The cleverly-named GOLDEN IN DEATH is J.D. Robb’s 50th In Death series book. Get it? 50th, aka the Golden Anniversary? I was greatly amused when I realized the cute little wordplay for the title. At 50 books in, the characters are well-defined, and there are no big changes in the realm of Eve Dallas and Roark. This series has become like a comfortable and broken-in pair of shoes. The sparkle has worn off, but you reach for them time and again because the well-worn treads are soothing and just what you expect. I was surprised to see this book clocks at 400 pages, as it reads like a shorter book.

Set about 30 years into the future, Eve Dallas is a stalwart and accomplished NYPD homicide detective. Her uber-billionaire Irish husband, Roarke, is a megabuisinessman who used to be a very successful thief, and now uses his well-honed criminal skills to help his wife investigate cases. I always enjoy Eve. She’s a great combination of prickly exterior and hard-nosed cop, with a slowly-revealed heart of gold. Her hard-won emotional availability has been teased out over the course of the series, and is one of the best things about Eve. I adore how supportive Eve is of her husband Roark, her partner Peabody, and others that Eve loves. Roark is equally fantastic- a man whom any spouse would be thrilled to call their own. He’s insanely competent in all the things in his purview, and competence porn is a very pleasing thing for me in stories.

In GOLDEN IN DEATH, murders are carried out by means of poison concealed inside of golden eggs, a clever conceit. The prime suspect is very quickly identified, and there’s not much mystery to the story. We don’t even get to see much of Eve’s usual posse of side characters other than her detective partner, Delia Peabody. I found myself missing both the usual cast of quirky friends and colleagues almost as much as I missed a robust mystery in this book. Even the continuing emotional maturation of Eve is pretty muted in book 50.

Robb’s 50th procedural, GOLDEN IN DEATH, has a shinier-sounding title than the story delivers. Other books in the series have been more robust and gripping, but I think Eve Dallas fans will be happy to see their heroine kick butt as usual and make New York City a safer place. Robb’s mystery does deliver consummate Eve Dallas tenacity and wit.