Naked in Death by JD Robb

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I liked this as a mystery just as much as I liked it as a romance. Love a good mystery that keeps me guessing. I had my ideas about who the culprit was, and I was more or less right, although I had that kernel of doubt. I liked how this was a very well-plotted mystery. I think that it helped that the underlying aspects were so dark that I didn't think the story would go there.

Eve is a great protagonist. She's tough, intelligent, but vulnerable in some ways. She's a very good cop, and she goes after justice, and she's refreshingly down-to-earth. I can identify with the fact that she lets work take over her life, and I'm glad that Rourke is there to make that harder for her to do that.

Speaking of Rourke....He was nice...real nice. Of course, I'm understating the case. I like that he didn't let Eve's issues stand in the way of their relationship, but he wasn't out to change her or remake her into a more manageable woman for his life. What attracted him to her was what he continued to admire about her. I love a guy who isn't afraid of a strong woman. I like how he's very supportive and caring for her, and he can get tough with her emotionally when it's necessary. If he wasn't able to, he never would have made it past the titanium barriers she keeps up. He gave up off a good future husband vibe loud and clear. It cracked me up that every time they would look up information on a company, Rourke owned it. I think his net worth should be more than 3.8 billion, since he owns pretty much everything. He's like a Harlequin Presents hero, the billionaire businessman who is too hot to resist. Rourke's larger than life personality and his developing relationship with Eve made an appreciated counterbalance to the mystery involving horrible misogyny and violence against women. Even in the future, things didn't change that much. The same forces at work in the present world are involved, hiding their ugliness behind a squeaky clean facade.

I liked the futuristic elements. They were well-written and believable, but they weren't distracting to the mystery elements. Used very well to give me a good visual of the setting. And since I love noir mixed with most genres, the future noir in this book went over great for me.

I can't say I'm a big Nora Roberts fan, but I definitely like this series, and I want to read more of them. I won't commit to almost forty books/stories, just yet, but I think I can agree to the next several. :)



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