Publication Date April 22, 2025
Somehow, in the past few years, Lee Goldberg has made his way onto my list of reliable/favorite authors…you know, the ones that when you see they have a new book, you think, “YES! Definitely gotta get THAT one!” In 2022, there was Movieland, in 2023, Malibu Burning and Calico, in 2024 Dream Town and Ashes Never Lie, and now we have Hidden In Smoke. Having grown up in Southern California, I particularly enjoy the way he evokes the look, feel, and (dare I say?) the Southern California vibe. Other authors who do this well include T. Jefferson Parker, Robert Crais (I LOVE Elvis Cole and Joe Pike), and Michael Connelly. So while there is no shortage of authors who do a fine job with stories set in and around Southern California, Lee Goldberg has recently been on a real winning streak, and his latest, Hidden In Smoke, is unique in the way it touches something in the hearts of those of us for whom Santa Anna winds and wildfires form a part of our personal history (not to mention nightmares).
This one includes characters we have met in prior books: arson investigators Andrew Walker and Walter Sharpe are on the hunt for the arsonist responsible for the destruction of dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings (all in one night!) As if that isn’t enough, a major freeway is destroyed by a huge fire, and that case is added to their job. With all this, they need help! It isn’t only arson, this is now a homicide investigation, so they call on two other Goldberg-created characters: Detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone.
Being somewhat familiar with the kind of timeline involved in writing and releasing a book, I’m fairly sure that Lee wasn’t planning on having Hidden In Smoke come out while Southern California was still reeling from horrific fires.I do think that he is well aware of the seeming universal fear of what COULD happen to Southern California when it comes to fires. This book is more than a mystery around arson and murder; people are asking just HOW a fire could explode so quickly and grow so huge in a short time. The resulting crossover combines a traditional murder mystery with a fire investigation story.
One thing often pondered when there is a new entry in a series: does the reader need to have read the prior entries to appreciate this one? There is plenty of information on the main characters revealed to make it all comprehensible, but I suspect anyone who reads it will want to grab more of Goldberg’s books. It kept me up all night (in a good way) and also evoked several nights of dreams about the place I lived for the first 20+ years of my life. With HUGE thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley (and Lee Goldberg!) for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review, it’s highly recommended. Five stars.