Naked In Death by J.D. Robb

Pros: Great start to a great series
Cons: The Roarke character just isn’t my favorite
After reading 20+ books in the In Death series, I finally did it… I finally read book 1!  Yes, I know that seems odd, but I’ve been reading this series in random order for years now.  It’s really never been a problem, as J.D. Robb takes care to always make things clear to readers who might not have read previous books.  Still, it was neat to finally see how it all started!

For those unfamiliar, the In Death series follows Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the New York police department.  The series starts out in the late 2050’s.  Life in NY isn’t terribly different than it is today, although, of course, there are some new technologies that make life a bit more interesting.  And there are some off-planet colonies that add some extra fun to the stories.
In each book, Eve finds herself embroiled in some case or other, usually multiple homicides.  With the help of her husband, her co-workers, and a group of friends, the cases get solved.
Except in this book – Naked In Death – there’s no husband, few co-workers, and even fewer friends.  Even is really on her own as the book begins.

The case involves some dead hookers.  Except in the future, the legalization of prostitution means that they’re not called hookers anymore.  They’re “licensed companions” and the government controls the system.  In any case, some of them are turning up dead, and Eve has her hands full trying to figure out the who/how/why of it.
Along the way, she meets Roarke.  A suspect.  I won’t tell you if he’s the bad guy or not, because I wouldn’t want to spoil the book for you.  But if you’ve read any other books in the series or any of my reviews of books in the series, you’ll note that Roarke appears in all of them, and has a huge part in Eve’s life.  So it was nice for me to finally see how they met.
On the other hand, he tends to be a bit too overbearing (this is a theme with him in many of the books) and in this first book, it’s just too much, too soon.  He just met Eve, he should have taken it slower.

We also find out how Eve meets Gallahad (her cat) and why her relationship with Summerset is always so contentious.  Further, we learn the origins of “the button”, an item that is mentioned throughout the series.
As for the case, itself, it was pretty interesting.  A few twists along the way, and a decent outcome.  One thing that irked me was a mistake Eve made.  In future books, she’s pretty much infallible. She just doesn’t make mistakes such as the one she made in this book.  Perhaps this is done on purpose.  Maybe Eve simply has to grow and perfect her record along the way.
Still, in the end, this is a decent book, and a decent start to what will become a huge series for Robb.
Other books in the In Death series
Born In Death
Celebrity In Death
Ceremony In Death
Concealed In Death
Devoted In Death
Divided In Death
Festive In Death
Glory In Death
Haunted In Death
Immortal In Death
Indulgence In Death
Innocent In Death
Interlude In Death
Judgment In Death
Midnight In Death
Missing In Death
Naked In Death
Obsession In Death
Origin In Death
Rapture In Death
Reunion In Death
Salvation In Death
Strangers In Death
Survivor In Death
Treachery In Death
Vengeance In Death
Visions In Death