For review of all books in the In Death series, go here for LiveJournal and for WordPress 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. Eve delves into the world of artists, art galleries and collectors in order to apprehend the killer in the end with an interesting finale that is more arresting to the reader. I don’t want to reveal it and want you to read it.
Framed in Death is the sixty first 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 September of 2025.
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. Eve and Roarke complete their three years of marriage in Payback in Death (#57)
We are in September of 2061 – a good 66 years ahead for when the series began in 1995 – and Lieutenant Eve is called on to a murder location which happens to be the building owned by gallery owners, and the killer kills a person emulating a famous painting. Now Eve has to figure out if the killer is after emulating one long dead artist or if he is a killer just emulating famous artists.
The case from Passions in Death (#59) is mentioned in this book, Peabody mentions about the painting Eve Albright had done that Eve was going to buy.
We also see the mention of Bonded in Death (#60) and the trip that Summerset does to Italy for his friend. There is mention of the killer, Conrad Potter, in this book.
The center of the plot revolves around artists, art collectors and art galleries, but Eve dedicatedly follows the rules and within the Law in finding the killer at the end. Not being recognized by the galleries and collectors, doesn’t give the killer right to kill people in the name of art. This particular case comes with a twist in the end.
It amazed me how Robb gets Eve navigate through the various steps, still keeping within the law, but in the end not only arrests the killer but the ones that aided the killer too. That was a surprise to me and wondered how they would navigate. Robb didn’t disappoint me.
That’s why she is an excellent story teller combining murder, mystery, romance and drama into a neat little package. She shows in-detail the police procedures that she makes her characters work thru it too. She engages the character very in-depth not leaving then superficial as many other writers.
With the interesting finale, Robb keeps the reader engaged till the last word in this case. Some redundancy in the interviews and phone calls is seen, but I feel that the case warranties it. And without the redundancy I don’t think Robb could have made Eve reach the conclusion. It would have been abrupt.
Now I eagerly wait for the next book in this series.
The plot-line and this 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.
Will Summerset and Eve call truce to their animosity and get at least form a sort of bond enough to reduce their bickering? We have to wait and see in future books. Eve’s ongoing fight with Vending Machines continues. 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.
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, a Mossad Liaison Officer for NCIS and later becomes an NCIS agent, played by Cote de Pablo, an Israeli by birth so 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. Or blondes being called “blondes”, redheads being called “redheads” but brown-haired person is called a “brunette”
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 2026. 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, 2026 was 31 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. Eve delves into the world of artists, art galleries and collectors in order to apprehend the killer in the end with an interesting finale that is more arresting to the reader. I don’t want to reveal it and want you to read it.
Spoiler Alerts:
- Plot Reveals:
- Roarke’s assistant Caro’s daughter Reva Ewing is expecting a child. In Divided in Death (#18), where Reva first appears, Yoshi Tokimoto was in love with her. Is she dating him and has a child with him? This book doesn’t elaborate on who her boyfriend is.
- Roarke buys a small castle in County Waterford. And decides to check with Eve when they go next to Ireland. Will there be a future book?
- Roarke and Eve decide to have a Barbecue with all friends once this case is solved.
- Futuristic technology and concepts for the time the book is set in (2058) which Robb imagined in 1995 and after:
- 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
- Lab Staff – Chief Tech Richard “Dickie” Berenski aka Dickhead, Harvo
- ME’s Office – Carver, Ty Clipper, Porter, Duluc, Foster, Marlie Drew
- Interplanetary Law Enforcement (ILE) – Darcia Angelo, Chief of Olympus Police (dating ex-Detective Don Webster from IAB as of Treachery in Death (#32), he turns his papers and goes off-planet with her in Payback in Death (#57))
- Frequently seen Detectives – Vince Yancy Identi-artist (Dating Lauren Etsy, a witness in Brotherhood in Death (#42), Lilah Strong from Illegals (seeing Matt Fenster in Connections in Death (#48) who is a sponsor), Santiago (dating a chef in Random in Death (#58)), Reineke, Mitchell Lowenbaum (SWAT Team), Renicki, Callender, Carmichael
- Frequently seen Officers – January “Jan” Shelby (Eve brings her to her division in Brotherhood in Death), Carmichael,
- Frequently seen Detective Sergeants – Jenkinson (becomes DS in Payback In Death (#57))
- Forensic Anthropologists – Elsie Kendrick (one of lab assistant of DeWinter);
- Interpol Agents – Inspector Abernathy
- 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), Bella 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) (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, 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), living together as of Bonded in Death (#60)); Detective Ian McNab, from EDD, cohabbing with Peabody since Survivor in Death (#20), asked her to marry in Celebrity in Death (#34); 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 Devotion in Death (#41)); 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, Natalie Hornesby; Wilson Buckley aka Crack, a street dealer and runs the Down and Dirty Club; Brian Kelly, Roarke’s childhood friend; An Didean staff – Dr. Rochelle Pickering, child psychologist and head therapist (cohabbing with Crack as of Connections in Death (#48)); Tiko and his grandmother (Quilla Magnum, Nadine’s teen intern and reporter in training, student at An Didean)
- 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?
- From Conspiracy in Death #8: Hans Vandervahen, one of the accused, is never caught at the end of the book.
- From Betrayal in Death #12: Dominick J. Naples and his son Dominick II escape at the end of the book
- 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 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 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?
- 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.
- 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. The Natural Order investigation.
- 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.
- 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.
- From Random in Death (#58):
- Eve names the bar as “Off Duty” that she requested Roarke to buy in Abandoned in Death (#54)
- We see in the same book that Quilla flirts with Jamie, and in this book we see that both are dating each other.
- From Passions in Death (#59):
- Roarke plans for Eve to open the bar he bought for her.
- Roarke closes a deal on a small resort in Australia.
- NYPSD (New York Police and Security Department) Law Enforcement:
Galavant Reflections 