City of Fire: A Novel

Written by Robert Ellis

Narrated by Renee Raudman

When a vibrant young woman is found in bed by her hotshot businessman husband, carved from belly to throat with a very sharp knife, the elite Robbery-Homicide Division of the LAPD responds in full force. Best-case scenario for lead Detective Lena Gamble: Nikki Brant’s husband killed her, case closed, and on to the next crime scene before the ravenous Hollywood media can get their lurid tabloid machinery up and running.

Unfortunately for Lena, though, she knows that best-case scenarios only happen in the movies. The murder is the first in a series of brutal crimes against beautiful women thought to be perpetrated by the same man, a killer dubbed Romeo in the press. It’s the case of a lifetime, and promises to either elevate Lena to the upper echelons of a publicity-hungry department in need of heroes, or bring about a very public and painful fall from grace. Lena has been in the public eye before, on the night her rock-star brother was gunned down on a dark street in Hollywood—an unsolved murder so grisly she’s never recovered. She knows the score when the press and the LAPD collide.

As the investigation plays out and a massive forest fire blankets the city with acrid smoke, a cloud of conspiracy descends on Lena’s investigation, and she knows she’ll have to grind this one out…because Nikki Brant’s death just breathed new life into more than one closed case…because the web of conspiracy is spun more intricately than she can possibly imagine…and because Lena knows there’s only one rock-solid rule to murder in L.A.: The bigger the spectacle, the deeper the horror.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: May 29, 2007
• ISBN: 9781423336914

Robert Ellis

Born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania, Robert Ellis lived in Los Angeles for sixteen years and now spends his time between California and Connecticut along the central coast. He has written and produced over 1,000 television commercials for political campaigns and has previously published two novels. Robert is currently writing the next thriller in the Detective Lena Gamble series.

Reviews for City of Fire

[danhammang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yet another take on Los Angeles. This time the Hollywood Hills are home base. Credible character, great atmospherics. The plot line carried me along. When I got to the end I thought...hey, wait a minute but upon reflection, it all fit. I had taken the bait. I'll read another with Lena. I am rarely disappointed when it is a St. Martin's Minotaur pub.

[christineellei · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I can't rave about this book. If I had been "reading" it, I might have put it aside for something else, but on audio I enjoyed it. A detective novel with a few interesting twists and turns along the way. I hate admitting this about a book, but it was quite forgettable once it was done.

[michaeldeavers · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A suspense filled story. The story is solid and Robert Ellis didn't disappoint me. Although there is no shortage of newly made corpses and some gruesome mutilations, Lena and Hank keep their spirits high. The story itself is well written and the plot is logical with well defined characters. This is the kind of story that you want to keep for when you can read it all in one evening. Should it be a dark, cold October night so much the better.

[jepeters333 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good story - not so good narrator. When a vibrant young woman is found in bed by her hotshot businessman husband, carved from belly to throat with a very sharp knife, the elite Robbery-Homicide Division of the LAPD responds in full force. Best-case scenario for lead Detective Lena Gamble: Nikki Brant's husband killed her, case closed, and on to the next crime scene before the ravenous Hollywood media can get their lurid tabloid machinery up and running. Unfortunately, the murder is the first in a series of brutal crimes against beautiful women thought to be perpetrated by the same man, a killer dubbed Romeo in the press.

[mikedraper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lena Grambel is given lead investigator responsibility on the case of a young woman who is murdered. The body was left in such a manner that it looked like it was set up for someone else to see.Lena finds evidence in the woman's home with a number seven on it. There was evicence that the woman had recently had sex but the DNA didn't match her husband's, so Lena looks into similiar cases and finds that the DNA matches two cases where the wrong man was convinted of killing his spouse. Now, she must search for a serial rapist and killer who seems to be setting up his victim's to boast of what he has done. The author does an excellent job in creating the tension and letting us know about Lena's background and her constant thoughts about her brother, David's, murder which is still unsolved. This information lets the reader know some of the reasons why Lena has such a relentless pursuit of the woman's killer.The writing captures the reader's attention and holds it throughout this heart pounding case. In addition, the author provided a plot twist that was outstanding and totally unexpected.A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[auntmarge64 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent beginning to a new suspense series. Takes place in LA with Robbery/Homicide Detective Lena Gamble taking lead on a string of rapes and killings which veer off to connect to the murder of Lena's brother five years earlier. As the case becomes more and more complicated, the suspense and action mount until the reader can't put the book down or go to sleep without finishing it.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lena Gamble has come a long way from living in a car with her brother. When her parents died they ran away from Child Protective Services and cared for themselves. When her brother David was killed under mysterious circumstances the only family Lena had were the her workmates in the police. She's worked her way to detective and her partner, Hank Novak decides that a case that looks open and shut is a good place for her to start leading a case. But there are subtle things wrong with this case. Things that appear again in another murder. This case is becoming very complicated and there's a race to find the murderer before his attention becomes too focused on Lena.Add to that the fact that her brother's cold case investigation is progressing.And the fact that the reader is introduced to the killer from fairly early on. You have an interesting thriller with a few unexpected twists. It's quite readable, the twists and turns of the investigation are gripping as are the insights into the murderer's head, though there aren't enough ot them really. I was reading avidly up to the end of the story and even then it managed to take me by surprise. While there are graphic descriptions of the murders the story isn't all that gruesome.

[brendajanefrank · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This books had potential but its flaws reduced my reading enjoyment. The protagonist, Lena, seemed flat and sad, as did most of the other characters. She went into too much detailed description which seemed unrealistic in her role. Lena's behavior was also unrealistic, going into obviously dangerous situations with no backup, etc. The ending, to me, seemed ridiculous.