After spending much of the winter months in Empire Falls and, prior to that, with Valentine Michael Smith and his water brothers, I needed a moronic literary respite. I normally flee to series mysteries during these times and figured J.D. Robb's "in death" series would fit the bill nicely. Imagine my surprise to discover this first volume is not nearly as lunkheaded as I had banked on. Cliched, sure, and more than a little one dimensional in developing characters, it still had a few notable flashes of smarts. Best of all, Robb (which is to say Nora Roberts) is quite well versed in building and sustaining a bit of tension. The "sci-fi" angle, while mildly compelling because it's not terribly futuristic, seemed more than a little forced and amateurish (it doesn't feel as though Roberts has read more than one or two novels off the s/f shelf). Still, I'm there for book 2 (out of, what, like thirty?!? Christ, if prolific publishing were a crime, Roberts would be sent to the chair.)