How Has it Been Four Years?? We Talk to Heidi & Emily of Romancing the Shelf

How Has it Been Four Years?? We Talk to Heidi & Emily of Romancing the Shelf

From Podcast in Death by Amy Ryan and Tara Corkery

May 30, 2026 · 2h 28m · Season 5 · Episode 311

About this episode

AJ & Tara celebrate four years of podcasting with guests Heidi & Emily, discussing character development and major milestones in the 'In Death' series.

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…

People in this episode

Hosts: Amy Ryan, Tara Corkery

Guests: Heidi, Emily

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Books & works: In Death, Portrait in Death

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