JD Robb is the name Nora Roberts uses for her In Death … series. For me this series ticks two favourite genres: science fiction (they are set in the future) and crime (Eve Dallas is a homicide detective). Each novel is a stand-alone crime story, but the series also follows the ongoing story of Eve’s relationships with Roarke, the billionaire with a shady past who wins her heart, and a diverse cast of friends and colleagues.
Why do I love these books? Because JD Robb is a master at breathing life into her characters. I feel like I know Eve. I am slightly in love with Roarke. I adore Peabody, her side kick, and smile at her love-hate relationship with Roarke’s ever-present ‘butler’ Summerset. Through all of these relationships runs a deep vein of loyalty that is highly attractive. These people would die for one another. They regularly sacrifice their own needs and desires for one another. They encapsulate what it is to be part of a team, a family.
And Eve never takes any of this for granted. That too gives these novels a special quality. Coming from an abusive background, Eve has gathered around her a group of people that she can love and trust, and that she values enormously. There is a key message – to choose to trust rather than to hide behind a wall of hurt and pain takes enormous courage, but brings enormous rewards.
If you’ve never ventured into the world of Eve Dallas, I’d encourage you to do so.