Immortal in Death is the third in this best selling series, reissued in paperback by Piatkus. The ‘In Death’ series is set in the mid-twenty-first century and features Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a cop in the NYPD.
Immortal in Death opens with Eve panicking about getting a wedding dress for her very imminent marriage to Roarke, a handsome billionaire she met on an earlier case. Eve is a no-nonsense woman, no frills or frou-frous for her, and she isn’t reassured when her ‘alternative’ friend introduces her to her boyfriend Leonardo, an upcoming clothes designer. Nonetheless she submits and is in the process of being measured up in his studio when a woman bursts in and starts attacking first Leonardo and then Eve. Eve floors the woman who turns out to be Pandora, an influential model as well as Leonardo’s ex. Pandora then turns on Mavis until finally issuing an ultimatum. Either Leonardo goes back to her or she’ll ruin him financially. Early the next morning Eve is awoken by a desperate call from Mavis who’s been found at Leonardo’s apartment standing over Pandora’s dead body. Eve manages to be the lead on the case and puts all her effort into clearing Mavis’s name.
Eve is also investigating the death of one of her snitches and she discovers in his apartment a new and unidentifiable drug, traces of which are later found in Pandora’s body. Eve requests a uniformed officer, Peabody, to help her with both cases.
Immortal in Death is a fast and enjoyable read though I did slightly
prefer the two previous books, Naked and Glory which to me had more tension.
In this book we know Mavis didn’t do it and we know Eve will prevail. Though
there’s a small number of suspects I kept switching my mind over who killed
Pandora but another one of the ‘bad guys’ is quite obvious. There’s a bit less
graphic sex in this outing, where Robb reveals her romance fiction background
as Nora Roberts, and more character development. Important events in Roarke’s
and Eve’s pasts are revealed. I hope Eve’s sidekick, the straight laced Peabody
is featured in the next books as she’s a great foil to the casual Eve.
------
Karen Meek