Enjoyed, 3.5 stars

Another good book by the father/son Kellerman team. Clay Edison is now a PI, and a case comes his way that is different than his normal cases. A young man, named as executor, finds an inconsistency in financial records he asks Clay to look into it. As the story continues, Clay discovers that there is much more involved than a real estate fraud.

I was caught up in the story from the beginning, and it kept my attention. I felt that it moved along fast while providing just enough detail to support the mysteries. They are all woven together nicely. I am already looking forward to the next book in the series!

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

The authors make reading the book come alive. I could picture the land they were talking about and could even picture each character. The storyline begins simply enough by asking Clay Edison, a PI, to find a lost son. From there, the search connects to a land scheme that has gone on for years. Without giving away the story, this connects to several other storylines but I was able to follow all of it with no difficulty. The book ends up with everything connected and nothing left unsolved. It was hard to put down as I had to know what would happen next.

When I read coauthored books, I try to figure out who wrote what. In this novel, by the Kellermans the collaboration is seamless. Fast paced, well written, with just the right amount of description, this novel is a winner! Peppered with interesting characters in a gorgeous setting, it held my interest throughout. This is the 5th book in a series that I'd never read before. However, the book holds up as a stand alone. I thoroughly enjoyed it and do recommend it. It's a really good mystery.

I’ve enjoyed the previous books in this series, and this edition did not disappoint. The main character Clay has moved on from his law enforcement role and takes on what starts as a real estate fraud case. I like a book that effectively layers on a complex mystery and this book delivers on that. I also think the authors do an excellent job showing the complex impact that an investigator’s job impacts a marriage.

This book can be read as a standalone.

Disclosure: I received this book from NetGalley Ballantine Books/ Random in exchange for this
honest review..

By now, I'm well acquainted with coroner-turned-private-eye Clay Edison - this is the fifth book in the series and I haven't missed a single one. I'd have to say the subject matter of this one isn't something I'm personally very interested in, but the story held my interest just fine. Better yet, Clay meets up with a P.I. "buddy" who turns out to be a hoot.

An old friend calls to say a friend of his is serving as executor for the estate of a recently deceased elderly lady, but "things" just aren't adding up; for one thing, payments have been made for many, many years to an entity known only by an acronym - but what it stands for and what the payments signify have proved elusive. Clay agrees, albeit reluctantly, to look into it - and learns the deceased woman owned a home in a remote area of California with initials similar to those of the payment destination. Could it be one and the same? If it is, trouble could be brewing; after a little digging, Clay finds that several disgruntled property owners have taken their gripes against the remote property owners to court.

Early on, it becomes clear to Clay that he needs to visit the property to see what's going on; turns out it's far more remote than he ever could have imagined. It's also clear that what few residents actually do live there are less than hospitable; in fact, he may well have a target on his back. To get to the truth, Clay must put his best sleuthing skills to the test, his weapons at the ready and his eyes on his newfound enemies. The rest of the story follows the investigation through to the bitter end, with plenty of action and a few surprises along the who-can-you-trust scale. All told, it was both an enjoyable and satisfying adventure for which I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

I am a huge fan of this writing team and this character. This outing was full of thrills, lots of twists and a satisfying ending. Hoping for more of Clay and his friends soon.

Clay Edison and Jesse Kellerman, where have you been all my life?!! If Jonathan Kellerman and his son wrote a book, we would get something like "The Lost Coast". As a fan of Jonathan for years and years (I've read everyone of his books), I somehow missed this collaboration. Shame on me!
Clay is no longer a law enforcement officer. He's moved on to be a private detective. When his friend asks him to investigate a possible fraud against his family, Clay opens a Pandora's box and sets off to search the status of resort property in the "city" of Swann's Flat, CA, The city is located along the California coast and the property was purchased years ago. Clay decides to visit the property to see what's what. What he finds is a rundown, rag-tag group of houses and only a handful of full-time residents. He also learns people can go missing after uninvited visits. What an adventure! This books contains much of JK's deep dive into the mystery at hand with a wordier format, a bit slower pace and his usual group of unusual characters. It's all good. It's complex and engaging, hard to put down. My thanks to the authors and publisher for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest opinion: don't let this one get by you. Now, I'm going to start the series from the beginning :)

I'm a big fan of the Kellermans--all 3 of them--so was excited to read this one! Clay used to be the coroner but is now a P.I. and is off to investigate Swann's Flat Resort Area when a client discovers something seems "off" with the huge property that has lots for sale but no one appears to actually live on or develop them. And so begins a landslide of paperwork, devious characters, and thugs who are devious and brutal in their warnings. Non-stop action and humor make this a novel to savor!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This starts out as Clay investigating a land con but soon he is investigating a missing persons case. My mind occasionally wandered away from the story but I was interested enough to finish it. I thought they should have kept to one story without brining in the missing persons case. It would probably have helped to read the previous books in the series. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Book: The Lost Coast
Series: Clay Edison #5
Author: Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group ~Ballantine. Ballantine Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: August 6, 2024
My Rating: 3.2 stars
Pages: 304

Clay Edison is now a California private investigator; it has been nearly a year since he left his job as the deputy coroner for Alameda County in the Bay area,
In his new role he thought his investigation of a fraud scheme would be quick. The case involves his client’s dead grandmother paying a monthly fee for property she never had.
However, he believes there is more to this and this
Along the way the story changed into a missing person case.

I am a Big fan of Jonathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series. Read #39 " The Ghost Orchid" earlier this year and already anxious for #40.
However, this is only my first in the Clay Edison series and it is #5 – shortly after starting I knew I should have read one of the earlier stories in this series. I will do so and reread this one as my 3 star rating is probably not really fair. Most admit I did have high expectations for this story as I love the Kellermans!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group ~Ballantine. Ballantine Books for granted me this early uncorrected proof.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 6, 2024.

A fantastic story with plenty of twists and turns. Clay shows how hard being a PI really is and how you never know where a case will lead you.

Ex Coroner turned Private Investigator Clay takes on a seemingly easy case about money. Ends up in a small town, a lot of twists and turns, small group of people, a ton of suspects. Felt like I was watching the movie wrong turn.

3 to 3.5 stars on this novel.

Just a quick word of "thanks" to both netgalley.com, as well as Ballantine Books/Random House for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion about it.

I am a big fan of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware series of psychological thrillers. They have always been a fan-favorite of mine. Likewise, I am becoming a fan of the Clay Edison series that Jonathan (and now with this novel, his son Jesse) has written. The Lost Coast is book #5 in the Clay Edison series. This book can be read as a "stand alone" novel, but it is good to have read the previous novels - mainly to gain an understanding of who Clay Edison is as well as his past. Edison is a former deputy coroner for the San Francisco area, but has recently given that position up to become a private investigator. In this novel, The Lost Coast, we find that Edison has been hired by a client to look into where some funds from the client's recently deceased grandmother is going. As Edison dives into discovering where these funds are going, we find out about a region in the upper coast of California in which seems to be some shadiness - both financially as well as other "secrets" meant not to be discovered.

I enjoyed this novel, but felt it may have tried to do too much. There was a back story of a real estate deception in this region of California (known as Swann's Flat), but then switched to Edison investigating a missing person from the area.

Well-written, and an enjoyable read. Not really a "great" psychological thriller, but interesting.

I received a copy from NetGalley. Part of a series, but easily stands alone. The character development is fantastic and the unique setting, with lack of cell phones, makes for a different sort of modern mystery.

I didn’t realize this story was part of a series which I haven’t read. It wasn’t a problem, I jumped right in and never felt like I’d missed something. In fact, I enjoyed it enough that I’d go back and read the previous in series. The main character is Clay, on his second career as a private investigator, married with young kids. A seemingly simple estate case with a young executor compelled to pursue due diligence couldn’t be more complex. Grandma made unexplained monthly payments for years before her death. Clay agrees to look into the expense and begins pulling threads. The tangled LLC maze leads him to a remote undeveloped area along California’s coast. A resort, a land scam, a slice of heaven? Clay has promised his wife he’ll be safe and not take risks. That oath flies out the window with the first shot. I followed him right down the rabbit hole of discovery to uncover who’s behind this and what’s the endgame. The strange cluster of people living at the Lost Coast are loners, reclusive, searchers, misfits and perhaps unsavory shady criminals. It was an exciting read with vivid landscapes and well drawn characters. The plot was fresh and easy to read. I’m happy to have discover the series.
Random House Ballantine Books provided an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley of “The Lost Coast” Clay Edison #5, by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman, expected publication 08/06/2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Clay Edison used to work for the coroner's office, now he's a private investigator after being forced out of the coroner's office. A young man comes to Clay for help. He has been made the executor of his grandmother's estate and he has found some strange issues he needs help with. What Clay finds is decades of a scheme that targets the vulnerable, of which the grandmother was one. He also finds the mysteries of two missing men'; a teenager and an author. They seem to also have something to do with the scheme, somehow, but how...The more Clay digs, the more people try to stop him. But how far will they go...

The actual lost coast of northern California is as beautiful as it is rugged and truly not easy to get to. I enjoyed reading this book about deceit and praying on the vulnerable, especially the elderly, on a land scam. This was a fast paced, easier to read book. Perfect for the summer by the pool. There was not much character development which was okay by me as I was looking at this as a book that did not require much thinking. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

The fifth book in the Clay Edison series by father/son writing team Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman is an excellent addition to this engaging series. Keeping the series fresh by including another private investigator, Regina Klein, just added to the overall enjoyment of the book. I hope she becomes a regular in this series. Although this can be read as a stand alone, I recommend starting with the first book, "Crime Scene", and reading them in order. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy

In Lost Coast the tale weaves through many lives beginning with a grandmother whose executor has found some regular irregularities in her papers - that sets off a spiral into a place that time seems to have passed by - Swann's Flat. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue - typical Kellerman misdirection. As we get into the story, the original land seems to be forgotten while a search for a missing son is center stage. But, of course, it all wraps up in one large package.

I have read all of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware books but no books cowritten with his son. This "felt" like Jonathan's voice in the writing style. While I would have preferred more closure on the original thread, this made for a quick read that I just couldn't put down. If you are an Alex Delaware fan, this is the book for you.

I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Lost Coast by Jonathan Kellerman and his son, Jesse Kellerman, is a taut, full-speed ahead, and nerve wracking thrill ride that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat from the beginning of the book to the end. I have to admit, this is the first book I have read by this duo, and it was a remarkable way to be introduced, with all the twists and turns, you feel as if you're on a roller coaster. The characters are brought to life in such a way, the reader feels as if they are living right alongside them, instead of just reading about them, while the descriptions are so vivid you would think you're watching a movie. I can't wait to read some more books by this remarkable father and son duo!