Lost Hills

Eve Ronin, Book 1

By: Lee Goldberg

Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

“Lost Hills is Lee Goldberg at his best. Inspired by the real-world grit and glitz of LA County crime, this book takes no prisoners. And neither does Eve Ronin. Take a ride with her and you’ll find yourself with a heroine for the ages. And you’ll be left hoping for more.” (Michael Connelly, number one New York Times best-selling author)

“Thrills and chills! Lost Hills is the perfect combination of action and suspense, not to mention Eve Ronin is one of the best new female characters in ages. You will race through the pages!” (Lisa Gardner, number one New York Times best-selling author)

A video of Deputy Eve Ronin’s off-duty arrest of an abusive movie star goes viral, turning her into a popular hero at a time when the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is plagued by scandal. The sheriff, desperate for more positive press, makes Eve the youngest female homicide detective in the department’s history.

Now Eve, with a lot to learn and resented by her colleagues, has to justify her new badge. Her chance comes when she and her burned-out, soon-to-retire partner are called to the blood-splattered home of a missing single mother and her two kids. The horrific carnage screams multiple murder - but there are no corpses.

Eve has to rely on her instincts and tenacity to find the bodies and capture the vicious killer, all while battling her own insecurities and mounting pressure from the media, her bosses, and the bereaved family. It’s a deadly ordeal that will either prove her skills...or totally destroy her.

©2020 Adventures in Television, Inc. (P)2019 Brilliance Audio, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Lost Hills is what you get when you polish the police procedural to a shine: a gripping premise, a great twist, fresh spins and knowing winks to the genre conventions, and all the smart, snappy ease of an expert at work.” (Tana French, New York Times bestselling author)

“An energetic, resourceful procedural starring a heroine who deserves a series of her own.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“This nimble, sure-footed series launch from bestseller Goldberg…builds to a thrilling, visually striking climax. Readers will cheer Ronin every step of the way.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A cop novel so good it makes much of the old guard read like they’re going through the motions until they can retire…the real appeal here is Goldberg’s lean prose, which imbues just-the-facts procedure with remarkable tension and cranks up to a stunning description of a fire that was like ‘Christmas in hell.’” (Booklist)

Pure entertainment

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Read it in two sittings. It would have been one sitting but I had to sleep. Eve, the protagonist, is young and inexperienced, but smart and willing to learn. Eve is assigned a very tough case – a home saturated with blood and evidence of murder of a mother, her two children and their dog. It is apparent that bodies have been dismembered, but no bodies or body parts can be found. Eve’s investigative skills quickly identify the man she knows is responsible for the crime but the evidence is thin. Eve must get more evidence, preferably the bodies, and she must get it quick. Time is running out.

There are parts of the story, as some reviewers point out, that require the reader to suspend reality just a little bit. But what the heck. This is fiction and it is exciting. One reviewer criticized the book because the author used names of police departments that do not exist in Los Angeles, but again, what the heck. I live in SC and didn’t know the names were wrong and did not care. The names of faciliities is irrelevant to my enjoyment of the book. When reading or listening to fiction, I mainly want to be entertained and Lee Goldberg definitely entertained me with Lost Hills. The characters are interesting, the dialog is good and the story definitely held my attention. The narrator, Ms. Zanzarella, is extremely talented. I just listened to Jane Doe which she also narrates and was extremely impressed. It is evident that she reads and understands the book before she records the performance. It is evident because her emphasis is right on cue, the excitement level is perfect and she gives distinct personalities for each character. I hope Goldberg comes out with the sequel to Lost Hills and that Ms. Zanzarella is the narrator.

Highly entertaining

This may not be the most factual story but it was very exciting. A quick read, great for a summer day.

Loved it...

It was a great read. loved it. very suspenseful and entertaining. I recommend this book.

fantastic

can't wait to hear more in this series. kept my attention the whole time. highly recommend

Great new female detective

Thoroughly enjoyed becoming acquainted with a new female detective and am looking forward to more books featuring her. Nicol Zanzarella did a great job as narrator.

Entertaining

I am usually not one for a crime drama but this book was on sale so I gave it a shot. The characters were a little predictable but crime drama is crime drama and this one was done well. The case developed as they mostly do. A good listen on a summer afternoon.

Easy listen - Nothing deep

Eve Ronin is a fun new entrant into the LA cop scene. The book is good until the end when it gets a little too wild (to create drama?).

Nicely Done

This is a novel that won't break any records but it also doesn't disappoint. A good story with good characters. A tad predictable but it's hard to find a novel that isn't.

An interesting story but unfortunately ...

… spoiled by juvenile dialogue and an incredibly hokey, overly dramatic and totally unrealistic ending …

A great start to a series

I really enjoyed this book. It is the first in the series-I took a chance on it and was impressed. I love the main female character and the story kept my interest the entire time. I thought, while listening to the book, that it would make a great TV series-along the lines of the Bosch series.