What I liked: Eve in general is a great character. Her growth & talent are obvious in this book. The relationship between Eve and Duncan is still one of my favorite pairings. I’m so glad they’re still partners! Eve’s budding relationship makes me happy for her. The mystery/murders were well done and thoughtful. I wasn’t able to guess who was behind anything and was kept interested.
What I didn’t like: There was too much of the tv show terminology for me. Others may disagree. I’m not sure how I feel about the TV show dedicated to Eve, but it is interesting to see her grapple with it as well. There seemed to be leas of her family & the other characters we’ve gotten to know. More of them would have been nice. Eve didn’t seem like as much of a badass as in previous books. I don’t think character growth means she needs to lose that. More police work is needed. “Aha” moments are okay, but seem to happen frequently.

Overall, a very solid and engaging read. This was a good addition to the series. I hope it continues soon because I’ll happily keep reading. 3.75 stars rounded to 4.

I've come to be a big fan of Lee Goldberg's Eve Ronin series over the last few years, so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of Dream Town. I loved it! I was a big fan of the characters and the storyline was fun and fast. I couldn't decide who to root for!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Another great read by Lee Goldberg in the Eve Ronin series. I have enjoyed each of these. Great characters, great story, and great pacing. The right mix of suspense and humor. Can't wait for the next in the series. #DreamTown #NetGalley

Dream Town by Lee Goldberg
Eve Ronin #5

Dream town for some but a nightmare for others is my conclusion at the end of the book. I wonder if Eve is finding it dreamy, difficult, deadly or some other adjective that begins with “D” as Eve and Duncan tackle their next cases that may overlap before the end of the book.

What I liked:
* Eve: dedicated, competent, focused, intelligent, sees connections, growing in her profession, outspoken but can be tactful, conflicted about the new TV series based on her life, is searching for balance between her professional and personal life, beginning a relationship with Dr. Daniel Brooks
* Duncan: a good man, father figure to Eve, a good mentor, seasoned detective, supportive, smart, decades on the job, great detective, loving husband and father, perfect job partner for Eve, interesting, and has a sense of humor
* The way Eve and Duncan worked together as a team
* Daniel: forensic anthropologist, intelligent, driven, excellent in his field, attracted to Eve and potentially a perfect love interest for her – want to see how things work out
* Seeing Eve’s family again and catching up on how they are doing
* The police procedural aspects and watching how Eve and Duncan found then followed leads
* That the persons responsible for the crimes in this story were found and dealt with and there were no loose ends.
* The plot, pacing, writing, and setting where I spent many of my formative years
* Knowing that there will be another book to look forward to.

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The mindset, behavior, entitlement, and disconnect with reality some characters exuded
* Knowing that though this is fiction, there are people as evil as those in this book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely.

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

5 Stars

This is the fifth book in the Eve Ronin series and probably my least favorite, especially given how great Lost Hills was. While it had the trademark humor of the earlier books and some amusing banter between Eve and her partner, Duncan, overall I found the story slow to start and at times, I questioned how Eve arrived at her conclusions.

I would definitely recommend reading the series in order and despite this less-than-enthusiastic reading, I look forward to Mr. Goldberg's next book. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC.

This was just okay. I have read all the other books in the series and liked them. This just didn't hit me the same way as the others. There was heavy talk on the TV show and reality TV in here that I was just kind of bored of. Eve really got on my nerves with all her complaining. I feel like we've moved off solving the actual crime in this series and are focusing more on the movie/TV industry. I'm not sure I will go to the next one in the series because of this reason. I'm definitely in the minority on my opinion though.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Isn't it lovely that reading allows you to travel to different destinations ? This book Dream Town by Lee Goldberg, the fifth book in the Eve Ronin series takes you to LA - but not LA proper to LA county and more accurately to Hidden Hills - a town and gated community in LA county. So far so real - as for the fiction, in this book the gated community is home to reality show super star Kitty Winslow and her family. When Kitty is murdered the case and all the ensuing publicity fall to super star detective with a TV show to her name Eve Ronin, who despises the stardom and the TV show made after her own story but is still hated by most of her colleagues - who feel not completely unjustified that she has jumped the line through using her stardom - but that doesn't make her a bad detective, or does it ?
This is a series that is great for fans of police procedurals, badass female characters, and stories with great pacing - Lee Goldberg started out as a screen writer (Monk was his work for example) and he knows how to tell a story and keep you engaged. You can, of course, jump in at any book, the mysteries are contained to one in each books but the character development and overarching storyline will just be so much better if you start with the first book Lost Hills - it was published January 2020 so it's not as if it's that old, or is it ?
This book is a KindleUnlimited title (so is the whole series) if you have a subscription it might be worth a try !

Dream Town is Lee Goldberg's 5th book in the fun, fast paced Eve Ronin series. You have to admire a novel that's able to focus on frighteningly relevant issues & murder one minute, while making the reader laugh out loud the next. And Lee Goldberg succeeds in this seamlessly.

Hidden Hills is a gated villiage for the rich and famous. It boasts that small town feel, complete with horse trails, just outside of LA, California. Then not only is there a gruesome murder of a famous reality star within the town but human remains are discovered within the state park right next door.
LASD detective, Eve Ronin, and her partner, Dunkin soon discover that Kitty’s reality show is anything but. And as they investigate her murder, they find themselves learning more than they ever wanted to know about something called burglary tourism. Will this be the clue that breaks this case wide open?

I love this series. It is not my normal genre, but I really enjoy it. This story was definitely unique, I think the twists it took were so bizarre, they were good. This story has a great plot, interesting characters, and best of all Dunkin. If you are looking for a great weekend read, this is it. Enjoy!

This was an enjoyable murder mystery taking place in the Hollywood hills. The officers in this story are looking for a Chilean mob that are robbing and killing people in exclusive gated communities. It kept you wondering what was going to happen next. I would recommend to everyone.

This book is part of a series (something I didn’t realize until I was halfway through). It works as a standalone but I feel I would’ve gotten more out of it if I’d read the previous installments. Overall it was entertaining with a fast paced plot, interesting setting, and witty characters. All in all a good read. I’ve added the first four books in the series to my TBR.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, for an ARC.

I hate starting a book that's part of a series, so I downloaded books 1 through 4 of the Eve Ronin series. Found myself thoroughly enjoying them all, particularly since I miss my old stomping grounds of the Calabasas area ...

Dream Town, the 5th book in the series, was as enjoyable as the others ... just right for a dreary winter or a warm sunny beach day.

Since I enjoyed Lee Goldberg's Calico so much, I was excited to read Dream Town, even though I hadn't read the first four books in the series. Fortunately, references to past events made it possible to read this book as a standalone. The protagonist, Eve Ronin, was the youngest in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department history to be promoted to homicide detective, which hasn't endeared her to her coworkers, nor does the fact that a TV series based on her experiences is currently shooting. The exception is her partner, Duncan, who has delayed his retirement and is therefore able to share with Eve the benefit of his experience.

The juxtaposition of Eve and Duncan's latest case, the murder of a reality-show family member in an ultra-affluent LA-area gated community and the fictionalized TV series directed by Eve's despised father and featuring her mother in a tiny speaking part is fascinating. And the depiction of the reality show family's reactions to the murder, which is quickly worked into the storyline of their show, is an engrossing subplot.

Eve's character fluctuates between superheroine-like escapades and almost self-loathing, as she tries to make sense of her own reality. I particularly enjoyed the occasional laugh-out-loud bits of repartee between Eve and other characters which provide a welcome break from the darker atmosphere. The murder investigation has many twists and turns, and there is a dollop of romance as well. It's enough to convince me to seek out earlier books in this exciting series.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

After reading the first chapter, I was worried that I really needed to read the first 4 books to enjoy Dream Town. Don't worry, you really don't. I love this story and the characters a fun crime mystery that is entertaining from beginning to end. I did, however, go pick up Lost Hills this morning

Lee Goldberg returns with the eagerly anticipated (at least by me) fifth installment of the Eve Ronin series. Like the previous entries in the series, this one gives Eve and company a great mystery to solve as all the threads comes together amid the backdrop of Hollywood. The story itself unfolds quickly and the fast pace translated to me turning the pages as fast as could, trying to keep up with the investigation. I love returning to this world with these amazing characters from the big to the small. I have long had a cycle that with certain authors and their long-running series, I will devour their latest book in a matter of days and then have wait a year (or more) for the next one, this one cements the Eve Ronin series as one of those book series. I will keep reading these as long as Mr. Goldberg wants to keep writing them. And here's hoping for another one very soon.

Special Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

This was an entertaining read. Eve has her hands full investigating the murder of a reality tv star in a posh gated community while dealing with her life being turned into a police tv show.
I did not like this one as much as dome of his other books, but it was an easy, fun read.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Dream Town (Eve Ronin, Book 5) by Lee Goldberg
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 295 / Genre: Police Procedural
Audiobook Narrator: Nicol Zanzarella / Duration: 8 hours, 47 minutes

This fifth book in the Eve Ronin series focuses primarily in Hidden Hills, a private community for celebrities in L.A. When reality TV star Kitty Winslow is gunned down in her Hidden Hills home, LASD detective Eve Ronin is called in to investigate. The top suspects in the murder include a gang of Chilean refugees who have been robbing houses in the area and Kitty’s ex-boyfriend and former gang-member-turned rap star. But nothing is what it seems in this privileged world where normal rules don’t always apply.

This one would really make an excellent primetime TV show. I think this is my favorite book in this series so far.

And best of all, Dream Town is available for free with #KindleUnlimited and includes the audiobook narration with the ebook so you can listen and/or read at your convenience. I got an advanced copy of this book but waited for the narrated version and am glad I did. Nicol Zanzarella did great job narrating.

Thank you @NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Lee Goldberg can always be counted on to:

1. Make me laugh out loud.
2. Write an entertaining story!

We are back in the world of Eve and Duncan, they end up having to investigate a burglary turned murder for a reality tv family in Hidden Hills. The community is full of celebrities and operates under a law that is all its own. Of course, Eve immediately starts making friends (I say with all the sarcasm) as she starts the investigation, and ends up on a wild chase across their jurisdiction to find the answers. As she is trying to untangle reality from fiction when dealing with this family that lives such a scripted life, she is facing the same problem in her own life thanks to the continued filming of the show about her life. I really enjoyed this read and look forward to more stories with these characters.

Dream Town by Lee Goldberg is amazing! Once I finally got to sit down and read it, I couldn't put it down.

Will Eve and Duncan find Kitty's murderer?

The Detectives
Eve and Duncan are on another high-profile case. This time, Eve is dubbed the celebrity detective. Duncan finds it appropriate, and Eve hates the name.

Duncan enjoys being involved with the Ronin television series, while Eve finds that it gives her vertigo. She doesn't like that her life is being filmed with another person's spin. Especially when that spin seems like it may be more accurate than Eve wants it to be.

I like that Eve is making changes in her life for the better. She is listening to Duncan's philosophy about doing police work. Some of it is working, and some not so much. I also like her relationship with Daniel. The two of them are alike enough that they fit well. The weird part for me is her father's new role in her life. It makes me wonder if he will wear her down. Vince has me on the fence about whether he is genuinely interested in his daughter or looking out for himself.

The Cases
There are multiple cases in which Eve and Duncan are working, like cops in the real world. We start with bones found in the park and move on to a couple of murders. The first murder is of a reality star, and the next is that of a rap star. Eve knows the two newest murders are connected; she must figure out how to find the truth. Duncan agrees with her. Eve and Duncan split up a few times throughout the story, and Eve learns a few new things from other agencies.

I like it when Eve realizes what really happened. It's like a lightbulb goes on, and she knows the truth.

Five Stars
My rating for Dream Town by Lee Goldberg is five stars. I love this series. The characters are entirely realistic. The mystery plots are right out of the news but with a witty twist. It feels like you are watching a television series.

I highly recommend this book and the series if you haven't started it already.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Dream Town by Lee Goldberg.

Until the next time,
~Jen

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