3.5 stars rounded up. Fast-paced police procedural/thriller set in Los Angeles reminiscent of Michael Connelly. This was entertaining, and the main character was likeable. Thanks very much to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

As Dream Town by Lee Goldberg begins, Eve Ronin is living a nightmare. She made a bargain with the devil and now the reality has hit as she is being forced to watch how a film crew is handling her real life recent past. She is the youngest homicide detective in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and is on scene where an incident involving her took place.

If that is not bad enough, her estranged father, Vince Nyby, is the director. He wants back in her life and one way is by manipulating their every encounter. Of course, her mom is also good at that and has a minor role in the first episode. Eve Ronin wanted nothing to do with any of this, but at least this way, she has some say as to how this fictionalized life of her is portrayed.

Her partner, Duncan “Donuts” Pavone is on set with her as he decided not to retire just yet. He also is his own one-man crime wave on the catering provided on set. He is enjoying the food as well as Ronin’s disgust with the trappings of Hollywood.

Soon they leave and are headed back to their station, Lost Hills, when Pavone takes a phone call from Captain Mel Dubois. He recently took over and the fact he is calling Pavone directly means something is up. Pavone soon explains that Dubois called because somebody was out hiking with his dogs in the nearby upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and the dogs found what appear to be human bones. The land was a ranch at one time and now is a state park. The open space is also a vital wildlife corridor that links the Santa Monica Mountains to other mountain ranges to the north.

Somebody from their forensics department, Nas Baker, is already on scene as she was summoned from a nearby subdivision where she was working another unrelated case. She believes the bones are human, but they are going to need anthropologist. Good thing Dr. Daniel Brooks is also around and can take a look.

If the bones are human, it could be related to gang activity. Such gang activity is a known problem and one that leads to body dumps in relatively isolated places. That could be what happened here as Dr. Brooks has quickly determined that the dogs found two leg bones and that death was about two years ago. He also has determined that both leg bones are left ones. That means they have at least two victims. He also believes that both were probably male. Since the dogs were running free of their leashes while the owner stood some distance away where he could not see them, the bones could have come from anywhere nearby making the area to be searched massive. Finding the rest is going to take some time.

Between that crime scene and being assigned to the filming locations for the first episode of the new series on her life, as well as the aftereffects of events in Movieland and moving into her new house, Ronin has a lot going on. But, this is Los Angeles and that means when a celeb is killed, she as the celebrity homicide detective, is going to handle the case.

She gets the early morning before dawn phone call, Kitty Winslow was murdered at her home in the compound in Hidden Hills. Fortunately, Ronin’s new house is just minutes away and she quickly arrives on scene. One of the stars of the reality television show, Life with the Winslows, the group is rich thanks to dad, Caleb Winslow, being a star of various westerns. Like other such “reality” shows, nearly all of what is portrayed is fake and heavily orchestrated thanks to script writers and others. Now the major star of the show is dead and Ronin and Pavone have yet another case to deal with.

This latest in the Eve Ronin series is another good one. Many moving parts are in play here in this complex police procedural that pulls the reader along at a rapid pace. So too is the occasional flash of humor or sardonic whit as a character comments on the players and the myths that Hollywood spins for our viewing pleasure.

As always, one could start here, but like any good series that builds on itself, it is best to start from the beginning. In this case, begin with Lost Hills and work your way forward. You will be glad you did. Doing so will also make Dream Town an even more lively and entertaining read than it already is.


My reading copy was an ARC from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, via NetGalley.



Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Dream Town, the fifth book in Goldberg’s Eve Ronin Homicide Detective franchise, is scheduled for January 2024 publication, and as aptly suggested by the title, explores the ways in which fantasy and reality blur and collide in the world of Tinseltown. Ronin still works daily as a detective out of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Lost Hills Station in what was once the boondocks of Calabasas, but now is filled with the gated communities of endless celebrities. Nevertheless, as Ronin goes about her daily activities, she stumbles over television crews filming the true crime stories of Detective Ronin. She can see a facsimile of herself or a stunt double being filmed, living a real life drama that played out for Ronin. It’s hard to know where the fantasy stops and the reality begins.

The same can be said for the Winslows who film a reality show (kind of like the Kardashians) and were catapulted to fame following the “accidental” release of a sex tape. The dramas on the series are all scripted, but are to the family’s many Insta followers as real as could be. Just how real it all is comes to a head when violence strikes them. The investigation leads Ronin and her partner Duncan into Hidden Hills, a quasi-private gated city with horse trails and its own resident sheriff’s deputy posted there. Life is different it seems for the rich, but as noted, the lines between tv and reality keep blurring as the family patriarch, a former Western star, can’t keep straight whether he is on his old tv series chasing bad guys or ensconced in a fancy horse estate.

Ronin is simultaneously involved in an investigation in the nearby preserve that was the former Ahmanson ranch. Bones have been found and a painstaking search is undergone to preserve an ever-widening crime scene.

The Eve Ronin series continues. Detective Eve Ronin and Detective Duncan Pavone are still partners and working hard to solve cases. That's right Duncan hasn't retired. Dream Town has it all. Action, pursuits, horses, sheriff drama, family drama, Ronin TV Series drama, sex, food (Duncan still loves to eat), shots fired, housewarming party at Eve's new residence, Chilean gang members, Crips, civilians finding bones in the ground at a state park and homicide in Hidden Hills, a private celebrity enclave of white picket fences and horse trails that seems to exist in a dreamworld.

Dream Town was an excellent follow up on what is happening with Eve Ronin. It all tied in with what she is doing, and her whole having a tv show about herself, which she reluctantly agreed to, but doesn't want to participate, and her case that involved a family reality show. This also furthered her on again off again relationship and of course her partner on the job! Good story, very interesting characters, and a twisty plot. All good for a interesting mystery who-done-it. Highly recommend the book, but that you read the series in order!!! I'm looking forward to the next in the series!

Having grown up a “Valley Girl” I really enjoyed Lee Goldberg’s descriptions of places where I grew up, shopped and lived. Eve Ronin is a badass whose hunt for justice is not only admirable but refreshing. I love this series and totally recommend reading it. I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.

What happens when a reality star is murdered? Well of course you send in the “celebrity” detective. While Eve hates that title, she takes her job very seriously. She’s still not thrilled with the show that’s being made because of her, and Eve is still trying to deal with the way she’s treated by her fellow officers. What she wasn’t expecting was the way Hidden Hills is policed. Eve has a case to solve while navigating all the obstacles thrown her way.

Loved this one and this series. He is such a good writer and I love the setting in california. I’ve read all his books and they are so good. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review his book

Lee Goldberg has done it again with this excellent book starring Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Hidden Hills is a community for the mega-rich hidden behind white three-rail fences with tree-lined streets where everyone feels safe to walk alone in the darkness. Corpses are found in the state park just outside those fences. Then the community is shocked by the murder of reality superstar Kitty Winslow. Eve and her partner, Duncan, must maintain a balance between these crimes and the crimes from their past being brought back to life as a TV series.

This is another 5-star read from Lee Goldberg that I highly recommend. The book is fast-paced, and there are enough twists to keep you guessing. I think this book has one of the funniest quotes that I have read: 'He who holdeth the steering wheel decideth whether to driveth through or not to driveth through.'

Thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and provide an honest review!

A dead social media influencer, and a few more dead bodies turn up for Eve and Duncan to solve this time. Ronin has also started shooting and Eve is getting lots of Deja vu moments while on set. Love these characters! Love the quick wit and banter between Eve and Duncan while they solve their latest mysteries. They’re my favorite crime fighting duo! Quite a few laugh out loud quips between the two. I would totally watch this TV series!! I’m anxiously awaiting the next installment!!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

personally for me I had a hard time getting into Lee's writing style. I have read amazing things about this book but it just isn't for me

“Dream Town” by Lee Goldberg is Eve Ronin #5. Eve is a celebrity homicide detective for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Earlier in the series, she went from plain deputy to superstar and there’s now a new TV series (directed by her estranged father) all about her. The book opens as the real Eve surreally watches the filming of an incident that actually happened.

Famous or not, Eve still is a detective in LA County at the Lost Hills station, which encompasses Malibu, Calabasas, Hidden Hills and Topanga — all locations known to Instagrammers who follow millionaire celebrities like the Kardashians. Eve initially gets called to a scene in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve where dogs have retrieved human leg bones (also where her boyfriend, Daniel, a forensic anthropologist, is on-site). But then she’s redirected to a murder of a reality show star that occurred during a midnight break-in in the adjacent gated Hidden Hills community. The murder of Kitty Winslow is possibly related to “Chilean burglary tourism” (that’s a thing). Or a vengeful rapper. Or the humiliated fiancé. Part of the challenge in this tight knit private community is a cowboy old-timer deputy, Amos Tatum, who comes complete with a Stetson, and considers Hidden Hills his personal territory and Eve an interloper.

Goldberg writes delightful police procedurals — Eve is larger than life, but that’s why she has a TV show. I’m always so impressed by the way the local geography plays a large part in Goldberg’s novels. I had heard of Calabasas, but Hidden Hills was a total (and apparently true to life) revelation. There are also humorous asides or esoteric scenes that make the characters human. Case in point: Daniel, the forensic anthropologist, surreptitiously gets the male deputies to go relieve themselves in out of the way places — in hopes that the discrete areas will be where old bones are buried (it works). 5 stars! Bring on the next Eve Ronin!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO No eye colors are mentioned.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But Goldberg is sensitive to the fact that wildfires raged in LA County not that long ago.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Many thanks to both Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Dream Town, by Lee Goldberg, due out January 16, 2024.

It's #5 in the Eve Ronin series and this time Ronin and her partner, Duncan Pavone are taken deep inside the exclusive gated community for the rich and famous, Hidden Hills, a western themed dreamland shot through with horse trails. Distracting the duo and the public are the filming of the new miniseries based on Ronin's career and the blurred lines between fiction and reality of the clan at the heart of the murder, a Kardashianesque reality television family filled with flaws and secrets.

The story is fast-paced and twisty, adeptly constructed so that by the end all threads are tied together. This was a fun, satisfying read and I eagerly await the next in the series.

Dream Town by L. Goldberg, published by Thomas & Mercer, is book 5 in the Eve Ronin Series.
Book five is back with Eve and her partner Duncan Pavone.
This time around they're in Hidden Hills, an enclave for the uber rich.
A fun read, intriguing, excellent written, literally unputdownable.
A fantastic read.

“Dream Town” by Lee Goldberg was such a fun read! It’s a murder mystery that takes place behind the gates of Hidden Hills, an exclusive celebrity gated community in the valley of Los Angeles. When I started reading I did not realize this book was part of a series and although I thought it stood up on its own I know I missed a few things that must of happened in the books that preceded this one. This book was so entertaining and my best description to all of you reading this review is the story is The Kardashians and Monk combined! I am heading to read all the books in this Eve Ronin series and I highly recommend it to you!

Thank you NetGalley,, Thomas & Mercer and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who enjoys police procedurals with humor should be reading Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin books. Dream Town is the fifth in the series, and it’s as strong as earlier entries. As always, Goldberg adds realistic details about crime to add to the authenticity of the stories.

Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the history of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept., isn’t at all happy with the filming of her life as a TV show. But, she desperately needed the money at the time, facing a possible lawsuit, so she sold the rights. Her partner, Duncan “Donuts” Pavone, loves watching the filming. Or, actually, he loves the food provided at the set. He’s never happy to be sent to an actual crime scene. When a guy hiking with his dogs found bones in the Ahmorsan Preserve, Eve and Duncan respond. The bodies uncovered by Dr. Daniel Brooks, a forensic anthropologist, will offer an unusual insight into the team’s next case. This one isn’t a priority.

The shooting death of Kitty Winslow is a priority for the sheriff’s department, so Eve and Duncan are sent to the scene. Kitty Winslow lived in the City of Hidden Hills with her father’s family. It’s a private celebrity enclave behind gates, protected by an on-site deputy, Amos Tatum. He handles all the problems for the residents, and he’s not happy to share information with Eve and Duncan. But, there was a home invasion, reality star Kitty Winslow was shot in the face, and her diamond engagement ring was stolen. Video shows three masked men broke into her house at the family compound, and they ransacked the place before she was killed. The singer/model was the daughter of a western actor, Caleb Winslow. The family reality show was about their daily life.

The high-profile case takes the team into the lives of some of the other residents of Hidden Hills, including a rapper, LilGlok9, who was featured in a sex tape with Kitty. Eve is introduced to a new group of criminals, Chilean robbers who fly in, stay in California for a couple weeks to rob the wealthy, and they fly home. Deputy Tatum suspects Chilean crime tourists. Eve and Duncan think it’s a possibility that they were there to rob residents of Hidden Hills. But, Eve’s experiences on a stakeout to arrest some of the robbers lead her to think otherwise.

While Eve is unhappy with the TV show, it supplies insight into her investigation. Goldberg’s knowledge of TV shows adds to the realism of these stories. As I said, readers who enjoy police procedurals with humor shouldn’t miss the Eve Ronin books, including Dream Town.

Another brilliantly fun read in this series. A laugh a minute character you won’t be disappointed with. Thanks #netgalley for the advanced read.

I discovered Lee Goldberg through NetGalley and I've read every book he's published since then. He's my go-to favorite crime writer. His books are engaging and exciting with just the right amount of humor. And I love that most of his books are female-centric. The Eve Ronin series, which this is the latest installment of, is my favorite.

This book doesn't disappoint. There were so many moving parts, but I was sure I'd figured out whodunnit. Turns out I was right, but that didn't take away from the story at all.

Keep 'em coming, Lee!

crime-thriller, California, TV/film-industry, tv-personality, suspense, forensics, forensic-anthropology, law-enforcement, snobs, verbal-humor, situational-humor, family-dynamics, family-history, family-drama, famous-persons, murder-investigation, snarky, theft, actors, influencer, robbery, burglary-tourism, task-forces, friends, friction****

If you like delving into the ins and outs of TV Hollywood and the latest influencers, you'll love this fast action dive into policing robbery/homicide vs the imaginary sort both old and new.
I requested and received an EARC from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thanks!

Dream Town is another entry by Goldberg in his Eve Ronin series. I had read the first one several years ago and was excited to try another one out! I love books set in Hollywood and know Goldberg's reputation for mysteries so picked this one up to read on a trip. This time Eve is investigating the murder of a Kim Kardashian-type reality star. While it could have been a little meatier, this is a great beach read and I loved the twists and turns the story took. I had no idea who the murder would be and it was a great surprise. Recommend for fans of light police procedurals and an easy read!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.