I requested this book, knowing it was the second book in a series that I hadn’t read. I read the first book and prepared to read and review the second book, but there was nothing in the blurb or description on NG to indicate that it’s a crossover book with his other series that currently has 5 books out. I am not reading five more books to be able to review this book. I’m really tired of publishers/blurb writers not being transparent when books are connected. It’s not a standalone. It’s book 2 for S&W but book 6 for Eve Ronin. Michael Connelly’s team does a great job making sure that everything in the Harry Bosch universe is marked for where it fits in the universe. Other publishers should look to him for how it’s best done.

We begin with arson detectives Walker Sharpe and Andrew Walker showing up on scene of a Toyota Camry burnt in the middle of an old sacred Indian ceremonial ground.

In Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg, we are once again following Walker Sharpe and Andrew Walker. We start out with a burnt Toyota Camry, but that's just the beginning. Before long, Sharpe and Walker find themselves in the middle of several fire investigations. One home finds a man's body within the ashes.

Are all of these fires related?
Will Sharpe and Walker find the arsonist turned murderer?

Ashes Never Lie is packed with sarcastic humor, as well as twists and turns at every corner.

Lee Goldberg did an excellent job with this second installment of Sharpe and Walker. This book would make a great TV series.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg.

This was an excellent follow up to Malibu Burning. Sharpe and Walker are back, this time dealing with multiple cases. They are joined by Eve Ronin, star of her own series by Lee Goldberg, and her partner. Even Walker's wife gets to participate, giving her a chance to understand the work her husband loves.

There is plenty of action, villains, and humor here. A terrific read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Not family friendly due to adult themes and violence.

This second book in his new Sharpe and Walker series is a winner. As always, Lee Goldberg has written a page turner with wonderful characters you want to root for.

Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are arson investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Walker used to be a US Marshal but now, due to work-related injuries and a baby at home, he is determined to pursue what he figured would be a safer line of police work. Sharpe is an experienced arson investigator and has taught Walker a lot in the year or so that they’ve been partners.

In this book, Goldberg has Sharpe and Walker team up with Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan (the main characters in his also-wonderful Eve Ronin series), to figure out a series of arsons, some of which have been ruled accidental, and at least one of which includes a death. Walker and Ronin seem to really understand each other! We also get more with Walker’s wife, Carly, a psychologist. I’m hoping she continues to be included in future books.

I’ve learned quite a bit about fires and about arson in these two books, but Goldberg makes the learning easy - he avoids the dreaded “info dump.”

There are a number of twists and turns as they try to figure out who is responsible for the seemingly unrelated acts of arson. Note: If you’re a Star Wars fan, you will appreciate quite a few references to the Star Wars “universe”, especially The Mandalorian.

Another note: You can definitely read this as a standalone.

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

This author’s stories are ALWAYS fascinating and complicated while the characters are determined, sarcastic, and often laugh out loud funny. Arson investigators Walter Sharpe and his partner ex-US Marshal Andrew Walker are investigating a fire in a new home development, while knowing that some of the evidence may have already been washed away. The firefighters believe the fire was electrical, but Sharpe has a different opinion. They are then called to a fire where there is a dead body. Walker misses the action of hunting for criminals, but marriage and a baby have changed his priorities. Homicide Detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone (from the amazing Eve Ronin series – a must read!) are called in to investigate the man’s death. Walker and Eve are soon chasing a murderer with serious mental issues, investigating a massive insurance scam and a firebug who planted incendiary devices in new homes. The camaraderie and dialog between the characters makes this a fast paced and truly entertaining mystery! Expect the unexpected! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

Lee Goldberg has written a winner with this fantastic novel combining his two most recent series in a fun crossover. In 2020 He wrote the first Eve Ronin novel. Last year, with Malibu Burning, he introduced fire investigators Sharpe and Walker. Both teams have a young rouge partnered with an older heavyset mentor with a nickname. In this novel Ronin and Walker team up for a great mystery thriller. Goldberg always has a fast paced thriller, full of action and witty dialogue. This novel has fires in vacant homes, then one with a body, and soon the duo is being warned off the case by the FBI. But Goldberg fans know that a problem with jurisdiction never stops one of his characters. I received an advanced copy from the publisher. But I can honestly say that this novel lived up to my expectations and will delight anyone who loves a good thriller.

Arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are dealing with a puzzling fire that destroys a just constructed house in a new housing development. Homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone find a corpse in another burnt home. The four detectives team up to solve these seemingly unrelated cases, stop a determined arsonist & save innocent lives from a potentially fatal release of a deadly agent.

The public’s interest in crime solving and detection has been around since the 1800s, but for much of that time, professional police played, at best, a minor role. However, since World War II, police procedurals have caught up with tales of unofficial investigators and, on television at least, have far surpassed them. There are so many detective cops that authors strain to find a new twist. Lee Goldberg provides just such a fresh spin on a familiar genre with his novels featuring Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker. In the second series novel, “Ashes Never Lie,” the author takes what could be wonky technical subject matter and turns it into a highly entertaining thriller.

Sharpe and Walker are the prototypical mismatched cop partners. The author made an indelible impression on me when he described Walter Sharpe as a Walter Matthau lookalike (in films like “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”). Sharpe is an unquestioned expert in the scientific analysis of potential arson scenes. He can look at what’s left of the scene after the fire department has extinguished a blaze, washed away, or moved vital evidence, and determine how and why the fire started. Sharpe also does not focus much on interpersonal relationships, rubbing the fire personnel the wrong way by dismissing their often incorrect case theories. Sharpe’s partner, Andrew Walker, is the team’s novice arson investigator, but he’s no green rookie. Walker is a former U.S. Marshal who tracked down fugitives for years before his wife insisted he change careers to something less stressful. (Of course, the cases he takes on now are both stressful and dangerous.) And if Sharpe invites comparisons to Walter Matthau, the Stetson-hat-wearing Walker brings to mind Chuck Norris’s “Walker Texas Ranger.” While arson investigators are supposed to turn cases over to regular detectives once they determine a suspicious fire is a case of arson, Walker still wants to pursue and catch the arsonists.

“Ashes Never Lie” follows Sharpe and Walker through a typical workday that turns out to be far from typical. A house in the final stages of construction explodes in a new housing subdivision. Sharpe and Walker determine the explosion was caused by a bomb hidden inside the drywall and that other houses in the same subdivision also have bombs ready to go off when the power is turned on. The second fire is clearly a case of arson. A man sets fire to his house and then shoots himself before his body and the house are consumed by flames. The mystery isn’t how he died, but why he would commit suicide in such a bizarre manner. Since the victim was a scientist involved in some top-secret government research, the FBI gets involved in the case as well.

Although Sharpe is content to remain in the background doing his forensic thing for most of “Ashes Never Lie,” Walker gains an unofficial new partner as he goes after the arsonists in his various cases. She’s Eve Ronin, and Lee Goldberg fans will immediately recognize her as the protagonist of the author’s other series featuring the LA County Sheriff’s Department. While Sharpe and Walker could form the basis for a TV series, Eve Ronin goes them one better. She’s the main character in an ongoing series about her high-profile cases and a genuine celebrity. She gets assigned to investigate one of Walker’s cases and winds up teaming with him to go after the bad guys.

The author has extensively researched arson investigation, and the technical aspects of “Ashes Don’t Lie” seem accurate to this lay reviewer. Moreover, Sharpe’s explanations were simple to follow and, more importantly, did not bog the book down in lengthy information dumps. Goldberg impressed me even more with the vivid descriptions of the book’s villains. The arsonists weren’t just shadowy figures pouring gasoline into empty houses. Instead, they came to life as three different criminal types, with unique motivations for their actions, linked by an abnormal fascination with fire. They weren’t likable, but they were understandable.

The author has written many teleplays and TV novelizations for mystery series, and he understands the need for humor in books of this type. So, the various investigators are quick with quips, sarcastic comments, effective disses, and assorted one-liners. About half of them are funny, but the fast pace of “Ashes Don’t Lie” ensures readers don’t dwell on the groaners too often. This rapid-fire patter is also the book’s primary weakness. I had difficulty buying into some of the far-fetched scenarios, even by action thriller standards. Worse, the dialogue sometimes sounds like a group of comedy writers trying to turn random improv into a cohesive script for a scene. When an entire page comprises one-liners in response to other characters’ one-liners, the jokes get tiresome.

The most bizarre sequence occurs when Walker and Ronin go undercover to San Diego’s famous Comic Con to catch one of the book’s villains, a diehard Star Wars fan. Walker dresses as a Mandalorian, while Ronin is appropriately garbed as Wonder Woman. I could easily visualize this scene on a TV episode. Surprisingly, even though it may have been the least credible moment in the book, the set-up (accompanied by some great description by the author) was effective. This was one of the most enjoyable sequences in “Ashes Don’t Lie.”

With his Eve Ronin and, now, Sharpe and Walker series, Lee Goldberg has breathed new life into the police procedural. Beneath the quips, banter, and Star Wars memorabilia, “Ashes Don’t Lie” is an entertaining story with several good mysteries within the novel. Andrew Walker, who juggles these cases with the pressures of being a new father, is a likable hero who could anchor a lengthy series (I’d like to see more of Walter Sharpe in future books. You can never get enough Walter Matthau.) I’m not lying; “Ashes Don’t Lie” is a lot of fun for crime fiction fans.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Great book!

This is a new-to-me author, so I hadn't read the first book in the series. I feel like the author did a great job pulling the reader in without the backstory.

The story was very fast-moving, a few various plot lines that eventually intersect as the story moves forward. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I loved the relationship between Walker and his wife Carly. The work partner relationship that exists between Sharpe and Walker is sometimes sarcastic, which I tend to love. Eve seems to have a storied past of her own, maybe covered in previous books, I'll have to go find those books. If you enjoy police procedural mysteries, this is a great book for you.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

“Ashes Never Lie” is a thoroughly satisfying second installment in the Sharpe and Walker series by Lee Goldberg. The duo, comprised of LA County Deputy Sheriff fire investigators, with one being a former US Marshal, dive into another gripping set of cases.

The story kicks off with high energy as Sharpe and Walker respond to three seemingly unrelated fires: one in a park, another that appears to be an electrical fire in a housing development, and an apparent arson at a house under construction in a gated community.

As they investigate the latter, Detective Eve Ronin and her partner, characters from another of Goldberg's series, make a welcomed appearance. Their inclusion adds an extra layer of enjoyment for fans of both series.

Of the two mysteries woven into the plot, the more sinister one is resolved in a way that would typically signal the climax in most novels. However, Goldberg's talent shines here as he uses this resolution to further heighten the tension, propelling the story to a new and unexpected level.

Lee Goldberg consistently delivers. His ability to immerse readers into his characters’ world ensures that even newcomers to the series can jump in without missing a beat. That said, if you start with “Ashes Never Lie,”be prepared—you’ll likely want to dive into the entire series.

I received an advanced review copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I’ve provided here.

Ashes Never Lie is book two in the Sharpe & Walker series by Lee Goldberg.
I have not read book one Malibu Burning but after reading this one it is definitely on my list now.
This is a super-quick read, tightly plotted and paced and there is never a dull moment.
A tension-filled story that moves at a brisk pace.

Veteran Arson Investigators Walter Sharpe and former US Marshall Andrew Walker are partners examining a vacant home in a new housing development that exploded when they are called to a house fire with a body inside. There, they run into LA County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detectives Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone, characters from another popular series by this author. Together, they team up to figure out what happened and prevent further loss of life.

I enjoy reading both series, and really enjoyed having all four characters appear in one book, which made for a suspenseful and action-packed book that I finished in one sitting, and I hope to see more character crossovers in future installments.

NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer kindly provided me an ARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Ashes Never Lie is the second book I have read by the prolific author Lee Goldberg, and I am already a fan.
His humor and writing style are ingenious, intriguing and extremely entertaining. This book is a new release in his Walter Sharpe/Andrew Walker series. LASD Detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone also have fun and integral roles in this novel. Two primary Investigations are going on basically simultaneously: who is staring fires in homes in Twin Oakes, a fairly upscale development and what started out as a potential investigation of a murder or suicide of an employee of a major bio-tech company, yetwhat had the potential to cause major devastation. The working relationship between Sharpe,a seasoned veteran arson investigator and Walker, relatively new to the position seemed so real to me. The repartee between them had me laughing out loud, and yet I liked that they were each dedicated and competent investigators. I enjoyed their collaboration with Ronin and Pavone, and Walker's relationship with his wife Carly, a psychiatrist, and her role in the Twin Oakes case. This is a fun read with a cast of likable characters, yet suspenseful and definitely very engaging. Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, and Lee Goldberg for the opportunity to read an ARC of Ashes Never Lie; my review reflects my honest opinion.
4 stars.

Ashes Never Lie is a fast-paced, hard-to-put-down crime/thriller!
Legendary arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his new partner, ex-US Marshal Andrew Walker, find themselves investigating several fires, including one at a vacant house in a new development and another in an older neighborhood involving a fatality. There is great chemistry between the characters, lots of action, a bit of humor, and good mystery elements. Although I have not read the first Sharpe & Walker book, I didn't feel like I needed to in order to follow this one. Since I have read Goldberg's Eve Ronin books, I enjoyed the cross-over involving her and her partner, Duncan Pavone. I'm going to have to get book 1, and I'll definitely be looking for book 3!

What do a series of house fires, caused by " household electrics" have to do with the death of Triax microbiologist Patrick Lopresti? Lopresti's house blew up just as Detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone (back from retirement) were going to talk with him regarding the theft a deadly virus that’s disappeared from Triax Biotech. L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his new partner, Andrew Walker, a former US Marshall, have plenty to keep them busy with the house fires. It seems that Lopresti had a gunshot to his head, suicide or murder? His lover, Justine, is missing, she has been exposed to the virus. Now these four detectives have to work together to find the threads that link the two investigations.

What fun to observe Walker and Eve, who have little patience and like action. Sharpe and Pavone work to rein them in. This is a great cross-over between the two series. The characters are well developed and the author keeps up the pace and suspense. This is the second installment of the Sharpe and Walker series and can be read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend reading the first that introduces the characters. I look forward to seeing more of these two detectives and, of course, of Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone in their respective series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for an ARC. The review is my own.

I just finished reading ASHES NEVER LIE, the second in Lee Goldberg’s new Sharpe & Walker series about a pair of arson investigators. It’s fantastic. Funny, smart, fast-paced — and with a special guest appearance by Lee’s other series character, Eve Ronin. On sale this Tuesday!

This is the second book in the Sharpe & Walker series, which I picked up purely because of the author—Lee Goldberg never disappoints. At first, I wasn't sure how exciting arson investigations would be compared to murders, but I should have known better than to doubt Goldberg. This second installment is just as entertaining and fast-paced as the first, maybe even more so.

Sharpe and Walker are juggling two cases that eventually turn into three. This time, they're joined by Eve Ronin and Duncan (from Goldberg's other series, and one of my personal favorites) after discovering a body in a burned house, which brings in the homicide detectives too. Meanwhile, luxury homes keep going up in flames, and while everyone assumes it's due to faulty wiring, Sharpe and Walker uncover something far more sinister.

I love these books because they’re fun and manage to tackle darker themes with humor. They’re always entertaining and well-written. Plus, they treat the reader with respect—they're realistic within their own world and never dumb things down.

Ashes Never Lie is an easy read, with lots of humor, mystery, arson and crime. Lee Goldberg put together peculiar characters, Sharpe who has a sharp tongue and looks like a shar-pei dog, Walker who is working on the arson team but really wanted to keep going on chasing the bad guys on the streets, his wife, Carly, a therapist that keeps on analysing everyone and even agrees to participate in a role playing that will lead to put people in jail, and Eve, a Police Detective who is hated by her peers because of her TV show and fast promotion. It looks improbable but they make a great team and put all the culprits behind bars. A good plot, entertaining and well written!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Ashes Never Lie is the second book in the 'Walker Sharpe Band' series and my first experience with these two ingenious, humorously witty arson officers. The gripping story follows multiple plots, carefully balancing both plot and character development. Initially, the book was a bit slow for me, but it picked up pace in the middle. As the officers begin their investigation, shocking revelations start to tumble out. At first, the plot seems to be going haywire, but things slowly come together, and suddenly it all starts to make sense. I love the narrative, it's pacey, thrilling, not the kind of thriller I wanted but definitely interesting to read. While the beginning was a bit boring and monotonous, I grew to like the characters. Overall, it was a fun, enjoyable read. If you love detailed police work with a bit of humor and wit sprinkled in, definitely pick up this book.

Arson investigation might seem to be a fairly stodgy subject at first glance, sifting through the ash and grime of a fire scene. But Ashes Never Lie, the second book in the Sharpe and Walker series by Lee Goldberg, is a completely absorbing crime thriller that had me flying from one page to the next.

Newly built houses in a new property development are suddenly going up in flames. The firefighters believe the cause is faulty wiring, Walter Sharpe is not so sure and, in his typically acerbic way, lets the firies know that he thinks they’re wrong.

Nearby, there’s a house fire that contains a dead body. It could be murder but, when Sharpe and Walker arrive on the scene, their investigation points to a suicide. Goldberg fans are going to be very pleased by the fact that also on the scene were homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone, crossing over from their own series. They wind up teaming up to conduct a thorough investigation complete with the wit and banter that have made the Ronin series so popular. But the dead body is actually hiding a far more disturbing secret, one that could impact not only the rest of the suburb but, quite possibly, the rest of the world.

Faulty wiring and a straightforward suicide appears to make both of these cases look simple. But the digging done by our investigators reveals that, in both cases, there’s far more at play here and this makes for a couple of very interesting mysteries.

The events of Ashes Never Lie come one year after the heist drama enjoyed in Malibu Burning and the story is equally as upbeat, fast-paced and wholly enjoyable. Sharpe and Walker have been working together for some time now and they’ve discovered they make a pretty good team. There’s plenty of light-hearted banter to provide amusing moments as they make their way through the ash and charred remains of various fires.

A thoroughly intriguing mystery, the story is very well plotted employing some well concealed twists to keep you on your toes. The tension is built to dramatic levels at times, often dispersed in imaginative ways using the talents of each of the four main characters to their best effect. The interplay between each of them is one of the strong points of the story.

Ashes Never Lie is a strong police procedural that moves along at a great pace. This is looming as another crime series in which I’ll be looking forward to the release of each new volume.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC which allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.