Movie land by Lee Goldberg is the latest installment in the saga of Eve Ronin, the police officer who is despised and denigrated by her fellow members of the police force (except for her partner/mentor) due to jealousy, the fact that she is a female, her success in solving crimes with the resultant publicity and the fact that her exploits are the subject of an upcoming TV series.

Movie land is a particularly entertaining read due to the complexities in the plot, the many touches of humor throughout the novel and moments of poignancy when the police are required to notify a spouse of the death of a loved one.

The reader is given insight into the “code of blue “ and the way police investigations work even when confronted with opposition. The plot is intriguing and the character development is excellent. The novel is recommended for everyone- even those not fans of this genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy of this future best seller.

“Movieland” is like a full season of an exciting episodic police show, and with the 4th installment of the Eve Ronin series, it’s still going strong and will probably be renewed! The title is derived from an area near Malibu Creek State Park and the surrounding communities, like Calabasas and Agoura Hills, which were often used like studio backlots for a multitude of films and TV/cable shows. Our main character, Eve Ronin, is a celebrity homicide detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. I say “celebrity” because, evidently earlier in the series, she went from plain deputy to superstar and there’s now a TV pilot in the works all about her. I did not read the previous three books (I definitely will now), and I found it’s not necessary to have the entire backstory (like watching a TV series long after it premiered, getting hooked and going back to Netflix to binge). Eve is immensely likable even though she has enemies within her own Sheriff’s department. But her soon-to-retire partner is a good guy and Eve has sussed out other trustworthy cops.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Goldberg brings us the 4th in the series of Homicide Detective Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone. They both work out of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Eve and Duncan are assigned a case in the Malibu Creek State Park in which a woman is shot in the face and killed and another shot but survived. When they arrive at the scene Eve notices that Duncan is very upset and when they are driving to another part of the scene Duncan explains that there have been several shootings in the park over the last 14 months and they have been hushed up by top officials because of tourism. Eve and Duncan have been told not to mention the word serial shooter and to just investigate this shooting. But Eve and Duncan don’t back down even if this means they have a target on their backs. They not only investigate this latest shooting but pull the files on the rest of the shootings. When another murder happens, this opens up the floodgates with the press for Eve and Duncan to officially investigate all of the shootings. Read to find out if Eve and Duncan solve this case or will the sniper get to them. I really fell into this mystery and all of the red herrings that Goldberg threw at us. Pick up a copy and enjoy a great mystery.

I am new to the Eve Ronin series, but was able to jump right in without feeling like I had missed too much. This police series, centred on a young female detective, has her fighting against criminals and corrupt colleagues, while dealing with family drama and a tv series being developed around her story (so much of this book is so very Hollywood). The mystery is written in a captivating way, with the Malibu Creek State Park and nearby cities as the backdrop. I really enjoyed this book- enough that I’ll likely go back and read the first three in the series!

(I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of the Eve Ronin series, and this new addition does not disappoint. When a reporter and her girlfriend are shot in a state park, it is up to Eve and her partner Duncan to solve the case and prevent and further deaths. With Duncan just weeks from retiring, past cases start to haunt him as they get tangled up into the new investigation.

While this book felt a lot longer than previous titles in the series, it did not feel weighed down with unnecessary descriptors of the Los Angeles setting, as earlier books in the series some time were. This book is well paced and the twists come unexpectedly. While I mostly had the mystery figured out by the halfway mark, it was really funny to see Eve put the pieces together and connect seemingly unrelated findings. I highly recommend picking up this book if you are looking for a classic police procedural story with a kick-ass female detective at the helm.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Thomas & Mercer and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


I had a difficult time getting into this one. I don’t know what it was, it didn’t seem to grab me. I usually like this author, unfortunately this one failed to catch my attention like it usually does.

This is the first Eve Ronin series entry that I have read. I am not impressed enough to go back and read the others. She and her retiring partner Duncan Pavone are trying to solve the many, many shootings that have taken place in Malibu Creek State Park. They both get a lot of blow back from the park police and others who are not sharing news about previous killings. This time a woman is murdered, and the ante goes way up.

There was not too much riding on the plot. It seemed very like a television script with dialogue not as funny as the author thinks and weird characters to fill in the slow parts.
#movieland #leegoldberg #everonin

I LOVED the first two books in this series, but my interest started to wane with the less than compelling plot of the third novel. And, although I enjoy the snappy repartee that Goldberg writes, as I began Movieland, I felt like the book was little more than a vehicle for quippy dialogue—it felt lacking in plot and character development. I thought as I read the (to me) lackluster early chapters that perhaps this would be the novel that caused me to jump off of the Eve Ronin train. Well. I’m happy to say that I was wrong! The last half of the book was FANTASTIC. The plot was compelling, and we saw some real growth from our girl Eve, and several supporting characters, in this one. I look forward to the next entry in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

The same thing over and over. If you like the standard crime fiction, full of the usual tropes, then this is as good as any other.

I love this series, and with each book the stories keep one upping each other. The team of Eve and Duncan is an incredible pairing. The story kept me engaged the entire time. This is a must read book. Thank you NetGalley.

This series is pretty firmly cemented as one of my favorites but I will say this installment took a little while to spark for me. Once it did, however, I was all in.

“Movieland” is like a full season of an exciting episodic police show, and with the 4th installment of the Eve Ronin series, it’s still going strong and will probably be renewed! The title is derived from an area near Malibu Creek State Park and the surrounding communities, like Calabasas and Agoura Hills, which were often used like studio backlots for a multitude of films and TV/cable shows. Our main character, Eve Ronin, is a celebrity homicide detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. I say “celebrity” because, evidently earlier in the series, she went from plain deputy to superstar and there’s now a TV pilot in the works all about her. I did not read the previous three books (I definitely will now), and I found it’s not necessary to have the entire backstory (like watching a TV series long after it premiered, getting hooked and going back to Netflix to binge). Eve is immensely likable even though she has enemies within her own Sheriff’s department. But her soon-to-retire partner is a good guy and Eve has sussed out other trustworthy cops.

Prolific author Lee Goldberg ((I know him from his Janet Evanovich collaborations) weaves a story is about a shotgun sniper in the Malibu area, initially written off as unrelated reports of shots fired in various jurisdictions, who finally escalates to murder. It’s a steady police procedural with the expected sniping between various jurisdictions (the county, the state park police, the national park police, the medical examiner, politicians, etc). But the narrative is about solid police work, some rabbit holes, and multiple suspects and motives. It comes together with a satisfying conclusion and no cliff hangers — but we’re fairly certain there’s a lot more in store for Eve. 4 stars!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NONE Brown, blue and bloodshot, but no green ones.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The author knows the Malibu Creek State Park flora and fauna well and is grieving, like a lot us, over the loss of vegetation from the Malibu wildfires in 2018.

This series has quickly become a favorite of mine. I loved reuniting with the characters in this newest installment! It was just as fast paced and thrilling as the other books in the series. I’ve read all of these in one sitting because they capture me from the beginning. This installment was longer and more fleshed out than the others, but just as intense. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

This book is excellent, with a very good plot and a well written story with a wonderful pace. The characters are the best, as the descriptions are very interesting.

I love this series, and the books keep getting better and better. This one is the best yet! Love Eve and Duncan! I can't put these books down until they are finished. Page turner for sure. Eve may die before she's 30 at the rate she's going, but love her toughness, especially in this one. No spoilers, but wait until she gets injured!!! Wow, tough cookie, this girl! Read the whole series! Can't wait for more! Highly recommended.

There’s a sniper on the loose in Malibu Creek State Park, and homicide Detective Eve Ronin and her partner, Duncan Pavone, have no lack of suspects in the 4th book in this series. Once again author Lee Goldberg is at the top of his game, as Ronin has to battle corrupt cops and politicians, bumbling bureaucrats, and her own self-doubts in order to solve this caper. Sweeping action, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and a great plot all add up to a sure-fire 5 star read. This is a great series, but each book can be read as a stand-alone, although once you read one, trust me you’ll want to read them all. Loved it! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It seems that every male author who is known for writing crime fiction has almost simultaneously decided that they need to start writing a young female protagonist and has shuffled their middle-aged male protagonists quietly into retirement. Some of their efforts to fit in with what they (or, more likely, their publishers) have apparently concluded the contemporary zeitgeist demands have been pretty lame (I'm looking at you, Michael Connelly), but others have worked out well. Lee Goldberg's Eve Ronin series is one of those that has.

Who would have ever thought that you could reinvent the California cop novel by giving us a young female detective with virtually no experience and plunking her down on the far western edge of the San Fernando Valley, probably the dreariest and most boring stretch of suburban America you can imagine? I wouldn't. Lee Goldberg did, which makes him a lot smarter than me.

The Eve Ronin series is an absolutely terrific reinvention of the California cop novel that's destined to be one of those classic crime series people read for decades. Get on board now while there're still a few seats. It's going to get crowded.

ARC from NetGalley - I've enjoyed the books in this series, and the fourth one is definitely worth a read. Eve Ronin is a strong, independent, detective, one who doesn't yield to her male counterparts in the book.
I especially liked that Movieland showcased Eve's ability to stand on her own against characters "older and wiser" then she is. I would recommend for a fun, twisty, mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware used to be my favorite detective series set in the backdrop of Los Angeles...but that is quickly becoming the Eve Ronin series instead.

Fallout from the events of the last book carryover into this one and Eve is her usual stubborn self trying to find the truth about a series of killings in Malibu Creek State Park. The political stakes are high, as is the personal and professional danger as Eve and Donuts look for the killer.

The characters, plot, writing and setting for this series are all top notch and I look forward to every new chapter the series.

Good book! The storyline in thus book was very interesting, it had suspense, intrigue, action and great police work! It had a lot of twists and turns and a great who done it! I will definitely recommend reading this book! Its worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!