Ah yes, Immortal in Death, the third of the “In Death” series by J.D. Robb, in which yet another critical side character gets her turn to shine in the spotlight as Eve’s investigations must involve her. This time around it’s Mavis Freestone getting the plot love, when she winds up being the prime suspect in the murder of a top supermodel. Turns out her current boyfriend was going to work with said model, and there were heavy rumors of romantic entanglement–until Mavis came along!

The plot’s complicated by the rumblings about a new wonder drug that’s said to dramatically slow the effects of aging, a veritable fountain of youth. Not terribly surprisingly, the investigation into the murder and the investigation into the drug eventually dovetail, like they do in an “In Death” book. But Mavis brings an undeniable effervescence to the story, enough that you almost regret that she and Eve are already established friends as of Book 1. It would have been fun to actually see their meeting on camera.

I like as well that this is one of the “In Death” books that reminds you that this is a setting far enough in the future that space travel is in fact commonplace. The drug around which much of the plot hinges has offworld ties, and even though that’s a fairly offhand worldbuilding detail, it’s still nice to see for a skiffy fan like me.

All in all, a fun early episode in the series. Four stars.

Glory in Death is the second of the long-running “In Death” series, and it’s early enough still that it doesn’t quite have its feet under it yet. The relationship between principal characters Eve and Roarke, which for my money is way more interesting once their marriage is established, is only just getting to the point of marriage here; moreover, another long-running critical character, Peabody, is barely introduced as of this installment. (I’d totally forgotten, upon re-reading, that she didn’t show up until Book 2. And I freely admit I cheered when I got to her first appearance!) You can tell, too, that Peabody still isn’t entirely fleshed out as a character as of this story; mostly, her function in this plot is to be noteworthy because of her unusual observation skills, her ambition to get into Homicide, and the fact that she gets quite, quite drunk at Eve’s engagement party.

I’d also forgotten how early the critical character of Nadine is introduced in the setting, as well. Nadine’s right in the forefront with the string of murders this time around, especially when one takes place right outside her own station–and Eve can’t help but notice how a rival of Nadine’s is surprisingly quick on the scene as each successive murder occurs.

I’ve said before that the “In Death” books are formulaic, but certainly at this early point in the series, the formula is still quite fresh. If you’re re-reading them like me, it’s nice to go back and see the characters coming into play. If you’re a new reader, this second book in the series is still early enough and gritty enough to give a greater sense of presence and reality for this futuristic version of New York than what comes later. And it’s certainly an enjoyable way to spend one’s reading time. Four stars.