In Death series by JD Robb: I can't believe there are more than forty of these books

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I first read this book during my high school freshman year. Before picking it up today, I remembered little about it besides reaching a sex scene in gym class and being mortified that someone might be reading over my shoulder. To this day, I kind of wonder how the book made it to my school library. My theory is that another kid left the book there, and it somehow made its way into the catalog. I also remember that I became a huge fan of the series; a huge fan of Nora Roberts in general.

Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-six, I still hold Nora Roberts in high regard. I read so many of her books that I don't exactly stalk her publications any longer, but I still dream of someday achieving a tiny fraction of her success (nowhere close yet since I can't even write an ending). I need to start paying my student loans and wouldn't it be awesome if I could produce several bestsellers a year in any genre?

Throughout puberty and early college, I waited and saved for these books religiously. I still remember begging my mother to buy me a new hardcover (which went for something ridiculous like $32) the day it came out. I had to employ some emotional blackmail about the brandname shoes my brother had gotten the previous week. The book had a sleek blue cover. I don't remember the plot, just trying to read slower so it would "last" longer. Even then, I could read one of these in a day.

I'm not going to pretend that these books aren't formulaic. By now, I suspect Robb/Roberts has an . . . in Death template outlining where everything is supposed to happen; the first murder, the first argument between Eve and Roarke, the one party/outing with friends, the first of Eve's nightmares about the victims. Such repetitiveness might make some wrinkle their noses, but I see their value. And not just for Roberts as a writer, but for me as a reader. There's comfort in knowing I can pick up one of these books at any time and be entertained.

Besides, this series has solid characterization. The heroes are varied, sweet, and entertaining. By the time I got to the fifth book or so, I felt like they were my friends. Maybe that's why the series has been so successful. Who isn't willing to shell out some money a few times a year to reunite with some old friends?

Anyway, I picked up the first book in the series because the last few I read got some disgruntled reviews on Amazon questioning Roberts' commitment to these characters/this universe in general. Some are convinced that Roberts uses ghostwriters now (which I'm not necessarily against), and that Roberts is just publishing these for the money (which I'm also not necessarily against). Ghostwriter or not, disinterested author or not, what does it matter if I enjoyed myself as a reader?

Full disclosure: I personally enjoyed the latest books, but I read them in a whirlwind without paying much attention. Hence my decision to go all the way back to the beginning and analyze these books. Their quality might be in question, but their commercial success is not. What is it about these books that keeps people coming back?

I don't think it's the "sci fi elements", because this barely counts as futuristic. The first book was published in 1995, so the series has more of a retro feel. The murder mysteries themselves are not exactly riveting. The villains are often one-note. And as I admitted above, the books are incredibly repetitive. It must be the characters that are keeping the fanbase loyal.

Let's see if I change my mind as I re-read.