A futuristic crime novel tells us just what we don't want to hear: that human nature in its rawest form doesn't change. Greed, lust for sex and material wealth, and the unending pursuit of power all live large four decades from now in this new installment of the Eve Dallas detective series set in 2063.

Dallas is a sarcastic, cynical character surrounded by softer, more social colleagues who look to her leadership. They know she's determined to do good no matter the cost.

In her latest case, the cost is enormous. What on the surface looks like a lovers' quarrel gone very bad leads Dallas and her team into a deep conspiracy among powerful people that threatens the foundations of Dallas' beliefs. Bringing this evil circle down could be her undoing — or her salvation.

But J.D. Robb makes sure Dallas pulls it off, again and again (this is book 52 in a series!) with timely themes, suspenseful action, characters that you could swear you have met somewhere, and twisty plots that leave you dizzy but satisfied.

Strangely, "Faithless in Death" works as a stand-alone read, though the familiar characters of the detective's thief-turned-millionaire husband Roarke and her colleagues in the New York police squad remind you that this is one in a long adventure of crime tales that just might get you hooked.

Try J.D. Robb if you haven't. Perhaps you have and you don't know it: The prolific Nora Roberts is the author behind this intelligent collection. Her writing as Robb has more sharp ends, her stories riskier. But her ability to tell a captivating story shines through.

Faithless in Death

By: J.D. Robb.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 400 pages, $9.99 paperback.