Arson, murder or suicide. What is it?

Arson investigators, Andrew and Walter, team up with Eve and Duncan to get to the bottom of this mystery.
I'm not with much of the consensus for this book. I didn't find it suspenseful. The characters were okay. And I guess the explanations were too much. It's also my first book by Lee Goldberg. I would have liked things to be intricately placed into the story as it was evident that it was thoroughly researched.

After reading the reviews and its rating, I really wanted to have enjoyed this book more, so I do apologize to the author for the review. I would still recommend this book because even if I didn't enjoy it, I do see that there is a huge fan base that would.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Sharpe & Walker book? Sort of, I guess, but it's at least as much another book in the Eve Ronin series. Maybe, honestly, it's even more another book in the Eve Ronin series than it is a Sharpe & Walker book.

Now don't get me wrong here. I certainly don't mind another Eve Ronin book.. Back when it started, I thought the Eve Ronin series had the makings of becoming one of the great series of California cop novels ever published. Now... well, maybe I think that a bit less.

This is still a solid, workmanlike novel. No question about that. I doubt Goldberg is capable of producing anything that isn't a solid and workmanlike novel. Over the decades, he's produced a huge pile of novels and a ton of episodic television scripts. And therein lies the root of the sense of disappointment I feel with this book.

As the Eve Ronin series has progressed, it's become less fresh and original, and more like episodes in a pretty average 90s television series. Now we've come to this: pretty much 'Mr. Monk Goes to Calabasas.' The plots have become more predictable and the dialogue consists of characters exchanging quips with each other that sound like they were cut and pasted from some old TV script.

Lee Goldberg is capable of vastly more layered and sophisticated work than this. Don't believe me? Just back and read the first Eve Ronin novel. This entry in whatever series it really is doesn't come anywhere close to that standard. More's the pity.

“Ashes Never Lie” by Lee Goldberg was another super fun, action packed book. I am a true fan of this author and this book brings together detective Eve Ronin from her series with Sharpe and Walker LASD arson investigators. The story opens with a man found dead in a burning home in a hilltop development on the outskirts of Los Angeles. There is a well researched arson/murder investigation that touches on bio terrorism and Star Wars. The twists and turns in this story lead to unexpected thrills and danger, that will have you hooked from the very first page!

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

Ashes Never Lie is the latest installment in the Eve Ronin series. She is still teased about her TV series and disliked by her colleagues. This tale depicts all the rivalries between the police department, firefighters (particularly the arson investigator) and the FBI. There is a lot going on in this story — car fires, arson, suicides, murders, biohazards, comic book character conventions and a somewhat ludicrous depiction of involuntary celibates. While much of the book is interesting, it is slow reading and the reader is apt to have a short attention span. Eve Ronin deserves a better fate.
I thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

Lee Goldberg is on my short list of authors to read whenever they publish so I was excited to get an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

What do you get when you mix homicide investigation, arson investigation, FBI, US Marshal fugitive searches and Star Wars? You get a fantastic detective novel with conflicting opinions, jurisdictional issues, plenty of action and lots of trade humor. I loved the first book in the series and this one was a great follow up, especially with the interactions between Eve and Sharpe. The story moves fast and certainly takes a twists and turns that lead to multiple story lines coming together in a satisfying ending.

You could probably read this as a standalone, but theres more than a few references to Eve's past and the previous Sharpe & Walker book that might feel out of context if you havent read the previous books.

I didn’t know this was going to be a series and was so thrilled to get an advance reader copy from NetGalley of “Ashes Never Lie” Sharp and Walker #2, by Lee Goldberg, Published by Thomas & Mercer, on Sale 09/24/2024. I enjoyed the first but this can certainly be read on it’s own. Don’t be fooled by the short length of the book, it’s cram packed with action, well researched and explained information about fire investigation. I learned a lot about fires and the conflicts between agencies while the plot keeps you glued to the pages.
The fire prone area around the valleys, canyons and mountains surrounding Los Angeles are sprouting new developments filled with McMansions. The area is under the county Sherriff’s office where Walker and Sharpe are arson detectives. Sharpe is a seasoned and experienced investigator while Walker is still a newbie learning how to read a scene. There are cross-over character appearances from the Eve Ronin series. Donut is a favorite of mine and I thought his character was especially well portrayed in this situation. There’s an elaborate arsonist at work, there’ll be murder, an affair, danger beyond anything you’d anticipate. Buckle up for a wild ride to discover who’s behind all the mayhem. As always these are my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Walker and Sharpe are after an arsonist who is targeting new homes. Then get brought into a case with Eve Ronin and Duncan. I thought Eve and Duncan were my favorite crime fighting duo, but Eve and Walker might be edging them out! As usual Lee Goldberg brings a great story with a lot of witty banter and laugh out loud one liners. I hope there’s more crossovers in the future!!

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg -- 5 Stars
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
ISBN: 9781662512384

I check NetGalley often, waiting for the availability of a new novel by Lee Goldberg because I am certain it will be exciting and well written. His characters are the best part -- they are complex and believable. The interplay between the law enforcement officers is supportive and often witty. Adding Eve Ronin and Duncan to the team worked well. There are several crimes to solve. The ways the team catch the bad guys are clever. Information about fire and arson investigations is worked into the plot without slowing it and am now more educated. I enjoyed every page!

Reviewer: Nancy

Walker and Sharpe are back with another southern California fire investigation. A new housing development has just had a house catch fire before the buyer moves in. Walker and Sharpe find that someone has jury-rigged an IED made from a Mr. Coffee. Could it be the homeowner that sued the developer? Or maybe the contractor who was fired for theft? The inspectors are working with detective Eve Ronin, who is the protagonist in another of Goldberg's excellent LA based series. When they learn that many of the fires involve insurance fraud, they set a trap. Then there is another story line about an unstable, disturbed man who has disappeared with a vial of a deadly chemical. Thanks, Netgalley for allowing me to review this advance copy.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a big fan of the Eve Ronin series by Mr. Goldberg and was happy to see Eve and Duncan be an integral part of this story. I like how the author continues to build the chemistry between Sharpe & Walker. Certainly there investigative work behind arsons and the greater Los Angeles locations of the stories provide plenty of fodder, and I look forward to see how this series develops.

Hooked from the first few pages! Wow! Goldberg is one of my favorite authors, but I never realized he’d started this series. Time to go back and read the first one. Highly recommended!

A man is found dead in his burning home. He has been shot in the head. Is this murder, suicide or…related to domestic terrorism? Partners Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker have only started their investigation when a house in a new, exclusive hilltop development goes up in flames. And this is just in the early chapters of Ashes Never Die, the second in the Sharpe and Walter series. This time they join forces with Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone, familiar characters from their own series. Soon Walker and Ronin are racing across rural Los Angeles searching for a woman who does not want to be found, a possible arsonist and a Star Wars fanatic who may be a threat to the city. Of course, with every Lee Goldberg mystery, you know that the good guys will win. It’s the chase the counts and this complicated chase will leave you guessing until the final pages.

It’s no surprise that the talented, award winning author Lee Goldberg has won acclaim as a tv screenwriter. Ashes Never Lie is so visual that you can see the tangerine orchards and smell the smoldering fires. You learn more about these familiar characters in each book. You also learn quite a bit about arson. Obviously, Goldberg has done his homework. I never understand the variety of items that can be ordered from Amazon. Not being a Star Wars fan, I also learned quite a bit about Mandalorian culture. I would read anything written by Lee Goldberg and I can’t imagine giving it less than 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lee Goldberg for this ARC.

Having been a fan of Lee Goldberg's Eve Ronin series, I couldn't help but be curious about his other series featuring their LASD arson investigator colleagues Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker.

I wasn't disappointed, in fact I am greedy for more! This book was a wild ride with several cases going on and a similar dynamic - veteran teamed up with a newer colleague, though, in this instance Walker spent a decade as a US Marshall, having traded that job in for something less of a threat on his life. Best of all, Eve and her veteran partner Duncan Pavone are along for the ride.

The writing is tight, there's tonnes of action that kept me turning the page and as always, this main star of Lee Goldberg's books are Los Angeles. I loved the touches of history thrown in for good measure. I loved the supporting characters, such as Carly, Walker's wife, who ended up doing a bit of undercover work. I also appreciated the way I learnt about fires and arson as a naturallistic seamless conversation instead of an information dump.

I do have one quibble, and this is something I've been noticing with the Ronin series - the repetitive descriptions of body type, especially Duncan's. He's always referred to as being fat and always hungry as a personality trait. A DA is described as a smokeshow and trying to downplay her looks with make up. In the survelliance van Walker has static sitting near her which is described as 'static beauty' in relation to her. All of these sorts of descriptors took me out of the story and, in my opinion, cringy and redundant.

Overall this was another solid crime novels featuring new characters for me that I look forward to seeing how they develop. I thoroughly recommend this one for the TBR pile.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC.

When Lee Goldberg created his new great LA Sheriff’s department team of arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker, I had no idea he would have them meet his other great team of LASD detectives, Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. What a brilliant collaboration! We met veteran Sharpe and his newish partner Walker (a former US Marshal, 20 years younger than Sharpe) in “Malibu Burning” and the Stetson-wearing Walker has now experienced a year under the older man’s tutelage.

Eve Ronin (who has now starred in 5 books, most recently “Dream Town”) and Duncan Pavone are sort of similar — Pavone postponed retirement to stay partnered with the young, but very celebrated Ronin (she’s the inspiration for a TV show named “Ronin”). Her encounter with Sharpe/Walker is her first fire death investigation, and typical of Eve, she’s eager to learn more.

As is usual in Goldberg’s depictions of rural Los Angeles County, there are multi-jurisdictional considerations (bordering counties, cities, federal lands, Indigenous sacred grounds, environmental protection areas), but it’s a suspicious fire death in LA County that brings the two teams together. Was the death of an employee of an ultra-secretive bio-engineering company a suicide or a murder?

What’s incredibly great and entertaining: the “kids” (Walker and Eve) get to team up (including scenes where Eve poses as Walker’s wife’s “wife” and the two of them are in San Diego at a comic-con dressed as the Mandalorian and Wonder Woman).

But there are serious investigations of arson, insurance fraud, murders, and fugitive chases, plus discussions of the aches and pains of their jobs (Walker has a bum knee and irritated back; Eve always tends to end up in the ER).

The author has definitely done extensive research on arson investigation, offering up knowledge like there are “no Velcro clasps anywhere on their uniforms or on the bags they carried, because the static electricity that the fasteners could spark might ignite flammable gasses or explosives.” I was entertained by the terrific banter between all four characters that I didn’t want the book to end! 5 stars! Bring on another chapter of both LASD teams soon!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO After having three sets of green eyes in “Malibu Burning,” there are none in this book.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There is the endangered snoot-whistle flower (home of the globby twizzle gnat) to consider…. Oh, you don’t put roses in window flower boxes. But kudos again to Mr. Goldberg for his extensive and accurate portrayal of the California desertscape.

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