The ''...in Death'' series of novels and novellas is written by
Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the ''in Death'' series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publication ...
under her
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
J. D. Robb. Set in a mid-21st-century
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, they feature NYPSD ("New York City Police and Security Department") lieutenant
Eve Dallas
The ''...in Death'' series of novels and novellas is written by Nora Roberts under her pseudonym J. D. Robb. Set in a mid-21st-century New York City, they feature NYPSD ("New York City Police and Security Department") lieutenant Eve Dallas and he ...
and her husband
Roarke. The stories also
regularly feature
other characters
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, including
Captain Ryan Feeney,
Detective Delia Peabody,
Detective Ian McNab and
Dr. Charlotte Mira.
First published in 1995, the series is ongoing as of 2021 with 50 novels and will continue as long as Roberts desires to write it. She has stated that the series will never contain one of Eve and Roarke's children,
as the series will end with Eve's eventual pregnancy.
Deaths
Below are all deaths – murder victims, murder investigations, and others – that occur in the span of the ''In Death'' books, including weapon, cause of death, and the perpetrator. This list does not include any attacks on persons that do not result in death.
Note: "stunner" and "laser" are both terms used interchangeably for the fictional weapons that the NYPSD carry in the ''In Death'' books; they release a strong electrical, laser-like stun that can do anything from incapacitating to killing the victim.
Bibliography
In Death series
Anthologies and collections
Major characters
Eve Dallas
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Eve was found in an alley in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
with severe injuries and evidence of extensive physical and sexual abuse. Her social worker named her and put Eve into a foster home. After reaching the
age of majority
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...
, Eve has a big desire to move to New York City, where she hopes to become a police officer. Throughout the series, her memories return, mostly through a series of nightmares, revealing a history of
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
ual
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
and the
patricide
Patricide is (i) the act of killing one's own father, or (ii) a person who kills their own father or stepfather. The word ''patricide'' derives from the Greek word ''pater'' (father) and the Latin suffix ''-cida'' (cutter or killer). Patricid ...
of her father,
Richard Troy.
Roarke
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
In his mid-thirties, Roarke is an immigrant from
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
; in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, he is the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of Roarke Industries. He owns an old mansion off Central Park that he remodeled to his specifications with very high-tech security. He convinces Eve to move in with him in ''
Glory in Death
This is the second book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, following '' Naked in Death'' and preceding ''Immortal in Death''.
Plot
Eve finds the body of famous Prosecuting Attorney Cicely Towers on the night of May 2. Eve returns to Cop Cen ...
'' and then proposes at the end of the book.
Captain Ryan Feeney
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Eve's former partner and the man who trained her. He no longer works
Homicide
Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
, but is instead the captain of the Electronics Detection Division (EDD). Feeney likes to dress a bit messily and loves his electronics. He is a dedicated cop and a good husband to his wife,
Sheila
Sheila (alternatively spelled Shelagh and Sheelagh) is a common feminine given name, derived from the Irish name ''Síle'', which is believed to be a Gaelic form of the Latin name Caelia, the feminine form of the Roman clan name Caelius, mean ...
. They have several children and grandchildren. He is often seen eating a bag of candied nuts, which he may offer to Eve when they are deep in conversation about a case.
Mavis Freestone
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Mavis is Eve's best and first real friend. The two met when Eve arrested her for being a
con artist
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have def ...
and they ended up becoming friends. Mavis is described as a tiny, pale woman who radically changes her appearance daily, sporting different lengths, styles, and colors of hair with often matching or contrasting eye color. She has an almost innocent personality which belies the very real street knowledge she possesses; she is also very loyal to Eve.
Lawrence Charles Summerset
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Lawrence is Roarke's most trusted friend, after Eve. He used to go by the name 'Basil Kolchek' back in Ireland in the 2030s.
Commander Jack Whitney
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Eve's police commander; her immediate superior. He is one of the few characters in the series, along with the Chief of the NYPSD, Tibble, who is identified as
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
. Eve respects him greatly. Whitney is a solid, excellent police officer, and for the most part is always on Eve's side. He has at least one daughter (a lawyer) with his wife,
Anna Whitney, and endures stoically the parties his wife loves throwing. Surprising Eve, he gets along very well with Roarke and the two have, on rare occasions, smoked and drunk together.
Nadine Furst
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Nadine is one of the intended victims of the murderer in ''
Glory in Death
This is the second book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, following '' Naked in Death'' and preceding ''Immortal in Death''.
Plot
Eve finds the body of famous Prosecuting Attorney Cicely Towers on the night of May 2. Eve returns to Cop Cen ...
'', but is saved by Eve, who is the primary investigator on the case. She is an ambitious but ethical reporter, who will always protect her source. Nadine is a sharp dresser, a fact Eve finds odd.
Dr. Charlotte Mira
* First Appearance: ''
Naked in Death
''Naked in Death'' (1995) is the first book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, preceding ''Glory in Death''. This book originally had a cover flat produced for it with the name "D. J. MacGregor", but was changed later.
Plot introduction
New Y ...
''
Mira is the resident
psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...
and profiler for the NYPSD. She has several children with her husband, Dennis, and has grandchildren as well. She is a pretty and feminine woman whom Eve often consults on her cases. Eve loves Charlotte very much but has not admitted it to her face; nevertheless, Charlotte knows. Charlotte thinks of Eve as a daughter, a fact which annoyed Mira's own daughter at one point, and throughout the series has gotten Eve to open up to her more and more.
Officer (Detective) Delia Peabody
* First Appearance: ''
Glory in Death
This is the second book of the In Death series by J. D. Robb, following '' Naked in Death'' and preceding ''Immortal in Death''.
Plot
Eve finds the body of famous Prosecuting Attorney Cicely Towers on the night of May 2. Eve returns to Cop Cen ...
''
* Temporary aide in ''
Glory'' and ''Immortal in Death''
* Permanent aide: from ''
Rapture in Death'' through to ''Imitation''
* Partner: Promotion to Detective, third grade in ''
Imitation in Death
Imitation (from Latin ''imitatio'', "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our culture. I ...
''
Although her first name is Delia, she is referred to by her surname 'Peabody' throughout the books, as is standard for other police officers. Peabody has a very close relationship with Eve. Peabody comes from a family of "Free-Agers", which is a fictional extension of the
New Age movement
New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consid ...
from the 1980s. Her family is peaceful and pacifistic, but Delia prefers exercising justice the police way. She is a responsible officer, but as the books continue, she becomes more confident in her cases and in teasing Eve, particularly about her sex life with McNab and her sexual fantasies.
Detective Ian McNab
* First Appearance: ''
Vengeance in Death
''Vengeance in Death'' (1997) is the 6th novel in the "...in Death" series written by J. D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts. The novel continues where the previous '' Ceremony in Death'' left off.
Plot introduction
Lt. Eve Dallas
The ''...in Death' ...
''
Of a Scottish background, Ian is a detective in Feeney's Electronics Detection Division. He is particularly good with computers, though not as good as Roarke. Ian is a flashy dresser who, in Eve's words, "prances" rather than walks. Feeney describes him as a known candy thief, and he has been caught at least once pilfering candy bars from Eve's office.
Detective David Baxter
* First Appearance: ''
Vengeance in Death
''Vengeance in Death'' (1997) is the 6th novel in the "...in Death" series written by J. D. Robb a.k.a. Nora Roberts. The novel continues where the previous '' Ceremony in Death'' left off.
Plot introduction
Lt. Eve Dallas
The ''...in Death' ...
''
Another detective from Homicide. Baxter enjoys teasing Eve about anything he can, usually relating to her relationship with Roarke and associated changes; despite this teasing Roarke views Baxter as a solid cop and easygoing person.
Chief Medical Examiner Li Morris
* First Appearance: ''
Rapture in Death''
Chief Medical Examiner Morris is the medical examiner Eve requests on all of her high-priority cases. He is mentioned as having 'oddly exotic almond-shaped eyes', and sports a small tattoo of the Grim Reaper on his left pectoral. He has a long black ponytail, which he often ties back with fasteners that match his clothes. He plays the saxophone and sometimes plays gigs at various clubs. He listens to music while performing autopsies and calls Eve his prize pupil for her quick-witted deductions.
Notes
Further reading
*Little, Denise, & Hayden, Laura, ''The Official Nora Roberts Companion'' (New York: Berkley, 2003).
*Ali, Kecia, ''Human in Death: Morality and Mortality in J. D. Robb's Novels'' (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017).
External links
J.D. RobbSeries listingat SciFan
*
Frequently asked questions about the series
{{Nora Roberts
Novels set in the 21st century
Book series introduced in 1995
Novel series
Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department