Could Lieutenant Eve Dallas still kick ass in our current time?

"These days, I strive to be a bitch, because not being one sucks. Not being a bitch means not having your voice heard."
—Margaret Cho

Modesty Blaise

Over the years I've seen numerous bad-ass female detectives do amazing things. Be it on television, big screen and my all-time favorite: books!  Sure each one is different and unique in their peculiar way and time.

I’m a huge fan of crime and police procedure, murder and mayhem. Some of the best kick-ass women in fiction include Modesty Blaise, Jessica Jones, Olivia Benson, Clarice Starling, Kate Becket, Dana Scully, Nancy Drew, Jessica Fletcher, Barbara Havers, just to name a few. The one that fascinates me the most is Lieutenant Eve Dallas, the bad-ass heroine (though she would hate to hear it) in the popular In Death series written by Nora Roberts under the pseudonym J.D. Robb

We first meet Eve Dallas in Naked in Death, which was published in 1995. What sets this series apart from others you might ask?  I’ll tell you why I’m obsessed with this series. To start, its futuristic setting in New York City. 

A future where guns are banned, cars fly, domestic robots clean your home or office. The food sounds horrible; from soy dogs, dehydrated eggs, fake meat, and poisonous coffee –not literally, but pretty close– (and only the rich can afford the real stuff), prostitution is legal and vagabonds need licenses to beg for money.

Pretty interesting, right?

In the In Death universe, with its amazing technology and fascinating tools, one would think investigating a murder would be easy, right?  You’d be wrong! Sure, technology is a big deal and plays a big part in an investigation but it still takes skill and, well... investigating. If you are a fan of the In Death series then you know how important the supporting set of characters is. Each one with an important role and a purpose. 

Those of us who've read every single book [48] up to this point -with the release of Vendetta in Death only three months away- have fallen in love with every single one of these funny, beautiful, passionate and colorful set of characters. Who can resist an Irishman-criminal-turned-billionaire married to a bad-ass cop? Or the soft-hearted Free-Ager sidekick, Peabody? These characters feel like family to us. A family we get to visit two times a year. In early 2020, Golden in Death will mark Robb's 50th book. 50! I mean think about that. Fifty books (not including novellas) and still the story, the cases she writes are as fresh as ever!

As you can see, I can go on and on and on about how much I love the series but I have a purpose for this piece. Could Lieutenant Eve Dallas still kick ass if she were placed in our time? My answer is yes! 

Eve Dallas is a no-nonsense, dedicated, work-till-you-drop NYPSD (Ne York Police and Security Department) homicide lieutenant who does not rest (sometimes literally) until she has solved her case.

If we take away the technology of 2062, including the Electronic Detectives Division (EDD), which plays a big part in each one of her investigations. Take away the flying cars, the field-kit containing all those cool gadgets. 

Field Kit

What would she do then? If we bring in her supporting characters, including her gorgeous husband, Roarke, who is pretty much good at everything he does (that’s a discussion for another time), I have to say Eve Dallas would blow everyone out of the water.  It may take a bit longer to solve a case but she’ll do it simply because she is the best at what she does.

Her skills are superb, her physical condition is on point, her fighting skills are excellent, and her ability to read a scene and ask the right questions makes her, in my view, one of the best there is, was and ever will be.

By Sofie Hern

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