An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
“A cut above the rest.” —Philadelphia Inquirer (Spring 2020 Best Book selection)
“An energetic, resourceful procedural starring a heroine who deserves a series of her own.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This nimble, sure-footed series launch from bestseller Goldberg…builds to a thrilling, visually striking climax. Readers will cheer Ronin every step of the way.” —Publishers Weekly
“A cop novel so good it makes much of the old guard read like they’re going through the motions until they can retire…the real appeal here is Goldberg’s lean prose, which imbues just-the-facts procedure with remarkable tension and cranks up to a stunning description of a fire that was like ‘Christmas in hell.’” —Booklist
“A veteran writer of countless mystery series…Lee Goldberg’s taut Lost Hills…shines a light on the lesser-known SoCal crime-fighting agency. He excels at employing realistic forensics, ratcheting up the department’s political tensions and using the region’s real-life wildfires in climatic scenes while leavening the proceedings with just the right amount of cop humor…” —Los Angeles Times
“Goldberg brings out the best of the growing genre of crime in the Los Angeles arena. The landscape and the atmosphere of the region play a key role in making this novel a success. Eve Ronin makes a stellar lead character for what appears to be the beginning of a crime series. The payoff provides some surprises as well as a satisfying resolution.” —Associated Press
“Lost Hills is an enjoyable read that shows Goldberg, a two-time Edgar Award winner, at the top of his game. The prose is lean and the pacing is superb. There is no filler here; every sentence earns the space it occupies on the page…There are a lot of series out there, but Eve Ronin and Goldberg’s fast-paced prose should put this one on the radar of every crime fiction fan.” —National Public Radio
“[Eve Ronin is] a great character and her debut story does not disappoint. The police procedure appears to be as authentic as Goldberg can make it without being in law enforcement himself.” —The Oklahoman
“[The] suspense and drama are guaranteed to keep a reader spellbound…” —Authorlink
“This sterling thriller is carved straight out of the world of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner…Lost Hills is a book to be found and savored.” —BookTrib
“What a police procedural should be: a clever and likable lead detective, a supporting cast of both hardworking and lazy cops, wisecracking (and occasionally ribald) station house banter, a smattering of quirky characters, a fast pace, a faithful depiction of investigative techniques, and a writing style as precise as a sniper’s rifle.” —New York Journal of Books
“Lost Hills is phenomenal.” —The Real Book Spy
“[A] police procedural that shrugs off the norm in favor of rocking its own path. More notable is a genuinely original female protagonist, Eve Ronin. An intriguing story, snappy dialogue, and clever use of language give the narrative a fizz. Add to that a dark tense atmosphere that builds to a nervy denouement and you have a winner.” —NB Magazine
“Goldberg’s smooth way with a yarn is in evidence here, as his ability to mix mayhem with mirth, but the particularly well-crafted plot with its hardboiled action, forensic detail and, especially, its fully dimensional heroine, move it a step up and away from his previous fiction.” —Mystery Scene Magazine
“Goldberg’s storytelling is vivid and powerful, and his characters well-drawn and believable.” —Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
“[A] brisk, character-driven police procedural…good fun, marked by smart plotting and sharp dialogue.” —Mystery Scene Magazine
“With Lost Hills, Lee Goldberg has introduced a remarkable, tenacious female detective in Eve Ronin. She’s flawed, but determined. Inexperienced, but courageous. Outmanned, but defiant. Goldberg places this unlikely hero in a problematic, fast-paced pursuit to find a killer, effectively establishing her as the reliant hero we’ve always wanted…and deserved.” —Paperback Warrior
“Lost Hills is Lee Goldberg at his best. Inspired by the real-world grit and glitz of LA County crime, this book takes no prisoners. And neither does Eve Ronin. Take a ride with her and you’ll find yourself with a heroine for the ages. And you’ll be left hoping for more.” —Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Lost Hills is what you get when you polish the police procedural to a shine: a gripping premise, a great twist, fresh spins and knowing winks to the genre conventions, and all the smart, snappy ease of an expert at work.” —Tana French, New York Times bestselling author
“Thrills and chills! Lost Hills is the perfect combination of action and suspense, not to mention Eve Ronin is one of the best new female characters in ages. You will race through the pages!” —Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Twenty-four-karat Goldberg—a top-notch procedural that shines like a true gem.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Longmire series
“A winner. Packed with procedure, forensics, vivid descriptions, and the right amount of humor. Fervent fans of Connelly and Crais, this is your next read.” —Kendra Elliot, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author
“Brilliant! Eve Ronin rocks! With a baffling and brutal case, tight plotting, and a fascinating look at police procedure, Lost Hills is a stunning start to a new detective series. A must-read for crime fiction fans.” —Melinda Leigh, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author
“A tense, pacy read from one of America’s greatest crime and thriller writers.” —Garry Disher, international bestselling author and Ned Kelly Award winner
2019-09-13
Veteran TV writer and fiction collaborator Goldberg (Killer Thriller, 2019, etc.) auditions a tough, ambitious rookie LA County detective determined to ride a triple murder hard—if it doesn't destroy her career first.
After stepping up when she was off duty to take down an action-movie star who was smacking his girlfriend around, Eve Ronin suddenly found herself catapulted to the county sheriff's Robbery-Homicide Division, where the cases are high profile and her male peers are low tolerant. Minutes after she and Detective Duncan Pavone, her older, fatter, more dispassionate partner, shrug off a borderline killing that really belongs to the LAPD, they answer a distress call from a neighbor of aspiring actress/actual waitress Tanya Kenworth to find Tanya, her two children, and her dog missing from their Topanga house, which is awash in blood. As she's searching the woods around the house for clues, Eve is jumped by a hairy monster she can't even identify as human before she's knocked out—an incident she improbably decides to keep secret from Duncan. There's plenty of convincing evidence that the family was killed, dismembered, and taken away but no evidence that points to any particular suspect. Tanya's ex-husband, Cleve, seems to have been hours away in Merced when his estranged family vanished, and her ex-boyfriend, Jared Rawlins, was entertaining his rebound hookup. As if determined never to be off duty again, Eve works around the clock to find and pursue new leads, but instead of impressing her colleagues, she just convinces them that she's a ruthless careerist. Nor do her efforts sit well with her endlessly critical mother, who can't understand why she looks so disheveled during the TV interviews that make her the face, and eventually the leader, of the investigation. At length, Eve's tireless work identifies a suspect she arrests, but although he fits the evidence to a T, his smug self-assurance makes her worry that she's screwed up. And she has, though not in the way she thinks.
An energetic, resourceful procedural starring a heroine who deserves a series of her own.
