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Let me put it this way...when my order from amazon.com arrived, I tore into the box to get to my J.D. Robb books! I could not wait to hear more of the story on Eve, Roarke and the other zany characters that Robb cooked up for us.

In Immortal in Death, Robb offers us an in depth look at the value of beauty...and how far some will go to attain their looks. When Lietenant Eve Dallas investigates into the murder of a top fashion model, she finds herself walking a very fine line between justice and crime as she prepares to defend one of her closest friends. Eve must go by the book in order to protect and defend Mavis, her zany musician turned best friend in Immortal in Death. Can their friendship stand the heat? Can Eve find the evidence she needs to free Mavis? Or will the ultimate set up become the ultimate betrayal as Eve heads into the high priced world of wealth, power and...immortality.

If you have not read any of the J.D. Robb series, I seriously recommend starting with the first one, Naked in Death. However, Robb gives the reader enough background information in each book, that picking up any one in the series would still grab your attention, keep you on the edge of your seat and racing to the finish line.

Email me with questions on any of the RObb books! toniroger@hotmail.com

At the end of the previous book, "Glory in Death", Roarke proposed to Lieutenant Eve Dallas after they were both involved in a life-threatening situation with a dangerous killer. Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb, shocks us right from the start of this book, when we find that Eve accepted the marriage proposal! For those of you that have read the previous novels, this must come as much of a surprise as it was for me. Eve has always had trouble accepting the fact that she was in love, so it was almost unthinkable that she would be willing to share her life with the billionaire Roarke. However, this sets the tone for the things to come in this book, where we will find out several interesting facts from Eve and Roarke's past. These tidbits of information help us make sense of the attitudes we witnessed from several of the main characters in the past.

This time, the crimes Eve has to investigate are very close to home. Eve's best friend, Mavis, has convinced her to consult with designer Leonardo about her wedding dress. Mavis is in a relationship with the designer, and facing a very jealous ex-girlfriend, Pandora, who is literally fighting to get Leonardo back. One night, Mavis calls Eve in a frantic state from Leonardo's study and asks for help. She had found Pandora, the supermodel with which she had a big fight hours ago, lifeless on the study floor. Eve sets out to find out the culprit and clear her friend. In the meantime, one of Eve's informants turns up dead too, and the investigation leads to a new and deadly drug.

Robb has created a wonderful setting for her mysteries, New York in the year 2058, and has perfected the mix with some great characters, making this one hell of series. In this particular case, besides the "usual suspects", we are introduced to the character of detective Peabody, Eve's new partner after Feeney's promotion as captain of another division.

Even though I think there is a clear advantage of reading this series in order, and grasp the complexities and personal history of each character, the books stand well on their own. Moreover, J.D. Robb does a great job in describing the futuristic world efficiently through examples intertwined in the narration of the events, without making it boring for those of us who are already aware of what the "rules" are. Whether you try this book on its own or you start from the beginning of the series with "Naked in Death", I can guarantee that you will enjoy reading about Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her friends.

Liked the first two books in this series better than this third, but it is still a recommended read. My problem with this book was that the ending just kind of dropped off. Would have like a few more pages of happiness, maybe some details on the wedding, (what did Mavis wear???). Despite the sub-par rating of 4 out of 5, I still have trouble putting the books down. Roberts does a good job teasing us with the romance which is probably why after three books about the same couple, I'm still interested in their lives.

Basically, you either like this series or you don't. If you like it, you need to read each of the books in order to get the full appeal. Though this wasn't my favorite of the three I read, it was enjoyable.