Book Review: Malibu Burning, by Lee Goldberg

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Three Weeks Ago

The blue Ferrari 488 Spider was the perfect car for taking the hairpin turns on Latigo Canyon Road, heading south into the Santa Monica Mountains toward the sea. But the Beverly Hills rental car company wouldn’t have been pleased knowing how fast and dangerously Danny Cole was driving on the two-late, ridge-line road, where one tiny miscalculation could send him plunging off a cliff.

Then again, Danny thought, they could hardly be surprised. Who rented a Ferrari with any intention of driving slowly? Nobody. The point of a Ferrari was to drive fast and be seen doing it, to express your daring, your virility and your wealth, which was exactly why he chose the car for the character he was playing today.

Danny Cole really found his calling in life as a con man. The good guys and the bad guys alike respect his plans and know he has much higher likelihood of success than most conmen or officers pursuing them.

Official synopsis:

Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.

As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles’ history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of a new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US marshal, suspect that someone set the massive blazes intentionally, a terrifying means to an unknown end.

While the flames rage out of control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware that Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they all collide in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno.

The way the pieces came together and the investigation used the strengths of veteran investigator Sharpe and experienced detective Walker was fascinating. Neither of them would have solved it single-handedly, and they both grudgingly came around to accepting that and becoming better partners for each other.

While Sharpe and Walker were the central characters who will keep this new series evolving, the other characters were also well-developed and engaging. Cole and his crew of bad guys were also interesting and unique. As a character-driven story with an intricate but thoroughly explained plot, this book earned 4 out of 5 stars. As an author, Lee Goldberg does not disappoint. The book could be enthusiastically recommended to those who enjoy thrillers, police procedurals, and California stories. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys reading and writing. Although it’s been a while, she also remembers a fondness for stitching and crafting. Check out what she’s up to with and without her family on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Calico, by Lee Goldberg {ends 12/11}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Friday, February 8, 2019

Beth met Selma Neary, head of the San Bernardino County historical society, in her office at the county museum in Redlands. The tiny office was filled with books, overflowing from sagging shelves and in stacks that had collapsed into a giant pile. There was barely room for a desk, two chairs, and the two women.

‘You’re a homicide detective?’ Neary asked.

‘That’s right,’ Beth said. ‘We found a dead body in a hundred-year-old grave on land in Newberry Springs that was once home to the Cartwright family.’

Neary smiled, her pearl necklace disappearing in the folds of her neck. ‘It’s a little late to bring the felon to justice.’

‘This man was killed a week ago and buried in an old casket,’ Beth said. ‘I’m wondering if there might be some connection between the victim and the Cartwright family or at least that bit of land.’

‘Unfortunately, Calico burned to the ground twice, destroying most of the legal records, and almost every issue of the Calico Print newspaper, so much of the town’s history, outside of the mining activity, is lost. What little we know about the daily lives of any individuals comes from letters, a few diaries, and a dozen surviving issues of the Calico Print.’

‘Anything you can tell me will be helpful,’ Beth said.

Beth is determined to make conclusions based on the facts of her investigation, but this time the facts are a little hard to believe.

Official synopsis:

There's a saying in Barstow, California, a decaying city in the scorching Mojave desert . . .

The Interstate here only goes in one direction: Away.

But it's the only place where ex-LAPD detective Beth McDade, after a staggering fall from grace, could get another badge . . . and a shot at redemption.

Over a century ago, and just a few miles further into the bleak landscape, a desperate stranger ended up in Calico, a struggling mining town, also hoping for a second chance.

His fate, all those years ago, and hers today are linked when Beth investigates an old skeleton dug up in a shallow, sandy grave . . . and also tries to identity a vagrant run-over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm.

Every disturbing clue she finds, every shocking discovery she makes, force Beth to confront her own troubled past . . . and a past that's not her own . . . until it all smashes together in a revelation that could change the world.

This was definitely different from the author’s previous works, but in this reader’s opinion, they nailed it! Beth was a reasonably successful LAPD detective, but bad choices led to her disgraceful exit from the department. In Barstow, the biggest risk to her career may be dying from boredom, but she still tries to do her best to uphold the law, especially for the victims—they deserve the truth, and justice.

A missing person case from the LAPD seems to leave a trail right through Beth’s Barstow jurisdiction, so she’s determined to find out what really happened, no matter how unlikely that story seems to be. She knows her career (and maybe her sanity) are at stake, so she needs to not just uncover the truth, but have solid proof.

This unique cross between a sci-fi sort of story with a built in police procedural was an excellent read. It earned 5 out of 5 stars and should be shared immediately with those who enjoy a realistically-told science fiction story. Could it be true? It’s up to each reader to decide whether they think it could be possible.

{click here to purchase on Amazon - affiliate link}

Becki Bayley is a Gemini who enjoys theater, reading, and a mid-afternoon nap in the sun. Check out what else she’s reading and her family’s adventures on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Calico!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, December 11th, at 11:59pm ET, and the winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Calico, by Lee Goldberg

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Bone Canyon, by Lee Goldberg {ends 1/7}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

The city of Calabasas had a split personality disorder. If you entered the city from the east end of Calabasas Road, the main thoroughfare, you went through Old Town, where the frontier storefronts and hitching posts presented Calabasas as part of California’s Wild West. But if you entered from the other end, you went past the Commons, an idealized re-creation of an old rural village in the hills of Tuscany.

Until tonight, Eve thought the Commons was supposed to be a faux French village, perhaps because the property was dotted with four eighteenth-century statues, each representing a season, that were imported from a château in southern France. But as she was telling Daniel about the Commons, she was firmly corrected by the waiter serving them their entrees at Toscanova, the center’s Italian restaurant. Either way, the two radically different visions the city had of itself made no sense to her.

“It’s like dealing with an irrational person,” she said to Daniel. “They should choose to be one or the other, a western town or a Tuscan village. I don’t care which, just be consistent. It makes me anxious.”

“But you live here anyway.”

This is the author’s second book featuring Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective on the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Her career path isn’t the same as the other detectives, and that doesn’t make her a lot of friends with the department.

Official synopsis:

A catastrophic wildfire scorches the Santa Monica Mountains, exposing the charred remains of a woman who disappeared years ago. The investigation is assigned to Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a position that forces her to prove herself again and again. This time, though, she has much more to prove.

Bones don’t lie, and these have a horrific story to tell. Eve tirelessly digs into the past, unearthing dark secrets that reveal nothing about the case is as it seems. With almost no one she can trust, her relentless pursuit of justice for the forgotten dead could put Eve’s own life in peril.

Eve Ronin has to prove herself again and again. While being a detective so close to Hollywood, there are too many people who think her headline cases are reaching for fame, instead of doing her job and solving homicide cases. Producers and writers showing up trying to talk Eve into her own tv series or movie are an annoyance and distraction to Eve—she wants to be a good detective and solve the murders of those with no one else to defend them.

The police procedurals featuring Detective Eve Ronin are a fun read. In addition to the interesting characters at the Lost Hills station, the details of the investigation are also researched and realistic. This book showed the facts that can be learned about identifying a victim just from burned old bones. While it was believable and compelling to read, there were articles shared that showed the info was accurate.

Overall, I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. There’s something to be said for a book that is not only entertaining, but also teaches the reader about something they probably don’t know much about before. I’d recommend this and the earlier Eve Ronin story for those who enjoy police procedurals and murder mysteries.

{click here to pre-order; it will be available on 1/5/21}

Becki Bayley can also be found at SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Bone Canyon!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, January 7th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Bone Canyon, by Lee Goldberg

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Book Review: Lost Hills, by Lee Goldberg {Eve Ronin Book #1}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Eve sat down on the hillside, closed her eyes, and tried to clear her head. It was as if every synapse in her brain was firing at once, a thousand firecrackers exploding, making her ears ring.

The discovery that the Realtor and her car were missing, and the proximity of the dead man in the truck to Coyle’s mobile home, gave Eve a new, terrifying perspective on the murders. It was forcing her to rethink her assumptions, the meaning of the evidence they’d collected, and the significance of what she’d seen in her last walk-through of the house before Jared set it ablaze.

She was still trying to make sense of it all when her phone rang.

It was Duncan. “There’s a huge fire in Topanga.”

“I can see it,” Eve said.

“You’ll never guess where it started.”

It pained her, but she knew. “Tanya’s house.”

She thought about what Jared told her: How am I supposed to live here now? How can anyone live here now?

As I’ve come to expect from Lee Goldberg, this was another great page-turner. The nice, short chapters give convenient stop points, but I never want to stop reading.

Official synopsis: 

A video of Deputy Eve Ronin’s off-duty arrest of an abusive movie star goes viral, turning her into a popular hero at a time when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is plagued by scandal. The sheriff, desperate for more positive press, makes Eve the youngest female homicide detective in the department’s history.

Now Eve, with a lot to learn and resented by her colleagues, has to justify her new badge. Her chance comes when she and her burned-out, soon-to-retire partner are called to the blood-splattered home of a missing single mother and her two kids. The horrific carnage screams multiple murder—but there are no corpses.

Eve has to rely on her instincts and tenacity to find the bodies and capture the vicious killer, all while battling her own insecurities and mounting pressure from the media, her bosses, and the bereaved family. It’s a deadly ordeal that will either prove her skills…or totally destroy her.

I was excited to see this book in my to-be-read pile. Both of the thrillers I’ve read from Lee Goldberg have been great. This was the first book with his new character, Deputy Eve Ronin, who earned a transfer to homicide after apprehending a Hollywood star for assault when she was off-duty.

Eve is determined to solve what starts as a missing persons case, but quickly transforms to a triple murder. She doesn’t want any more press, but she does want to do right by the single mom and her two kids who go missing and leave behind a horrific crime scene. Thanks to her determination to actually solve the case and not just place the blame, there’s a great twist near the end when Eve really gets to play the hero.

I’d give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I could not set it down and it felt there was a new development to the case happening all the time. The intricacies of the plot did overshadow the new Eve Ronin character a bit, but I’m sure we’ll get to know her more through the subsequent books in the series.

{click here to purchase}

Becki Bayley can also be found at SweetlyBSquared.com.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Killer Thriller, by Lee Goldberg {ends 6/14}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

There was no point in running, Ian concluded. The two men in front of him and the one behind him all had guns. He was unarmed and boxed in. So Ian stopped running and let the moving walkway carry him the last few feet to the landing and his fate.

One of the two men coming toward him smiled and said, “You’re coming with us, Ludlow.”

Who were these people? How did they know his name?

He started to raise his hands in surrender when he heard four muffled pops in rapid succession. The two guys went down, shot in the knees.

Ian whirled around to see Margo crouched in the Gage Street staircase in a firing stance with a silenced Glock in her hands. She winked at Ian, turned slightly, and shot the man behind Ian in the knees, taking him down, too. The pedestrians on the walkway began screaming and running in all directions, creating an atmosphere of general chaos on the elevated escalators.

Margo held the gun to her side, dashed over to Ian, and glanced over her shoulder. Two more men were charging toward them from the Wellington landing but their progress was slowed by the panicked pedestrians trying to run in the opposite direction on the moving ramp.

“Don’t just stand there gaping,” Margo said. “Run!”

I’ve been looking forward to reading this since I received it. I knew it would be another fun page-turner since I reviewed the first book in the Ian Ludlow Thrillers series and gave it 4 out of 5 stars about a year ago. The series is entertaining to a variety of readers, with comedy and action/adventure.

Official synopsis:

Everybody loves Ian Ludlow’s action novels—especially the CIA—because the spies know something the public doesn’t: his fictional plots have a frightening tendency to come true. Ian is in Hong Kong with his resourceful assistant Margo French to research his wildest story yet—a deadly global conspiracy by Chinese intelligence to topple the United States.

What Ian doesn’t know is that his horrifying scenario is happening and that the Chinese mistakenly believe he’s an undercover superspy assigned to foil their scheme. Now Ian is trapped in his own terrifying thriller, on the run from assassins, and racing against time to prevent an epic disaster. He’s written himself into a corner that could cost his life…and his country.

Ian Ludlow likes to think he’s like the main action hero in his books – Clint Straker. While he usually isn’t quite able to fill the shoes of the man he thinks all women want, it sure is funny to read about his attempts. While most book plots don’t sound like probable reality, it’s author Ian Ludlow’s imagination that fills in the blanks and finds rather unpredictable ways out of the true crime situations that he and his assistant Margo French find themselves in.

I really enjoyed the latest installment of the far-fetched adventures of Ian Ludlow and Margo French. Both books were fun reads and could also stand on their own (if you happen to pick up Killer Thriller before True Fiction). I’d give Killer Thriller another 4 out of 5 stars. It would be a great summer read! Enjoy. :)

Becki Bayley is a professional reader (of standardized test essays) and elementary school breakfast lady by day, and a blogger by night at SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a hardcover copy of Killer Thriller!

Enter to win via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Friday, June 14th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Killer Thriller, by Lee Goldberg

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