I loved the setting and find the character of Clay engaging. It was overall a 3 star read . I feel sometimes he relies on a formula to write books and just changes settings so that after awhile it just gets monotonous to me

I love Clay Edison! Almost as much as Alex Delaware lol. Another great story by the Kellermans. As per usual, things are never what they seem but something is definitely going on in Humboldt county.

I’ll start by admitting that I’m a super Kellerman fan of Jonathan, Faye and Jesse. And they NEVER disappoint me. It’s been 3 years since the last Kellerman/Kellerman Clay Edison thriller, (this is #5, but it reads like a standalone). However, it’s only about a year in book time. Clay is no longer a deputy coroner for Alameda County in the Bay area, he’s now a private investigator who can travel further and has been taking couples therapy seriously (so he’s always trying to be in touch with his wife Amy).

In this case, he’s taken on a real estate investigation that puts him in fictional Swann’s Flat, a small peninsula town in the real Lost Coast area, a section of land between the tiny towns of Rockport and Ferndale in far north California. The builders of California’s Highway 1 nicknamed it when they determined it was impossible to build along the rugged bluffs and cliffs and had to veer inland away from the coast.

Clay is trying to find out who defrauded his client’s late grandmother and online searches have led to a dead end, so he goes to the physical location of her “resort lot.” The town is not very welcoming and the last larger town with cell service and paved roads has a gas station bulletin board with an unusually high number of non-local missing people. An encounter with a Swann’s Flat resident unexpectedly leads Clay towards one of the missing persons.

I love Kellerman books, even ones that dare to use “phylacteryishly” (?!) in a sentence, because they remind me of watching a favorite police procedural on TV, cuddled in a blanket on the couch, while binge-watching each season, and being fairly certain the writers won’t kill off the lead character. “The Lost Coast” was another fantastic installment in the Clay Edison series. 5 stars! Don’t make me wait so long for the next one!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Bloodshot and teary but no green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO As in previous books, the elder Kellerman knows the fauna and flora of the area he writes about. In Northern California, he knows that the most common plant in the woods was creeping redwood sorrel.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

A dynamic writing duo - Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman - create some great books! The Lost Coast was a quick, intense, intriguing mystery set in such a unique location. The initial challenge doesn’t seem like much when the story starts but it rapidly develops into heart-stopping moments and multiple surprises. A super read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

These talented authors have written a page turner. Imagine buying land to build a home…doesn’t exist to the extent that is buildable… The main character, a private investigator, looks into this and discovers all kinds of mysteries. His life is in danger…people shoot…kids are lost…all along the coast…spend an afternoon immersed in this story. Try to guess how it ends. Thanks Netgalley.