jd robb’s in death series is a long and prolific suspense/thriller that will have you burning midnight oil. You’ve no doubt read at least one of his books, and now you’re looking for a complete list of j.d. steal books in order.
Before we jump into the list, let’s take a moment to talk about who j.d. rob is. the answer might surprise you.
You are reading: J.d. robb books in order printable list
who is j.d. steal?
jd robb is the pseudonym of one of the world’s most prolific and successful writers, nora roberts.
He has more than 230 books to his credit, with more than 500 million copies in print. Having written primarily in the romance genre, her futuristic death-thriller series provided an exciting new departure for her and earned her entirely new and devoted readers.
It wasn’t until the twelfth book, Betrayal in Death, however, that j.d. Robb was revealed to be the same powerful author, Nora Roberts. If you are looking for a list of all Nora Roberts books in order, you can click here to find our dedicated article.
the first j.d. Robb’s book, Naked in Death, was published in 1995. It takes place in 2058 and features the compelling Eve Dallas as the main protagonist. Dallas is a tough, no-nonsense, passionately committed cop with a dark and traumatic past. Her unlikely love interest, Roarke, comes from similarly shady beginnings, but together they make an extremely effective team.
what is the series in death?
the in death books abound with other interesting characters. To name just a few, there’s Summerset, Roarke’s enigmatic butler that Eve loves to hate; Detective Delia Peabody, Eve’s partner; captain ryan feeney; commander jack whitney; and Chief Medical Examiner Dr. li morris.
ian mcnab is a computer genius and delia’s love interest. charlotte mira is a psychologist; Mavis Freestone is a world famous rock star and fashion icon; and leonardo, her husband, an acclaimed fashion designer.
and of course, last but definitely not least: galahad, a large gray cat with one green and one gold eye and an unflappable attitude…
The series quickly gained rave reviews and praise with a myriad of loyal and devoted readers. Since Loyalty in Death, the ninth in the series, every In Death title has been a New York Times bestseller.
With 55 titles in the series so far, as well as a number of short stories and novellas, the books offer readers a wealth of high-quality reading material and an exciting journey to take part in. i need a list of j.d. robb books to help you understand what to read next.
coming soon j.d. robb book releases
despair in death (expected: September 6, 2022) bis in death (expected: February 7, 2023)
j.d. robb books in order – in the death series
this list of j.d. robb books in order covers only the in death series in order of publication. we will highlight short stories and novellas below.
- naked in death (1995)
- glory in death (1995)
- immortal in death (1996)
- ecstasy in death (1996) )
- death ceremony (1997)
- revenge in death (1997)
- vacation in death (1998)
- conspiracy in death (1999)
- loyalty in death (1999)
- witness in death (2000)
- trial in death death (2000)
- betrayal in death (2001)
- seduction in death (2001)
- reunion in death (2002)
- purity in death (2002)
- portrait in death (2003)
- imitation in death (2003)
- divided in death ( 2004)
- visions in death (2004)
- survivor in death (2005)
- origin in death (2005)
- memory in death (2006)
- born in death (2006)
- innocent in death (2007)
- creation in death (2007)
- strangers in death (2008)
- salvation in death (2008)
- promises in death (2009)
- relatives in death (2009)
- fantasy in death (2010)
- indulgence in death (2010)
- betrayal in death (2011)
- new york to dallas (in death) (2011)
- celebrity in death (2012)
- illusion in death (2012)
- calculated in death (2013)
- ungrateful in death (2013)
- hidden in death (2014)
- holiday in death (2014)
- obsession in death (2015)
- dedicated in the death (2015)
- brotherhood in death (2016) )
- apprentice in death (2016)
- echoes in death (2017)
- secrets in death (2017)
- dark in death (2018)
- leverage in death (2018)
- connections in death (2019)
- vendetta in death (2019)
- golden in death (2020)
- shadows in death (2020)
- unfaithful in death (2021)
- forgotten in death (2021)
- forsaken in death (2022)
- despair in death (expected: September 6, 2022)
- repeat in death (expected: February 7, 2023)
j.d. robb books in order – stories & novels
this list of j.d. robb books in order covers short stories and novellas only. all but one (remember when…) take place in the world of the dead.
- midnight in death (1998)
- remember when… (2003)
- tormented in death (2006)
- interlude in the death (2006) )
- eternity in death (2007)
- ritual in death (2008)
- missing in death (2009)
- big jack (2010)
- possession in death (2010)
- chaos in death (2011)
- taken in death (2013)
- wonder death (2015)
j.d. robb anthologies
- silent night (1998)
- naked came the phoenix (2001)
- out of this world (2001)
- hit in the night (in death) (2006)
- dead at night (2007)
- the lost (in death) (2008)
- suite 606 (in death) (2008)
- the other side (in death) (2010)
- the restless (in death) (2011)
- mirror, mirror (2013)
- down the rabbit hole (2015)
do i need to read j.d. steal books in order?
As is often the case with mystery/thriller series, you can read the j.d. robb books as independents. so do you really need to read the j.d. steal books in order?
Indeed, this is the case with the in death books, but (and it’s a big but) in view of the intricate character developments and relationships, you’ll have a much greater experience reading the j.d. steal books in order. many of the interpersonal relationships can be difficult to follow if you read the books at random.
another aspect that strongly argues in favor of reading the j.d. robb books in order is how you get to know more about each character gradually. each reveal, and the insights it provides, are clearly extremely relevant to the reader’s understanding of the characters, their stories, and their respective journeys as one book follows another. so I would definitely recommend reading the j.d. steal books in order if possible.
who are lieutenant eve dallas and roarke?
eve dallas is the main protagonist of the series in death and a character of irresistible strength, depth and interest. rt’s book reviews describe her as “one of the best heroines to come our way in a long, long time.” she is an outstanding policewoman and highly trained in defensive and combat skills.
Dallas’ harrowing early history is told bit by bit throughout the books, mostly through terrifying nightmares that often haunt her in her sleep. First, she was found in an alley in Dallas, Texas when she was about 8 years old. she was covered in blood, had a broken arm and didn’t remember anything.
The girl had also clearly been abused both physically and sexually over a long period of time. they called her eve dallas, because she is a girl, and she was found in dallas. She entered foster care under the conservatorship of the state and spent 10 years moving from one foster home to another.
Then, in 2046, at the age of 18, she entered the nypsd police academy and graduated top of her class. Ella Eva then became a prominent police officer. at the beginning of the series, she is the lieutenant in charge of the homicide squad at nypsd police headquarters.
In the first book, Roarke is the prime suspect in Eve’s murder investigation. She fights her attraction to him as the case unfolds, but Roarke becomes a recurring character throughout the series.
an immigrant from dublin, ireland, also had an abusive childhood that allows him to fully empathize with dallas. She now owns a magnificent old mansion in Central Park that she remodeled to high-tech, high-spec specifications.
j.d. robb’s in death books in order
I’ll conclude by giving you some interesting and tantalizing glimpses of the first 20 j.d. steal books in order. in death is an intriguing series, very entertaining and, to be honest, downright addictive.
If you’ve never read the series, proceed with caution as these book summaries will reveal spoilers for previous books.
1. naked in death
We meet for the first time new york homicide detective lieutenant eve dallas and the gorgeous, ultra-rich and deadly roarke. It’s the year 2058, in a technocentric world, but passion still rules some hearts. When the granddaughter of arrogant Senator Deblass is brutally murdered with a long-outlawed weapon, her life of prostitution as her licensed escort is thrown into the spotlight.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s investigations take her to the highest levels of Washington society and power politics. But how can Eve reconcile her search for justice and truth with her growing attraction to Roarke, one of the prime suspects in her investigation?
then another beautiful recently qualified licensed escort is murdered in the same brutal way. the note left with the carefully posed body now reads “two of six”. Is Roarke’s outrage genuine that Eve would even think he could do that to a woman?
2. glory in death
It’s 2058 in New York City, in a world where genetic testing usually weeds out violent hereditary traits before birth. however, the murder still occurs.
The first victim, prosecutor Cicely Towers, lies on the sidewalk in the rain strangely missing her fancy purple umbrella. then the second, the famous actress yvonne metcalf, is murdered in the patio of her apartment. Also, strangely, one of her shoes is missing.
Since both victims are beautiful, successful, high-profile women, they have connections to a long list of rich and powerful men, including Eve’s own lover, the rich, powerful and enigmatic Roarke. so eve decides to set herself up as bait…
3. immortal in death
See Also: Where are Kindle Books Stored on PC/Mac/Android
homicide lieutenant eve dallas should be getting ready for her wedding in roarke. Instead, she has to investigate the murder of top model Pandora. Pandora died in a fatal love triangle with Mavis and Leonardo? She is known as a ruthless woman who would stop at nothing to fulfill her wishes…
Eve’s investigation takes her into the dazzling world of haute couture and the dark underworld of alleged glamour. You can buy any medicine for the right price, but how do the immortal flowers, growing out of the world in the colony of Eden, fit into the story?
Eve’s career may even be at stake, because the prime suspect, Mavis Freestone, is a close friend of hers. the corpses proliferate as the plot becomes increasingly complex. Will Roarke and Eve’s wedding plans come to fruition?
4. ecstasy in death
In the world of 2058, many mood-altering drugs have been legalized, prostitution is a legal and licensed career, and virtual reality gaming has supplanted television as entertainment. Meanwhile, in August, Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns to Police Headquarters after her 3-week off-planet honeymoon with Roarke at her stunning Olympus Resort.
She has a puzzling case to solve, because the brilliant spaceman drew Mathias, the famous lawyer St Fitshugh and the biased Senator Pearly appear to have committed suicide. but none of them had any apparent reason for committing suicide, and they all seemed to have died in a happy state.
but eve doesn’t think the deaths were suicides. His instincts are spot on when all the autopsies on him reveal small burns on their brains. did they all strangely have the same genetic abnormality, or were they victims of high-tech murder? were they, in fact, induced to commit suicide by a lethal subliminal message in a vr toy? a vr toy that roarke sells?
5. death ceremony
When Lieutenant Eve Dallas has to conduct a secret investigation into the death of her fellow cop Frank Wojinski, she finds herself in a sticky situation.
why would a solid cop like frank have a granddaughter who likes witchcraft? how does selina cross, leader of a branch of the church of satan, fit into the picture? And who left a black droid cat trying to scratch eve next to his car?
then the corpse of lobar, one of selina’s followers and lovers, is left naked and tied to an inverted pentagram against a wall on his property. is this a personal warning to eva? Regardless, she must embark on what is possibly her most dangerous case yet.
6. revenge in death
The killer is a madman, a genius, a techie, and a sadist. He taunts the police with cryptic riddles about the crimes he’s about to commit, and each victim has a connection to Roarke and his past in Ireland.
first, thomas brennen is found disemboweled in the penthouse of the luxury towers. Then Shawn Conroy, an old friend of Roarke’s from Ireland, bleeds to death in a vacant rental property owned by Roarke. The third victim is Jennie O’Leary, of Wexford, Ireland, who was Roarke’s friend and lover when they were both 16.
surely summerset, roarke’s butler, is being tricked into looking like the killer? he surely he wouldn’t have killed brennen and conroy? as the scene shifts between ireland and new york, things get more and more confusing…
7. vacation in death
It’s the run up to Christmas with all the hype, generosity and good cheer associated with it.
Yours Personally is new york’s fanciest dating service, intent on uniting lonely hearts for the holidays, but Lt. Eve Dallas has made a disturbing discovery. all victims of a ritualistic serial killer can be traced back to yours personally.
The first victim, Marianna Hawley, is found naked and dead in bed. sarabeth greenbalm is the next victim. then follows brent holloway. each victim also has some symbol of christmas on her body.
As the murders continue, Eve enters the dazzling and romantic world of people looking for love. However, in a deadly reversal of everything Christmas stands for, a killer is exploiting this very world to find his next victim.
8. conspiracy in death
eve has seen so much inhumanity in the world that it takes a lot to surprise her, but this case is unique. A serial killer preys on New York’s most vulnerable during a frigid winter.
The first victim is homeless man Samuel Petrinsky, who makes pretty paper flowers for money. no sign of a struggle, just a fist-sized hole where his heart should be. When he arrives in Dallas, the scene isn’t properly secured, so he disguises the two officers involved: Ellen Bowers and Troy Trueheart. Bowers, a serial complainer and troublemaker, subsequently files a complaint against Eve.
many questions arise: is the murderer a doctor with a god complex? Or does the case have connections to the organ replacement industry? Is the case related to that of Erin Spindle, who had her kidneys removed, or another sleeper on the sidewalk in Paris who was missing her liver?
then bowers is murdered and dallas is suspended when she becomes the subject of an internal investigation. Eve’s fight to hunt down a killer stalls as she has to fight to save her career.
9. loyalty in death
An unknown terrorist taunts Eve Dallas with letters that threaten to unleash mass terror and destruction on New York City. is there any link between this bomber and a radical group called apollo that killed over 8000 people by blowing up the pentagon in arlington during the urban wars?
and what is the link with fixer, who had apparently been building bombs for a group of people? It turns out that the repairman is retired colonel howard bassi, whose wife nancy and her children, ages 6 and 8, died in that explosion at the pentagon.
another message arrives demanding the release of certain prisoners or the destruction of a new york landmark. so the target is identified as radio city, owned by roarke. Now, in a race against time, Eva must make the pieces fit together before the city falls.
10. witness of death
rourke’s opening night revival of agatha christie’s famous prosecution witness at new york’s new globe theater promises to be a brilliant event. however, this goes horribly wrong as the setting becomes the crime scene. The protagonist, Richard Draco, is stabbed to death center stage, when the harmless prop knife is mysteriously replaced with a sharp kitchen knife.
now lieutenant eve dallas has to deal with the murder of a celebrity. her but she not only is she the lead detective, she is also a witness to the stabbing. A full-fledged media storm ensues when the press discovers that her husband, Roarke, owns the theater.
so eve has to move fast to question everything and everyone. The problem is that Richard Draco, a complete scoundrel in every sense of the old-fashioned word, is hated and disliked by many of the cast members. And when it comes to a group of talented actors, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between what is the truth and what amounts to a really good performance…
11. death trial
In an upscale nightclub prophetically named Purgatory, Lt. Eve Dallas finds Detective Taj Kohli brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat. shortly after the murder of a second policeman takes place.
It appears that both cops were corrupt and linked to elusive criminal max ricker. During Dallas’ investigation, crime and police corruption are exposed, putting both his life and reputation at risk.
Things are further complicated by the fact that her billionaire husband, Roarke, owns Purgatory. Worse yet, Roarke used to be a business associate of Max Ricker before Roarke went legit and moved away from his criminal past. more murders occur, and each time there are 30 coins left on the scene.
12. betrayal in death
In the spring of 2059, Roarke’s luxury palace hotel is the scene of a brutal and grisly murder. Darlene French, a young servant girl, is dead in one of the rooms: beaten, raped and garroted with a thin silver wire.
See Also: 7 Game-Changing Books All Men Need To Read After A Breakup – Men&039s Breakup
but strangely, the killer didn’t even try to cover his tracks. he booked the room under his own name: sylvester yost. He is a professional hitman with a long history and dozens of murders under his belt, but finding him proves extremely difficult.
then a second murder victim appears with yost’s definitive trademarks. Once again, Roarke is the common denominator. This man worked for a publisher owned by Roarke.
Fearing that Roarke is the killer’s target, Eve steps up her investigation to stop him before he claims another victim.
13. seduction in death
After a weeks-long cyberspace romance, Dante meets his victim in person. A few hours later, 23-year-old Bryna Bankhead is dead. the building’s security disc shows bryna entering the building accompanied by a man. the same man leaves the building some time later, shaken, sweaty and obviously tense.
the scene in bryna’s apartment suggests a romantic encounter: candles, music, wine, rose petals on the bed…and the murder weapon? two ounces of the insanely expensive date rape drug, whore, and another date rape drug called white rabbit. it was the combination of the two drugs that killed her.
but lieutenant eve dallas suspects the man didn’t mean to kill bryna. however, now that he has done it, what is he going to do? is he going to get in? or is he going to start hunting again?
14. reunion in death
A surprise birthday celebration for Walter Pettibone sets the stage for a meeting with a killer from Lt. Eve Dallas’s past. During the pleasant reunion, Julie Dockport, with emerald eyes and red hair, hands him a glass of champagne. one sip and then it’s dead.
nobody at the party knows julie dockport, but lieutenant eve dallas does. Dallas is the reason for Dockport’s incarceration nearly 10 years earlier. but letting the good behavior slip, it seems that dockport’s intentions are questionable, to say the least. she wants to meet again with dallas, in a meeting that neither will forget.
15. purity in death
After three days alone in his apartment, sitting in front of a computer screen, his head pounding with the worst and getting worse headache of his life, louie cogburn was at the end of his rope. so when someone knocked on his door, it was more than he could bear.
louie cogborn took a baseball bat, opened the door and just started swinging. The first cop to arrive on the scene fired the stunner at him twice and louie was killed instantly.
Lieutenant Eve Dallas takes over the investigation, but she’s baffled. there is simply nothing that provides a logical explanation for louie’s anger or death. let alone the inexplicable message on her computer screen: absolute purity achieved.
Then, a second man dies under almost exactly the same strange circumstances, and eve has to start facing what is surely wildly unlikely. Is someone deploying a computer virus that can spread from a machine to humans?
16. portrait in death
Top Police Lt. Eve Dallas finds the body of a young woman in a Delancey Street recycling bin after a tip from reporter Nadine Furst. A few hours earlier she had sent Nadine a portfolio of carefully posed, professional-looking portraits of the woman.
But in a sinister twist, these portraits were taken after the young woman died. Along with her briefcase is a note that clearly states that she is only the first of the killer’s victims.
So now Eve is on the trail of a killer who is both an obsessive perfectionist and an artist. he is on his own fearsome mission to capture the youth, beauty and vitality of beautiful young women in perfect and fateful photographic portraits. And as Eve’s case unfolds, Roarke’s world is rocked by the discovery of a new portrait of his mother from all those years ago in Ireland…
17. imitation in death
In the summer of 2059, in a bizarre remake of the Jack the Ripper mystery, Jacie Wooten is accosted by a man in a top hat and cape on a dark New York City street. minutes later, jacie is dead and a letter is left for lieutenant eve dallas at the scene. in the letter, “jack” invites eve to play with him to discover her identity.
Soon, Eve finds herself on the hunt for a killer who has immersed herself in serial killer history. he knows all about the most heinous murders in history and has set himself a target. in this notorious fraternity, he wants to establish his own place.
He already has his latest victim lined up: a committed upholder of the law, a tireless seeker of justice, the best cop in new york, lieutenant eve dallas. because what could be more fitting, fitting and exciting?
18. divided in death
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is a staunch and unwavering advocate for truth and justice, but she loves the enigmatic Irish billionaire Roarke. So when Reva Ewing, a former Secret Service member and current security specialist for Roarke Enterprises, is the prime suspect in a double homicide case, Roarke seeks Eve’s help.
reva was found standing over the bodies of her best friend and her husband, famous artist blair bissel. But Eve quickly comes to believe that there is more to the murder. The crime scene is staged too carefully, and all of Bissel’s computer files have been deliberately corrupted.
Meanwhile, Roarke believes the hack is the real threat. That’s because he and Reva had been working on a code red government mandate to develop a computer program to defend against techno-terrorists. As Eve and Roarke try to infiltrate a deeply covert and corrupt government agency, it becomes a race against time to stop the virus from spreading across the country.
19. visions in death
On a hot summer night, Lieutenant Eve Dallas arrives in a nightmare in Central Park where a dead woman lies on the rocks by the dark water of the lake. she turns out to be a young mother raped, strangled and naked with only a red ribbon around her neck. her hands are posed in a prayer mockery, and her eyes have been removed with surgical precision.
As eve’s investigation gets underway, she receives an unlikely offer of help. psychic celina sanchez says she is having visions of the killer. she certainly knows surprisingly precise details about the case, details that are not public knowledge.
As more bodies turn up the same way, and Eve becomes frantic for answers, she accepts the psychic’s help, against her own instincts. but questions about the case proliferate. is there a twisted religious ritual at play here? Are the eyes some perverted symbol, or just memories of assassins?
20. survivor of death
the swisher case has eve baffled. she can’t uncover affairs, criminal connections, dna or clues. This is despite the fact that Eve is arguably the best cop in town and she has Roarke and her impressive resources at her disposal.
An entire family is murdered in their beds with ruthless military precision, despite state-of-the-art security. a whole family, except a terrified 9-year-old girl hiding in the dark kitchen…
eve dallas needs to solve this case, for several reasons. First of all, it is his job to see justice done while defending the dead and the living. second, he made a promise to a heartbroken and heartbroken nixie. finally, she also has to put to rest, as much as possible, some of her own darkest memories and deepest fears of her soul. Lieutenant Eve Dallas runs relentlessly through the unspeakable shadows that shattered a girl’s life.
final thoughts
Are you also considering filling out the application form to become a committed member of the in death fraternity and a true fan? Take heart: The millions of readers around the world who love this series and eagerly await each new Dallas and Roarke do so for very compelling and solid reasons.
Looking for more books in order?
if you’re done with j.d. robb books in order, maybe you’d like to discover a new thriller series. check out this list of jack reacher books in order.