Naked In Death

J.D. Robb

Published by: Berkley (originally)/ audio by Brilliance Audio

My Rating: 

Eve Dallas is a New York police lieutenant hunting for a ruthless killer. In over 10 years on the force, she’s seen it all – and knows that her survival depends on her instincts. And she’s going against every warning telling her not to get involved with Roarke, an Irish billionaire – and suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. But passion and seduction have rules of their own, and it’s up to Eve to take a chance in the arms of a man she knows nothing about – except the addictive hunger of needing his touch.

My Review:

I have heard many times about the In Death series by JD Robb, but I never had the opportunity to try it out, and I was daunted by the number of books already released (35) in this series. However, one day audible had a sale, and Naked In Death was on the list, I figured I would finally give it a try. Naked in Death hooked me in with the determined detective heroine, the intrigue of a murder investigation, the futuristic world, and of course, Roarke, the hard-edged billionaire who falls for the detective.

I found the setting to be quite interesting and even believable, guns are out-dated, they are collectible only, lasers are the new weapon, communication devices include video, electronics work on voice command, and there are living communities on the moon and in space. What also relates more to this story is that prostitution has been legalized an regulated. Escorts have to take classes, be licensed, and be drug free. In return, there are no pimps and prostitution is considered a profession.

When a Senator’s granddaughter, who is a licensed prostitute, is murdered with an old fashioned gun, Lieutenant Eve Dallas is put on the case. There are challenges, twists, turns, and Eve has to confront her own past demons to solve this case. Warning: This case involves crimes of sexual nature, and is not always easy to read. J.D. Robb does an excellent job with this book, the emotions run high and the violence and gruesomeness to the murders is not sugar coated.

And then, there’s Roarke. Roarke is a rich, powerful man, he has a certain mystery to him, and he connects with Eve from the beginning. Several aspects of the case originally point to Roarke as a suspect, and Eve is torn between her personal beliefs and evidence of the case. Through it, Roarke remains strong, he can put up with Eve and understand her, and I loved the dynamic between them.

Naked in Death is an excellent read. I am only sad that i didn’t read this book and series sooner. I loved every minute of listening to Naked in Death, and I can’t wait to read more books in this series.  Romance readers, if you are like me and missed this series, you are missing out!  I definitely recommend reading Naked In Death.

*Note on the Audio* Naked in Death was narrated by Susan Ericksen, and she did a wonderful job. Since the book is futuristic, there were even some fun sounds she had to make, and she pulled it off. I really enjoyed her narration style and will listen to more books narrated by Susan Ericksen in the future. **