J.D. Robb Books in Order (Updated July 19, 2026)

J.D. Robb is the pen name Nora Roberts uses for the futuristic In Death crime series. The books follow New York homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas, her husband Roarke, and a steadily expanding group of detectives, forensic specialists, friends, and survivors.

Unlike many long-running detective series, In Death should not be treated as a collection of interchangeable cases. Each murder investigation is usually resolved within its own book, but Eve’s marriage, trauma recovery, friendships, promotions, and professional partnerships develop continuously.

The safest starting point is Naked in Death. Continue in publication order, placing the novellas where they originally appeared in the timeline.

The Answer Before the Full List

First book: Naked in Death

Latest published novel: Stolen in Death, Book 62

Next book: Fury in Death, Book 63, scheduled for September 8, 2026

Main continuity: One continuing futuristic police-procedural series

Can the novels stand alone? The murder cases often can, but the character arcs cannot.

Should the novellas be included? Yes when possible. They contain original Eve Dallas cases and personal developments, although the full-length novels remain understandable without every shorter story.

What Counts as an In Death Book?

The bibliography contains three types of entries:

1. Numbered novels: The main full-length cases, beginning with Naked in Death.
2. Novellas: Shorter original cases first published in multi-author anthologies.
3. Collections and split editions: Books such as Three in Death or Time of Death that repackage previously published novellas.

The collections do not create new stories. A reader who owns the original anthology or a later collected edition only needs one version of each novella.

Complete In Death Reading Order

The Beginning: Eve and Roarke

1. Naked in Death (1995)

Naked in Death (1995): Eve investigates the murder of a senator’s granddaughter in 2058 New York, while billionaire Roarke becomes both a suspect and the first person capable of breaking through her isolation.

This is the required starting point. It introduces Eve’s history, Roarke, Commander Whitney, Captain Feeney, reporter Nadine Furst, and the social conditions of the series’ near-future world.

2. Glory in Death (1995)

Glory in Death (1995): The murders of prominent professional women place Eve under intense media pressure while her developing relationship with Roarke forces her to confront what commitment means.

The case is new, but Eve and Roarke’s relationship continues directly from Naked in Death.

3. Immortal in Death (1996)

Immortal in Death (1996): A model’s murder draws Eve into the fashion and illegal-drug worlds while preparations for her wedding create a second kind of pressure.

This introduces several relationships that remain important throughout the series.

4. Rapture in Death (1996)

Rapture in Death (1996): A series of apparent suicides leads Eve toward technology capable of manipulating the mind, raising questions about consent, control, and manufactured despair.

Read it fourth because Eve and Roarke are now married and adjusting to their new life.

5. Ceremony in Death (1997)

Ceremony in Death (1997): Eve secretly investigates the death of a fellow officer and enters a case involving ritual, occult groups, and divided loyalties inside the police department.

The investigation places unusual strain on Eve’s trust in Feeney and the institution she serves.

6. Vengeance in Death (1997)

Vengeance in Death (1997): A killer stages elaborate murders connected to Roarke’s criminal past, forcing Eve to investigate the man she loves as carefully as anyone else.

This is one of the earliest books in which Roarke’s history becomes central to the case.

7. Holiday in Death (1998)

Holiday in Death (1998): A serial killer uses a dating service to select victims during the Christmas season, leaving Eve to balance a personal hatred of holiday rituals with an escalating investigation.

The book establishes recurring holiday traditions and further develops Eve’s friendships.

Midnight in Death (1998)

Midnight in Death (1998): An escaped killer Eve previously helped convict begins murdering the professionals responsible for his imprisonment during the final hours of the year.

This novella takes place immediately after Holiday in Death.

Placement: Read between Holiday in Death and Conspiracy in Death.

Original appearance: Silent Night

Eve’s Team Takes Shape

8. Conspiracy in Death (1999)

Conspiracy in Death (1999): The removal of victims’ organs leads Eve toward medical corruption, while an accusation against her threatens both her badge and her sense of identity.

This is a major career book and should not be skipped.

9. Loyalty in Death (1999)

Loyalty in Death (1999): Terrorist threats and a series of bombings force Eve to uncover a conspiracy rooted in political extremism and family legacy.

The investigation broadens the series beyond individual murder into large-scale public danger.

10. Witness in Death (2000)

Witness in Death (2000): An actor is killed onstage before a packed audience, giving Eve hundreds of witnesses but no simple explanation for who transformed performance into murder.

The theatrical setting creates a closed group of suspects while Eve’s personal circle continues to grow.

11. Judgment in Death (2000)

Judgment in Death (2000): The murder of a police officer in a club owned by Roarke draws Eve into corruption, organized crime, and conflict over how far Roarke should go to assist her.

The book tests the boundaries between Eve’s legal authority and Roarke’s less lawful methods.

12. Betrayal in Death (2001)

Betrayal in Death (2001): A professional assassin targets people connected to Roarke, while Eve discovers that the conspiracy may reach inside the police department.

This develops Roarke’s international history and Eve’s intolerance for betrayal within her own ranks.

Interlude in Death (2001)

Interlude in Death (2001): During an off-planet police conference, Eve becomes the target of a powerful commander whose hatred is tied to her father and to Feeney’s past.

This novella carries significant personal history despite its shorter length.

Placement: Read after Betrayal in Death and before Seduction in Death.

Original appearance: Out of This World

13. Seduction in Death (2001)

Seduction in Death (2001): Two men use online identities and designer drugs to lure women into fatal encounters, forcing Eve to track predators who treat murder as a competition.

The case explores anonymity and manipulation in the series’ technology-driven society.

14. Reunion in Death (2002)

Reunion in Death (2002): A convicted murderer Eve arrested early in her career is released and resumes killing, turning the case into a direct test of Eve’s past work.

The investigation also pushes Eve to revisit traumatic memories she has spent years suppressing.

15. Purity in Death (2002)

Purity in Death (2002): A vigilante group uses a computer virus to kill people it considers guilty, placing Eve between genuine victims, corrupt targets, and murderers claiming moral authority.

The book is especially important for the development of electronic detective Ian McNab and Officer Peabody.

16. Portrait in Death (2003)

Portrait in Death (2003): A killer photographs young victims at the moment of death while Roarke receives information that changes what he understands about his family.

The murder case stands alone, but Roarke’s personal discoveries have lasting consequences.

17. Imitation in Death (2003)

Imitation in Death (2003): A murderer copies the methods of notorious historical killers, leaving Eve to identify the person behind the borrowed identities.

The investigation becomes a contest between Eve and a killer who depends on theatrical references rather than an original signature.

Remember When (2003)

Remember When (2003): A present-day jewel-theft mystery written as Nora Roberts leads into Eve’s future investigation of the same missing fortune in the J.D. Robb section titled Big Jack.

Only the second half is an In Death story, but the first half establishes the crime and family history behind Eve’s case.

Placement: Read after Imitation in Death and before Divided in Death.

Continuity status: Included crossover novel

Marriage, Partnership, and the Expanding Squad

18. Divided in Death (2004)

Divided in Death (2004): Roarke’s security specialist Reva Ewing is framed for two murders, and evidence of government wrongdoing creates one of the deepest moral divisions between Eve and Roarke.

The case matters because their disagreement reaches beyond ordinary marital conflict.

19. Visions in Death (2004)

Visions in Death (2004): A psychic offers information about a serial killer attacking women, forcing the evidence-driven Eve to work with a source whose abilities she does not trust.

The book combines an urgent manhunt with important developments in Eve and Peabody’s partnership.

20. Survivor in Death (2005)

Survivor in Death (2005): A young girl survives the murder of her entire family, leaving Eve responsible for protecting the only witness while confronting memories of her own childhood.

The survivor becomes emotionally important to Eve and Roarke as well as central to the case.

21. Origin in Death (2005)

Origin in Death (2005): The deaths of prominent medical professionals expose a secret program built on genetic engineering, stolen identities, and human experimentation.

This is one of the series’ larger institutional conspiracies.

22. Memory in Death (2006)

Memory in Death (2006): A woman who abused Eve during childhood arrives in New York and is later murdered, making Eve both a source of information and a possible person of interest.

The case directly examines Eve’s history before she entered foster care and the police academy.

Haunted in Death (2006)

Haunted in Death (2006): A murder inside an abandoned nightclub draws Eve into local ghost stories, hidden rooms, and a crime buried beneath the building’s reputation.

The supernatural atmosphere does not change the series’ basic investigative logic.

Placement: Read after Memory in Death and before Born in Death.

Original appearance: Bump in the Night

23. Born in Death (2006)

Born in Death (2006): Eve investigates the murders of young accounting professionals while helping prepare for the birth of Mavis and Leonardo’s child.

This is a major personal milestone for Eve’s found family.

24. Innocent in Death (2007)

Innocent in Death (2007): The poisoning of a respected teacher produces a suspect with an apparently perfect reputation, while Roarke’s former lover creates tension inside his marriage.

The case and marriage storyline both depend on questions of appearance and concealed intent.

25. Creation in Death (2007)

Creation in Death (2007): A serial killer from Eve’s past returns and uses his victims as materials in carefully designed works of death.

The investigation revisits one of Eve and Feeney’s earlier failures.

Eternity in Death (2007)

Eternity in Death (2007): The murder of a young socialite leads Eve toward a group fascinated by vampires, immortality, and ritualized blood.

This is a novella, not a numbered full-length novel.

Placement: Read after Creation in Death and before Strangers in Death.

Original appearance: Dead of Night

26. Strangers in Death (2008)

Strangers in Death (2008): A wealthy businessman is found murdered in a compromising scene, and Eve suspects that the obvious sexual explanation was designed to conceal a colder plan.

The case turns on marriage, money, and people using strangers as disposable tools.

27. Salvation in Death (2008)

Salvation in Death (2008): A priest dies during Mass, forcing Eve to investigate the victim’s true identity and the crimes hidden beneath his religious role.

The novel asks whether a transformed life erases responsibility for earlier acts.

Ritual in Death (2008)

Ritual in Death (2008): Roarke discovers a blood-covered man outside a hotel room where a woman has been killed during an apparent occult ceremony.

Eve must determine whether the suspect is a murderer, a victim, or both.

Placement: Read after Salvation in Death and before Promises in Death.

Original appearance: Suite 606

28. Promises in Death (2009)

Promises in Death (2009): The murder of medical examiner Morris’s partner makes the case painfully personal for Eve’s entire team.

This is a major ensemble book because the victim belongs to the recurring professional and social circle.

29. Kindred in Death (2009)

Kindred in Death (2009): The daughter of a police captain is assaulted and murdered, making the investigation a direct obligation to one of Eve’s own.

The case is emotionally severe and emphasizes the solidarity of the department.

Missing in Death (2009)

Missing in Death (2009): A woman disappears from a ferry restroom where blood suggests murder, but the physical evidence does not fit the expected crime.

The compact mystery depends on timing, identity, and the limitations of an apparently sealed location.

Placement: Read after Kindred in Death and before Fantasy in Death.

Original appearance: The Lost

The Middle Years

30. Fantasy in Death (2010)

Fantasy in Death (2010): A video-game entrepreneur is found decapitated inside a locked room, forcing Eve to determine how virtual technology produced a physical death.

The case places game design and simulated combat at the center of a classic locked-room problem.

31. Indulgence in Death (2010)

Indulgence in Death (2010): A sequence of elaborate murders reveals killers treating ordinary people as pieces in a private contest.

Eve must identify the rule connecting crimes that initially appear unrelated.

Possession in Death (2010)

Possession in Death (2010): After trying to help a dying woman, Eve begins experiencing visions that direct her toward a missing child.

The novella briefly pushes Eve beyond her usual reliance on physical evidence.

Placement: Read after Indulgence in Death and before Treachery in Death.

Original appearance: The Other Side

32. Treachery in Death (2011)

Treachery in Death (2011): Peabody overhears officers discussing corruption and murder, leading Eve to build a secret case against people protected by badges and rank.

This is an important book for Peabody’s professional confidence and Eve’s leadership.

Chaos in Death (2011)

Chaos in Death (2011): A murderer resembling a grotesque fictional monster targets vulnerable victims, leaving Eve to uncover the science behind the transformation.

The story uses a Jekyll-and-Hyde framework without leaving the series’ technological world.

Placement: Read after Treachery in Death and before New York to Dallas.

Original appearance: The Unquiet

33. New York to Dallas (2011)

New York to Dallas (2011): Eve travels to Dallas when a violent criminal from her first major case escapes and abducts another victim, forcing her back into the city of her childhood trauma.

This is one of the most important personal novels in the series.

Do not use it as a starting point despite the self-contained pursuit.

34. Celebrity in Death (2012)

Celebrity in Death (2012): A film dramatizing one of Eve’s cases is disrupted when an actress is murdered during a cast celebration.

The investigation forces Eve and her colleagues to confront distorted screen versions of themselves.

35. Delusion in Death (2012)

Delusion in Death (2012): A crowded bar erupts into mass violence after patrons are exposed to a substance that creates fear, rage, and hallucinations.

Eve searches for the person using chemical terror as a weapon.

36. Calculated in Death (2013)

Calculated in Death (2013): The death of an accountant leads Eve through financial records, corporate theft, and motives hidden behind apparently ordinary numbers.

The case demonstrates how carefully planned white-collar crime can escalate into murder.

37. Thankless in Death (2013)

Thankless in Death (2013): A resentful man murders his parents and begins attacking everyone he believes has denied him the life he deserves.

The investigation becomes a race to predict the next grievance on the killer’s list.

Taken in Death (2013)

Taken in Death (2013): The abduction of twins leads Eve into a case modeled on a dark fairy tale, with a captor using children to recreate a private fantasy.

This novella is more emotionally significant than its length suggests.

Placement: Read after Thankless in Death and before Concealed in Death.

Original appearance: Mirror, Mirror

38. Concealed in Death (2014)

Concealed in Death (2014): Roarke discovers the remains of several girls hidden inside a building he has purchased, giving Eve a cold case involving forgotten children and institutional failure.

The investigation examines crimes committed years earlier rather than a current killing spree.

39. Festive in Death (2014)

Festive in Death (2014): A personal trainer with a history of exploiting women is murdered during the holiday season, leaving Eve with numerous suspects who had reason to hate him.

The book balances the case with the series’ increasingly elaborate Christmas traditions.

Wonderment in Death (2015)

Wonderment in Death (2015): A young woman apparently kills her brother and herself after returning from a sinister therapeutic retreat, drawing Eve into a case shaped by coercion and Alice in Wonderland imagery.

The story deals with psychological control rather than supernatural influence.

Placement: Read after Festive in Death and before Obsession in Death.

Original appearance: Down the Rabbit Hole

40. Obsession in Death (2015)

Obsession in Death (2015): A killer claiming to be Eve’s greatest admirer murders people judged to have offended or obstructed her.

The investigation forces Eve to recognize how public attention can turn admiration into possession.

41. Devoted in Death (2015)

Devoted in Death (2015): A murderous couple crosses the country kidnapping and torturing victims, interpreting their shared violence as proof of love.

Eve joins a multistate hunt after the pair reaches New York.

42. Brotherhood in Death (2016)

Brotherhood in Death (2016): Dennis Mira is attacked after confronting his cousin, and the missing man’s past leads Eve toward crimes concealed by privilege and institutional loyalty.

The case is especially personal because of Eve’s close relationship with the Mira family.

43. Apprentice in Death (2016)

Apprentice in Death (2016): A sniper kills from a distance across New York, and evidence suggests that an experienced murderer is training a younger partner.

Eve must identify both the teacher and the apprentice before the attacks escalate.

The Later Cases

44. Echoes in Death (2017)

Echoes in Death (2017): Eve and Roarke find an injured woman after a home invasion, revealing a predator who terrorizes couples inside their own homes.

The case examines repetition, performance, and the lasting impact of surviving an attack.

45. Secrets in Death (2017)

Secrets in Death (2017): A professional gossip who sold private information is murdered in a club, leaving Eve with a suspect list built from everyone whose secrets the victim controlled.

The mystery turns on the value and danger of personal information.

46. Dark in Death (2018)

Dark in Death (2018): A murder committed inside a cinema copies a scene from a crime novel, and further deaths suggest that the killer is working through a writer’s catalogue.

Eve must read the fictional pattern without allowing it to dictate the investigation.

47. Leverage in Death (2018)

Leverage in Death (2018): A man is forced to carry out a suicide bombing after criminals take his family hostage, creating a case built on coercion rather than ideological terrorism.

The investigation follows money, corporate ambition, and the use of innocent people as leverage.

48. Connections in Death (2019)

Connections in Death (2019): The apparent overdose of a young man trying to rebuild his life leads Eve into gang violence and a network of people profiting from addiction and fear.

The case begins through one of Roarke’s rehabilitation projects.

49. Vendetta in Death (2019)

Vendetta in Death (2019): A killer calling herself Lady Justice tortures and murders men accused of abusing women, forcing Eve to separate legitimate anger from calculated execution.

The book confronts vigilantism without excusing the original abusers.

50. Golden in Death (2020)

Golden in Death (2020): A harmless-looking package releases a lethal toxin, beginning a series of murders driven by old resentment and biological weapons.

This is the fiftieth numbered novel.

51. Shadows in Death (2020)

Shadows in Death (2020): A murder in a public park exposes a killer connected to Roarke’s youth in Dublin and to the criminal world he believed he had left behind.

The investigation places Roarke’s past and international contacts at the center of the story.

52. Faithless in Death (2021)

Faithless in Death (2021): The murder of a sculptor leads Eve toward a wealthy religious organization using coercion, prejudice, and financial control to protect itself.

The case widens from one death into a system of exploitation.

53. Forgotten in Death (2021)

Forgotten in Death (2021): Two bodies found at separate construction sites connect a recent murder with the remains of a woman whose death was ignored decades earlier.

Eve must give both victims equal weight despite the distance between their lives and deaths.

54. Abandoned in Death (2022)

Abandoned in Death (2022): Women are abducted, transformed to resemble figures from the killer’s past, and left with signs identifying them as abandoned.

The murderer’s childhood history becomes the key to predicting the next target.

55. Desperation in Death (2022)

Desperation in Death (2022): The death of a teenage girl exposes a trafficking operation that imprisons young women inside an elite training academy.

Eve’s team works to find the surviving captives before the organization can move or kill them.

56. Encore in Death (2023)

Encore in Death (2023): A celebrated actor dies from poisoned champagne intended for someone else, leaving Eve to investigate a theatrical community skilled at performance and deception.

The case asks whether the wrong person died or whether the apparent mistake was part of the design.

57. Payback in Death (2023)

Payback in Death (2023): A retired police officer’s apparent suicide is exposed as murder, leading Eve through the enemies and unresolved cases accumulated during his career.

The investigation becomes a review of the price paid for decades in law enforcement.

58. Random in Death (2024)

Random in Death (2024): A killer attacks young people in crowded public places with no apparent personal connection, leaving Eve to find a pattern hidden beneath deliberate randomness.

The case turns ordinary social spaces into uncertain hunting grounds.

59. Passions in Death (2024)

Passions in Death (2024): A bride-to-be is murdered during a pre-wedding celebration in the same venue where Eve once survived an attack, connecting a new investigation with painful personal memory.

The victim’s relationships reveal jealousy and obsession beneath a planned celebration.

60. Bonded in Death (2025)

Bonded in Death (2025): The murder of a man traveling under an assumed identity draws Eve and Roarke into secrets formed during the Urban Wars and the loyalties of people who survived them together.

The case connects present violence to wartime bonds and betrayals.

61. Framed in Death (2025)

Framed in Death (2025): A killer arranges victims as recreations of famous artworks, forcing Eve to decode the aesthetic plan before another person is transformed into a murder scene.

The investigation contrasts the killer’s claims of artistic purpose with the reality of human loss.

62. Stolen in Death (2026)

Stolen in Death (2026): A violent death and the discovery of a vault filled with stolen treasures force Eve to solve both a current murder and crimes hidden in the objects’ histories.

Published on February 3, 2026, this is the latest available novel as of July 19, 2026.

63. Fury in Death (2026)

Fury in Death (2026): The brutal killing of a biotechnology executive leads Eve toward unnatural strength, concealed financial activity, and a company profiting from secrets surrounding extreme human rage.

The novel is scheduled for September 8, 2026.

Status: Forthcoming as of July 19, 2026

The Novellas in Exact Placement Order

Readers who already own the numbered novels can use this insertion list:

1. Midnight in Death (1998): An escaped killer targets the people responsible for his conviction; read after Holiday in Death.
2. Interlude in Death (2001): An off-planet murder investigation brings Eve into conflict with a commander tied to her father; read after Betrayal in Death.
3. Big Jack (2003): Eve investigates the future consequences of a stolen-jewel case begun in the Nora Roberts half of Remember When; read after Imitation in Death.
4. Haunted in Death (2006): A nightclub murder is hidden beneath ghost stories and the building’s past; read after Memory in Death.
5. Eternity in Death (2007): A socialite’s death leads into a subculture obsessed with vampires and immortality; read after Creation in Death.
6. Ritual in Death (2008): A blood-soaked hotel room presents Eve with a suspect who may have been manipulated; read after Salvation in Death.
7. Missing in Death (2009): A ferry passenger vanishes from an apparently contained space; read after Kindred in Death.
8. Possession in Death (2010): A dying woman’s final contact gives Eve visions connected to a missing child; read after Indulgence in Death.
9. Chaos in Death (2011): A physically transformed murderer creates a case resembling a scientific Jekyll-and-Hyde experiment; read after Treachery in Death.
10. Taken in Death (2013): Kidnapped twins become part of a captor’s dark fairy-tale fantasy; read after Thankless in Death.
11. Wonderment in Death (2015): A suspicious murder-suicide leads Eve toward a controlling therapist and an Alice in Wonderland pattern; read after Festive in Death.

The novellas are Included for a complete reading experience but Optional for readers following only the numbered novels.

Where to Find the In Death Novellas

The shorter stories first appeared in multi-author anthologies:

• Silent Night: Contains Midnight in Death.
• Out of This World: Contains Interlude in Death.
• Remember When: Contains the future-set story later issued as Big Jack.
• Bump in the Night: Contains Haunted in Death.
• Dead of Night: Contains Eternity in Death.
• Suite 606: Contains Ritual in Death.
• The Lost: Contains Missing in Death.
• The Other Side: Contains Possession in Death.
• The Unquiet: Contains Chaos in Death.
• Mirror, Mirror: Contains Taken in Death.
• Down the Rabbit Hole: Contains Wonderment in Death.

Only the J.D. Robb contribution belongs to the In Death continuity. The other stories in those anthologies are written by different authors and are not required.

Collections That Do Not Add New Stories

Several books collect material already available elsewhere.

Three in Death

Three in Death: Collects Interlude in Death, Midnight in Death, and Haunted in Death.

Readers who own those novellas in their original anthologies do not need this collection for new content.

Time of Death

Time of Death: Collects Eternity in Death, Ritual in Death, and Missing in Death.

It is a convenient reading edition, not an additional installment.

The First Cases

In Death: The First Cases: Collects Naked in Death, Glory in Death, and Immortal in Death.

It preserves the original order and contains no fourth case.

Big Jack as a Separate Edition

Big Jack: Reprints the J.D. Robb half of Remember When without the earlier Nora Roberts section.

Reading the complete Remember When provides more historical context, but readers only interested in Eve’s investigation can use the separate edition.

Publication Order and Chronological Order

The official fictional timeline follows the same essential sequence as publication order.

The story begins in February 2058 with Naked in Death. The early novels move through 2058 and 2059, while later installments continue the same compressed future chronology.

There is no alternate prequel series to place before Naked in Death. Flashbacks to Eve’s childhood, Roarke’s youth, the Urban Wars, and earlier police cases are revealed when they become relevant.

Rearranging the books around those past events would damage the intended sequence of discovery.

Why Publication Order Matters

The homicide case in each novel usually reaches a conclusion, but the personal continuity never resets.

Across the series, readers follow:

• Eve’s gradual recovery from childhood abuse
• Eve and Roarke’s courtship, marriage, and conflicts
• Peabody’s development from aide to detective
• McNab and Peabody’s relationship
• Mavis, Leonardo, and their growing family
• Feeney’s role as Eve’s mentor
• Mira’s importance to Eve’s emotional recovery
• Morris’s personal and professional changes
• recurring police, media, medical, and criminal contacts

A late book may summarize enough background to make the murder understandable. It cannot reproduce the emotional impact of watching these relationships form.

Can You Start Later in the Series?

Technically, yes. Each full-length book explains its immediate case and identifies the main recurring characters.

The cost is cumulative context. Starting with Book 40 or Book 60 means encountering marriages, promotions, friendships, losses, and reconciliations after they have already happened.

Readers testing the series without committing to more than sixty books have three practical options:

Start with Naked in Death

Naked in Death (1995): Eve investigates a politically sensitive murder while Roarke enters her life as both suspect and future partner.

This is the only starting point that preserves every major reveal.

Try a Strong Early Case

Conspiracy in Death (1999): Eve investigates medical murders while fighting an attack on her career.

This demonstrates the police procedural, ensemble cast, and personal stakes, but it reveals the state of Eve and Roarke’s marriage.

Sample a Later Locked-Case Novel

Fantasy in Death (2010): A game designer is killed in a secured room through technology that appears incapable of producing a physical murder.

This offers a representative futuristic mystery, although the recurring cast is already firmly established.

For a complete read, return to Naked in Death afterward.

Milestone Books Without Plot Spoilers

Readers sometimes want to know where the larger character developments occur without learning the details.

• Naked in Death: Eve meets Roarke.
• Immortal in Death: Wedding-period developments reshape Eve’s personal life.
• Conspiracy in Death: Eve’s identity as a police officer is placed at risk.
• Born in Death: A major event changes the lives of Eve’s closest friends.
• Promises in Death: The squad faces a deeply personal loss.
• New York to Dallas: Eve confronts the city and memories connected to her childhood.
• Treachery in Death: Peabody plays a crucial role in exposing police corruption.
• Brotherhood in Death: The Mira family becomes central to a disturbing investigation.
• Shadows in Death: Roarke’s earlier criminal world returns directly.
• Bonded in Death: The consequences of the Urban Wars become central to the present case.

These are not substitute entry points. They are markers inside one continuous character story.

J.D. Robb and Nora Roberts

J.D. Robb is Nora Roberts.

The Robb name identifies the In Death books and their futuristic crime setting. Nora Roberts’s other romantic suspense, contemporary romance, fantasy, and family-series novels occupy separate continuities.

Readers do not need to read the Nora Roberts bibliography before Naked in Death.

The exception is Remember When, which was designed as a two-era collaboration between Roberts’s contemporary voice and Robb’s future detective world.

Remember When Explained

Remember When contains two connected stories about the same stolen diamonds.

Part One: Nora Roberts

Remember When, Part One: A contemporary woman becomes involved with an insurance investigator while searching for a fortune linked to her family’s criminal history.

Part Two: J.D. Robb

Big Jack: Decades later, Eve investigates murders connected to the remaining stolen diamonds and to the descendants of the original characters.

The full book is best read between Imitation in Death and Divided in Death.

It is not a separate Nora Roberts series that must be completed before starting In Death.

Latest J.D. Robb Book

The latest published J.D. Robb novel is Stolen in Death.

Stolen in Death (2026): A present-day killing exposes a hidden collection of stolen objects, requiring Eve to reconstruct the crimes attached to both the victim and the treasure.

It was published on February 3, 2026 and is Book 62.

Next J.D. Robb Book

The next book is Fury in Death.

Fury in Death (2026): The savage death of a biotechnology executive points Eve toward unexplained physical power, hidden money, and corporate experimentation fueled by profit.

It is scheduled for September 8, 2026 and is Book 63.

No later J.D. Robb novel had been officially confirmed with a final title and publication date as of July 19, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many J.D. Robb In Death novels are there?

There are 62 published numbered novels as of July 19, 2026.

Fury in Death is the announced 63rd novel and is scheduled for September 8, 2026.

The total becomes larger when the original novellas are included. Collections should not be added again because they reprint existing material.

What is the first J.D. Robb book?

Naked in Death (1995): Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a senator’s granddaughter and meets Roarke, a wealthy suspect who becomes central to her life.

It is both the first publication and the beginning of the fictional chronology.

Is J.D. Robb the same person as Nora Roberts?

Yes. J.D. Robb is Nora Roberts’s pen name for the In Death series.

The separate names help distinguish futuristic police procedurals from Roberts’s other romance and suspense novels.

Do the In Death books have to be read in order?

Yes, publication order is strongly recommended.

The murder cases usually conclude, but the emotional, marital, family, and professional storylines continue from one book to the next.

Is Eve Dallas in every book?

Eve is the principal investigator throughout the numbered series and the original novellas.

Other characters sometimes receive more prominent roles, but the series remains centered on Eve’s cases and personal development.

When is the In Death series set?

The story begins in 2058 in a futuristic New York City.

Later books move forward through the same continuing timeline rather than jumping decades between installments.

Is Naked in Death a romance or a mystery?

It is both a futuristic murder mystery and the beginning of Eve and Roarke’s relationship.

As the series continues, the established marriage becomes part of the ongoing character continuity while each book introduces another crime.

Can I skip the novellas?

Yes. The numbered novels remain understandable without them.

The novellas provide additional cases, holiday events, personal moments, and occasional developments involving the recurring cast. Include them for the fullest reading experience.

Is Midnight in Death a full novel?

No.

Midnight in Death (1998): An escaped murderer targets the judge, prosecutor, doctor, and police officer connected to his conviction.

It is a novella placed after Holiday in Death.

Where does Big Jack go?

Read Big Jack after Imitation in Death and before Divided in Death.

It is the J.D. Robb portion of Remember When and continues a jewel-theft story begun decades earlier in the Nora Roberts section.

Is Remember When required?

It is recommended but not essential to every later case.

The book provides an original Eve Dallas investigation and belongs to the official continuity. Readers skipping it will miss that case but can still follow Divided in Death.

What is Three in Death?

Three in Death is a collection of three previously published novellas:

1. Interlude in Death
2. Midnight in Death
3. Haunted in Death

It contains no new fourth story.

What is Time of Death?

Time of Death collects:

1. Eternity in Death
2. Ritual in Death
3. Missing in Death

It is a reprint collection rather than a new numbered installment.

Is New York to Dallas a good starting point?

No.

New York to Dallas (2011): Eve pursues an escaped criminal into the city where her childhood trauma occurred.

The case can be understood, but its emotional force depends heavily on the previous thirty-two novels and several novellas.

Is the In Death series complete?

No. The series remains active.

Stolen in Death was published in February 2026, and Fury in Death is scheduled for September 8, 2026.

What book comes after Stolen in Death?

Fury in Death (2026): Eve investigates the extraordinarily violent murder of a biotechnology executive and the secrets surrounding his employer.

It is Book 63.

What is the best In Death book to start with?

Naked in Death is the decisive recommendation.

It introduces the world before Eve’s major relationships and friendships have formed. Every alternative starting point reveals later changes to her life.

Final Reading Recommendation

Read the numbered novels from Naked in Death through Stolen in Death, inserting each novella at its publication-era position. Continue with Fury in Death when it is released.

Do not separate the books into independent police cases or move the most popular titles to the front. The mysteries provide the immediate plots, but the real continuity lies in Eve’s long recovery, her marriage to Roarke, and the team that gradually becomes her family.

The correct first book remains Naked in Death. The correct order is publication order.