Bone Canyon

Written by Lee Goldberg

Narrated by Nicol Zanzarella

A cold case heats up, revealing a deadly conspiracy in a twisty thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

A catastrophic wildfire scorches the Santa Monica Mountains, exposing the charred remains of a woman who disappeared years ago. The investigation is assigned to Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a position that forces her to prove herself again and again. This time, though, she has much more to prove.

Bones don’t lie, and these have a horrific story to tell. Eve tirelessly digs into the past, unearthing dark secrets that reveal nothing about the case is as it seems. With almost no one she can trust, her relentless pursuit of justice for the forgotten dead could put Eve’s own life in peril.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781799764502

Lee Goldberg

Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including Lost Hills, the Ian Ludlow trilogy (True Fiction, Killer Thriller and Fake Truth), fifteen Monk mysteries, and five internationally bestselling Fox & O'Hare books (The Heist, The Chase, The Job, The Scam, and The Pursuit) co-written with Janet Evanovich. He has also written and/or produced many TV shows, including Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, and Monk, and is the co-creator of the hit Hallmark movie series Mystery 101. As an international television consultant, he has advised networks and studios in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, China, Sweden, and the Netherlands on the creation, writing, and production of episodic television series. He is also co-founder of the publishing company Brash Books (www.brash-books.com) You can find more information about Lee and his work at www.leegoldberg.com

Reviews for Bone Canyon

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The second Eve Ronin mystery has her investigating murders that were uncovered when wildfires travel through a canyon and expose the bones. With her partner counting down his days to retirement, Eve has to learn quickly in her position as the youngest homicide detective in the Sheriff's Department.Her first case made her a media darling which annoys her fellow deputies and annoys her, but her mother who has spent her career as an extra on many TV shows and her father who is a producer are both pressuring her to sign with an agent and go for the Hollywood life. When her current case leads to the possibility of corruption in the sheriff's department, she doesn't know who she can trust except for her partner. She knows that she's going to follow the evidence wherever it takes her and whatever it shows. And when the bones of a second victim are found the case gets even more complicated. I enjoyed this audiobook which stars an intriguing main character and has lots of information about the entertainment industry in Southern California.

[edgoldberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Lost Hills, Eve Ronin parlays a video that went viral into becoming the youngest Homicide detective in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. It showed her subduing an actor twice her size and strength. It didn’t hurt that she also solved a triple murder.In Bone Canyon, she is back with her soon-to-retire partner Duncan Pavone. Catastrophic wildfires have denuded the hills around San Fernando Valley’s Hueso Canyon (‘hueso’ being Spanish for ‘bone’), unveiling human bones. Dr. Daniel Brooks of the forensic unit, upon recovering an entire body’s worth of bones, determines that the skeleton has been in the hills for approximately 6 years and the person did not die of natural causes. Further investigation identifies the body as that of Sabrina Morton, who had disappeared without a trace.Unfortunately for Eve, a second set of bones is discovered. While the location could be the perfect spot to drop gangland murder victims, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Could this be the product of a serial killer and, if so, what do the victims have in common? Eve really has two jobs to contend with: the first keeping all the Hollywood theatrical agents at bay since they want to make a TV series or movie about her life and the second is solving the crime, all the while knowing that her coworkers don’t think very highly of her and her premature advancement and who characterize her as a camera-chasing diva.As I said, Bone Canyon is a light read. While it is a solid forensic and police procedural, the mostly light-hearted banter between Eve and Duncan (aka Donuts because of his physique) keep the mood easy, even jovial at times. Eve is a truth at all costs sorta girl. As she gathers evidence, new information will pit her against others in the sheriff’s department and put her life in danger. As a rookie she makes mistakes, some of them with catastrophic consequences. Eve and Duncan make a good pair and you’ll like them. So, if you’re looking for a quick read mystery, I’d certainly try Bone Canyon. Not a literary masterpiece, but certainly enjoyable.

[cathygeha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bone Canyon by Lee GoldbergEve Ronin #2Homicide Detective Eve Ronin and her partner are off to check on human remains found in the back yard of someone’s house that managed to survive a horrendous forest fire. Eve has not had it easy as the youngest member of the team. Her colleagues feel she achieved her position through online fame rather than years on the job and they don’t like that. Duncan has taken her under his wing but is also focused on having an easy time in his final few months before retiring. The fact that they catch a cold case and then a few other victims are found nearby means they spend most of the book dealing with the police procedural aspects of solving cases. Will they find out what happened or not and will Eve find her spot on the team? What I liked: * Eve: dedicated, competent, focused, intelligent, willing to take risks, true to the badge, there for the victim, dealing with a mother that was more into her profession than her children, and a woman that might eventually have more in her life than just work.* Duncan: a good mentor, seasoned detective, great at interrogating suspects, supportive, eager to retire, all around nice guy. * Getting to know Eve’s family a bit better.* The police procedural aspects and watching how Eve and Duncan followed leads.* That Eve was not perfect and may have learned better techniques for future cases.* That the persons responsible for the crimes in this story were found and dealt with * There were no loose ends.* Finding out that there were some on the police force that were supportive of Even and not all were against her. * Knowing that there will be another book to look forward to.What I didn’t like: * The criminals and the impact they had on more than one person’s life.* The coverups carried out and assumptions made by police unwilling to do their job.* Knowing that there are corrupt wicked people out there getting away with crimes all too often.Did I enjoy this book? YesWould I read more in this series? YesThank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – this is my honest review. 4-5 Stars

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Goldberg does not disappoint in the second Eve Ronin book. She’s still fighting the “old boy” treatment in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and suffering the publicity she received after her heroic rescue of a child in the first book. Its not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this book but you probably will want to after reading this one. This time its all about solving the mysteries of the death of two women whose bones were found in a canyon after wild fires stirred up the area. I am sure going to miss her partner, Duncan when he retires. He adds a knowledge and at times humor to the story.

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bone Canyon by Lee GoldbergMy rating: 4 of 5 stars#FirstLine - The dead were rising in the fire-blackened Santa Monica Mountains and Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the history of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was on her way to examine one of them.This book was quite a read. It is a police procedural mystery/suspense that kept me intrigued and trying to solve the big case. I adored Eve Ronin, a take no crap, do gooder detective who would stop at nothing to solve a crime that was long over do for justice. It had some twists and turns that had me surprised. I really enjoyed my first completed reading of 2021 and I will definitively be checking out more books by Goldberg!

[hcnewton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.---WHAT'S BONE CANYON ABOUT?A wildfire was wiping out good swaths of L.A. County as the last novel wrapped up. Now, just a few weeks later, several things that were hidden pre-fire have been exposed—some of those things are human remains. Eve Ronin and her partner are called out to the site of one such discovery. They're able to identify the remains, they belong to a young woman who'd reported being raped and soon disappeared six years previously.Eve assumes there's a link between the rape, disappearance, and her death. This is solidified when it's determined the woman was murdered. Even if it proves untrue, she needs to start her investigation somewhere, so she starts by looking over the initial investigation and is less than impressed with the way it was handled. So, she plunges into re-investigating the rape and disappearance while also trying to get a handle on this murder. It's not long before she's getting pressured to drop the rape angle.When another group of remains is found in the same general area—these belonging to an older woman, things get more complicated. How many murderers is she looking for?DUNCAN "DUNKIN' DONUTS" PAVONEI only gave Eve's partner four sentences in my post about Lost Hills, I think I should've spent a little more time on him, I have a sneaking suspicion that he's the secret weapon in this series. He seems like a Spenser's Frank Belson-type (I have to admit I see Ron McLarty, TV's Belson, in my mind during his scenes). He's a slob, constantly covered in crumbs (donut or otherwise), cynical, seemingly lazy—but at heart a dedicated and good detective. Watching him at work in the interrogation room should be enough to make anyone doubt the image he projects.When we first meet him, he's got his eyes on his retirement date and is counting down to it, which is why he's saddled with the homicide detective no one wants as a partner. He seems to tolerate Eve and will sprinkle some tips and cynicism her way. But that's about it. By the end of the first novel, there's more than toleration at work. By the time Bone Canyon opens, he's really trying to mentor her, trying to guide her, and prepare her as much as possible for her future (not that he's obvious about it, or even willing to admit it, but it's there). In a lot of this novel, it's clear that he cares for Eve as a partner, and is likely more concerned with the future of her career than she is. He won't necessarily agree with all of her wild theories, but he's at least willing to entertain them, to look for evidence to back them up.It's a nice shift, and if she can win, Duncan over, there's reason to hope that she can get others in the Department to work with her.While I'd been hoping that Goldberg would find a way to keep him in the series after his retirement (somewhere around 100 days after this novel), I wasn't sure he would. I guess I'm still not positive that he will, but Goldberg provided a way to do so. I'm relieved—Eve needs a cop she can trust in her life, even if he's retired.Which leads me to:COP OR POLITICIAN?Several times, superiors in the Sheriff's office, a friendly D.A., and her own mother accuse Eve of playing political games with this case for her own career advancement. In Eve's mind, she's not making political moves for her own gain, but for the sake of the case. It's all about justice for the victims, she insists. She doesn't trust anyone in the Department, so she has to go at things in her own way.Sure, she made some moves circumventing the chain of command to keep things moving, to prevent leaking and anyone stopping her. But she denies being overtly political about this, and only admits it in retrospect. Which I found a little odd, remembering something she thought about the Harry Bosch audiobook she was listening to in Lost Hills: [Bosch's] problem, she thought, was that he didn't know how to play politics. She'd already proven that she could.As much as Eve thinks of herself as a loner—due to circumstances forcing her into the role, rather than that being her nature—there are events here to teach her that ain't necessarily true. She's never going to win any popularity contests (Duncan will testify that she's unlikeable), but if she pays attention, Eve's going to find more allies. She doesn't have to be Renée Ballard.* We know she's a Harry Bosch fan, I wonder what Eve thinks about Ballard....OR IS SHE A MEDIA STAR IN THE MAKING?The other thing that's constantly being thrown at Eve is her social media stardom—the viral video that got her promoted into the Homicide Division was just the start. Someone leaked video of her heroics at the close of the previous novel which just compounded things for her. So many of her fellow detectives and deputies just assume she's all about getting fame and glory for her own advantage (many of these people are just jealous and would do whatever they could to get a share of her fame so they could cash in on it). It's truly the last thing she wants, unlike the other accusation.Ironically, her family is pushing her to embrace this notoriety and cash in on it (mostly for their selfish benefit, not her good)—and both an agent and a TV Writer/Producer are circling her. Everyone's telling her that a series/movie is going to happen no matter what, if she wants any influence on how it happens, she has to sign up.Goldberg had already firmly established that this series takes place in the shadow of the Entertainment Industry, would-be actors, film crew members, bona fide stars, and others (like a fellow detective) wanting to get into the industry. So this subplot doesn't feel out-of-place at all, it's the world Eve Ronin deals in.I really like this aspect of the story—as long as it doesn't become too dominant—and watching Eve try to figure out how to use her notoriety to help (or at least, not hinder) her police work is as interesting as watching her figure out how to survive as a political animal.NOW, THAT'S A NICE TOUCH...There's a little treat for readers of Goldberg's Ian Ludlow series. I loved it. But if you're not reading that series, don't worry, you won't even realize that you missed something.** Still, I should take a beat to ask you why you aren't reading the Ian Ludlow books. You should fix that. SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BONE CANYON?This rocked. I think it was a step up from Lost Hills, which I'm pretty sure was the best thing Goldberg has written. He does all the same things that made Lost Hills a success and then progressed them a little bit. I raced through these pages—both because the prose invites you to and because I just had to see how it all ended.Eve's a great character—she's flawed, she has a lot to learn, but she has potential as a detective and is driven to fulfill that potential. Her cases are twisty enough to keep you guessing and turning pages. and Goldberg's writing is at his best.I liked Lost Hills enough that pre-ordered this book as soon as I could, and have already done the same for the third book, knowing only its title (I'd buy books 4 and 5 right now, too, for what it's worth). They're that good—and I think you'll likely agree. Jump on the Eve Ronin train, you'll be in for a great ride.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

law-enforcement, forensics, California, corruption, tv-film-industry, family-dynamics, friendship*****Eve had found a novel way to get the promotion she wanted in the department but now it was biting her on the backside. She kept being pestered by Hollywood types and even her biological father to sign the rights to a TV series based on her police work. But all she wants to do is to bring justice to the women whose charred remains have been found in the canyon. The forensic bone man proved the time frame and tentative cause of death and her partner did the due diligence to bring proof of identity and gave insight into what a minefield bring the perps to light would be. Then other remains from long before the fires began to turn up and Eve got even more determined to bring the culprits to justice. It's a good but disturbing read, especially in this time of police issues.I requested and received a free ebook copy from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley. Thank you!