Published in 1995, Naked in Death offered a glimpse at the future. The year 2058 was over fifty years away, and the vision that Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, had for the future was fairly well done. It is a good blend of innovation and predictions based on what society was like then. Reading it now in 2025, when we are much closer to the year 2058, it’s a bit disconcerting to see how much she got right, and also what she got wrong.

Eve Dallas is a New York City detective who is known for solving cases that perplex others. She’s smarting over her most recent case, where she killed a man but was unable to protect the child he was abusing from being killed. The granddaughter of a Senator is found murdered, and Eve is assigned the high-profile case even though she should be taken off-duty for testing. Sharon DeBlass was a high-priced prostitute, something that has been legalized and regulated, even if it’s still looked down on as a profession. As Eve digs into Sharon’s background, one name keeps popping up: Roarke.

Roarke is a self-made billionaire with a shadowy past. When he and Eve meet, sparks fly. Eve knows she shouldn’t get involved with a murder suspect, but there’s a chemistry between them that neither of them can deny. When another prostitute is murdered in the same modus operandi as Sharon, Eve is afraid that a modern-day Jack-the-Ripper is on the loose.

I had to chuckle a bit about the imagery of a New York City dominated by flying cars. We’re no closer to that fantasy now than we were in 1995. There are other gadgets that are talked about, and a robot that cleans my house sounds perfect, in my opinion. But there are other things that are missing that we have at the present time. I just decided to approach it as if it’s an alternate timeline.

The mystery wasn’t too surprising. I figured out who it was early on. I mean, when you have a politician with a granddaughter who is a prostitute, even in an era where it’s legal, it doesn’t reflect well. That is especially the case when the Senator in question is trying to pass new morality laws. Much like the current era, where we are seeing the loudest noise about protecting children from people who engage in child pornography and don’t believe they will be found out, the Senator has a lot to hide and does so by preaching morality to everyone else.

I will say that Roberts is not the master of the slow burn when it comes to romance. Eve and Roarke are sleeping together, not even halfway into the book. Imagine the slow burn that could have been written about the two as Eve slowly lets down her guard to the man. There’s a lot in her background that she’s never dealt with, and Roarke presses her to reveal it to him. I don’t know if she wasn’t expecting a long series when she wrote this first book, but things could have been taken much slower and would have built up the romantic tension very well.

As it is, I could see why Eve and Roarke are attracted to each other. They are two loners in life who don’t have many attachments and have managed to become productive members of society despite that. Roarke is a billionaire, but not in the style of the oligarchs we have today. He wants to do good along the way as well as enrich himself. He’s also a decent human being, as shown in how he is willing to help his friends, which include not only Sharon DeBlass but her mother as well. Eve’s isolation has made her dedicated to her job, where she sees herself as a sort of avenging angel, wanting to solve the crime to give the victims closure and peace. It’s why she beats herself up so much for not being able to save the child in the previous case. She doesn’t feel bad about killing the man, but she’s riddled with guilt that she couldn’t save his daughter.

Narrated by Susan Eriksen, the audiobook was a nice listen. Eriksen gets the Irish lilt in Roarke’s voice without overdoing it. The voices are distinctive without turning into cartoon characters. She gives the characters a good amount of emotion, but doesn’t seem to be trying to force the listeners to feel a certain way about them. I enjoyed her narration more than a number of others I’ve listened to.

I’ll be continuing with the series, which is now up to 62 books. I like the character of Eve a lot, and her romance with Roarke, while rushed, feels genuine. Naked in Death is a good start to the series. I just wish the romantic involvement had played out slowly.

Next book in the series: