This is the SIXTIETH book in J.D. Robb’s tales of near-future NYC. J.D. Robb is just a pen name for Nora Roberts, keeping this series separate from the other books Nora writes, at a pace around four books a year!
I read the first one in the late 90s-early aughts when my wife was trying it out. She didn’t read more than three or four of them, but I read them all and have been reading the two-a-year as they are released.
I really enjoy the plots set in the near-future world, starting in February 2058 with this latest book taking place in August 2061. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of murder and intrigue for only three-and-a-half years of book universe! But it’s a recognizable future from us, with off-world habitation and many interesting advances in robotics and medicine that are commonplace. The only thing I quibble with in this future is that it doesn’t seem to have Coca-Cola in it! (Main character Eve Dallas is a Pepsi fan as is the author.)
The series has grown from what I understand is basically “romance with light sex scenes” to the point that Roberts says she’s no longer writing romance, just novels with good plots and interesting characters to develop. The series noticeably has cut back on the sex scenes, without any loss to its popularity. With a kick-ass police lieutenant (Eve) and handsome multi-billionaire Roarke as the center, there is now a large cast of supporting characters that take turns getting a spotlight in the books.
I have also noticed in the last few books that the plots are getting a little more involved with their backstory/setup, and entail fewer and fewer actual deaths, showcasing the procedural work (and luck) that catches the bad guy before much happens.
The characters have grown from troubled to stable and content, if not even happy at times. Roberts has said that if the series ever ends, it might be with Eve and Roarke expecting a child. There aren’t many readers pushing for that!
This one took me a while to go through its eight episodes, which says something right away about it.
I am blessed with friends that read even more than I do, and when we get together (too infrequently!) I get recommendations for books that sound interesting; sometimes I just get how much they like the author. This book, and the entire series (called “The Murderbot Diaries”) was one of those. I jotted down the author’s name and there it sat for several years. This won lots of awards in 2018, and as a novella it certainly doesn’t take long to read. I really enjoyed the concept of another cyborg-like intelligence that transcends its programming and limits. Really, I’m a sucker for that kind of story. This was an entertaining setup and I’m looking forward to where the second book takes the Murderbot.