First Sentence: The northern stretch of Mulholland Highway ended in a T intersection with Mulholland Drive.
Deputy
Eve Ronin has experienced a meteoric rise in her career. She is the youngest female homicide detective
in the LA County Sheriff's Department history. With that comes the resentment
of her colleagues, including her partner, Det. Duncan Pavone, who is about to
retire. Now Eve is the team leader in a case with a missing mother, two
children, and their dog from a house where there is plenty of blood evidence,
but not a single body.
One
can always depend on Lee Goldberg for quick, wry humor—"they could be
mistaken for a father and daughter who liked to carry Glocks."—and the
occasional bit of wisdom—"Let me give you some advice. …when ship happens
to you, it isn't always personal."
Goldberg
creates an interesting collection of characters. Eve is perfectly portrayed as one who is
young and ambitious, but a bit in over her head. Her partner, Duncan, is the seen-it-call cop
who is counting the days to retirement but is willing to mentor his young
partner. In some ways, he's the most
interesting character of the lot. Eve's
mother is the classic Hollywood want-to-be-but-never-made it figure who just
can't imagine anyone not wanting to be an actor. While she may have been
intended as comic relief, she ends up being more annoying than anything.
It’s
disappointing of an author when the investigator’s case is weak and
based on assumptions. Goldberg did just
that. Ronin tries to make the case fit the suspect rather than looking further. Rather than making the character seem
fallible, it diminishes the reader’s ability to identify with the character.
It's
easy to see Goldberg's background as a scriptwriter. There are too many coincidences and an over-the-top
plot, but the pacing and dialogue are well done, keep the story moving, and the
reader involved.
LOST HILLS is a good, quick read. It is a perfect airplane book.
LOST HILLS (PolProc-Deputy Eve Ronin-Los Angeles-Contemp)
Lee Goldberg – 1st in series
Thomas
& Mercer, Jan 2020, 240 pp.
Rating: G+/B+
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