Framed in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

Framed in Death is the 61st installment in the In Death series. I’ve loved Nora Roberts (and her pen name, J.D. Robb) for well over half my life. I’ll read—and have read—pretty much anything that she writes. But there’s something about this series that is just so special to me. I’ve been following the adventures of Eve Dallas and Roarke, Peabody and the rest of the crew, since I was sixteen. Which was twenty years ago. Because Nora publishes two installments in the series per year, it feels like I have this bi-annual chance to catch up with a great group of friends. Some installments are more successful than others, but all of them provide me with that cozy feeling of sitting down to a meal with good friends I haven’t seen in months. That being said, Framed in Death is a very strong installment, one that had me glued to its pages late into the night.

Here we have a disgruntled rich boy who views himself as a master artist, who in truth has little talent to speak of. What he does have in a huge sense of entitlement and way too many resources at his disposal. These elements combine in twisted ways that express themselves in a string of murders, set up to replicate famous paintings of centuries past.

The dead fall under the care of Eve Dallas, one of the most famous murder cops in 2060s New York. She might be the wife of one of the wealthiest men on or off planet, but she is known for the quick mind and dogged determination that have landed so many murderers behind bars. Eve vows to give these unfortunate victims sacrificed on the altar of “art” that same justice.

I love books where art matters. Not the art world, but art itself. And Nora does really good art. I loved the deep dive this provided into art, from famed pieces that have endured for hundreds of years to up-and-coming artists, both those driven by their love for the work and those who are hungry for the fame they chase through it. Nora showcased art in beautiful ways while also underscoring the failings of the art world: the snobbery, the entitlement, the belief that those who create are of more value than those who consume.

And as always, it was lovely getting to spend a few days with my favorite murder cop and the family she has reluctantly built for herself. I love seeing Eve’s growth from the first book in the series to this 61st offering. She has bloomed in ways that she would have never expected. The connections she used to run from, she now purposely fosters. It’s beautiful how much she has softened over the course of the series, especially in her marriage and her friendships. That’s not to say that Eve isn’t still a force to be reckoned with. Because she absolutely is. But her relationships have developed in really beautiful ways. There has been so much healing in her life over the course of this series.

I loved Framed in Death from first page to last. It’s amazing that a series this long can still feel fresh and engaging after so many installments, but the world Nora has built in Eve and Roarke’s world seems to be evergreen. I don’t see myself ever tiring of these characters. I’ll continue to read every new In Death book for as long as Nora keeps writing them!

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

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