Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Pros: nice background on Eve’s childhood, interesting investigation
Cons: other characters not too deep at this point in the series

Immortal In Death is the 3rd book in J.D. Robb’s In Death series. Like all of the books, it follows the life the Eve Dallas, in the Homicide division of the New York Police Department. Taking place in the mid-2000’s, the series brings a bit of a futuristic spin to homicide cases that Eve and her trusty coworkers fall into in each book.
In this case, the dead body belongs to a super model. Gorgeous, popular, she was seen fighting with another woman over a man. And that other woman just happens to be Eve’s bff Mavis. So when Pandora is found dead, naturally Mavis is the primary suspect. And as Eve follows the clues, more and more of which point in Mavis’s direction, Eve’s caught in a terrible position. Believing her friend to be innocent and proving it are two different things.
It’s only the third book in the series (of which there are currently close to 40) so it’s fair to say that there’s not the depth and breadth of the characters that appear in later novels. However, Roarke and Eve’s wedding takes place in this book, so it’s good to see how that all went, since Roarke and Eve are married throughout the rest of the books. Also, in this book, Eve first starts working with Peabody who ends up being her constant partner and companion. Mavis, Feeny, Dr. Mira and even Nadine appear. Although they are mere cutouts of characters compared to how well-defined they will end up being over the next 2 decades and 40 novels.

As far as the main murder investigation goes, this one is pretty interesting. It examines just how far a model will go in her quest for beauty and agelessness. In this case, Pandora went about as far as you can imagine it’s possible to go to secure her looks, her livelihood, and her vitality.
By the time all is said and done, there’s a pile of bodies and quite a complex story for Eve to work out, all while leading up to her and Roarke’s wedding.
And, Eve has started to remember her troubled childhood, a theme throughout the entire series.

Overall, Immortal In Death is an interesting addition to the series, although it’s not the strongest in the set. I’m reading the books in random order, but you should try to read them in order, if you can. While Robb does a good job of making them enjoyable in a stand-alone manner, of course, the arcs flow better in order.
Other books in the In Death series
Born In Death
Betrayal 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
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