Golden in Death

Let's just take a minute to honor Nora Roberts for writing a 50-book (plus anthology short stories) series over 25 years. Holy crap, what an accomplishment. When [b:Naked in Death 479309 Naked in Death (In Death #1) J.D. Robb https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1333326143l/479309.SY75.jpg 1097497] was published my son was an infant; now he's in grad school. Over the course of the series, some have been better than others but they have never been anything less than engaging and addictive. Characters have come and gone, the identity of the Candy Thief remains unsolved, Peabody is still annoying Dallas with TMI details about her love life with McNabb, and Eve is still figuring out the Marriage Rules with her billionaire husband Roarke. She has mellowed quite a bit since the early days, able to openly tell Roarke how much he means to her and letting him take care of her without getting quite as prickly about it, but she is still Lt. Eve Dallas, ass-kicker extraordinaire and the woman who stands for the victims.I've read some reviews of this book that complain that it is nothing special considering it is #50. I think that's Nora's way of saying she's nowhere near wrapping up the series; she acknowledges the milestone with the title and then moves along with the story. Unlike #49, whose murder victim was a sleazeball who should have been in jail, the victims this time are beacons of humanity who dedicated their lives to helping others. This gives the case more of a traditional police procedural poignancy in which Dallas and team are trying to catch a real bad guy and bring justice to the grieving families. Along the lines they encounter some long-time favorite secondary characters who have been mostly MIA lately (Louise and Charles, Dr. Mira's adorable husband Dennis). If I didn't know better I would say Nora is writing a case to comfort those of us who suspect that justice and goodness no longer matter in our country and that the rich and powerful can do what they want with impunity. Nah, she's wouldn't hide a political message in a book, would she...?As always Dallas and company solve the case slowly but surely, putting the pieces together with the help of citizen consultant Roarke. Peabody continues to grow in confidence and skill as a detective, and some of the more recent additions to the cast (Electronics geek Callender and hair/fiber expert Harvo) get a chance to shine. Eve and Roarke have some lovely scenes together, and for a woman who doesn't care about fashion, Eve gains another awesome piece of clothing. All hail to Nora and Eve Dallas. Maybe I'll live long enough to write about In Death #100!

Well played. Dang, this was such a good one.