I discovered j.d. robb before he knew she was nora roberts.
You are reading: Best in death books
My mother has been a member of the mystery guild for a long time and in 1999 she gave me her brochure and asked if I wanted anything. she was looking for something new to read, and the description of the conspiracy in death by this unknown (to me) author j.d. robb sounded intriguing. The Mystery Guild brochure did not identify J.D. robb as nora roberts but i didn’t care futuristic police procedural? it sounded fun and different.
I remember reading this book and getting lost in the future world built by experts with lasers, autochefs, holograms and designer drugs. strong and independent police eve dallas; sexy, ex-criminal turned mostly straight businessman; peabody, insecure but determined partner; annoying but loyal summerset; and of course galahad the spoiled cat. and many more. no character is left two-dimensional, whether they’re continuing, a supporting cast, or just in an important scene. we are immersed in the world and with the characters.
Anyway, I started plotting death in a bubble bath on Sunday morning with a mimosa… when I had two kids instead of five, I could usually sneak away in these quiet times. my bath got cold, I crumpled up and took the book to my reading chair in the corner of my room where I didn’t move for hours, not until I got to the end. Then I did the next logical thing: I looked at the front to find out what other books this author wrote and why I hadn’t had it sooner. surprise surprise! i discovered j.d. robb was in fact nora roberts.
Since conspiracy was a book club edition, the next book, Loyalty in Death, was already in stores. I bought it at borders (I still miss borders), and have never missed another one in the book of death. I had never read the first seven books until recently, when a friend of mine (thanks Silver James!) sent me naked to my death. I’m not one of those readers who has to read every book in a series, and I rarely go back if I start in the middle. if i love the series i just continue from the point where i started. but silver kept pushing me to read nude so i did.
I’ve been commissioned to write about my five favorite books about death. this is an impossible task because there are very few that I didn’t love in a series that is now 44 volumes. but I’m going to try.
in no particular order:
naked in death
The first book in the series has everything a great romantic suspense should have: a strong and independent heroine; an intelligent and handsome hero; a compelling plot; organic conflict (and what’s better than the hero being murder suspect number 1 for the heroine?); and great storytelling. Naked sets up the world as we know it for Eve and Roarke, and nothing beats their first meeting. For that alone, naked has to be in the top five. It’s the start of something great.
read ardi alspach’s review of naked in death!
apprentice in death
the in death series is one of the few series that, even after 44 books, is still great. in fact, over and over again j.d. Robb proves that she is the master of all storytellers because this long-running series has never failed to entertain and has never gone out of style. case in point: apprentice in death.
It came out last fall and I’d say it’s one of the best books to date. A sniper kills three people on a central park ice rink with three impossible shots… impossible for most people. It’s up to Eve Dallas and her genius husband Ella Roarke to discover not only how, but also to stop the killer before he attacks someone else. This race-against-the-time thriller has everything I love in a great book: a smart, motivated killer and a very real, viable threat. plus, a darkly fun twist.
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Read janet webb’s review of apprentice in death!
obsession with death
Another more recent addition to the series, Death Obsession, sees Eve herself become the obsession of a killer. the prologue opens from the point of view of the killer and i was immediately hooked, but i guarantee this is one of those books where you will be biting your nails while you, along with eve, try to figure out who is obsessed with her, who knows who are the “truest friends”.
killing was easier than I thought it would be and much more rewarding. I finally feel that I have done something important, something that deserves real attention. All my life I tried, I did my best, but no one really appreciated my efforts, they really saw me for who and what I was.
The obsession was one of those rare mysteries where I didn’t find out before the main character, but once it was revealed, everything fell into place. I love it!
read john jacobson’s review of obsession with death!
innocent in death
one of j.d. Robb’s trademark is conflict: real, organic conflict. In a long-running series where the two main characters are married, keeping the relationship growing and evolving is not only important, but also difficult. there is nothing worse than an artificial conflict.
j. d. robb doesn’t force conflict between eve and roarke, not every book has them at odds. some books work amazingly well together and the conflict arises outside of their relationship; other books, they are working on very real issues with marriage, careers, and danger.
In Innocent in Death, which has to be near the top of my top five list, Roarke’s girlfriend from his past life of crime has returned. the story begins with the murder of a school teacher, someone who everyone liked and who was so innocuous that you can’t even imagine who would want to poison him with ricin.
While eve is in the middle of a murder investigation, roarke’s ex-lover comes to town and eve becomes jealous. This is an unknown feeling for her and for Roarke. he doesn’t understand why she doesn’t trust him, and she doesn’t understand why he doesn’t see magdelana as she really is. and the mermaid definitely enjoys getting between them.
I really felt for the first time in the entire series that roarke and eve might not make it. the complex emotions, the feelings of anger, fear and betrayal on both sides, the fact that when they tried to speak neither of them understood the other. I felt sorry for them both, and feared for them.
but in the end, they were stronger than ever…because the promise of romantic suspense is that you can’t permanently separate your hero and heroine.
Read David Cranmer’s review of Innocents in Death!
New York to Dallas
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when you have a character with such a rich and complex backstory, that informs them and makes them who they are like eve dallas, there has to be a book that addresses those demons. from new york to dallas is that book.
Eve is forced to confront her past. she begins with the escape from one of the most violent predators she has ever locked up early in her career. he wants revenge, of course, but this is so much more than an escaped convict revenge story. eve has to face some brutal truths from her past: the violence that was inflicted on her and how she held it back. her nightmares get worse as she tries to make sense of the numb. And through it all, Roarke is the rock of hers.
Truthfully, you can start the series at just about any book, but if you don’t want to spend time on all 44, start with new york to dallas. I guarantee you’ll want to go back and read everything that came before.
Read Corrina Lawson’s review of New York to Dallas!
So, this list was only supposed to be five books. but I have more than five favorite books in death. how the heck can i say that these five (naked, apprentice, obsessed, innocent, and new york to dallas) are the top five?
I went through all the books on my bookshelf (yes, I have all of them except for books 2-7), read the descriptions and thought “oh I loved it!” …I ended up with a stack of 21 “favorites” and had to go back and select them.
So, I have a couple of honorable mentions: books that should be in the top five but didn’t fit because, well, five.
honorable mentions
- dedicated to death: you can read my review here about criminal element.
- Divided in death: a great story of computer viruses and murder and secret government agencies and roarke being brilliant.
- Deathborn: Mavis’s baby is born. Need I say more?
- death survivor: nixie’s story was supposed to be on my top five list. Nixie, a 9-year survivor and the only witness to horrific violence, remembers herself and is determined not only to solve the murders, but also to help Nixie overcome this tragedy. it’s a great story not just because of the plot, but because readers get a rare emotional escape.
the hallmark of a great and endearing author is to always write good books. After more than 150 novels, Nora Roberts—and her alter ego J.D. robb—are still at the top of “their” game of hers. and the in death series just keeps getting better. I can’t wait for echoes in death. time to buy a bottle of champagne for my sunday mimosa and curl up with what i know will be a great book.
Check out our review coverage for the entire in death series!
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allison brennan is the author of twenty novels, including the lucy kincaid series, and many short stories. A former consultant to the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband, Dan, and her five children.