Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series brings a young, ambitious cop vividly to life. Eve is the youngest female detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and when she sees an opportunity to rise quickly through the ranks, she takes it without hesitation. Her determination, combined with equal parts fearlessness and recklessness, gives her an astonishingly high solve rate. This is worth mentioning considering the relatively short time span in which this series unfolds.
The victims and criminals often come from Los Angeles’s elite circles, but wealth and status never lessen the severity of the crimes. In fact, the cases are frequently shocking in their brutality, while also exposing layers of corruption that often evoke the feel of a “good old boys’ club.”
The six books in the series - Lost Hills, Bone Canyon, Gated Prey, Movieland, Dream Town, and Fallen Star - are all compelling reads. Over the course of the series, Eve became near and dear to my heart, even as she seemed to get seriously injured over and over again. At times, it reminded me of the old Road Runner cartoons from my youth. No matter what she endured, she somehow kept going.
Still, this is an excellent series from Lee Goldberg, the creative mind involved with beloved television shows like Diagnosis: Murder and Monk.
And if there’s anyone capable of keeping Eve grounded while she barrels through investigations taking names and leaving no stone unturned, it’s her older partner, Duncan Pavone. Their partnership is one of the true highlights of the series, and I enjoyed watching their dynamic evolve with every book. I gladly give each book in this series four stars.
