Immortal in Death

Author: J.D. Robb
Published: July 1, 1996 (Berkley)
Category: Romantic Suspense
Series: In Death #3
Rating: 8/10

I realize why Nora Roberts has such a huge readership. If I have a craving for a good romantic suspense, I know I can depend on her In Death series. Sure, each book is pretty formulaic, but that means that I can find things I know I like within its pages, and return to characters I know and love.

Eve Dallas, our favorite tough lady cop, is going to marry our beloved hero Roarke, and she needs a dress. Her best friend Mavis recommends her current boyfriend Leonardo, an up-and-coming fashion designer. But in the middle of Eve's consultation with him, an angry supermodel flies into the loft and demands that he dump Mavis or she'll ruin his career. Of course, the supermodel turns up dead and Mavis is suspect numero uno.

Sometimes I wonder how it's possible that Eve can work on cases in which she has a personal interest, and this is the worst one yet. While she's working on the case, Eve suffers from nightmares that reveal the horrors of the childhood memories she'd suppressed. She'd been found in an alley as a child, beaten and broken, with no name and no memories of her family. But it appears that her mind has decided that it's time to deal with the past now that Roarke is there to love and support her. Once she recalls the truth of her father's death (she killed him), she tries to call off the wedding and turn herself in as a murderer. But nothing comes of that, and Eve's boss even tells her not to bother and stop wasting time on the ridiculous idea of turning herself in when she's got to figure out who killed the supermodel.

I'll also admit that Roarke is awesome. He's an alpha male, but he knows that Eve wouldn't stand for it. He compromises and lets her be difficult, but he'll take charge in one matter when she's too obsessed with something else (i.e. having her car fixed while she's focused on her investigation).

The mystery, which is just something in the background of the whole Eve-Roarke relationship, wasn't too mysterious. When you have a cast of characters, there's only so much suspicion that can be thrown around, and the few new characters that get introduced are automatically the prime suspects to the reader. I've read only three of the Eve Dallas books, and each murderer is someone we meet in the course of the investigation. I'm waiting for the day the murderer is a complete surprise. But the lack of that won't stop me from reading these books!