Lee Goldberg | Musings of the Monster Librarian

Book Review: Lost Hills (Eve Ronin #1) by Lee Goldberg

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

Thomas & Mercer, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781542093804

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

Eve Ronin has only been in the Robbery-Homicide Department for three months. Her partner, Duncan ‘Donuts’ Pavone, is counting the days until retirement. He is training her in the ins and outs of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and how to work with the other police organizations, something that is proving to be tricky since she already has a reputation. She recently busted the action hero actor of a series of movies called Deathfist in a video that went viral, and then took advantage of her unwanted notoriety to leapfrog over the officers that had spent years working toward the position. It hasn’t gone over well. Duncan puts Eve in charge of a new case. An unwed mother, her two kids, and their dog are missing, and their apartment was drenched in blood. It is a case that will either make her career or break it.

Lost Hills was a well-written procedural crime fiction story. It had a lot of detailed police procedures built into it that gave it an air of authenticity. At times, the level of detail was a bit much for me, but it didn’t break the story. Instead, it gave me a strong sense of how complicated the legal system was at the police officer’s level. The pacing and action flowed well, leading through the plot and its twists. The plot wasn’t the most complicated thing, but it was full of great action. I really liked the ending climax! The characters were believable, and I could picture them as they went about the investigation. The dialogue fit each of them well. The descriptions were good, with just enough detail so that I knew what was going on. A fun piece of set dressing was that the story was in Los Angeles, and the author worked in some interesting bits of trivia. It started kind of slow for me, but once it got going, I had to hang on.

All in all, it was a great procedural crime fiction piece and worth reading. Recommended for adult readers.

Contains: Swearing, adult situations, gore, violence.

Reviewed by: Aaron Fletcher

Book Review: True Fiction by Lee Goldberg

True Fiction by Lee Goldberg

Thomas & Mercer, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1503949188

Available: Hardcover, Kindle, audiobook, MP3 CD

Lee Goldberg is a skilled screenwriter who has written for hits such as Monk and Diagnosis: Murder, among others. He has written 15 Monk tie-in novels, each filled with the humor that made the show rock; and readers have figured out that Goldberg is one hell of a storyteller. In True Fiction, already a best-selling thriller, Goldberg spins a wild tale about a novelist caught up in a real-life plot that he penned himself. The writing and wit are razor-sharp, and the characters will keep readers laughing throughout.

Ian Ludlow, author of the Clint Straker novels (cheesy thrillers that are included within the text via hilarious snippets), once worked with the CIA to dream up scenarios for the agency to solve in global disasters. When a plane crashes into a Honolulu hotel, he realizes that he wrote about that exact event during a retreat with several of his contemporary thriller writers. He discovers that one by one, the writers who participated are dying off, with Ludlow himself surviving an assassination attempt that led to a broken arm.

While on a book tour, Ian and Margo, his author escort (who also works as a dog walker) find themselves on the run from those truly behind the attacks. Margo serves as a perfect foil for him as they escape together in the most improbable ways from enemies who can see their every move.

True Fiction is a wild, fun ride that doesn’t let up until the final page. Goldberg tells a masterful, fast-paced story with a perfectly balanced mix of humor and action, as the novel straddles the line between the thrilling and absurd. Highly recommended for fans of Goldberg’s shows, great storytelling, or simply a rollicking, good read. This would make a great film and thankfully, is planned to be a series of books.