Book Review: Naked in Death

I guess it will be up to me to write reviews about JD Robb/Nora Roberts since Falina does not read her books. I will use this first book in the series to represent all of them (around 20, I believe). These books are wonderful, and span at least three genres. There is romance, science fiction, and even the hard-core mystery readers will not be disappointed. One of the wonderful things about Nora Roberts is she never writes a scene that is unbelievable, and though these books are set around 2059, the only thing that really differs are the way crimes are committed and the technology advancement. What really makes the jump of 50 years barely noticeable is the depiction of society as gritty, corrupt, but oh-so-honest. People as a whole don't change (but an individual can), and that is the theme at the core of these books.

As for the characters - Eve Dallas is a hard-ass cop, but she's lovable and human in her own ways. She sees the world in black and white, with no room for shades of grey. She stands for the good and the moral. She's a orphan with a dark history, and her job is the only thing she lives for. Throughout the novels you see how actually having someone in her life changes her (for the better).

Roarke (just Roarke) is the richest, most successful businessman on and off planet, and he earned his first fortune in smuggling. He is a former bad-boy who cleans up into having a civilized veneer with a hard edge beneath. He is described as being beautiful, with a face a poet could only dream of, and a black Irish heritage. He has a sexy accent and the body of a god - which is perfectly toned through exercise instead of the popular body sculpting techniques. He loves to read physical books in an age where everything is electronic, and is a big fan of Yeats (or one of those poets). In short, he's ever girl's ideal man.

The only unfortunate thing is that after book 4(?) the main couple is married. There is relatively no UST, and though they still have hot sex, there is only so long I can remain interested in the same people having sex in the same ways. The good news is that they aren't without their problems, what with Eve and her moral fiber and Roarke and his lack thereof. Both of them also have immensely dark pasts, which only adds to their relationship.