I started reading Lee Goldberg once he partnered with Janet Evanovich and the Fox & O'hare collaborations were fun and witty. I even started his new "fun" Ian Ludlow series (although Book 2 really jumped the shark and makes me less excited to pick up #3). So, this was a different tone than the others. More serious and dark, very stoic girl bad-ass cop stuff. It took me a lot longer to get through and not for me. It didn't have the same level of suspense as some of the other books out there that's like this. The urgency didn't kick in until the end and because this is only Book 1, he is still slowly unwrapping character story elements. We know we should care about her broken family/childhood situation and figure it'll be part of future stories, but for now, it's back story that gets in the way of the action and plot.

Lost Hills is the first book in a new series by Lee Goldberg, and I must admit he did not disappoint. Eve Ronin is the daughter of a want-to-be actress who was able to garner a few bit parts here and there. Because Eve does not trade on her looks and was not interested in acting, she is basically a disappointment to her mother. However, this is not the case with others. Thanks to social media, Eve is pretty much a household name and a hero. This allows for her to quickly rise from just another officer of the law to a detective in Homicide, and not just any detective, but the youngest female homicide detective in the department’s history.
Eve has a lot to learn, of course, and due to her rapid rise and social media presence, she is given a hard time by the others in the department. However, she does not allow this to deter her from sticking to her guns when a case comes her way. Using her skills, instinct and tenacity, she finds the bodies and captures the killer.
I found this to be an enjoyable read. Eve is easy to relate to. Her insecurities and doubts make her seem more real and allow for the reader to be invested in the outcome and root for her. There is action, suspense to keep you turning those pages. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Lee Goldberg continues to produce high quality, grippable thrillers. This is another good leading character to add to the stable and I look forward to the next episode

The murders are horrific and lacking any real evidence at the scene our new-to-squad detective doesn't have her dollar's confidence as they think she got it the wrong way. Luckily she's given a long time cop as her partner who guides her without seeming to. Just waiting for retirement in a few months he says he's just biding his time but they make perfect partner's in a novel of confusing facts and leads terrific
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Phenomenal and bone chilling

This is my first read by this author and I am hooked! It was one of the best Crime Thrillers I've ever read. It was packed with grisly details and some of it was hard to read but it painted a vivid picture. Phenomenal start to a new series. I really enjoyed the main character. I look forward to following Eve in her journey. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys True crime fiction.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detective Eve Ronin works in Robbery-Homicide Division out of the Lost Hills Station in Calabasas. She is called to investigate a missing family and instead finds a house covered with blood. Something awful happened in that house, and it was going to be her job to find out what it was.

Goldberg gives a nice shout out to Michael Connelly when Ronin comments on Connelly’s Harry Bosch crime novels. Bosch’s problem, she concludes, is that he did not know how to play politics; she had already proven that she could, and now she had to prove she could do the job.

This case is more complex than anything Ronin has tackled before. Her investigation is planned and well thought-out but certainly unconventional. She takes deliberate and careful steps, building on what has been learned, but somehow a key piece of the puzzle is missing. Just when she thinks things are coming together, here comes another complication.

Goldberg pulls readers into the story with a feel for Hollywood geography and echoes of things that actually happen. The lives of the supporting characters are intertwined with the entertainment industry, and the action has a TV feel. Personalities are unique, well defined, and consistent. Supporting characters are going to auditions, eager for parts, and reminiscing about past roles.

“Lost Hills” is described as book one in the series, so I cannot wait to see what Eva Rodin will be up to next. I received a review copy of “Lost Hills” from Lee Goldberg and Thomas & Mercer Publishing. The characters are complex and the ending unexpected. It is quick to read and filled with suspense, action, and emotions

On a police call Eve Ronin and her partner report to a scene where a guy is dead in a pickup truck however it is apparent to Eve that the truck has been moved across the intersection into their jurisdiction. She mentions this and the case is reverted to the original detectives who answered the call. Next they are call to do a wellness check in Topanga Canyon. A woman says her friend was supposed to meet her but didn't show and when she came to the house she looked in the window and saw blood on the floor. The inside of the house looks like a slaughterhouse and it is apparent that several people have been brutally murdered but there are no bodies. Eve must follow the evidence , find the clues and solve the murders along with playing along with her partners "good ol' boys attitudes and prejudices. An action packed thriller with a kick-ass heroine this was a really enjoyable read.

Lost Hills is the second Lee Goldberg book I’ve read and, like the previous, found to be a rather entertaining, fun, fast paced detective mystery novel. Eve Ronin is a great female lead character, although the misogyny she faces amongst her peers can sometimes be a bit cliche and overdone. However, I’d definitely read Book 2 in the series and look forward to reading more by Lee Goldberg.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Quite well done for a quick read
Full review at MurderInCommon.com
https://murderincommon.com/2020/01/26/lee-goldberg-lost-hills/

I was attracted to this book by the promise of ‘the real world grit and glitz of LA County crime’ and ‘this book takes no prisoners’. Yeah, sounds right up my alley! I hadn’t come across Lee Goldberg before but a quick bit of research told me that he is the author of more than half a dozen series as well as having written extensively for television. OK, good enough for me, I’m in.

Deputy Eve Ronin was recently promoted to detective after a relatively short time on the force. Her rapid rise was a result of her having arrested a film actor who had publicly struck his girlfriend, an incident filmed by a witness to the act. The video went viral as soon it was uploaded to the web and this was seen as good publicity for the local police force and proved to be even better news for Eve. Except that ever since she has suffered from continued ribbing from colleagues who constantly remind her that she didn't earn her promotion the hard way, as everyone else has had to. It’s thrown doubt over her abilities to do the job, so what she really needs is a meaty case through which she can prove her worth.

Eve’s partner is six months from retirement and keen to ease his way to the finish line. So when a call pulls them to a house that, on the inside, looks more like an abattoir with the animals removed he takes a step back and gives her the lead. What has happened here - woman and her two children are missing, have they been slaughtered and the bodies removed? If so, who’s the perpetrator: perhaps an ex-husband and father of the children or the current boyfriend? On the other hand, with no bodies on site it’s possible that this is an abduction case. It’s all far from clear.

The action takes place in the hills close to Malibu and the pace never lets up. Eve is resourceful and driven, but she’s never led a case before and to make matters worse the local police hierarchy are quickly on her back demanding meaningful progress. All the characters here are well drawn and Eve, in particular, is someone I’d really like to meet up with again. And the overall story really grabbed me, it's well constructed and comes together with a really explosive finish. A brilliant read and one that really did live up to the hype!

WHAT A STORY FROM BEGINNING TP END THIS CHARACTERS JUMP OFF THE PAGE AND YOU KEEP GOING UNTIL THE END.
YOU ARE INTRODUCED TO EVE RONIN WHO BECAUSE OF AN ARREST OFF DUTY OF A MOVIE STAR HAS NOW GOTTEN HER THE PROMOTION TO ROBBERY HOMICIDE FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT. MAINLY BECAUSE THEY NEEDED GOOD PUBLICITY FROM A SCANDAL AT THEIR CENTRAL JAIL, WHICH BY THE WAY IS ALWAYS CRAZY. SHE IS NOW PARTNERED WITH A VETERAN WHO IS COUNTING THE DAYS TO RETIREMENT.
THEY WORK OUT OF SAN FERNANDO VALLEY AND AFTER A VERBAL SHOWDOWN WITH L.A.P.D. DETECTIVES THEY LEAVE THAT SCENE ONLY TO BE CALLED TO WHAT APPEARS TO BE A MORE HORRIFIC SCENE, THE PROBLEM NOBODIES. NOW IT IS UP TO HER, DUNCAN AND TWO OTHER DETECTIVES THAT THEY GIVE HER TO BE IN CHARGE OF TO FIND AND SOLVE THE CASE.
LIKE I SAID THE AUTHOR WILL KEEP YOU GOING, WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE STREETS WHICH WERE CORRECT, TO THE VERBAL BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE OFFICERS GOOD AND BAD. TO HER FINALLY STICKING UP FOR HERSELF TO THE ONES SHE NEEDED TO. THIS IS A WONDERFUL AND FRESH STORY WITH NEW CHARACTERS, AND WHAT I FOUND TO BE MORE REALISTIC THAN OTHER BOOKS THAT PEOPLE TRY TO WRITE ABOUT COPS. THE AUTHOR WILL TIE EVERYTHING TOGETHER AT THE END SO PAY ATTENTION TO THE BEGINNING. A FANTASTIC BOOK!

At heart, Lost Hills is a police procedural. Eve is new to the homicide division, having been promoted more due to sway public opinion than because of her actual skills. This is her first major case and it has the potential to make her a star or to go terribly awry. The crime is gruesome, and a lot more bloody than most books I read.

Eve is tough and intelligent. She knows fate threw her a good turn with the new job and she’s determined to prove she belongs. She’s no-nonsense and super dedicated. She’s paired with an older detective who is close to retirement. He provides some of the funnier moments, but he also supports her when it seems reasonable, lends his experience and authority to the investigation, and reminds her to do things like eat and sleep. He believes in balancing life and the job, which is an example she clearly needs.

This is police work that doesn’t depend on lab results. They match car types, make phone calls, interview people. There’s not a convenient figure print or DNA sample that gives away the murderer. It’s hard to put down. Even though it seems like all the family is dead, there’s still a sense of urgency in finding the killer and Goldberg keeps the tension high.

And the end – I don’t want to give it away, but it was definitely memorable. I knew Eve would solve the case and survive, but Goldberg did a good job of making me worried. He makes the setting and events so real, but also like it would make a great movie too, so I’m not sure how to put it. Real in a too real kind of way? Does that make sense?

The ending fit so well. Eve got her position do to a viral video and the final moments of this case provide another video. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. After this case, I think her superiors and co-workers will have to admit that she deserves to be there.

I’ve read and adored this author’s two Ian Ludlow thrillers, and happily have an ARC of the third up soon. While those are clever and funny spoofs of the action genre, this was a more traditional straight police procedural that reads like an homage to the Harry Bosch series - he is even mentioned so I’m not imagining it! It’s an exciting cinematically-written thriller, with a suitably kick-a** heroine, but is just a little too derivative to earn 5 stars.

Eve Ronin is the youngest detective in the LA Sheriff’s office, promoted from the burglary division after a video of her arresting a movie star for assault went viral, earning her the nickname Deathfist, and the antipathy of her new colleagues. When the home of a young actress and her children is found drenched in blood, but with no bodies to be found, Eve is put in charge of the case. How will she catch the killer when no one trusts her skills?

I was pleased that this didn’t quite follow the usual murder mystery plot line and that the author manages to wrong-foot us about what’s going on. I liked Eve even though in some respects she’s a carbon-copy Driven Detective With Issues (but not an alcoholic, for a nice change.) Goldberg has imitated the slightly tedious Connelly habit of describing and naming every street our protagonist drives or rides down, which is probably fun if you know LA but to me felt like padding. There are the usual departmental politics and difficult bosses, loveable side-kick and comic relief pair of detective colleagues.

Overall this is an enjoyable first outing for a series that I’d be happy to continue, but hope that the author has the confidence to inject more of his own style rather than mimicking Michael Connelly’s. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Lost Hills is available now.

Lee Goldberg's Lost Hills novel is a lightning-fast read about a female homicide detective who was promoted over man others ahead of her. She is now resented by many of her colleagues. She has to prove that she is worthy of the promotion, and Goldberg goes all out to make sure she is. The detective, Eve Ronin, is super heroic. She can go two days without sleep, she can pursue leads by sure persistence. She is a bit much. Goldberg accomplishes his goal, but in the meantime the reader is left to wonder if he is planning the TV movie tht he might hope for the book. The concluding scenes with Eve running through burning forest, clutching a ten-year old were all caught on video by the fire department rescue helicopter. There was no need for Goldberg to attach this scenario to his novel, but Hollywood beckons. It sort of diminished the interest I had for the novel.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

female detective series can go real off rails, but NOT this one. It kept me on my toes the whole book and I did not see that ending!

Eve is a newly appointed detective and gets her first horrific case. She works diligently to find the person responsible for killing a woman, her two children, and the family dog. She follows the clues and won’t give up until the killer is found. This was a well-written detective story. I had trouble putting the book down. I look forward to reading the next in the series!

Lost Hills by Lee Goldberg
Eve Ronin #1

Eve Ronin is not ashamed she used her moment of fame to make it into the homicide detective section of the police. She wanted it, was given the opportunity and snapped it up. That said, she knows that a lot is riding on her ability to solve the case that presented with carnage...a case so brutal that it is mainly a matter of finding the bodies as nobody could possibly have survived. Eve’s partner till he retires has many years of experience but is ready to pass the baton so lets her take the lead and that is just what she does. Will she find the murderer? What will she unearth as she and the team stick to procedures police follow to determine what is what? Is Eve up to the challenge?

What I liked:
* Eve – she is smart, not willing to take guff from others and willing to go out on a limb to do what she feels needs to be done
* Duncan – an older seasoned officer filled with wisdom and a great mentor
* The police procedural aspects
* The twists and turns when they occurred – and the surprises I was not expecting
* The facts and tie-ins that were found
* The puzzle pieces that fit together so tidily
* Learning more about Eve and her family – want to know more and hope to in future books of the series
* Knowing there are enough interesting side characters to make this a great series
* The writing

What I did not like:
* Perhaps it was a bit too easy to find some of the clues?
* The baddie that was so very bad – so glad lethal injection is on the table
* Always hate seeing the loss of life – senseless murderer
* Not knowing the real reason behind what the murderer did...perhaps it was just fun and exciting and there was no reason at all?

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

This is an excellently written story with good descriptions of a murder and the area in and around LA. Strong lead female character and the senior male partner she is assigned to. He adds comic relief to her straight, no humor way she approaches her new post to homicide. She tries too hard and he's counting the days to retirement. Already pre ordered the next one.

It was tough to get over the dog.....and the depravity.

As awful as the bad guy is here, and as grisly as some scenes are, this is very well written, The story moves quickly and a remarkable amount of stuff happens in a short period of time. There is an interesting dynamic between the detective and her co workers, and has a ring of truth to it.

The story opens with a horrible crime that turns out to be something else- the misdirection distracts everyone. It is only that classic nagging feeling that changes everyone's attention.

I generally really enjoy books by this author, and this is no different.
He gives his characters dimension and interest. I do wonder about his imagination and ability to create some really creepy bad guys.

With his newest book, Lost Hills, Lee Goldberg has introduced a likable character. Eve Ronin is the newest member of the Los Angeles county sheriff’s department’s Robbery Homicide squad. She’s young, she’s female, and she has a lot to live up to. Partnered with Duncan, who is looking forward to his retirement in 163 days, Eve takes the lead on a murder investigation. The victims are missing but it’s obvious that something horrific has happened.

Lost Hills is a terrific police procedural. There are a variety of characters that populate Eve’s world and Goldberg provides just enough background to make them interesting. Eve is smart, passionate, and hard-working. Her partner is supportive and capable. Together they provide the glue that makes the story so compelling. There are touches of humor without going over the top, the story is well-written, and the descriptions of Southern California only add to the enjoyment of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is the beginning of a new series by Lee Goldberg and I’m impatiently looking forward to the next installment.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.