Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg Book Review

About the Book:

After dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror, arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his spree. But then a catastrophic fire destroys a major freeway, crippling the city and forcing Sharpe and Walker to take on another massive case.

Desperate for help, they know exactly who to call: homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four detectives must quickly figure out whether the freeway disaster was a tragic accident…or the work of a mastermind with a horrific plan.

As the investigations collide, an old foe with a revenge scheme enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder.

My Review:

While the plot may be a bit complicated, this is another good novel from Goldberg. I like the dialogue and banter. There are two lines running through the book. One involves a thief from Malibu Burning and the other arson investigations. The plot line of investigating arson fires is a welcome change from the more typical murder mysteries. The plot had some good twists and turns. This novel was perhaps a bit less engaging than the previous one I read but it was still enjoyable. I did feel the characters were well developed. It was interesting characters were brought in from another series. Goldberg's scene descriptions are great. This novel makes one think twice about driving on highway overpasses.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award finalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including the Eve Ronin series, the Ian Ludlow series, the Sharpe & Walker series, and seven books in the Fox & O’Hare series, which he coauthored with Janet Evanovich. He has also written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk, and is the cocreator of the Hallmark movie series Mystery 101. As an international television consultant, he has advised networks and studios in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, China, Sweden, and the Netherlands on the creation, writing, and production of episodic series. For more information, visit www.leegoldberg.com.

Thomas and Mercer, 300 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)