The first in the In Death series by J.D. Robb was first published in 1995 and the plot reads like it was taken out of our current headlines.  Set in 2058, the story is about Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a New York cop, who is gritty and hard and is fighting for justice for all it’s worth.  What is it worth?

An upscale prostitute Sharon DeBlass has been murdered in the 20^th century way.  With a handgun (they use lasers now) and with venomous intent.  Sharon isn’t just any prostitute; she is the granddaughter of Senator DeBlass who thinks he is as moral as they come.  But is he?

Roarke, wealthy entrepreneur extraordinaire, is smart and savvy and is a suspect in the case.  He has an eye for Eve who tries to go by the book, but can he get past her defenses and her past?

I have been meaning to read this series for years and got an opportunity to listen to the book on CD, read by Susan Ericksen.  Ms. Ericksen does a convincing job with each of the characters.  To me, the plot felt mainstream and I didn’t find anything new there, but then the book was written over a decade ago and may have been a new market to some.  The romance between Roarke and Eve was okay to bring depth to Eve’s character, but it wasn’t one of the better romances that I have read.  Let’s hope they get better in the later books of the series.  The story does contain violence and talks about rape, incest, and child abuse, so be prepared for that.

Overall I found the story to be fairly interesting, but not outstanding.  In fact, I guessed the murderer pretty early in the story.  If you like gritty police procedurals with suspense and romance mixed in, this one is for you.