alice Longstrom has a strange message for Dallas at the viewing for her grandfather. She says she’s in danger. She asks for a meet with Dallas and tells Dallas she’s in immediate danger. Alice can’t tell her anything about this danger, just that she is in danger. There are other contacts to be made, so Dallas has Peabody follow Alice to be sure she gets home, but Alice never gets home. Alice runs in front of a vehicle and is killed. The only witness other than Peabody is a black cat.
Dallas turns to the folks at Spirit Quest to get more information, since magic and witches isn’t exactly her field. She talks with Isis Paige who is a Wiccan priestess and herbalist and her partner Charles “Chas” Forte. They are an odd couple from most appearances, but they seem willing to help and full of information. But as with all her informants, Dallas investigates their backgrounds, and what she finds on Chas has her wondering if she’s found her culprit. Chas and Isis admit to his background without hesitation, but Dallas still pulls him into interview for a tough grilling. His father had been a horrible cultist leader and treated people brutally to the point of murder. Chas had not missed out on his father’s treatment as a child.
The other group that Dallas speaks with isn’t quite as cooperative or truthful as those at Spirit Quest. The group of Black Satanists under Selena and Alban are pretty weird as far as Dallas is concerned. Lobar is their young punk who seems to think only of sex, the more brutal the better. And then Roarke gets Dallas a listing of their membership, which they had not been willing to provide, and she starts working on some of them, all upstanding citizens that they are. Mr. Wineberg was going to talk, but he got nervous and ran, and then he was dead.
Mr. Trivane contacts Dallas. He had started remembering things after seeing the scene of crime photos during his client’s interview. It wasn’t all clear to him, but he remembered enough to know that things weren’t right and he wanted to talk with Dallas. Alban decides it’s time to take care of the problem and he snatches Dallas from her car. But Dallas has a guardian angel she is unaware of. Jamie Lingstrom, Frank Wojinski’s grandson, is into electronics and has bugged her car. He heard the entire abduction taking place and knows where she’s been taken. He contacts Roarke and she’s rescued. Of course, she’s almost rescued herself by the time he gets there.
There’s a run in with Feeney in this one that really makes you want to cry. Eve is handling this case alone. No one but she and Peabody are allowed to know what’s going on, per orders of the Chief. It’s got to be that way because there’s a pending internal investigation into this case he’s trying to get cancelled. So she can’t tell Feeney anything, even that she’s handling it, really. Feeney finds out and goes to pieces all over her. Basically, he guts her with every hurtful thing he could possibly say. He’s suffering from the grief of losing a very close friend in Frank Wojinski and his goddaughter in Alice Lingstrom. He hits Eve with it all. It takes a talk with the Chief and one with Roarke to get his butt back in line and make him aware of what he’s done to Eve.
Speaking of butts, Mavis’ styling friend Trina makes a visit to Eve. She needs a haircut and they do a total body treatment as well. One thing Eve is unaware of until Roarke notices it is the little rosebud tattoo on her butt. It’s a temp, but Roarke is quite taken with it and is having a great time teasing Eve about it! As do the cops who see it in the locker room! Another great addition to the series!
The story line was very good. The characters were done well, especially Chas with his detailed background. The pace was rapid, but not too hard to follow. The tension was sky-high the whole time with the creepiness of the black magic and murders! The covers are looking good on the ones I have. This series has had several sets of covers.
Highly Recommended
In Death #5
J.D. Robb
Berkley Books, May 1997
315 pages, ebook, hardcover, paperback, audiobook
Sci-fi romance mystery
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I purchased this book as part of a 5 book set on BN.com for nook. This is my honest review for which I am not being compensated in any way.
Detective Sgt. Frank Wojinski was 62 years old when he died of an apparent heart attack at home alone. He was survived by his wife, Sally, their son and wife, grandsons Pete and Jamie, and his granddaughter, Alice. Alice Longstrom has a strange message for Dallas at the viewing for her grandfather. She says she’s in danger. She asks for a meet with Dallas and tells Dallas she’s in immediate danger. Alice can’t tell her anything about this danger, just that she is in danger. There are other contacts to be made, so Dallas has Peabody follow Alice to be sure she gets home, but Alice never gets home. Alice runs in front of a vehicle and is killed. The only witness other than Peabody is a black cat.
Dallas turns to the folks at Spirit Quest to get more information, since magic and witches isn’t exactly her field. She talks with Isis Paige who is a Wiccan priestess and herbalist and her partner Charles “Chas” Forte. They are an odd couple from most appearances, but they seem willing to help and full of information. But as with all her informants, Dallas investigates their backgrounds, and what she finds on Chas has her wondering if she’s found her culprit. Chas and Isis admit to his background without hesitation, but Dallas still pulls him into interview for a tough grilling. His father had been a horrible cultist leader and treated people brutally to the point of murder. Chas had not missed out on his father’s treatment as a child.
The other group that Dallas speaks with isn’t quite as cooperative or truthful as those at Spirit Quest. The group of Black Satanists under Selena and Alban are pretty weird as far as Dallas is concerned. Lobar is their young punk who seems to think only of sex, the more brutal the better. And then Roarke gets Dallas a listing of their membership, which they had not been willing to provide, and she starts working on some of them, all upstanding citizens that they are. Mr. Wineberg was going to talk, but he got nervous and ran, and then he was dead.
Mr. Trivane contacts Dallas. He had started remembering things after seeing the scene of crime photos during his client’s interview. It wasn’t all clear to him, but he remembered enough to know that things weren’t right and he wanted to talk with Dallas. Alban decides it’s time to take care of the problem and he snatches Dallas from her car. But Dallas has a guardian angel she is unaware of. Jamie Lingstrom, Frank Wojinski’s grandson, is into electronics and has bugged her car. He heard the entire abduction taking place and knows where she’s been taken. He contacts Roarke and she’s rescued. Of course, she’s almost rescued herself by the time he gets there.
There’s a run in with Feeney in this one that really makes you want to cry. Eve is handling this case alone. No one but she and Peabody are allowed to know what’s going on, per orders of the Chief. It’s got to be that way because there’s a pending internal investigation into this case he’s trying to get cancelled. So she can’t tell Feeney anything, even that she’s handling it, really. Feeney finds out and goes to pieces all over her. Basically, he guts her with every hurtful thing he could possibly say. He’s suffering from the grief of losing a very close friend in Frank Wojinski and his goddaughter in Alice Lingstrom. He hits Eve with it all. It takes a talk with the Chief and one with Roarke to get his butt back in line and make him aware of what he’s done to Eve.
Speaking of butts, Mavis’ styling friend Trina makes a visit to Eve. She needs a haircut and they do a total body treatment as well. One thing Eve is unaware of until Roarke notices it is the little rosebud tattoo on her butt. It’s a temp, but Roarke is quite taken with it and is having a great time teasing Eve about it! As do the cops who see it in the locker room! Another great addition to the series!
The story line was very good. The characters were done well, especially Chas with his detailed background. The pace was rapid, but not too hard to follow. The tension was sky-high the whole time with the creepiness of the black magic and murders! The covers are looking good on the ones I have. This series has had several sets of covers.
Highly Recommended
September 13, 2017
5 stars - Romantic Suspense/Futuristic/Mystery/Crime/Romantic Thriller
December 15, 2023
I have all 58 books and love every single book I reread every single one at least once a year....so well written and I love Lieutenant Eve Dallas!!!
April 1, 2022
Naked in Death
It has been many years since the last time I read these early books so I decided (after finishing the most recent release, book #52!) it was time to go back to the beginning. And, as long as I was, I should write an actual review. (I’m realizing however, that it’s less of a review than my nostalgic word vomit. I’m okay with that.)
It was almost surreal reading this first book in the series again. Everything just beginning and knowing all the difficulties Eve and Roarke, independently and together, are going to face… wow. It brought back so many memories. Fascinating the things I’ve forgotten over the years—how Eve used to have multiple cases at one time, how so many Galahad—and equally exciting revisiting it all.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas might possibly be one of the most complex characters this author has ever written, under any pen name. She’s incredibly interesting because there’s a wealth of character within her, not to mention she’s a complete and utter badass.
I actually can’t believe how much I remembered about the murder mystery portion of this story but it’s certainly a good one. Not the best but certainly memorable for being the first. Senator DeBlass was a gross, old, pedophile with strong leanings to the conservative right… reminded me too much of some politicians today.
Glory in Death
I have to make this note because I find it interesting… it’s easy to see in these beginning books how the author wrote Eve as a more typical (sort of) female character of the Nora Roberts type. Meaning, here’s a comment about Eve having admired a PA’s outfits in court – what? Eve actually stopping at the eatery in Cop Central for food because her stomach rumbled a little – huh? Eve actually thinking she needed to tag Roarke to let him know what was going on – wtf? Somewhere between these beginning books the author decided to change those things about Eve and, personally, I think it made Eve more interesting. Lieutenant Eve Dallas doesn’t notice clothes, she never remembers to eat, and she certainly doesn’t think of the social niceties, although she does learn in regards to Roarke via the Marriage Rules.
Aw, Eve’s first meeting with Crack. I’d forgotten this. Forgotten too that the author initially described him as ”He flashed a wide, dazzling grin at her from an unbelievable ugly face.” The initial “deals” she made with Nadine, lol. Summerset and Eve in the beginning… so much vitriol, tension, and just plain dislike.
Roarke. The beginnings of their relationship. The complexities. The dualities. Their inherent differences and similarities. Her inability to understand what most would consider is common human interaction, but when you think about her life, her horrific childhood—which, at this point, she hasn’t even remembered killing her own father—and then her unflinching desire to reach her ambition of being a cop, it makes perfect sense that she’s missed out on so much basic emotions, thoughts and feelings.
He couldn’t concentrate.
He was trying not to resent the fact that she’d chosen her bed over their bed. Or what he wanted her to think of as their bed. He didn’t begrudge her the need for personal space; he understood well the need for privacy. But his house was large enough that she could have appropriated an entire wing for herself if she wanted it.
Pushing away from the monitor, he paced to the window. He wasn’t used to this struggle, this war to balance his needs with someone else’s. He’d grown up thinking of himself first and last. He’d had to, in order to survive and then to succeed. One was every bit as important to him as the other.
The habit was difficult to break—or had been, until Eve.
It was humiliating to admit, even to himself, that every time he went away to see to business, a seed of fear rooted in his heart that she would have shaken herself loose of him by the time he returned.
The simple fact was, he needed the one thing she had refused him. A commitment.
Oh, how well I remember the scene in her kitchen when he gives her the giant fucking diamond and her reaction! Two such strong-willed people whose wills battled each other more often in the beginning. I hadn’t forgotten it, but the intensity had dimmed for me, them too, at least in the last ten novels or so.
What would it have been like to have been raised in a pretty, settled community? Would it make you secure, confident, the way being dragged from filthy room to filthy room, from stinking street to stinking street made her jittery, moody?
Maybe there were fathers here who snuck into their little girls’ bedrooms, too. But it was hard to believe it. The fathers here couldn’t smell of bad liquor and sour sweat and have thick fingers that pushed themselves into innocent flesh.
Eve caught herself rocking in the seat and choked back a sob.
She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t remember. She wouldn’t let herself conjure up that face looming over her in the dark, or the taste of that hand clamping over her mouth to smother her screams.
She wouldn’t do it. It had all happened to someone else, some little girl whose name she couldn’t even remember. If she tried to, if she let herself remember it all, she would become that helpless child again and lose Eve.
Ah, Mira. The way their relationship evolves into something almost mother/daughter is so beautiful to watch and just another example of the genius of this author’s writing.
“When are you going to trust me?” There was impatience, for the first time in Eve’s memory, in the careful voice. “Is it so impossible for you to believe that I care about you? Yes, I care,” Mira said when Eve blinked in surprise. “And I understand you better than you wish to admit.”
“I don’t need for you to understand me.” But there were nerves in Eve’s voice now. She heard them herself. “I’m not in Testing or here for a therapy session.”
“There are no recorders on here.” Mira set her tea down with a snap that had Eve jamming her hands in her pockets. “Do you think you’re the only child who lived with horror and abuse? The only woman who’s struggled to overcome it?”
“I don’t have to overcome anything. I don’t remember—”
“My stepfather raped me repeatedly from the time I was twelve until I was fifteen,” Mira said calmly, and stopped Eve’s protest cold. “For those three years I lived never knowing when it would happen, only that it would. And no one would listen to me.”
One of my favorite scenes:
He was opening his mouth to speak when she turned, inches from the door. There was fury on her face now. “All right. Goddamn it, all right, you win. I’m miserable. Isn’t that what you want? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. It’s like something’s broken inside me, and I can barely do my job. Happy now?”
He felt the first tingle of relief loosen the fist around his heart. “Should I be?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’m here because I couldn’t stay away anymore.” Dragging at the chain under her shirt, she strode to him. “I’m wearing the damn thing.”
He glanced at the diamond she thrust in his face. It flashed at him, full of fire and secrets. “As I said, it suits you.”
“A lot you know,” she muttered and swung around. “It makes me feel like an idiot. This whole thing makes me feel like an idiot. So fine; I’ll be an idiot. I’ll move in here. I’ll tolerate that insulting robot you call a butler. I’ll wear diamonds. Just don’t—” She broke, covering her face as the sobs took over. “I can’t take this anymore.”
“Don’t. For Christ’s sake, don’t cry.”
“I’m just tired.” She rocked herself for comfort. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Call me names.” He rose, shaken and more than a little terrified by the storm of weeping. “Throw something. Take a swing at me.”
She jerked back when he reached for her. “Don’t. I need a minute when I’m making a fool of myself.”
Ignoring her, he gathered her close. She pulled back twice, was brought back firmly against him. Then, in a desperate move, her arms came around him, clutched. “Don’t go away.” She pressed her face to his shoulder. “Don’t go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Gently, he stroked her back, cradled her head. Was there anything more astounding or more frightening to a man, he wondered, than a strong woman in tears? “I’ve been right here all along. I love you, Eve, almost more than I can stand.”
“I need you. I can’t help it. I don’t want to.”
“I know.” He eased back, tucking a hand under her chin to lift her face to his. “We’re going to have to deal with it.” He kissed one wet cheek, then the other. “I really can’t do without you.”
“You told me to go.”
“I locked the door.” His lips curved a little before they brushed over hers. “If you’d waited a few more hours, I would have come to you. I was sitting here tonight, trying to talk myself out of it and not having any luck. Then you stalked in. I was perilously close to getting on my knees.”
“Why?” She touched his face. “You could have anyone. You probably have.”
“Why?” He tilted his head. “That’s a tricky one. Could it be your serenity, your quiet manner, your flawless fashion sense?” It did his heart good to see her quick, amused grin. “No, I must be thinking of someone else. It must be your courage, your absolute dedication to balancing scales, that restless mind, and that sweet corner of your heart that pushes you to care so much about so many.”
“That’s not me.”
“Oh, but it is you, darling Eve.” He touched his lips to hers. “Just as that taste is you, the smell, the look, the sound. You’ve undone me. We’ll talk,” he murmured, brushing his thumbs over drying tears. “We’ll figure out a way to make this work for both of us.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I love you.” And let it out. “God.”
The emotion that swept through him was like a summer storm, quick, violent, then clean. Swamped with it, he rested his brow on hers. “You didn’t choke on it.”
Okay, enough with the quotes, girl!
Oh, I’d forgotten the first time she met Peabody at Channel 75 when Nadine’s tech had been mistaken for her by the killer and killed in the parking lot. Peabody was the responding officer. *heartsinmyeyes*
I thought I’d remembered it correctly… CJ Morse the dickless asshole who tried to kill Nadine in the park, then fought with Eve and Roarke kicked his ass and took him out. Absolutely loved the marriage proposal as they’re limping bloody and bruised away from the crime scene.
Immortal in Death
Mavis and Leonardo. Peabody becoming Eve’s aide. Eve meeting Trina and their first “appointment”. LOL
Nothing like a bridal shower at the Blue Squirrel, eh? HA! Funny how much I remember regarding the murderer after all of these years.
Rapture in Death
Morris! I adore the ME and I’d forgotten which book he initially appeared in. I had remembered all of this though about the VR and the music guru, not to mention how he violated Roarke and Eve. Good times… especially when the mind doctor offed herself.
On a side note: I love how much harder Eve had to work in these earlier books at catching her murderer. As the series goes on, and more and more secondary characters are introduced—particularly her detective squad—it feels as if everything becomes easier and it’s a little sad, tbh. I miss the days when she worked herself into a coma trying to catch a killer.
You know what else I miss in the newer books? Life. Nobody is getting together anymore to socialize together; Roarke no longer seems to be doing his own work, he’s mostly her aide now, and the two of them don’t seem to attend too many functions together. What happened to all of that? It’s all what made me love these books so much. Plus, how come Eve no longer takes down street thieves that she spots? She was always getting banged up because she stopped to handle something she saw going down. It’s as if she’s too good for it now.
Granted, I’ll never stop reading these even if JD Robb writes fifty more… but I do so miss the ebb and flow from these early days.
Ceremony in Death
It’s been so many years since I first discovered this series and how often I used to re-read these initial books. In this current rediscovery it’s amusing me to see that it often only takes a couple of paragraphs in to remember the entire plot and whodunit. LOL.
This particular tale gave me a few moments of ‘YIKES’ here and there but I also remember Jamie and how he’s still a side character even after all of these years.
And make sure to change out of that silly dress.”
Peabody shifted on her seat. “It’s not that silly. A couple guys at the Aquarian seemed to like it. So did Roarke.”
“Yeah, he mentioned it.”
Jaw dropped, Peabody swiveled her head. “He did? Really?”
Foolishness, Eve thought, helped soothe. “He said something about you looking appealing. So I hit him. Just in case.”
“Appealing. Jesus.” Peabody patted her heart. “I’m going to have to dig through some of the other stuff my mother’s made for me. Appealing.” She sighed. “Roarke doesn’t have any brothers, cousins, uncles, does he?”
“As far as I know, Peabody, he’s one of a kind.”
I also remember, very well, Feeney attacking Eve thinking she’d betrayed him… and Roarke rebuking him… after breaking into Feeney’s home.
These first five books are so incredibly amazing. My only regret is having waited so long to re-read them!
It has been many years since the last time I read these early books so I decided (after finishing the most recent release, book #52!) it was time to go back to the beginning. And, as long as I was, I should write an actual review. (I’m realizing however, that it’s less of a review than my nostalgic word vomit. I’m okay with that.)
It was almost surreal reading this first book in the series again. Everything just beginning and knowing all the difficulties Eve and Roarke, independently and together, are going to face… wow. It brought back so many memories. Fascinating the things I’ve forgotten over the years—how Eve used to have multiple cases at one time, how so many Galahad—and equally exciting revisiting it all.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas might possibly be one of the most complex characters this author has ever written, under any pen name. She’s incredibly interesting because there’s a wealth of character within her, not to mention she’s a complete and utter badass.
I actually can’t believe how much I remembered about the murder mystery portion of this story but it’s certainly a good one. Not the best but certainly memorable for being the first. Senator DeBlass was a gross, old, pedophile with strong leanings to the conservative right… reminded me too much of some politicians today.
Glory in Death
I have to make this note because I find it interesting… it’s easy to see in these beginning books how the author wrote Eve as a more typical (sort of) female character of the Nora Roberts type. Meaning, here’s a comment about Eve having admired a PA’s outfits in court – what? Eve actually stopping at the eatery in Cop Central for food because her stomach rumbled a little – huh? Eve actually thinking she needed to tag Roarke to let him know what was going on – wtf? Somewhere between these beginning books the author decided to change those things about Eve and, personally, I think it made Eve more interesting. Lieutenant Eve Dallas doesn’t notice clothes, she never remembers to eat, and she certainly doesn’t think of the social niceties, although she does learn in regards to Roarke via the Marriage Rules.
Aw, Eve’s first meeting with Crack. I’d forgotten this. Forgotten too that the author initially described him as ”He flashed a wide, dazzling grin at her from an unbelievable ugly face.” The initial “deals” she made with Nadine, lol. Summerset and Eve in the beginning… so much vitriol, tension, and just plain dislike.
Roarke. The beginnings of their relationship. The complexities. The dualities. Their inherent differences and similarities. Her inability to understand what most would consider is common human interaction, but when you think about her life, her horrific childhood—which, at this point, she hasn’t even remembered killing her own father—and then her unflinching desire to reach her ambition of being a cop, it makes perfect sense that she’s missed out on so much basic emotions, thoughts and feelings.
He couldn’t concentrate.
He was trying not to resent the fact that she’d chosen her bed over their bed. Or what he wanted her to think of as their bed. He didn’t begrudge her the need for personal space; he understood well the need for privacy. But his house was large enough that she could have appropriated an entire wing for herself if she wanted it.
Pushing away from the monitor, he paced to the window. He wasn’t used to this struggle, this war to balance his needs with someone else’s. He’d grown up thinking of himself first and last. He’d had to, in order to survive and then to succeed. One was every bit as important to him as the other.
The habit was difficult to break—or had been, until Eve.
It was humiliating to admit, even to himself, that every time he went away to see to business, a seed of fear rooted in his heart that she would have shaken herself loose of him by the time he returned.
The simple fact was, he needed the one thing she had refused him. A commitment.
Oh, how well I remember the scene in her kitchen when he gives her the giant fucking diamond and her reaction! Two such strong-willed people whose wills battled each other more often in the beginning. I hadn’t forgotten it, but the intensity had dimmed for me, them too, at least in the last ten novels or so.
What would it have been like to have been raised in a pretty, settled community? Would it make you secure, confident, the way being dragged from filthy room to filthy room, from stinking street to stinking street made her jittery, moody?
Maybe there were fathers here who snuck into their little girls’ bedrooms, too. But it was hard to believe it. The fathers here couldn’t smell of bad liquor and sour sweat and have thick fingers that pushed themselves into innocent flesh.
Eve caught herself rocking in the seat and choked back a sob.
She wouldn’t do it. She wouldn’t remember. She wouldn’t let herself conjure up that face looming over her in the dark, or the taste of that hand clamping over her mouth to smother her screams.
She wouldn’t do it. It had all happened to someone else, some little girl whose name she couldn’t even remember. If she tried to, if she let herself remember it all, she would become that helpless child again and lose Eve.
Ah, Mira. The way their relationship evolves into something almost mother/daughter is so beautiful to watch and just another example of the genius of this author’s writing.
“When are you going to trust me?” There was impatience, for the first time in Eve’s memory, in the careful voice. “Is it so impossible for you to believe that I care about you? Yes, I care,” Mira said when Eve blinked in surprise. “And I understand you better than you wish to admit.”
“I don’t need for you to understand me.” But there were nerves in Eve’s voice now. She heard them herself. “I’m not in Testing or here for a therapy session.”
“There are no recorders on here.” Mira set her tea down with a snap that had Eve jamming her hands in her pockets. “Do you think you’re the only child who lived with horror and abuse? The only woman who’s struggled to overcome it?”
“I don’t have to overcome anything. I don’t remember—”
“My stepfather raped me repeatedly from the time I was twelve until I was fifteen,” Mira said calmly, and stopped Eve’s protest cold. “For those three years I lived never knowing when it would happen, only that it would. And no one would listen to me.”
One of my favorite scenes:
He was opening his mouth to speak when she turned, inches from the door. There was fury on her face now. “All right. Goddamn it, all right, you win. I’m miserable. Isn’t that what you want? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. It’s like something’s broken inside me, and I can barely do my job. Happy now?”
He felt the first tingle of relief loosen the fist around his heart. “Should I be?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’m here because I couldn’t stay away anymore.” Dragging at the chain under her shirt, she strode to him. “I’m wearing the damn thing.”
He glanced at the diamond she thrust in his face. It flashed at him, full of fire and secrets. “As I said, it suits you.”
“A lot you know,” she muttered and swung around. “It makes me feel like an idiot. This whole thing makes me feel like an idiot. So fine; I’ll be an idiot. I’ll move in here. I’ll tolerate that insulting robot you call a butler. I’ll wear diamonds. Just don’t—” She broke, covering her face as the sobs took over. “I can’t take this anymore.”
“Don’t. For Christ’s sake, don’t cry.”
“I’m just tired.” She rocked herself for comfort. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Call me names.” He rose, shaken and more than a little terrified by the storm of weeping. “Throw something. Take a swing at me.”
She jerked back when he reached for her. “Don’t. I need a minute when I’m making a fool of myself.”
Ignoring her, he gathered her close. She pulled back twice, was brought back firmly against him. Then, in a desperate move, her arms came around him, clutched. “Don’t go away.” She pressed her face to his shoulder. “Don’t go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Gently, he stroked her back, cradled her head. Was there anything more astounding or more frightening to a man, he wondered, than a strong woman in tears? “I’ve been right here all along. I love you, Eve, almost more than I can stand.”
“I need you. I can’t help it. I don’t want to.”
“I know.” He eased back, tucking a hand under her chin to lift her face to his. “We’re going to have to deal with it.” He kissed one wet cheek, then the other. “I really can’t do without you.”
“You told me to go.”
“I locked the door.” His lips curved a little before they brushed over hers. “If you’d waited a few more hours, I would have come to you. I was sitting here tonight, trying to talk myself out of it and not having any luck. Then you stalked in. I was perilously close to getting on my knees.”
“Why?” She touched his face. “You could have anyone. You probably have.”
“Why?” He tilted his head. “That’s a tricky one. Could it be your serenity, your quiet manner, your flawless fashion sense?” It did his heart good to see her quick, amused grin. “No, I must be thinking of someone else. It must be your courage, your absolute dedication to balancing scales, that restless mind, and that sweet corner of your heart that pushes you to care so much about so many.”
“That’s not me.”
“Oh, but it is you, darling Eve.” He touched his lips to hers. “Just as that taste is you, the smell, the look, the sound. You’ve undone me. We’ll talk,” he murmured, brushing his thumbs over drying tears. “We’ll figure out a way to make this work for both of us.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I love you.” And let it out. “God.”
The emotion that swept through him was like a summer storm, quick, violent, then clean. Swamped with it, he rested his brow on hers. “You didn’t choke on it.”
Okay, enough with the quotes, girl!
Oh, I’d forgotten the first time she met Peabody at Channel 75 when Nadine’s tech had been mistaken for her by the killer and killed in the parking lot. Peabody was the responding officer. *heartsinmyeyes*
I thought I’d remembered it correctly… CJ Morse the dickless asshole who tried to kill Nadine in the park, then fought with Eve and Roarke kicked his ass and took him out. Absolutely loved the marriage proposal as they’re limping bloody and bruised away from the crime scene.
Immortal in Death
Mavis and Leonardo. Peabody becoming Eve’s aide. Eve meeting Trina and their first “appointment”. LOL
Nothing like a bridal shower at the Blue Squirrel, eh? HA! Funny how much I remember regarding the murderer after all of these years.
Rapture in Death
Morris! I adore the ME and I’d forgotten which book he initially appeared in. I had remembered all of this though about the VR and the music guru, not to mention how he violated Roarke and Eve. Good times… especially when the mind doctor offed herself.
On a side note: I love how much harder Eve had to work in these earlier books at catching her murderer. As the series goes on, and more and more secondary characters are introduced—particularly her detective squad—it feels as if everything becomes easier and it’s a little sad, tbh. I miss the days when she worked herself into a coma trying to catch a killer.
You know what else I miss in the newer books? Life. Nobody is getting together anymore to socialize together; Roarke no longer seems to be doing his own work, he’s mostly her aide now, and the two of them don’t seem to attend too many functions together. What happened to all of that? It’s all what made me love these books so much. Plus, how come Eve no longer takes down street thieves that she spots? She was always getting banged up because she stopped to handle something she saw going down. It’s as if she’s too good for it now.
Granted, I’ll never stop reading these even if JD Robb writes fifty more… but I do so miss the ebb and flow from these early days.
Ceremony in Death
It’s been so many years since I first discovered this series and how often I used to re-read these initial books. In this current rediscovery it’s amusing me to see that it often only takes a couple of paragraphs in to remember the entire plot and whodunit. LOL.
This particular tale gave me a few moments of ‘YIKES’ here and there but I also remember Jamie and how he’s still a side character even after all of these years.
And make sure to change out of that silly dress.”
Peabody shifted on her seat. “It’s not that silly. A couple guys at the Aquarian seemed to like it. So did Roarke.”
“Yeah, he mentioned it.”
Jaw dropped, Peabody swiveled her head. “He did? Really?”
Foolishness, Eve thought, helped soothe. “He said something about you looking appealing. So I hit him. Just in case.”
“Appealing. Jesus.” Peabody patted her heart. “I’m going to have to dig through some of the other stuff my mother’s made for me. Appealing.” She sighed. “Roarke doesn’t have any brothers, cousins, uncles, does he?”
“As far as I know, Peabody, he’s one of a kind.”
I also remember, very well, Feeney attacking Eve thinking she’d betrayed him… and Roarke rebuking him… after breaking into Feeney’s home.
These first five books are so incredibly amazing. My only regret is having waited so long to re-read them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2024
This series is a combination of Romance Novel and Police/Detective action.
I have never read a "Romance Novel" and I was describing the books to a friend. I said that the stories were pretty good but there are, at least, 2 or 3 four page graphic sex scenes in each book. My friend said that that was typical of romance novels. After reading the first sex scene and about a few paragraphs of the next graphic sex scene, I got the general idea and just skipped ahead and didn't read anymore of it.
I enjoy the stories and the author's style of writing. They are fast reads.
The protagonist is a female police officer who, somehow, made lieutenant detective in New York City in only ten years on the police force. The first 5 books don't explain how she made such a high rank. I always laugh when the author writes something like "in all her 10 years of experience she had seen ..." It should read "With only 10 years experience ..., or in spite of only having 10 years on the force." I don't think the author has ever had a technical job. I get it. To make the "Romance Novel" aspect of the books work, the female detective can't be too old and 32ish is the sweet-spot. Another eye-rolling aspect is that the protagonist is only 130 pounds but somehow manages to defeat a 6'4" 200 pound Navy SEAL mercenary in a, prolonged, fight-to-the-death! I can see if she accidently knocks the guy over and he hits his head and is unconsci0us. But fist fighting with a trained mercenary (in the story she really expounded on the guys strength and fighting skills) TO THE DEATH? Please.
I Recommend the books. They are fast and enjoyable. And the few quibbles above are forgivable in an otherwise good story.
I have never read a "Romance Novel" and I was describing the books to a friend. I said that the stories were pretty good but there are, at least, 2 or 3 four page graphic sex scenes in each book. My friend said that that was typical of romance novels. After reading the first sex scene and about a few paragraphs of the next graphic sex scene, I got the general idea and just skipped ahead and didn't read anymore of it.
I enjoy the stories and the author's style of writing. They are fast reads.
The protagonist is a female police officer who, somehow, made lieutenant detective in New York City in only ten years on the police force. The first 5 books don't explain how she made such a high rank. I always laugh when the author writes something like "in all her 10 years of experience she had seen ..." It should read "With only 10 years experience ..., or in spite of only having 10 years on the force." I don't think the author has ever had a technical job. I get it. To make the "Romance Novel" aspect of the books work, the female detective can't be too old and 32ish is the sweet-spot. Another eye-rolling aspect is that the protagonist is only 130 pounds but somehow manages to defeat a 6'4" 200 pound Navy SEAL mercenary in a, prolonged, fight-to-the-death! I can see if she accidently knocks the guy over and he hits his head and is unconsci0us. But fist fighting with a trained mercenary (in the story she really expounded on the guys strength and fighting skills) TO THE DEATH? Please.
I Recommend the books. They are fast and enjoyable. And the few quibbles above are forgivable in an otherwise good story.
January 22, 2024
Having read the start of this series years ago, this is a great way to restart. The first book in which you meet Eve and Roarke sets the page sizzling. And to continue the journey in which their relationship and the relationships around them develop is a good starter for anybody wanting to read this series. Nora Roberts as JD Robb doesn’t disappoint with her scenes of the future and that crime does not change regardless of which world it is set in - the current one or the futuristic one. I love how a harden police officer is shown the world from a different perspective by Roarke and how he seems to know her better than she sometimes knows herself. All in all an amazing starter pack to immerse yourself in the world of Eve Dallas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2022
The Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb books are delightful
Sometimes when you read as much as I do, you just want some light reading. Usually, I can count on Nora Roberts to provide that in spades, but I especially am enchanted by her J.D. Robb books. I love the characters and their repartee. I also do try to read the books in order now, but I didn't start the series off like that. The R rated content makes me shy, but I find that the characters relationships are very sweet and love based. Isn't that what romance is about?
Sometimes when you read as much as I do, you just want some light reading. Usually, I can count on Nora Roberts to provide that in spades, but I especially am enchanted by her J.D. Robb books. I love the characters and their repartee. I also do try to read the books in order now, but I didn't start the series off like that. The R rated content makes me shy, but I find that the characters relationships are very sweet and love based. Isn't that what romance is about?
May 31, 2018
Good enough to read twice science fiction just a little while in the future
I have listened to these on audio once and read twice. Definitely worth a revisit. Great story line and great characterizations. These are must reads for a lazy weekend or a vacation. Fun to read and see if you can figure out who did it. Most excellent but for adults due to violence and sexual content.
I have listened to these on audio once and read twice. Definitely worth a revisit. Great story line and great characterizations. These are must reads for a lazy weekend or a vacation. Fun to read and see if you can figure out who did it. Most excellent but for adults due to violence and sexual content.
October 14, 2018
I "met" this author in an anthology (out of This World) and decided to begin the series at the beginning - so I found this five book set at the public library - for download - and now I am BINGING. I do have a complaint, however... you cant put it down! I'm caught! the books are so VERY exciting. Story line is fab, set in the believable future, and you care about the characters! On to the next set.
January 6, 2019
Interesting
I’ve been a Nora Roberts fan for a long time, yet have always skipped over her JD Robb stories until now. They’re interesting, though brutal (almost always gory), and it’s surprisingly easy to pinpoint the villain. She’s a great writer — checking all the marks for engaging characters, dialogue, scene building, and shock factor. However, do to the ease in figuring out the villain these first five books get 4 instead of the 5 stars Mrs. Roberts usually gets from me.
I’ve been a Nora Roberts fan for a long time, yet have always skipped over her JD Robb stories until now. They’re interesting, though brutal (almost always gory), and it’s surprisingly easy to pinpoint the villain. She’s a great writer — checking all the marks for engaging characters, dialogue, scene building, and shock factor. However, do to the ease in figuring out the villain these first five books get 4 instead of the 5 stars Mrs. Roberts usually gets from me.
Read
March 5, 2024I have read, and reread this series so many times! Like my go to comfy & be happy place! Side characters like Feeny, Mavis, Peabody and McNabb just to name a few make it such a great series.
I don’t often stick to a series beyond the first few as they feel the same after a while, but this one I loved through the first 30…some more than others, but they are in my so good had to buy list and I know I will keep going.
I don’t often stick to a series beyond the first few as they feel the same after a while, but this one I loved through the first 30…some more than others, but they are in my so good had to buy list and I know I will keep going.
December 4, 2019
Best series ever! 5th time reading it from the beginning,.
I started this series years ago being grateful I found it when probably 20 were already written. I have loved Eve and Roarke since the beginning and think JD Robb (Nora Roberts) is an excellent writer. Each story continues the story. Never a mix up in the plots and they flow well.
I started this series years ago being grateful I found it when probably 20 were already written. I have loved Eve and Roarke since the beginning and think JD Robb (Nora Roberts) is an excellent writer. Each story continues the story. Never a mix up in the plots and they flow well.
May 9, 2021
Reread!
Red the first books long ago. Decided to read again as there wasn't anything holding my interests lately, in this genre. Glad I did. They were just as interesting as the first read. What I noted was the writing evolution. For the post part the latest in the series are far more...hm...matured in the plot lines very well done!
Red the first books long ago. Decided to read again as there wasn't anything holding my interests lately, in this genre. Glad I did. They were just as interesting as the first read. What I noted was the writing evolution. For the post part the latest in the series are far more...hm...matured in the plot lines very well done!
April 20, 2022
J.D. ROBB In Death Collection 1-5
This series just gets better and better.
The author is a true master at story
telling.
If you like futuristic and who done its
with a splash of romance this is definitely the series for you.
My favorite thing about the series is
watching how J.D. builds the
characters relationships.
Give it a try, very addictive 😀
This series just gets better and better.
The author is a true master at story
telling.
If you like futuristic and who done its
with a splash of romance this is definitely the series for you.
My favorite thing about the series is
watching how J.D. builds the
characters relationships.
Give it a try, very addictive 😀
June 28, 2017
All of the "In Death " books are a great read
This collection of the first books in the "In Death" series is an excellent introduction to Eve Dallas and Roarke. If you like a good mystery with just a touch of sci-fi you will enjoy these books.
This collection of the first books in the "In Death" series is an excellent introduction to Eve Dallas and Roarke. If you like a good mystery with just a touch of sci-fi you will enjoy these books.
November 18, 2018
Excellent
These books/series are excellent, fast paced, excitement with a hint of romance & some sex scenes between the main couple, Roarke & Eve Dallas.
Each book has it's own mystery & bad person.
These books/series are excellent, fast paced, excitement with a hint of romance & some sex scenes between the main couple, Roarke & Eve Dallas.
Each book has it's own mystery & bad person.
December 21, 2018
I started reading this series in 2001 but ended up not staying caught up around 2011. I recently started where I left off, and thoroughly enjoyed the books. In fact, I enjoyed them so much that I decided to start the entire series again.
February 18, 2019
Eve Dallas
Each of these books was different in the mysteries. Yet, Eve with Roarke’s help manages to solve each one. You are introduced to Peabody who turns out to be a great partner.
Each of these books was different in the mysteries. Yet, Eve with Roarke’s help manages to solve each one. You are introduced to Peabody who turns out to be a great partner.
September 25, 2019
This started my love for the "in death" series. The books use to much detail about Dallas and Rourke's love making but the rest of the books are great. I will continue to read as many of the series as I can.
April 27, 2020
Sci Fi or detective story
Eve Dallas is the definition of cop. These tales are combination Robert Heinlein and Mike Spilaine. Taking place in the mid 21st Century with the charm of the mid 20th Century .
Eve Dallas is the definition of cop. These tales are combination Robert Heinlein and Mike Spilaine. Taking place in the mid 21st Century with the charm of the mid 20th Century .
June 3, 2020
Every Book Gets Better
Great storylines and characters are well fleshed and you tend to get emotionally vested in them. I am on my 4th or 5th reread of the series - they are timeless classics
Great storylines and characters are well fleshed and you tend to get emotionally vested in them. I am on my 4th or 5th reread of the series - they are timeless classics
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