Detective Eve Ronin is fierce, flawed, and focused in her pursuit of justice. The plot is lean, and the action is relentless – it delivers a cracking good story with a strong sense of character and deft control of the setting.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, #NetGalley, and the author of #BoneCanyon for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg is a great detective drama with a unique central character in the young, inexperienced, but clever Eve Ronin, who is thrown into the fire, in more ways than one, when bones are found after a wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Eve is assigned a cold case and a partner who is about to retire. She has to prove herself, and it seems as if everyone is either jealous of her quick rise through the ranks or they’re out to kill her as she’s surrounded by suspects in the form of her fellow officers.

When I came to the point in the book where everything changed, I almost cried. But I didn’t have time—Eve fitted the pieces together, and I could have too, but I didn’t. Goldberg had played fair, I had all the clues, but they were so carefully, skillfully planted, it’s no wonder he’s considered a master mystery author.

I recommend this book, but you may want to pick up Eve Ronin Book 1, first, to get the background of why all the other officers are so jealous of her.

Recommended!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, #NetGalley, and the author of #BoneCanyon for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback, this is it!

This was my first read by this author and I really enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading more Eve Ronin books. Very engaging to the end. I love police procedurals. Eve is the young detective with her big case to solve to prove she can do this. And then to find she has been walking with the murderer along the way.... What a twist! I didn’t see that coming.
Thanks Net Galley for the ARC.

Good, good, good. I stumbled upon this series on accident. I enjoy them because they are Fast-paced and I can read in one setting. All Lee Goldberg books seem to follow a winning formula.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Eve is great. She is stubborn and has a dogged determination that puts of a lot of people, but get results. She does not quit. Everyone thinks she is all about publicity and really all she wants is to solve the case. When bones are discovered in a canyon where there had been a fire, she and her partner need to find out why they were dumped there. One case involves some deputies and that doesn't make Eve very popular. When some people go too far and run her off the road, Eve finds out that she really does have some friends. Careers and lives are ruined. All the while, her family is trying to get her to make a show out of her life. What is she going to do. If they make a series out of her life, she will never be able to get people to take her seriously. Will she live to find out who murdered several people?

I've sought out, read and enjoyed everything Lee Goldberg has published in book form. Even in the comic-caper books, the characters are well-drawn and memorable, and they transcend the farce in which they sometimes find themselves.

Still, I wasn't expecting the quantum leap Goldberg took with the first Eve Ronin book, Lost Hills -- which I thought was his best ever, and which placed him among the best of our social-commentarians-via-crime-fiction.

And Bone Canyon is even better. Eve is an-almost rookie with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. She has a curse for finding unwanted publicity. Each time, she figures: I didn't ask for this, but why not use it to get past this next little career hurdle? (Unlike most Los Angelenos -- including her family -- she doesn't get the point of celebrity for its own sake.)

She's smart and dogged and leery of authority, and is racking up a respectable solve rate. She also has a knack for winning over skeptics, despite a certain heifer-in-china-closet quality. This time around, the stakes were higher because both of the crimes feature a strong potential of sheriff's deputy perpetrators.

This may become my favorite series. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advance readers copy.

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S BONE CANYON ABOUT?
A wildfire was wiping out good swaths of L.A. County as the last novel wrapped up. Now, just a few weeks later, several things that were hidden pre-fire have been exposed—some of those things are human remains. Eve Ronin and her partner are called out to the site of one such discovery. They're able to identify the remains, they belong to a young woman who'd reported being raped and soon disappeared six years previously.

Eve assumes there's a link between the rape, disappearance, and her death. This is solidified when it's determined the woman was murdered. Even if it proves untrue, she needs to start her investigation somewhere, so she starts by looking over the initial investigation and is less than impressed with the way it was handled. So, she plunges into re-investigating the rape and disappearance while also trying to get a handle on this murder. It's not long before she's getting pressured to drop the rape angle.

When another group of remains is found in the same general area—these belonging to an older woman, things get more complicated. How many murderers is she looking for?

DUNCAN "DUNKIN' DONUTS" PAVONE
I only gave Eve's partner four sentences in my post about Lost Hills, I think I should've spent a little more time on him, I have a sneaking suspicion that he's the secret weapon in this series. He seems like a Spenser's Frank Belson-type (I have to admit I see Ron McLarty, TV's Belson, in my mind during his scenes). He's a slob, constantly covered in crumbs (donut or otherwise), cynical, seemingly lazy—but at heart a dedicated and good detective. Watching him at work in the interrogation room should be enough to make anyone doubt the image he projects.

When we first meet him, he's got his eyes on his retirement date and is counting down to it, which is why he's saddled with the homicide detective no one wants as a partner. He seems to tolerate Eve and will sprinkle some tips and cynicism her way. But that's about it. By the end of the first novel, there's more than toleration at work. By the time Bone Canyon opens, he's really trying to mentor her, trying to guide her, and prepare her as much as possible for her future (not that he's obvious about it, or even willing to admit it, but it's there). In a lot of this novel, it's clear that he cares for Eve as a partner, and is likely more concerned with the future of her career than she is. He won't necessarily agree with all of her wild theories, but he's at least willing to entertain them, to look for evidence to back them up.

It's a nice shift, and if she can win Duncan over, there's reason to hope that she can get others in the Department to work with her.

While I'd been hoping that Goldberg would find a way to keep him in the series after his retirement (somewhere around 100 days after this novel), I wasn't sure he would. I guess I'm still not positive that he will, but Goldberg provided a way to do so. I'm relieved—Eve needs a cop she can trust in her life, even if he's retired.

Which leads me to:

COP OR POLITICIAN?
Several times, superiors in the Sheriff's office, a friendly D.A., and her own mother accuse Eve of playing political games with this case for her own career advancement. In Eve's mind, she's not making political moves for her own gain, but for the sake of the case. It's all about justice for the victims, she insists. She doesn't trust anyone in the Department, so she has to go at things in her own way.

Sure, she made some moves circumventing the chain of command to keep things moving, to prevent leaking and anyone stopping her. But she denies being overtly political about this, and only admits it in retrospect. Which I found a little odd, remembering something she thought about the Harry Bosch audiobook she was listening to in Lost Hills:

[Bosch's] problem, she thought, was that he didn't know how to play politics. She'd already proven that she could.


As much as Eve thinks of herself as a loner—due to circumstances forcing her into the role, rather than that being her nature—there are events here to teach her that ain't necessarily true. She's never going to win any popularity contests (Duncan will testify that she's unlikeable), but if she pays attention, Eve's going to find more allies. She doesn't have to be Renée Ballard.

* We know she's a Harry Bosch fan, I wonder what Eve thinks about Ballard.

...OR IS SHE A MEDIA STAR IN THE MAKING?
The other thing that's constantly being thrown at Eve is her social media stardom—the viral video that got her promoted into the Homicide Division was just the start. Someone leaked video of her heroics at the close of the previous novel which just compounded things for her. So many of her fellow detectives and deputies just assume she's all about getting fame and glory for her own advantage (many of these people are just jealous and would do whatever they could to get a share of her fame so they could cash in on it). It's truly the last thing she wants, unlike the other accusation.

Ironically, her family is pushing her to embrace this notoriety and cash in on it (mostly for their selfish benefit, not her good)—and both an agent and a TV Writer/Producer are circling her. Everyone's telling her that a series/movie is going to happen no matter what, if she wants any influence on how it happens, she has to sign up.

Goldberg had already firmly established that this series takes place in the shadow of the Entertainment Industry, would-be actors, film crew members, bona fide stars, and others (like a fellow detective) wanting to get into the industry. So this subplot doesn't feel out-of-place at all, it's the world Eve Ronin deals in.

I really like this aspect of the story—as long as it doesn't become too dominant—and watching Eve try to figure out how to use her notoriety to help (or at least, not hinder) her police work is as interesting as watching her figure out how to survive as a political animal.

NOW, THAT'S A NICE TOUCH...
There's a little treat for readers of Goldberg's Ian Ludlow series. I loved it. But if you're not reading that series, don't worry, you won't even realize that you missed something.*

* Still, I should take a beat to ask you why you aren't reading the Ian Ludlow books. You should fix that. Click here to see what I've had to say about those.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BONE CANYON?
This rocked. I think it was a step up from Lost Hills, which I'm pretty sure was the best thing Goldberg has written. He does all the same things that made Lost Hills a success and then progressed them a little bit. I raced through these pages—both because the prose invites you to and because I just had to see how it all ended.

Eve's a great character—she's flawed, she has a lot to learn, but she has potential as a detective and is driven to fulfill that potential. Her cases are twisty enough to keep you guessing and turning pages. and Goldberg's writing is at his best.

I liked Lost Hills enough that pre-ordered this book as soon as I could, and have already done the same for the third book, knowing only its title (I'd buy books 4 and 5 right now, too, for what it's worth). They're that good—and I think you'll likely agree. Jump on the Eve Ronin train, you'll be in for a great ride.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this, but aside from giving me something to opine about, this didn't impact what I said.

Eve is my new favorite detective. An engrossing and engaging mystery. The surprise definitely took me by surprise. Very clever. I eagerly await the further adventures of Eve Ronin.

Goldberg does not disappoint in the second Eve Ronin book. She’s still fighting the “old boy” treatment in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and suffering the publicity she received after her heroic rescue of a child in the first book. Its not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this book but you probably will want to after reading this one. This time its all about solving the mysteries of the death of two women whose bones were found in a canyon after wild fires stirred up the area. I am sure going to miss her partner, Duncan when he retires. He adds a knowledge and at times humor to the story.

Bone Canyon is a page-turner, for sure. You can tell that the author, Lee Goldberg, knows the area where the action takes place really well (Los Angeles County, specifically, including Malibu, and Southern California in general). This is the second book featuring Eve Ronin. She is a great main character, an up-and-coming detective with the LA County Sheriff’s Department, who has become something of a media star. Unfortunately for her, she’s ticking off some of her fellow sheriff’s officers. I did read Goldberg’s first book featuring Eve, “Lost Hills” and thought it was a great start to a series. You can read this one without reading the first one, because the author provides enough background info, but of course you lose some of the character development, such as her relationship with the soon-to-retire partner, Duncan. I really enjoyed Eve’s interactions with Duncan, and the forensic anthropologist, Daniel Brooks. I hope these relationships continue in future books featuring Eve. I did not guess the identity of the murderer, for sure, and I wasn’t convinced that it made sense. I can’t say more without revealing a spoiler, however. I also wasn’t happy about Eve’s decision near the end of the book, but with all the pressure mounting on her, and the fact that Goldberg has been a tv writer, I wasn’t surprised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

A fire destroys all in its wake, except the bones which surface and open a can of worms. Eve Ronin, detective with the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, has advanced quickly, perhaps too quickly so her partner, "Donuts," finds himself doing more training than he might like but he's a fan of Eve. When it turns out the the bones are those of Sabrina, a young woman who was gang raped, it sends the partners down a path they didn't expect. Nor did they anticipate they'd also be handling the case of Debbie, an older woman whose bones have just turned up as well. How corrupt is the Sheriff's Department? Eve is convinced that it is riddled with awfulness. No spoilers from me but this is a well done procedural that will keep you guessing. Eve's a great character (as is Dunkin). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Excellent read.

I read and enjoyed the first book in this series, "Lost Hills", and was looking forward to this one. I wasn't disappointed. Even better, readers who haven't read the first one will be able to follow the story without any problem (though I encourage people to read the first one too)

Goldberg is an excellent writer who paces his story well. The characters are believable and easy to picture.; the story is complex with lots of surprises!

This book kept me engrossed and was a perfect way to spend an afternoon. I look forward to Goldberg's next book!!

Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg
2 stars
This is the second book in this series as well as the second book I have read by this author and it will be the last one I read by him. I hate to say it but I can almost always tell when a man writes a woman as the main character. There is just something a bit off about it.
The book was well written and interesting. I like Duncan and I like Eve but Goldberg left too many loose ends. Who ran Eve off the road? What about her sister and dad?
But I just hate how he turned Eve into a sellout. It's absolutely ridiculous and someone with her high moral stance would not do. Goldberg truly ruined Eve's likability. I think was a wrong move for Eve. I will not read any more in this series due to the character shift of Eve. I just discovered why Goldberg sold out the main character, he is a Hollywood writer for many shows which actually explains a lot of the “quirks” in the book and the characters.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

Bone Canyon is a jaw-dropping story of police corruption and a series of murders in a small town in Southern California.

What I Liked

Detective Eve Ronin, the main character, makes me look forward to learning more about her as the series progresses. She doesn't show emotion, does what's right, not what's easy, and sports the nickname, Deathfist, from a confrontation with a famous Schwarzenegger-type actor where he ended up pinned on the ground. Everything about her defies expectations, and I find that endlessly fascinating.

I like the infusion of Hollywood that keeps interjecting itself into the story as people try to get Eve to sell her story. In all the police corruption and murders' darkness, this thread through the plot provided some much-appreciated lightness and distraction. It is ironically funny as Eve has spent her whole life purposefully rejecting Hollywood and all it stands for.

I loved the surprise ending and honestly never suspected the culprit. I also can't wait to find out the far-reaching ramifications that the identity of the murderer will bring with it. The surprise ending left no doubt that this is a murder mystery and not your typical police procedural story.

To Read or Not to Read

Suppose you are looking for a unique and fascinating mystery with an intriguing main character. In that case, this is one you will not want to pass up.

Lee Goldberg is getting into his groove with Eve Ronin, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. His second book in the series introduces forensic pathologist, Daniel, brought in to help Eve and her partner solve the murder of a wildfire burned victim. By adding another secondary character to play off of Eve, Goldberg is able to write some witty dialogue and add intrigue to the missing person case.

If you are a fan of police procedurals or James Patterson's "The Women's Murder Club" series, then this book is for you.

To modify one of my favorite quotes from Braveheart; "uncompromising people are easy to admire". Eve "Deathfist" Ronin is one such person.

A rookie detective in the Robbery-Homicide Division of the Lost Hills Sheriff's station with a laser focus on her work and "damn the consequences" attitude, Eve is a highly enjoyable character to read and sure to be a fan favorite

BONE CANYON is fast paced and high action with a strong female protagonist that readers will root for.

The book kicks off after a wildfire burned through the area exposing the bones of several individuals scattered throughout the canyon. Eve and her soon to be retiring partner Duncan "Donuts" Pavone are assigned to one of the new cases. With her relentless approach, Eve uses every tool and lever available to her as she puts all the pieces together. When evidence points towards the very individuals around her, Eve must decide on what loyalty to the badge really means to her.

At only a few hundred pages, LEE GOLDBERG weaves a succinct police procedural around Eve's personal struggles with her family and the unending parade of Hollywood characters desperate to cash in on her fame. The same fame that she used to leverage her position in the department in the first place.

Overall, I was entertained by the book and with it's low page count it was a quick read. There were twists and turns that I did not see coming and initially the final reveal seemed a bit out of nowhere to me, but I reread those scenes and simply missed the clues the first time through. As I was reading it I felt like it was almost a screen play turned into a novel (*side note: I would TOTALLY watch that show/movie).

Eve's scorched earth approach and general naivety also leaves the overall character development a bit undercooked. The over bearing mother and her constant fixation on Eve's looks also seemed to distract from what was otherwise a solid action filled plot with enjoyable characters.

I will definitely be interested to see where the series goes from here and will be picking up the next installment of the series.

I did not read the first book in this series and I really should have. I did not connect with the character as much as I wanted to. As much as i have loved Lee Goldberg's other books, this one just didn't do it for me unfortunately.

I went into this one without having read the first book in the Eve Ronin,Lost Hills series. But, I didn't find that a problem as I was able to understand the world and its characters quite well.
Bone Canyon follows the investigation of the rape and murder of a young girl whose bones are found six years later.
The pacing was very fast and I was able to finish it in just a few sittings. The content was engaging and I found myself completely absorbed into the world of Lost Hills.
The mystery and reveal, though not mind blowing, was simple and intriguing enough for a perfect dose of escapism.
I would have preferred more character development, but sometimes, simple characterizations are enough to pull us into their world, push us just below the surface and leave us satisfied with our experience of that world. Lee Goldberg has done that quite well. The entire story felt like an episode of a TV series and I appreciated that, as it gave me a few pleasant hours.
I would recommend this book for a quick, engaging read as a break from your Tbr list😊. However, it might feel a bit clichéd or lacking in depth, if you are in the mood for an intense read.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got an advanced copy of Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg. This is the second installment of the Eve "Deathfist" Ronin series and a book I was looking forward to after Lost Hills took me by surprise earlier in the year. I wanted to see how Eve's character development would continue after she saved the day the first time around.

Bone Canyon picks up ~6 weeks after Lost Hills concludes. Eve is recovering from injuries she sustained during her first murder investigation as a detective in the Robbery-Homicide Division of the Lost Hills Sheriff's station, which culminated in a daring escape and rescue from a raging wildfire. She's supposed to be taking it easy, working from a desk and focusing on her physical therapy. But when bones show up in the ashes of the wildfire, she refuses to sit it out. Then, a case that starts out as one potential homicide turns into a whole lot more with multiple victims. As Eve and her partner, Duncan "Donuts" Pavone, dig deeper and deeper, the cases become significantly more complicated as it implicates dirty cops who will stop at nothing to protect themselves from humiliation and lengthy prison sentences. As the heat turns up on the case, Eve must decide how far she wants to push it while coming under near constant attack by people who have sworn an oath to serve and protect.

Lee Goldberg does a nice job of crafting an action packed story into a ~300-page novel that, at it's core, is a solid police procedural. There are multiple twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout. And when you think it's al wrapped up he hits you with another twist that I didn't see coming, but in retrospect there are enough breadcrumbs throughout the story that it doesn't come out of nowhere. He also brings in a solid perspective on how law enforcement officers would react, act out against and even protect one of their own who is passionately working a case that could bring significant embarrassment to the department and fellow cops.

The author also attempts to develop Eve and the surrounding cast through their actions and decisions, but unfortunately I found the character development lacking. Eve's naïve, scorched earth lone wolf approach is over the top and wears thin pretty quickly. I like that she's a rookie and that she has a chip on her shoulder based on how she leveraged her celebrity to accelerate her appointment to homicide detective. I also like that she makes mistakes and shows some vulnerability. That adds a solid level of realism. And I'm generally a fan of strong female characters. However, it takes away from the story when she ignores everyone except her partner and won't listen to reason, continuously putting herself in difficult situations she should know better to avoid.

The other part of the story that doesn't work for me is Eve's family, namely her incredibly overbearing mother, constantly insisting that Eve cash in her fame and sign a Hollywood development deal for the rights to tell her story on the screen. It becomes a detractor from the plot with how often it comes up, including all the times her mother and other relatives hound her about wearing makeup when she talks to the press. Eve's mom is not likeable and, while I'm sure that's the intent, I don't think it works with how overly annoying she can be throughout the book.

All that being said, Bone Canyon is still a book I enjoyed. It's worth reading for the action and the plot twists alone. Just know what you're getting into. This isn't a Bosch-level police procedural, but to be fair that's a high bar to achieve and most books don't get there. Take it for what it is, a good story about corrupt cops with a strong female lead who's trying to do right to clean up the department while finding justice for the victims.

When bones of a missing woman from years ago appeared after fires at Santa Monica Mountains turned out to be a homicide case, Eve Ronin finds herself facing cases that will put her against her colleagues...

Honestly, I was a bit worried for Eve, the youngest homicide detective in LASD. I understand the she wants to prove herself, that what matters to her is getting justice done for to victim, but how she does it, may end up with her being a lone crusader, you know?

Eve is young, she doesn't have a lot of experience yet, and there are already resentment with her achieving the detective position using a viral YouTube video. And now matter how she does it, everyone will think that Eve does it for fame, anyway. It's going to be tough for her, as evidence shows in this book after Eve uncovers the conspiracy to cover the case.

Anyway, my worry aside, I enjoyed this book. It was nice procedural case that combines a (sort of) cold case with conspiracy. The answer to the case was quite surprising too, and in mystery novel, I liked being surprised. Oh, this time the author even added a forensic anthropologist as a secondary character, who worked with the bones. I hope he would re-appear in the future.

So yes, I definitely look forward to book #3.