Movieland opens with our protagonist, Eve Ronin, in the fourth entry in Lee Goldberg's series about this young LA County homicide detective, and her soon to retire partner Duncan "Donuts" Pavone, investigating a break-in to a break room where all that was stolen was junk food and a sweater. They are then called to a crime scene in nearby Malibu Creek State Park, where a muckraking blogger and her girlfriend have been shot during a camping trip.

The conventions of crime fiction, of all fiction actually, tell you that the break room break-in is going to figure into the shooting, even if Eve and Duncan don't see it, according to Chekhov's rule about introducing a gun into a scene -- once it's there, it has to be fired. Goldberg has used this same approach in at least one prior book in this series. In Movieland, the foreshadowing we assume is taking place is something completely different -- it signals that this police procedural is not satisfied with merely connecting the dots and painting by numbers (groan!).

For example, try to guess who done it. The conventions of crime fiction dictate that readers should have a good chance at figuring out who done it, but of course it should not be too easy. Watch any episode of a police show on TV -- it's often too simple, you know right off the bat the first and most obvious suspect will not be the culprit, and if you look right away at who else is there who seems to be above suspicion, you've most likely found your man.

But not in Movieland. I'm not going to go into detail, no spoilers, but the solution does not come out of left field (a cardinal sin) nor is it obvious. There's more to it than that. And it works. As in the best examples of the Ronin series' role model, Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series (once again name checked in this entry), there's always more to it than that, and it's up to our unconventional and controversial protagonist to take us there.

What I especially like about Goldberg, in this series and in his other books, is that he sneaks a lot of good literary qualities into his genre writing. Characterization, always. Eve and Duncan have grown with every entry, from stock characters in the first to fully formed characters who continue to evolve -- Duncan in particular becomes much more than comic relief in this volume. Dialogue, always snappy without being too sappy. Relevant contemporary subtext -- in this case, not even sub- but integral to the story, an area of natural beauty threatened by overdevelopment.

If you're up to date on the series, you no doubt like it enough to continue on -- this one will not disappoint, it's one of the best so far. If you're new to the series, it would be perfectly fine to jump right in, and if you like it enough, go back and catch up on the rest -- this is not a case where I would say you have to start at the beginning. It works well either way.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing an advance reading copy of this novel. Looking forward to a continuation of the series -- although I wouldn't be upset if Goldberg took a short break to resume the Ian Ludlow series in the interim, or even to write a stand-alone.

I give this book a 3.5

What I love about the series is the juxtaposition between young/old detectives. Eve just bulldozing into a situation and Duncan standing back to assess.
I appreciate real world landmarks so you can google to get an idea in your head of where events are happening.

I have really enjoyed this series, but it took until about 75% of the way in, before I really got invested in the story and could see everything coming together.
Occasionally the technical jargon can be too much, and gets in the way of the plot.

For me, this book was difficult to get into, because none of the secondary characters are all that likable.
There were so many suspects as the sniper that I occasionally had to go back to figure out which one they were.

I had my suspicions about the real sniper, but there were enough curveballs at the end to make me waver. The ending was a nice wrap up and I can’t wait to read the next book.

I am such a fan of this series, I love a good police procedural series and Lee Goldberg's Eve Duncan books hit the mark. Movieland might be my favorite in the series, though the first book remains a favorite as well. What I love with this series if the consistent steadfast determination Eve shows, her insistence of being seen and respected and her pursuit of answers, if not justice. I also like the pacing that Goldberg always brings to these novels, he gives strong description of crime scenes, standard and appreciated in a procedural, and keep the action moving. There are no big twists or deception here, just a clean efficient and action paced mystery, which is a nice change from my tendency to read twisty dark thrillers that sometimes leave me feeling annoyed at the author and the twists.
For fans of the series, this is a great addition to the books and I like returning to Eve's character and seeing some space for her to grow a bit more.

Eve and her partner Duncan are investigating a shooting at a state park. They are convinced this shooting is connected to multiple other shooting within the last year. The case is in a State park and the park rangers don’t want to admit that the other cases could be connected for fear they will chase away park visitors. When a political figure is shot all bets are off. Eve is not a rule follower and a lot of deputies blame her for some corrupt officers being arrested so there aren’t many she trusts. I liked the characters in the book. There is action, suspense and a bit of humor thrown in. This book is part of a series but could be read as a stand alone. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

When a dead body is found in a state park, Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone are assigned the case. Duncan is haunted by the fact that this is not the first attack in the park he knows of, but the investigations of the others were covered up since no one was killed and the higher ups wanted to avoid a panic from the public. The top brass don’t believe the current murder and the previous attacks are related and order the detectives to investigate the murder and leave the other attacks alone. Then another dead body is found and Eve is nearly killed. Can the detectives solve the cases, which they believe are connected and put the real killer, or killers in jail before they become the next victim?

This is book 4 in the Eve Ronin police procedural/crime series and I recommend reading them in order. Eve and her soon-to-be retired partner, Duncan Pavone, are called out on an urgent call that hikers have reported finding a woman shot in Malibu Creek State Park.. Duncan fears this is just the latest in a series of shotgun shootings but others in his department do not agree and tell them to focus on their current case.
The story is full of action and has great characters. Eve is smart and ambitious and I am not sure what she will do when Duncan retires! The writing is great and the reader is immersed in the scenery of the park and of the people being interviewed, . The story is fast paced and engaging, a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next book.. Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC.

I’ve been a fan of the Eve Ronin series since the 1st book, and Movieland did not disappoint.
In this 4th installment, Eve Ronin and her partner are investigating a series of seemingly unrelated park shootings. While I found the mystery obvious and easy for the reader to solve, the fast past nature and comedic writing of the book kept it entertaining. Ronin’s character growth was also fun to read, and left me looking forward to the next book!

This is the 4th book in the series but you will be able to follow the story even if you didn’t the other books. I’m getting those asap because I really enjoyed the story and the author’s writing style. It’s a page turner and you won’t be able to put it down. Highly recommend it

Movieland by Lee Goldberg is the 4th book in the Eve Ronin series. Ronin is the youngest homicide detective in the LA Sheriff's department and still has to contend with her colleagues' hate, believing she didn't ethically get the promotion. Eve and her partner, Duncan Pavone, investigate a sniper shooting at Malibu State Park. The twists and turns this case takes when realizing they are dealing with a serial shooting make for a great read. I can't wait for the next book in this series. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley.

I’ve become a fan of Lee Goldberg and his Eve Ronin series. Goldberg is a tv series writer and it shows with this well paced mystery. There’s humor (my husband kept asking me why I was laughing out loud), well defined characters and plenty of action. Goldberg also writes scenes that are easy to envision. This isn’t great literature by any stretch but it’s good entertainment.
This time around, someone is shooting at folks with a shotgun. All the shootings occur in or around the Malibu Creek State Park. After one woman is killed and her companion injured, it turns out there were plenty of other shootings that the Park Service swept under the rug.
Eve is a great main character. She’s dedicated, hardworking and not afraid to antagonize others. Her tendency to forget the rules lands her in constant trouble with her superiors. She recognizes her lack of experience and worries how she’ll cope once her partner Duncan “Donuts” Pavone retires in two weeks.
This is the fourth in the series and I recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate Eve’s situation. Make sure to read the Author’s Note to see the actual incident that inspired the story.
My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

Following on the story of a detective battling opportunity, as much as the usual criminal and incompetent colleague elements. Goldberg maintains the pace and refreshes with levity at the right frequency.

I know many people love the Lee Goldberg books, and normally, I do also. However, Movieland did not do anything for me. Nothing takes me out of a book faster than having too many descriptions of the road, scenery, or location of a crime scene or to get to a crime scene.

Movieland was not as exciting as the premise made it out to be as other books by Lee Goldberg.

#Movieland #NetGalley @AmazonPub

This book has some interesting twists and the politics in how to handle crime is interesting to say the least. Movieland by Lee Goldberg is the fourth book about Eve Ronin. She only has a few weeks left with retiring detective Donut one of the few police officeres at Lost Hills station who believes in her. This is another masterpiece filled with misogyny and corrupt police. Is there a seriell shootist loose in the park or not? Well get the book and have fun on the ride along. I must thank #ThomasAndMercer #Netgalley @amazonpub #amazonpublishing for letting me read this advance copy of #Movieland and @leegoldberg007 for writing these great books.

This mystery is a brain teaser for Eve and Duncan! There are so many pieces in this puzzle of a crime and it was incredibly done again. Eve’s personal life and work life are so intertwined that I love the characters we have gotten to know and love. The continued arc of trouble at the sheriff’s office intensifies with Eve and the deputies made me so engaged for each chapter. Everything else I want to praise is a spoiler for the series so I will finish by saying that this instalment was a great addition and I am thrilled with all things Eve Ronin!

I received an arc via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

A well written story, with a great plot and loads of suspense. The characters were interesting, true to life and with good dialogue. I enjoyed the read and recommend it to anyone who likes suspense mystery and a great plot.

I really like this series set in and around the city of Calabasas and the mega-expensive beachside homes at nearby Malibu, California. This is book 4 and so far we’ve seen young police officer Eve Ronin attract the animosity of a large number of her colleagues for the way in which she’s managed to hop over many of them to the position of homicide detective. Furthermore, she’s already ruined a few of their careers as a result of actions they’ve taken in an attempt to bring her down. Yes, it’s fair to say that she’s not the most popular cop in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

Eve has been partnered with soon to retire veteran detective Duncan ‘Donuts’ Pavone since her promotion and in this episode they’re called to investigate a shooting at Malibu Creek State Park, an eight thousand acre recreation area in the Santa Monica Mountains. A woman has been killed and another injured, but Pavone fears that this might be just the latest in a series of shooting events in the past fourteen months. Because of the way legal responsibility is divvied up here, those responsible for security within the park itself have managed to keep the earlier occurrences largely under wraps.

So Eve and Duncan now have to battle with those wanting to avoid the adverse publicity that would arise from reports of a pattern of shootings, as this might cause a reduction in the number of visitors to the park and a consequential loss of income for the area. None of the previous events had caused a fatality and therefore it had been reasonably easy for the powers that be to hush them up. Now, given the fact that Duncan is only two weeks away from retirement they’re going to have to get a shuffle on if they’re going to crack this one!

Of course, there turns out to be an awful lot more going on under the surface and this partnered with Eve’s ongoing battle with those who would love to see her gone means that it’s all going to get pretty hectic. The characters here are brilliant: from the ambitious but dedicated Eve to the food machine come mentor that is Donuts and the political and self serving senior police officers, there is a combustible mix which delivers a delicious cocktail of humour and eruptive and confrontational interaction.

This series has quickly found its way in to my list of favourites. It’s somewhat lighter in tone that Connelly’s Bosch books, but to even mention a series in the same breath is praise in itself. For lovers of crime fiction, I can’t recommend these books highly enough.

When I requested this ARC, I had no clue it was a part of a series. This was a good read, I enjoyed the characters and the premise, the 'mis-matched' pair of detectives felt reminiscent of watching Steve Martin and Martin Short alongside Selena Gomez in 'The Only Murders in The Building'. Movieland is action packed, funny as heck and captivating, I really enjoyed the intricacies of the plot and what felt like a peek behind the curtain into the life of a Homicide Investigator. I want to go back and read other books in this series, it's well written and highly enjoyable to read the dialogue between Eve and Duncan, the plot was very interesting as well. Highly recommend as this can be read as a standalone!
4.5/5

I loved this one . I love this series. Ronin is believeable and I love Duncan. I love all the settings in LA. I just loved this book, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

Another good Goldberg book in this series. Although I didn’t not love this quite as much as the prior ones, it still held my attention and I want to continue reading future books in this series.

I love Eve Ronin. She’s smart, tough, focused, sarcastic, and in your face. What’s not to love? Her disdain for corruption and incompetence is always front and center and that is no different in MOVIELAND, the latest installment in this excellent series. Someone is shotgunning people in Malibu Creek State Park and Eve and partner Duncan are tasked with tracking down the elusive killer even as the body count rises. The suspect list grows and the possible motives for the shootings come and go as she and Duncan doggedly continue their search for the shooter. Twists and turns ensue. An excellent addition to this fun series.

DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series