We’re heading back to Glory in Death, and this time Tara is along for the ride!

There is A LOT happening in the second In Death book: we meet Peabody! We meet Crack! We meet Chief Tibble! We get more Nadine! Mavis meets Summerset! Eve tells Roarke she loves him! Roarke proposes! And somewhere in there, Eve is also supposed to solve a series of murders.

We start by trying to figure out the actual theme of this book. Is it strong, opinionated women pissing men off? Is it parents doing questionable things in an attempt to protect their children? Is it simply Eve and Roarke desperately needing to learn how to communicate? Honestly... it’s not not all three.

And speaking of Roarke: Tara has some feelings.

Roarke starts the book strong—quietly divesting himself of his illegal holdings because he knows they could eventually cause problems for Eve—and then somehow arrives at: “Here’s an enormous diamond. Commit to me immediately or we’re done.”

Sir.

We love you.

That is not how you handle this.

Of course, Eve isn’t exactly winning awards for healthy communication either, so we spend a good portion of this episode watching two emotionally damaged, stubborn people slowly figure out how relationships work. Fortunately, they eventually get there—with the Giant’s Tear, Eve’s replica apartment/office, an “I love you,” some office-floor makeup sex, and finally... a marriage proposal.

Meanwhile, there’s an actual murderer running around New York killing powerful women.

We talk about Eve and Nadine’s growing friendship, the introduction of Peabody and just how quickly she makes an impression, Crack trying to recruit Eve for the Down and Dirty, Mira opening up about her own childhood, Whitney struggling with his personal connection to the case, and Mavis immediately charming Summerset while helping Eve get spectacularly drunk.

Also: CJ Morse remains the absolute worst.

By the end, Nadine has been kidnapped, Eve has once again discovered that using herself as bait is a TERRIBLE PLAN, Roarke is fighting a murderer in a park, and somehow all of this ends with:

“Hey, while we’re here covered in blood and waiting for the medics... wanna get married?”

Romance!

We also ask one of the most important unanswered questions in Glory in Death:

When Eve, Roarke AND Chief Tibble suddenly leave the giant party at Roarke’s mansion... who the hell is hosting?

Our money is on Mavis and Summerset.

And frankly, we would attend that party.

Tara: Peabody — who makes an immediate impression, does excellent police work, finds crucial evidence and proves almost instantly that she is destined for much more than traffic duty.

AJ: Nadine — who helps Eve throughout the investigation, gets unwillingly drafted into the role of murder bait, survives CJ Morse, and, most importantly, never has to know that Eve seriously considered eating the fruit in her AutoChef.

We love you, Nadine. And Eve did not eat your fruit. That’s friendship.

What would YOUR Urban Wars code name be?

After Bonded in Death revealed the Urban Wars code names Fox, Hound, and Lightning, we knew there was only one responsible thing to do:

Give everybody else one.

But instead of simply sitting around trying to come up with clever names ourselves, AJ did the most AJ thing possible and built an entire Urban Wars Code Name Generator.

Tara knew what the general topic of the episode was.

She did not know what AJ had planned.

And thus began an hour-plus journey through the personalities, skills, quirks, strengths, weaknesses, and questionable life choices of our favorite In Death characters.

We run some of our favorite characters through the generator, choosing traits from categories like Leadership & Strategy, Personality & Vibe, Skills & Talents, Combat & Toughness, Team Role, and Weaknesses & Flaws.

Among those getting the Urban Wars treatment:

Roarke, Peabody, Mavis, Baxter, Trueheart, Mira, McNab, Jenkinson, Morris, Reo, Nadine, Jake, and, of course, Eve.

Some results are hilarious. Some are weirdly perfect. And some require us to hit DECLASSIFY again because...no.

Along the way, we discuss:

• Whether Roarke can actually be overconfident if he's good at everything

• Roarke vs. THE GRILL

• Peabody's storytelling and snack obsession

• Why Mavis is tiny but terrifying

• Trueheart's approximately six million forms of anxiety

• McNab's questionable stealth abilities

• Jenkinson's ties and general legend status

• Why Morris needs to GO ON VACATION

• Nadine's inability to leave a good story alone

• Eve's stubbornness, workaholism, and coffee addiction

• And why nobody somehow qualified for Villain Energy

Obviously, after assigning code names to the characters, AJ and Tara have to run themselves through the generator.

Tara gets called charismatic and doesn't know how to handle it.

AJ gets called a "weird genius" and is perfectly fine with that.

And somehow the generator produces results for both of us that are alarmingly accurate.

We're not spoiling ANY of the final code names here. You'll have to listen.

We welcome our newest Patreon supporter, Julie! Thank you!

Next up, we're talking about Nora Roberts' Glory, followed soon after by the release of Fury in Death. AJ has also posted links on InDeath.net to the Fury prologue/first chapter—including the audio excerpt.

Try the Find Your Urban Wars Code Name generator for yourself—or run your favorite In Death character through it—and tell us what you get.

And remember:

If you hate your code name...

Just hit Declassify again.

This week AJ and Tara dive headfirst into the wild, weird, and occasionally unhinged world of Goodreads reviews for the very first In Death novel. From "this book is liberal propaganda" to "Roarke is my new literary boyfriend," nothing—and no reviewer—is safe.

Tara bravely soldiers through the episode despite feeling under the weather, while AJ becomes increasingly fascinated (and occasionally horrified) by people who apparently hate romance...while reading romance.

• ⭐ The one-star reviews that made us question humanity.

• 📚 "Authors" reviewing Nora Roberts...and why AJ immediately checked their reviews.

• ☕ The greatest romantic gesture in the series? (Hint: It's coffee.)

• 💰 Why Roarke continues to ruin fictional men for everyone else.

• 😂 The many, many people confused that a police procedural contains...police procedures.

• 🐈 An unexpected debate over whether Galahad is "cat enough."

• 🎧 Yet another reminder that Susan Ericksen is an absolute audiobook legend.

• ❤️ Readers who started skeptical...and accidentally fell completely in love with the series.

"People need to stop reading stuff they don't like."

Simple. Elegant. Surprisingly difficult for Goodreads.

A huge thank you to everyone who's been sending messages and catching up on the back catalog!

Special thanks to:

• Monica, for letting us know we're still producing "pee your pants funny" episodes.

• Lisa, whose SpeakPipe suggestion inspired a future episode all about every time Eve and Roarke feed the squad (because apparently food is one of Roarke's love languages).

Tara has officially started Glory in Death, so Book Two is on the horizon...assuming AJ gets caught up.

No promises.

🎧 Join the conversation!

Visit InDeath.net, where Patreon members can log in using their Patreon account and automatically gain access to the patrons-only forum.

You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, or leave us a SpeakPipe message through PodcastInDeath.com.

Until next time...

Keep reading, keep laughing...and maybe stay away from the Goodreads one-star section. 😉

Thirty years after Naked in Death first hit shelves (and after 300+ podcast episodes), Podcast in Deaeth returns to the book that started it all. Is it everything we remembered? Does Roarke still sweep us off our feet? Did we discover new layers after reading the entire series?

But perhaps most importantly, we now believe there needs to be:

Justice for Sharon de Blass!!

• 📖 Going back to Naked in Death with 60+ books worth of perspective

• ❤️ First impressions of baby Eve, baby Roarke, and why they're both so different from who they become

• ☕ Why coffee might actually be the greatest love language in the series

• 🐈 The glorious first appearance of Galahad, who immediately begins stealing the show

• 🕵️ Looking at the book's surprisingly deep themes of trauma, survival, and found family

• 🏛️ Why Naked in Death was political from page one (and always has been)

• 😂 AJ and Tara accidentally spend an alarming amount of time discussing how awkward Sharon's trip to Mexico with Roarke must have been

• 📞 AJ discovers Roarke committed the ultimate crime... calling Eve at midnight

• 🎯 Commander Whitney reminds everyone why he's always been one of the best characters in the series

• 📚 A fresh appreciation for Nora Roberts' long-game storytelling and character growth

✨ Revisiting the origins of Eve and Roarke's relationship with completely new eyes.

✨ Realizing that many of Eve's "later-book quirks" actually make perfect sense when viewed through the lens of her trauma.

✨ Watching Galahad literally save the day... and earn Tara's Commendation.

✨ Charles Monroe continues proving that he's one of the MVPs of the entire series.

✨ AJ develops an unexpected campaign for Justice for Sharon, while Tara wonders if Roarke accidentally traumatized her simply by not sleeping with her.

(We promise this somehow becomes an actual conversation.)

🏅 Tara: Galahad (because heroes deserve recognition... and somebody still owes him caviar.)

🏅 AJ: Charles Monroe, whose memory—and sister's safe deposit box—ultimately cracks the case.

We're not leaving Naked in Death just yet...

Next time, AJ and Tara dive into one of everyone's favorite traditions:

⭐ Reviewing the reviews of Naked in Death.

Prepare yourselves. The internet has opinions.

📞 Leave us a voicemail or text: 205-4-ROARKE (205-476-2753)

💻 Join the discussion at InDeath.net

❤️ Support the show on Patreon for bonus content and early access.

As always...

Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time!

Apparently if you don't like Eve Dallas doing her job, there's only one logical solution:

Go complain to Commander Whitney.

This week we're celebrating the long, glorious tradition of politicians, billionaires, dirty cops, diplomats, federal agents, grieving relatives, and professional whiners marching straight up the chain of command because Lieutenant Dallas dared to investigate them.

Spoiler alert:
It almost never works.

• Senator Gerald DeBlass kicking off the series by proving hypocrisy is an Olympic sport.
• The many, many people who discover that complaining about Eve usually just makes her investigate you harder.
• Officer Ellen Bowers weaponizing the complaint system (and why Conspiracy in Death remains one of our favorite books).
• Leo Fortney, Nile Renquist, Renee Oberman, Gina McEnroy, Quinn Sparrow, and an entire parade of people convinced they're more important than the investigation.
• Whitney's unbelievable patience while sitting through endless "I'd like to speak to your manager" meetings.
• The satisfying moments when complainers discover Eve was right all along.

• AJ and Tara repeatedly stop to remind everyone exactly which characters absolutely suck.
• Tara campaigns for the legal right to backhand rude suspects (purely hypothetically... mostly).
• Roarke continues being the husband everyone deserves by escorting obnoxious guests directly out the front door.
• We discover that chronic complainers are apparently just another recurring villain in the In Death universe.

Next Episode: Naked in Death.

Six years after our original review, we're returning to Book #1 with fresh eyes, new perspectives, and plenty of observations we completely missed the first time.

It should be a lot of fun.

Just in time for the Fourth of July, AJ and Tara celebrate America's favorite pastime: Fireworks but also explosions, namely, all the things that have exploded in the In Death series.

And wow... there have been a lot of explosions.

From car bombs and exploding robots to suicide vests, hotel bombings, military attacks, and enough boomers to make a bomb squad nervous, AJ and Tara dive into the surprisingly extensive history of things going very wrong in Eve Dallas's vicinity.

Along the way, they discover:

💥 Which In Death novel deserves the prestigious title of Boomiest Book in the Series

💥 How many jackets Eve has sacrificed to the explosion gods

💥 Why Madison Square Garden may actually be cursed

💥 Just how many bombs Roarke has personally disarmed over the years

💥 Whether Eve has experienced more explosions in three years than most people do in a lifetime

The conversation takes a trip through Vengeance in Death, Conspiracy in Death, Loyalty in Death, Leverage in Death, Bonded in Death, and several other books where Nora apparently decided that murder simply wasn't dramatic enough.

Meanwhile, AJ and Tara revisit memorable moments like:

• Peabody accidentally becoming responsible for a bomb in Rapture in Death
• The exploding robot that claimed one of Eve's jackets
• The heartbreaking losses in Loyalty in Death
• Roarke repeatedly proving he could probably run the Bomb Disposal Unit if he got bored being a billionaire
• The realization that explosions seem to follow Eve around with alarming dedication

Listener favorite Lisa Davis returns with another SpeakPipe message, leading AJ and Tara down a rabbit hole of strange birthday coincidences and ex-spouse astrology.

AJ also introduces her newest project: Canon of Nora, a community-built wiki dedicated to the entire Nora Roberts universe. With more than 300 Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb books to catalog, AJ has apparently decided that sleep is optional.

If you've ever wished there was one place to find information on every Nora book, character, family, and series, this may be the project for you.

So grab your sparklers, keep the bomb squad on speed dial, and join us for an episode that proves one thing:

In the In Death universe, fireworks don't just happen on the Fourth of July.

Podcast Business

Happy Anniversary to us! 🎉

For our sixth anniversary episode, we did what any responsible podcasters would do: showed up with absolutely no plan and started talking.

What followed was a trip down memory lane as AJ and Tara revisited some of their favorite Podcast in Death moments from the last six years. From the nerve-wracking first time reaching out to audiobook legend Susan Ericksen, to beloved guest appearances, to the episodes that somehow turned discussions about gift rooms, truck nuts, and laundry machines into comedy gold, this episode is a celebration of everything that makes this podcast so much fun.

• The story behind getting Susan Ericksen on the podcast for the very first time
• How Tara went from guest host to permanent fixture after Episode 7
• Favorite guest appearances, including discussions with listeners, authors, and fellow podcasters
• Why "We Review the Reviews" remains one of the most entertaining things they do
• The joy of talking about murder, friendship, character growth, and occasionally truck nuts
• A look back at some of the funniest and most memorable moments from the show
• AJ's surprise trivia game featuring ridiculous out-of-context quotes from past episodes

• "They're Both Dicks: The End"
• The infamous gift room discussion
• White elephant gifts in the In Death universe
• Summerset vs. Eve debates
• Roarke's occasional bouts of dickishness
• Why Barney was, in fact, a dick
• The luxury of having a washing machine in your apartment
• "Get that woman some birthday cake!"

Mostly, though, this episode is about gratitude. Six years ago Podcast in Death was just an idea. Today it's a thriving community of readers, listeners, and friends who love talking about these books almost as much as Eve loves coffee and Roarke loves Eve.

Thank you to everyone who has listened, emailed, commented, joined us live, disagreed with us, laughed with us, and helped make Podcast in Death what it is.

Here's to the next six years. 🥂📚💀

Because apparently there's still plenty of murder left to discuss.

This week on Podcast in Death, AJ and Tara tackle a topic they openly admit they know almost nothing about: astrology. Which, naturally, makes it the perfect Podcast in Death episode. 😂

Armed with questionable expertise, several internet rabbit holes, and a surprising amount of AI-generated research, they attempt to answer one of the most important questions in the In Death universe:

✨ What are Eve and Roarke's zodiac signs? ✨

The only canon clues? Peabody proudly declares herself a Sagittarius, and Roarke vaguely claims he was born in early October. From there, all bets are off.

Along the way, AJ and Tara debate:

• Why Peabody being a Sagittarius actually makes a frightening amount of sense

• Whether Roarke is truly a Libra... or secretly a textbook Scorpio

• Why Eve Dallas might be the most Aries person to ever Aries

• Which signs fit (and absolutely do not fit) Eve's personality

• Whether Mavis is basically a walking Leo stereotype

• Astrological compatibility between Eve, Roarke, Peabody, and the rest of the gang

• How deep down the astrology rabbit hole two non-astrologers can fall before things get weird

The discussion quickly turns into a spirited mix of literary analysis, character psychology, and complete speculation—and honestly, that's half the fun.

Also in this episode:

❤️ AJ shares the difficult news of saying goodbye to Lily after nearly fifteen years, and talks about the compassionate in-home veterinary service that helped make her final day peaceful and comfortable.

📚 Listener Anne sends in some fantastic future episode ideas, including review-the-reviews episodes, headcanon deep dives, and exploring possible connections between the In Death universe and Nora Roberts' other series.

🔍 AJ introduces his brand-new project, FindANora.com, a tool designed to help readers discover their next Nora Roberts book based on themes, genres, settings, and moods. (Because sometimes you need a Nora recommendation and Emily can't be available 24/7.)

And finally, AJ and Tara discuss the upcoming sixth anniversary of Podcast in Death and the show's eventual move to an every-other-week schedule.

So grab your birth chart, your murder board, and maybe a glass of whatever they're serving at the Aquarius Bar, because this week we're putting the entire In Death cast under the astrological microscope.

What sign do YOU think Eve Dallas is? 🌟

This week's episode is a little of an… archaeological find: we recorded it exactly two years ago, started editing it, then completely abandoned it and let it fade into obscurity… until now.

• Peabody is the MVP: she’s the best pick for a desert island situation and the most likely to lead a protest.

• Roarke gets crowned “most likely to quietly take over the world” (because… obviously).

• Mavis wins the easiest calls: “run off with the circus” and “star in her own reality show.”

• Nadine gets the “most likely to be President” vote—pure big-deal energy from day one.

• When it comes to High School Sports, Tara says that Eve most likely "Accidentally stood out," and if that isn't the story of Eve's life, we don't know what is.

• Bonus chaos: they pitch Charles Monroe as “most likely to end up on Broadway” (with a very specific Grease mental image).

Highlights

Four years is a long time in real life. In podcast time? It’s basically an Urban Wars era.

So when AJ & Tara welcomed back Heidi & Emily from Romancing the Shelf, the energy was instantly: HOW has it been four years?! Last time RTS visited, they’d only read the first three In Death books and were cautiously optimistic. This time they arrive with full “we’re in it” confidence—plus the kind of joy that leads to singing a Nora Roberts riff like Gaston (“No one knows how to hook you like Nora Roberts…”), which is both chaotic and painfully true.

The Big Topic: They Made It to Portrait in Death

AJ & Tara basically admit they’ve been waiting for this moment, because Portrait in Death is a major series milestone—especially for the deep lore that detonates in the best way. Heidi calls it what it is: a Roarke lore bomb.

What’s fun is how RTS explains why it works: the reveal doesn’t feel like a random twist or a retcon. It feels natural—like the story has been quietly lining up puzzle pieces for ages, and Portrait finally turns the box over so you can see the full picture.

Roarke + Feelings (and the feral cat metaphor)

Emily drops an all-timer description of early-series Roarke: he’s basically trying to adopt a feral cat. Gentle voice, offering scraps, trying not to startle Eve into biting. And then Portrait hits, and you see how far he’s come: his old instinct is to isolate and armor up, but the new truth is that Eve is inside the circle now—he needs her, not distance.

Eve’s Answer: “He said don’t come… so I came anyway.”

Heidi talks about Eve doing what Eve does—trying to investigate the emotional situation by asking people around her what to do. And then we get the grand romantic gesture: the helicopter arrival. Roarke says stay away, Eve says absolutely not, and everyone melts. Emily even frames it like a futuristic Pride & Prejudice fog-field moment—except it’s Eve landing and Roarke’s romantic Irish heart short-circuiting.

Trust: the glow-up you can measure

They point out how huge it is that early Eve had to talk herself into trusting Roarke… and now she’s at the “laugh in your face” stage when someone implies he’s unfaithful. It’s not blind faith—it’s earned, lived-in trust, and it’s one of the most satisfying relationship evolutions in the series.

Bonus chaos: names are hard, okay?

In between all the emotional depth: the universal podcaster struggle of saying a name confidently…and being wrong. Pepper Franklin, Webster—RIP accuracy. Emily realizes mistakes later (sometimes at bedtime) and panic-texts Heidi; Heidi’s response is basically: too late. AJ & Tara, of course, tease with love.

Closing thoughts

This episode is a delight because it’s veteran readers who know where the landmines are, paired with smart, enthusiastic newer readers who just stepped on a few and need to yell about it immediately. There’s swoon, laughter, growth, and the comforting certainty that In Death will keep hooking you—and you’ll be happy about it.