Naked in Death: Roarke is vintage Edward Cullen

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As I said in a previous post, I read this book when I was in high school. Early high school, so we're talking fourteen-fifteen years old. Before getting the Kindle version about two weeks ago, I had only the vaguest memory of what the plot was about, only that I'd stumbled into the first "love scene" in the middle of gym class and had to put the book away. Looking back on it, the chances that anyone would have read over my shoulder for the two-page sex scene were close to nil.

This novel's plot is pretty standard for a thriller: NYC Police Lt. Eve Dallas has to solve the murder of a high-class "Licensed Companion" (escort) who was murdered in her home. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, I'll just say that it was pretty obvious from the crime scene that the murderer did not approve of the victim's chosen profession. The "futuristic" angle is that the murder weapon was a firearm, and Eve Dallas lives in some alternate reality where the USA has banned guns.

Hilariously, guns were banned in the early 2020s in this book. It was published in 1995, suggesting that people may have thought that a gun ban in the US would be possible? Maybe? But honestly, who cares? There are "stunners" in this series that effectively function the same way as guns do. I guess writers may find guns scary, but few want to give them up as a plot device.

The mystery works well enough, though I figured out who the killer was in the first part. And not just because this is the second time I read this book. My working theory is that this series' greatest selling point is the characters and, for the most part, they were compelling. Eve is smart and resourceful, and she has a shroud of loneliness about her that helps me feel scared for her even though the villains are never truly scary. In fact, I was surprised by how vulnerable Even was in this book, and how terribly she craves company even though she pretends not to. For example, this is what she says about her home:

She’d chosen the apartment years before because it was in a heavy ground and air pattern, and she liked the noise and crowds.

Note: Air traffic = flying cars.

I suppose I could be going all over zealous-English teacher about a small line, but nothing in a book happens by accident. Eve is a woman who values independence, but she chooses a home near noisy traffic because she likes to be reminded of crowds. That could mean nothing for a real person, but she's not a real person. I believe that Robb was trying to say something with this detail.

Then there's Roarke. Full disclosure: I never found Roarke all that interesting. He's always been just alright to me, standard romance novel male lead of the most bland flavor. Wish-fulfillment, basically, though not necessarily bad. Who wouldn't dream of a billionaire swooping in a solving all their problems because he essentially owns half the world? While looking like some kind of male model?

Imagine my surprise when Roarke's initial interactions with Eve creeped me out as badly as Cullen watching Bella sleep. More, even. Roarke, while still a murder suspect, breaks into Eve's apartment. Also, he owns the building where she lives. Because he is so rich that Eve is warned that she'll need an army of judges and warrants to get through his lawyers if she wants to interview him (luckily, he thinks Eve is hot, so he agrees to talk to her).

But don't worry; Roarke stops short of breaking into Eve's bedroom because . . . I'll let the book speak for itself:

It was not so much respect for her privacy as it was the challenge she presented that provoked him to discover her from the woman alone rather than her surroundings.

First, that's a clunky sentence. Second, how polite of him.

It's possible that all the discussion about creepy romance novel heroes in the post-Twilight world has gotten to me. But I don't think so. This is a millionaire murder suspect who broke into the heroine's apartment (that he owns). If it'd happened to me, I'd have fled the building. Nay, the city.

I guess it's a good thing I'm not a cop.

Another aspect of the book I did not enjoy was the blatant author filibuster at the final act. I don't even necessarily disagree with all the politics Eve spouted; I just found it clunky and a little annoying. Who picks up a thriller expecting to be bashed over the head with political ideologies? Keep that stuff subliminal.

Still, the book was fun. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series, so it did the job from a commercial point of view.