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Stars: 3 / 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. A particularly difficult case but Eve finds the killer in the end even though the killer is a psychopath in a young body.
Random in Death is the fifty eighth novel in the long running In Death Series by J. D. Robb, the alter ego of the famous American romance novelist Nora Roberts. We continue to pursue Lieutenant Eve Dallas juggling her role as a Homicide Lieutenant and also being a wife to the Irish Billionaire Roarke. This was published in January of 2024.
The stories in the In Death Series are set in mid-21st century New York City, New York in United States, featuring NYPSD 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 September 2025, 61 books have been written in this series so far. 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 husband and people. They complete their three years of marriage in Payback in Death (#57)
We are in July of 2061 – a good 66 years ahead for when the series began in 1995 – and Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called in for a murder that the victim is witnessed by Jan, Avenue A lead guitarist and singer and Nadine. Eve has to put the friends on the side while she is investigating. But is the victim targeted or random? If she is random, Eve is afraid that more bodies will surface.
We see that Jake and his band keep their promise in Vendetta in Death (#49) of giving their time a do a workshop to teach the students at An Didean, owned by Roarke.
In Abandoned in Death (In Death #54) we see that Eve wants Roarke to buy the building that the bar is on where one of our suspect lives and works. She doesn’t like the suspect at all as she thinks he is bound to commit a crime soon. This is the first time she asked Roarke’s help. Roarke instead buys it in her name. In this book they name it as “Off Duty”
Reference to Detective Willowby is made in this book. We met her first in Desperation in Death (In Death #55) We also reference to Mouser from that book.
It was a difficult case for Eve, to see an active psychopath inside a young body. Arrogance and narcissism of the killer is what gets they caught in the end. Although the main goal was to hurt the victims, killing them added a layer of smartness by the killer even though Eve catches in the end.
We see that Eve is becoming more comfortable in having a rich husband like Roarke and his wealth. She is better with other people that we see regularly as well. Its heartwarming to see as she evolves.
Eve’s homicide division has their motto in the bullpen in the form of a flag. It reads – No matter your race, creed, sexual orientation, or political affiliation, we protect and serve, because you could get dead. Even if you were an asshole. Eve’s detectives hung this banner in Obsession In Death (In Death #40) for Christmas and that continued to stay.
Eve Dallas mixes her proverbs, sayings etc when she speaks like “Dog eats Cats” instead of “Dog eats Dog” or “Under the truck” instead of “Under the bus”. She reminds me very much of Ziva David from NCIS, played by Cote de Pablo, who is a trained with Mossad and an Israeli, naturally Ziva speaks differently. Although Eve started to develop some people skills.
She also talks about various adages and questions them as to why people say so. Fr Ex..it amuses her that people say “three’s a crowd” and she doesn’t think so. It also makes us think of her musings, like “you save money for rainy days” and she thinks why only we save for rainy days and not dry days. Or “Clean as a whistle” and thinks why whistles are clean.
Robb continues to show us futuristic world in the various concepts and technology that may have been unimaginable in 1995, but are much more acceptable and some available now in 2025. 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.
Incidentally most of the futuristic world and technology innovations that the book gives the reader, Robb had mentioned them to have begun since 2023. When this series started 1995, 2025 was 30 years ahead. However, I have started reading them in 2023 so for me some of the concepts seem very real or close to real for the way our world is heading to.
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 particularly difficult case but Eve finds the killer in the end even though the killer is a psychopath in a young body.
Spoiler Alerts:
- Grammatical / Character / Plot / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
- On Pg.124, Line 12, it should be “…back in freshman year…”
- On Pg.124, Line 19, it should be “…planning to go my…”
- Plot Reveals:
- In this book we see that Jamie and Quilla are dating each other.
- Futuristic technology and concepts for the time the book is set in (2058) which Robb imagined in 1995 and after:
- For Security and Tools: Police Sensors and Porta-sensors, Sensor Bugs; Seal It for hands and feet; laser weapons with ability to adjust it’s power making it deadly yet less messier than a gun; Compuguard, a software to detect unregistered and illegal equipment; Force Fields; Anti-mugging Spray; Detox Bowls and Radiant Heats; Space Traffic Control who control interplanetary traffic; Identi-Pad for a forensic sketch artist; Beat Droids who monitor the streets where humans don’t go.
- Buildings and Landmarks / Travel: Multihabitation Buildings; Graves for loved ones is for rich; Flash Transport for interplanetary travel; EZ Tram and other airstreams, air transport service; medi-copters and ambu-jets; Traffic Hovercraft controlling air traffic; Land, Sea and Sky traffic; Rapid Cabs;
- Electronics and gadgets: Body Driers / Drying Tubes; Automatic and voice controlled electronics; AutoChef, vending machine dispensing fresh food on order; Droids / Drones / all Robots of all kinds even pets; Anitron – like robots that are animated; Virtual Reality headphones; Moving Maps, People Glides and Glide-Carts; Portable Palm Computers (PPCs); Laser-faxes, holograms, holo-rooms, holocards and holographs; send-receive units and tele-links; Anti-Gravity gear for off-planer travel – gravity boots; Rain Shields; SCAN-EYE; Mood Screens; scan-cams; viewing discs; Privacy Screens on windows; Elevators that go up and across; music on Sound Sticks; A hollow standing scanner to scan a person’s body internal and external; memo cubes for leaving voice memos; Videos or films are Vids; Stain Stick to remove stains from clothes.
- Money, Food, Sports and Health Related: Real food like coffee and meat is premium due to depletion of rain forests; twenty four hour facial cosmetics that won’t smudge; Soda and Beer come in recyclable tubes; Rehydrated food such as irradiated powdered eggs or soy burgers; Medicines such as Sober-Up for being sober after a drunk night, Alert All to keep one alert and bright, Stay-Up to stay awake; Suturing Wand that would mend ripped flesh without any trace left; Cash is called credits and more like coins; human organs synthetically manufactured; anticancer vaccines; surgical freeze-coat to stop the flow of blood; Arena Ball Game; skins casts; for quick way3 to move thru the streets – airskates, zip bikes, city scoots;
- Global incidents that changed the course of the world to what Robb imagined – Population Adjustment Theory (Two Parents one Child); The Revisited Period (a new 33period for artists post whatever wars the world went thru); Genetic Engineering and in Vitro repairs; Urban Wars; Gun Ban introduced in 2022-2023; Depletion of Rain Forests.
- Sub Plots:
- NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Law Enforcement:
- Eve’s bosses: Commander Jack Whitney, Eve’s commanding officer, and his wife Anna, daughter Linda, son Steven; Chief Harrison Tibble, Chief of NYPSD, and his wife Karla Blaze
- Prosecuting Attorney / Assistant PA’s- Fruinski, Jonathan Heartly, Carla Rollins; Adam Quincy, Chief Legal Counsel for NYPSD
- Lab Staff – Chief Tech Richard “Dickie” Berenski aka Dickhead, Harvo, Birdman, Abdul Siler, Taver, Dezi
- ME’s Office – Carver, Ty Clipper, Porter, Duluc, Foster, Marlie Drew
- Morgue Staff – Chambers, Rochinsky, Herbert Fienstein, Feeno
- Lieutenants and Captains – Skyler (boss of Webster), Lisbeth Salazer from Explosives, McMahon, Mercer, Schumer; Jonah MacMasters, Delong, Medavoy from anti-crime, Desevres at one six-two, Marks, Hayes on 128 Precinct, Jaye Smith from Missing Persons Unit
- FBI Special Agents and Assistant Director – Tony Quirk (rescued in Faithless in Death (#52), Conroy, Clyburn, Reese, Monica, Rosencroft, Paulson, Karen Stowe, Sooner, Carl Zweck, Miyu Teasdale
- Interplanetary Law Enforcement (ILE) – Darcia Angelo, Chief of Olympus Police (dating ex-Detective Don Webster from IAB as of Treachery in Death, he turns his papers and goes off-planet with her in Payback in Death (#57))
- Mayor Steven Peachtree
- Sweepers – Yee (head sweeper), Lobar, Beaver, Tweeser, Mickey, Dawson (head sweeper), Fizz, Charis, Jen Koberneck
- Detectives – Dickinson, Dennison, Frowicki, Zela Willowby from SVU, Sharlene Driver, Redman from Special Victims Unit, Norman and Marlboro from Missing Persons Unit, Fruicki form Illegals, Leroy Russ from St. Paul PSD, Waver, Yin, Undercover cop Rigby, Retd Detective Swanson, DI Lavina Smythe in London, Nelson Wythe, Nikki Olsen and Stan Tredway from Special Vics unit, Vince Yancy Identi-artist (Dating Lauren Etsy, a witness in Brotherhood in Death (#42), Mike Bennet, Franks, Nickson, Lilah Strong from Illegals (seeing Matt Fenster in Connections in Death (#48) who is a sponsor), McGreedy, Janburry, Delfino, Jacobson, Santiago (dating a chef in Random in Death (#58)), Manson from Special Vics Unit, Moynahan, Reineke, Sisto, Melodie Reedway, Letterman, Mitchell Lowenbaum (SWAT Team), Renicki, Callender, Juju, Stipper, Marley, Crouch, Marion Burns, Brinkleman with 4-1, Darlymple, Cartwright, Zeno, Briscoll, Ute, Janson, Jules, Slader, Carmichael, Sherry in Illegals; Stinger and Nally from Fraud
- Officers – Hurley, Hernandez, Blicker, Casey from 1-5-3, Carte, Fenton, Rye, Rickie, Dubock, Marshall, Jonas, Kotter, Pinsky, Steppe, Urly, Getz, 9-1-1 operator Harris, Miller, Getz, Frist, Nadir, Mike Krasinsky, Ponce, Keller, Andrew, Markey, Rigby, Quirk, Trace, Zutter, Norton, Grogan, Gregg, Vols, Aaron, Marilynn Walsh, Karen Lorenzo, Zoey Russe, Minx, Sheridon Jacobs, Fericke, Tanker, Messing, Kinsey, Hannigan, Osgood, D-Officer Carter, D-Officer Bates, Rhodes, Willis, Morales, Kenesko, January “Jan” Shelby (Eve brings her to her division in Brotherhood in Death), O’Ryan, Cho, Stanski, Rhodes, Murray, Kenson, Ferris, Cardininni, Friendly, Turney, Franks, Riley, Bingly, Slovic, Carmichael, Milway, Uttica, Kobel, Guilder, Laney, Jonas, McKlinton, Oritz, Klink, Harris, Darnell, Powell, Newkirk, Carter, Miller, Frohickie, Clark, Rinsky, Briggs, Lopkre, Beth Ricky, Nalley, Queeks, Grimes, Ivansky, Bilkey, Bennington; Tomjohn Lewis from Maintenance; Media Liaisons – Lee Chang, Kyung Beaverton
- CSI team – Kurtz, Chief of CSI, Petrie
- Detective Sergeants – Joshua Coffman, Gonzales at 1-3-6; Forensic Anthropologists – Elsie Kendrick (one of lab assistant of DeWinter); Hazmat Team – Lead CI Micheala Junta; Interpol Agents – Jonas, Inspector Abernathy, Working at Dochas – Natalie, Gracie, Desi, Moira, Jenkinson (becomes DS in Payback In Death)
- Close friends and family of Eve and her husband Roarke: Lawrence Charles Summerset, Roarke’s valet and butler; Mavis Freestone, Eve’s friend and her husband Leonardo (Fashion designer), daughter Bella Eve (they marry in Born in Death (#23), turns one in Apprentice in Death (#43), August Fuller nanny to Bella); Galahad, their cat; Detective Third Grade Delia Peabody, partner to Eve from Imitation in Death (#17) (has two brothers – Zeke and another one -?? and a sister; mother Phoebe and father Sam); Captain Ryan Feeney, Eve’s ex-partner and head of Electronics Detectives Division (EDD) and his wife Sheila; Dr. Charlotte “Charley” Mira, behavioral psychiatrist & her husband Dennis, Wiccan daughter Gillian with three kids (Lana, ???) and a husband, Callie and Bryce (???), son Anthony & his wife Deborah with a child Matthew James Mira; Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Li Morris; Nadine Furst, Channel 75’s reporter (dating Jake Kincade from Avenue A band since Apprentice in Death (#43, in love with him in Random in Death (#58)); Detective Ian McNab, from EDD, cohabbing with Peabody since Survivor in Death (#20), asked her to marry in Celebrity in Death (#34), has a cousin Sheila; Charles Monroe, retired LC and a sex therapist, and his wife Dr. Louise Anne Dimatto, doctor at the Canal Street Clinic, manages Dochas; Jamie Lingstrom from Ceremony in Death (#5) and Feeney’s God child; Trina, hair stylist; Dr. Garnet DeWinter, forensic anthropologist, her daughter Marinda, and their dog, Bones; Detective Troy Trueheart and his mother Pauline (becomes Detective and partner to Baxter in Devoted in Death); Detective David Baxter; APA Cher Reo
- Other characters frequently appear: Roarke’s family – dead father Patrick Michael Roarke, dead mother Siobahn Margaret Mary Brody, step-mother Meg; Eve’s family – dead father Richard Troy “Rick” and dead mother Stella; Siobhan’s family – father Colin Brody and mother Patricia Carney Brody or Alise Brody, son Eemon and his wife Reenie with a kid Cassie, brothers Edward “Ned” with wife Mary Katherine & four children (Connor,?,?,?) and Fergus married to Meghan, Sinead Lannigan and her husband Robbie with three children, puppy named Mac, eldest son Seamus (three kids – ?, ?, Sean), Connor married to Maggie (?, ?, kid Devin, kid Fiona, Uncle Paddy, Aunt Maureen, 7-weeks old Keenla, Cousin Aidan, Mary Kate, Kevin, Rory; Roarke’s staff – Caro and her daughter Reva Ewing, Yoshi Tokimoto in love with Reva, LaSalle, Ariel, Loreen, Marshall Podock – Roarke’s security; Wilson Buckley aka Crack, a street dealer and runs the Down and Dirty Club; Biff, a fabric expert; Dr. Engrave, leader in horticulture; Dr. Ambrose, at Midtown Rehabilitation Center; Dr. Ward, on the Olympus Resort; Spirit Quest owners – Isis Paige and Charles “Chas” Forte; Cassandra, a palmist; Kevin, an abused 6-yr child, along with his cat Dopey get adopted by Richard DeBlass and Elizabeth Barrister from Naked In Death (#1), his dog named Butch, they adopt Nixie Swisher in Survivor in Death (#20); Carmine, owner of Gametown; Ratso, a weasel; Rue McLean, manager at Purgatory; Milo Horndecker; Dr. Stiles, works for Allegany; Physician’s Assistant Spence; Moira O’Bannion, head crisis counsellor of Dochas; Dirk Hastings, an image artist / photographer; Brian Kelly, Roarke’s childhood friend; Quinton Post, a reporter; Sade Tully, receptionist at the law offices of Dave and Grant, mother in service as City Beat Sergeant in Trenton; Tandy Willowby and Aaron Applebee, have a son names Quentin Dallas Applebee; Juana Printz (in Thankless in Death, that Roarke helps out with a job); Working for Roarke: Derrick, an engineer; Charmaine Delacroix, Interior Designer; An Didean staff – Dr. Rochelle Pickering, child psychologist and head therapist (cohabbing with Crack as of Connections in Death (#48)), Carlo head chef; Tiko and his grandmother; Quilla Magnum, Nadine’s teen intern and reporter in training, student at An Didean)
- Off planet locations: Silas I; Silas Three; Taurus I – Alpha Colony; Taurus II; Taurus Three; Taurus Five; Refini; Arts Colony on Mars; Penal Station Omega; FreeStar One; Star 50; Stellar Five; Starlight Station; Eden Colony; Vegas II; Terra Colony; Olympus Resort, owned by Roarke, completed in Interlude in Death (#12.5); Regis III; Regis Six; NASA Two; Space Station Delta; Travis II; Attica Two; Station Utopia; Rembrandt Station; Alfa Six; Planet Disney; Optima II; Nexus Station; Rexal facility for Mental Defectives; Flora; Green One
- Roarke’s gifts to Eve can be seen here.
- Someone is stealing candy bars from Eve’s desk at Cop Central. Wonder who that is?
- Will Summerset and Eve call truce to their animosity and get at least form a sort of bond enough to reduce their bickering?
- Eve’s ongoing fight with Vending Machines continue. I don’t get why she has so much aversion to them and have no patience while they spew out benefits of the food of choice the user does. Same goes with her aversion to shopping. Never understood it. She also has a bit of aversion for being so rich and act as lady of the manor considering her husband Roarke is the richest off and on planet. She is embarrassed too to some extent.
- From Conspiracy in Death #8: Hans Vandervahen, one of the accused, is never caught at the end of the book.
- From Judgement in Death #11: Max Edward Ricker, Roarke’s archenemy, vows revenge against Roarke and Eve. He is mentioned in Divided in Death (#18). He makes an appearance in Promises in Death (#28)
- From Betrayal in Death #12:
- Dominick J. Naples and his son Dominick II escape at the end of the book.
- FBI Special Agent Karen Stowe mentions that she owes Eve a favor on account Eve handing her collar to him.
- From Seduction in Death #13: Detective Matthew Renfrew from one-twenty-eight precinct has issues with Eve as she unravels of conspiracy and fraud at his station in Judgement in Death (#11).
- From Reunion in Death #14: As fun joke, Roarke names their fictional kids as Carlos Junior, Robbie, Anna and Alice. If ever they have kids, does Robb have them naming any one of these?
- From Imitation in Death #17: Eve muses about VR for pets and thinks Roarke might jump at that idea.
- From Remember When (#17.25): Will the Gannons (Max, Laine, Samantha) show up in any of the future books?
- From Divided in Death (#18): Eve and Roarke’s fathers knew each other when Eve was 8 and Roarke was perhaps 11 or 12 yrs old. In Portrait in Death (#16) it is revealed that Roarke was a whole year younger than what he was led to believe.
- From Survivor in Death (#20): Several political reasons hinder Eve’s promotion as a Captain per Whitney. However Eve is also not ready to ride a desk yet. She is offered captaincy in Thankless in Death (#37) which she rejects.
- From Origin in Death (#21): The fate of Avril Icove and her sisters, and Diana Rodriguez and her sisters is left open giving hope that they might surface again somewhere in the future.
- From Born in Death (#23): Summerset gives his dead wife’s ring to Leonardo to put in on Mavis when they get married in the hospital. Will they give it back and she gets her own ring?
- From Fantasy in Death (#30): In Portrait in Death (#16), Siobhan and Sinead’s mother was called Patricia Carney Brody, but in this book she is called Alise Brody. Which is it?
- From Indulgence in Death (#31)
- Eve and Peabody joke about tracking a Lion through midtown. Will there be a book on this in future?
- Will Officer Carmicheal and Detective Carmichael change their last names, in a future book, as mused by Eve.
- From Concealed in Death (#38): Nadine Furst writes a second book called”The Red Horse Legacy” based on the case on Delusion in Death (#35). She completes the book in Faithless in Death (#52). It is made into a sequel vid for The Icove Agenda in Encore in Death (#56) and is in pre-production.
- From Obsession in Death (#40):
- Roarke wonders that may be Lieutenant Eve Dallas needs an admin. Who would that be if ever Eve agrees to it?
- Roarke bought a village in Tuscany and mentioned that he and Eve should see the progress there next summer. Would we see a book in Tuscany soon?
- McNab mentions that Roarke’s company should produce Murdering Morph Dollies based on the game Morph Dollies. Will we see that in a future book?
- From Devoted in Death (# 41):
- FBI Agent Carl Zweck tells Eve that if she needs help in future, she got it. Will he resurface?
- Deputy Will Banner from Ozarks helps Eve in the case and is awarded and recognized at the end of the book. Will we seen him again in future?
- From Leverage in Death (#47): Peabody confirms that she and McNab are giving Roarke $10,000 for investing.
- From Connections in Death (#48):
- Detective Santiago thinks about starting a cop band, called, The Badge. Will it materialize?
- Summerset volunteers to take cooking classes at An Didean as of this book.
- From Vendetta in Death (#49):
- Mavis is pregnant again with second child, and want Eve and Dallas to stand-in like they did the first time around.
- Roarke offers to give a job to one of the victims, Rachel Fassley.
- Jake and his band mates volunteer at An Didean, youth facility that Roarke owns, with his time to teach the students there about singing and song writing.
- From Golden in Death (#50):
- Roarke is working on a colony in Mars, which Eve vehemently disagrees when he proposes that they take a holiday there.
- Roarke proposes for Eve to give a guest lecture at An Didean, and she will think about it.
- From Shadows in Death (#51)
- While during a soft-opening for An Didean, Roarke makes friends with Gregg “Gee” Harding who is a music genius. But he makes a deal with him, if he takes the courses, then the guitar that Roarke gives him comes for free.
- Roarke also proposes to Eve that they should visit the little resort in Cannes that Roarke owns.
- Will Roarke find the boy from his childhood who sang in Ireland?
- From Faithless in Death (#52): Nadine Furst plans to write her third book based on the case in this book.
- From Forgotten in Death (#53): We see that the mobster Mr. Bardov is set on selling his company Bardov Constructions to Roarke, but he has to make some changes according to what Roarke stipulates since he is going legal in his business.
- From Abandoned in Death (#54):
- Peabody thinks of going for a tattoo. We have to see what it will turn out in future books.
- Eve wants Roarke to buy the building that the bar is on where one of our suspect lives and works. She doesn’t like the suspect at all as she thinks he is bound to commit a crime soon. This is the first time she asked Roarke’s help.
- Quilla flirts with Jamie in this book when they both cross paths at Eve’s unit.
- From Payback in Death (#57):
- Eve promises Sean to do a tour of Cop Central when Sean and his family come to New York for Thanksgiving from Ireland.
- We see that Roarke has indeed bought the club that Eve asked him to, but in Eve’s name. And the owner of the bar, who also lives above, relocates to Jersey City and Eve mentions that may be Avenue A or Mavis can play at that club.
- Eve asks Roarke to invent something that takes one from one pace to other. Roarke mentioned to look into it.
- NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Law Enforcement:
Galavant Reflections 