Leafing Through Pages – Naked In Death (In Death # 1)

For review of all books in the In Death series, go here.

Stars: 4 / 5
Recommendation: A futuristic urban fantasy mystery thriller throwing the readers into a world that they understand as well as can envision what it would be like; and at the same time keeping it grounded to the world they know so they get hooked.

Naked in Death is the first book in the long running In Death Series by J. D. Robb, the alter ego of the famous American romance novelist Nora Roberts, first published in July of 1995. We are introduced to Lieutenant Eve Dallas and what becomes the stepping stone into the romance between her and Irish Billionaire Roarke. Although he is a suspect in her hunt for a ruthless killer, seduction sneaks in the midst sending her into his arms revealing secrets and hidden passion.

The stories in the In Death Series are set in mid-21st century New York City, New York in United States, featuring NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her husband Roarke, an Irish billionaire, CEO of Roarke Industries, and one of the richest man in the world. First started in 1995, as of 2023, 57 books have been written in this series. The first book begins in the year 2058 and showcases that technology completely dominates the world, yet Robb has her main characters still believe in human impulses, passion and emotions that are key to solving every single case she comes across or in her relationships with her people and husband. Along with the cases, Robb traverses through the lives of Eve, Roarke and anyone connected to them giving us millions of sub-plots.

I had read only one book of J. D. Robb’s in this series so far, the 2017 In Death #45 book Secrets in Death a couple years ago. Although I had read Hot Rocks, the first book in a two part cross-over with In Death series, released in 2010, but not the In Death follow-up. It’s been a while I have been meaning to go back to the beginning of the series. Finally I did and here is my take on the very first book that opened us to a world of scientific inventions and a futuristic life.

The series begins with Naked In Death and is set in futuristic world in 2058, a good 63 years ahead for when the series began in 1995. The plot-line and the series in general reminded me of the American science fiction television series Fringe (September 2008 – January 2013). Although Fringe deals with parallel universes existing at the same time, it gives us glimpses of things that are not part of this world, making it look like a futuristic world for the viewers. Also the amalgamation of fantasy with crime procedures in the TV show are pretty close to what Robb had created with this series.

The characterization of Eve Dallas reminds me so much of Ziva David, a Mossad Liaison Officer for NCIS and later becomes an NCIS agent, in the long running American police procedural television series NCIS. Ziva was portrayed by Cote de Pablo. The way Eve always gets surprised and baffled at things that are normal to others; or the way she mis-quotes or calls things incorrectly and people around her correct her, reminds me so much of Ziva.

Roarke on the other hand is yet to be evolved. In this book the focus is mainly on Eve and their budding romance. We still need to see the storm behind the calm façade Roarke poses. There definitely is a lot of depth in his past and more meat to his story than what Robb described in here.

Robb introduces us to some concepts and technology that may have been unimaginable in 1995, but are much more acceptable and available now in 2023. And perhaps in a few years we might see more of her imagination in the series come to life. Check the Spoiler Alerts below for some of them that I identified and grouped them.

Author Robb also introduces inter-planetary life. Reminded me of her two books in Time and Again series where she brings time traveling and inter-planetary life into the mix with space stations all over the space. She puts in concepts that are yet to be defined in our world or things that led the world in the situation that Robb’s world is – Population Adjustment Theory (Two Parents one Child); The Revisited Period (a new period for artists post whatever wars the world went thru); Genetic Engineering and in Vitro repairs; Manually coding or using electronics is unheard of or rarely used; Urban Revolts that caused the major change;

Incidentally most of the futuristic world and technology innovations that the book give the reader, Robb had mentioned them to have begin since 2023. When this book was written in 1995, 2023 was 28 years ahead. However, I am reading in 2023 so for me some of the concepts seem very real or close to real for the way our world is heading now.

A futuristic urban fantasy mystery thriller throwing the readers into a world that they understand as well as can envision what it would be like; and at the same time keeping it grounded to the world they know so they get hooked. A refreshing change from Nora Roberts usual romance and paranormal romantic mystery thrillers. Definitely an excellent start for a great series. Looking forward to read the rest of the books in this series.

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot Reveals:
    a. Guns are illegal and are banned in Robb's world in 2058. Gun Ban was passed in 2022-2023. Most are stored in museums or with collectors with no permission to fire. So is Tobacco.
    b. Roarke is working on a space station for pleasure called Olympus Resort - off planet. 
    c. From Secrets in Death # 45:
        i. Detective Peabody & her partner & lover Detective Ian McNab head off to Mexico for a much needed vacation. 
        ii. Garnet has a daughter Miranda; shows interest in Morris.
        iii. Nadine is looking for an admin; Eve has someone in her mind. A past character surfaces perhaps!

    d. Futuristic technology and concepts for the time the book is set in (2058) which Robb imagined in 1995: Automatic and voice controlled electronics, appliances and lights; AutoChef, like a vending machine that makes fresh food on order; Land, Sea and Sky traffic is common; Droids / Drones / all Robots of all kinds - working for humans in all walks of life, and even pets; Tele-Link similar to Video Conferencing apps); Real food like coffee and meat is premium and only for rich people due to depletion of rain forests; Virtual Reality headphones; twenty four hour facial cosmetics that wont smudge; Sealing Liquid for hands and feet instead of gloves and shoe covers; Appliances are very different than what we have now, even for our current year 2023; Recycling is a must; Electronic gadgets everywhere such as datebooks, etc.; Grave for loved ones is for rich only; Moving Maps, People Glides and Glide-Carts ease a shoppers life; instead of guns laser weapons are used that tag a person and has ability to adjust it's power making it deadly yet less messier than a gun (NS Laser is the weapon in this series); PPCs - Portable Palm Computers; Soda come in recyclable tubes rather than cans; Electronics such as laser-faxes, hologram send-receive units and tele-links;

2. Sub Plots:
    a. Law Enforcement and extended departments: Captain Ryan Feeney, Eve's ex-partner and head of Electronics Detectives Division (EDD); Commander Whitney, Eve's commanding officer, and his wife; Dr. Mira, police psychiatrist; Nadine Furst, Channel 75's reporter; 
    b. Close friends and family of Eve and Roarke: Mavis Freestone, Eve's friend; Galahad, a cat Eve adopts from a crime scene; Summerset, Roarke's valet and butler;
    c. Other characters frequently appear: Caro, Roarke's personal assistant; 

3. Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
    a. On Pg. 19, Line 18 should be "…as the data flashed…"
    b. In the very beginning of the plot, Eve's badge number is mentioned as 53478Q. But in later chapters such as on pages 197 and 212 it is mentioned as 5347BQ
    c. On Pg. 183, Line 12 from bottom, shouldn’t it be "Eve couldn’t stop.."?
    d. On Pg. 222, Line 4, shouldn’t it be "…touched her lips to his."?