I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Hidden in Smoke
by Lee Goldberg
Series: Sharpe & Walker #3
Published by Thomas & Mercer on April 22, 2025
Setting: Calabasas, California
Genres: Police Procedurals Mystery
Pages: 300
Format: Audible Audiobook, ebook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
Source: NetGalley
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Malibu Burning, Ashes Never Lie
When the crimes of a serial arsonist lead to murder, Sharpe and Walker need detective Eve Ronin to join the hunt in a blistering thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.
After dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror, arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his spree. But then a catastrophic fire destroys a major freeway, crippling the city and forcing Sharpe and Walker to take on another massive case.
Desperate for help, they know exactly who to homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four detectives must quickly figure out whether the freeway disaster was a tragic accident…or the work of a mastermind with a horrific plan.
As the investigations collide, an old foe with a revenge scheme enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder.
Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg is a fantastic read. It has it all and more than expected.
Will Sharpe and Walker find the arsonist?
Andrew Walker
Arson Investigator Andrew Walker has more going on than you see at first glance. He is a dedicated investigator and a family man, but he truly dislikes seeing a bad guy escape justice. I like the way he tries to balance his work and home life. He seems to be doing reasonably well at it. Although at times the two cross. Walker and his cowboy hat have quite a reputation in Los Angeles.
Walter Sharpe
Senior Arson Investigator Walter Sharpe doesn’t have time for much else besides investigating fires. He is singularly focused on one thing the majority of the time. That thing is finding and apprehending arsonists. Sharpe is really good at investigating arson. He has been on the job a long time and is highly passionate about it. He isn’t really a patient guy, and sometimes he comes across as a bit arrogant, yet he won’t stop until he has figured it out. You can count on Sharpe to be there at any time of day or night as long as it involves fire.
I like Sharpe, and I hate the way people try to take advantage of him and make fun of him behind his back. Although Sharpe usually gives as much back as he takes.
The Mystery
We have a string of arsons, a freeway fire that shuts down Highway 10, a murder, and a con working in the background. Some of it is tied together, and some is not. No matter what, I love it when they bring the bad guys to justice.
Five Stars
My rating for Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg is five stars. I love Mr. Goldberg’s writing style and how he intertwines the plot twists and character arcs. He always keeps me guessing. I love all of his books and highly recommend them all.
Sharpe and Walker Series
Check out the interview with Lee Goldberg from a few years ago HERE.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Hidden in Smoke by Lee Goldberg.
Until the next time,
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About Lee Goldberg
Goldberg broke into television with a freelance script sale to Spenser: For Hire. Since then, his TV writing & producing credits have covered a wide variety of genres, including sci-fi (seaQuest), cop shows (Hunter, The Glades), martial arts (Martial Law), whodunits (Diagnosis Murder, Nero Wolfe), the occult (She-Wolf of London), kid’s shows (R.L. Stine’s The Nightmare Room), T&A (Baywatch, She Spies), comedy (Monk) clip shows (The Best TV Shows That Never Were) and total crap (The Highwayman, The New Adventures of Flipper).
He’s written and produced TV shows in Canada (Murphy’s Law, Cobra, Missing), England (Stick With Me Kid, She Wolf of London) and Germany (Fast Track: No Limits). His mystery writing for television has earned him two Edgar Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America.
His two careers, novelist and TV writer, merged when he wrote the eight books in the Diagnosis Murder series of original novels, based on the hit CBS TV mystery that he also wrote and produced. He followed that up by writing fifteen bestselling novels based on Monk, another TV show that he worked on. His Monk novels have been translated and published in Germany, Poland, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, and many other countries.
In addition to his writing, he’s worked as an international TV development expert and consulting producer for production companies and major networks in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
But perhaps he’s best known for his pioneering work mapping the human genome and negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Goldberg lives in Los Angeles with his wife and his daughter and still sleeps in Man From U.N.C.L.E. pajamas.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2025 Cloak and Dagger JEN
- 2025 Finish the Series RC JEN
- 2025 Goodreads RC JEN
- 2025 Medical Examiner Mystery RC JEN
- 2025 Six Shooter RC JEN
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