Ashes Never Lie
by Lee Goldberg
Series: Sharpe & Walker #2
Published by Thomas & Mercer on September 17, 2024
Setting: Calabasas, California
Genres: Police Procedurals Mystery
Pages: 286
Length: 8 hours and 10 minutes
Format: Audible Audiobook, ebook, Hardcover, Kindle, Paperback
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon
Also in this series: Malibu Burning, Hidden in Smoke
The secrets hidden in smoldering ashes hold the fate of a city in an explosive thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.
Vacant homes in a new housing development are erupting into flames in broad daylight with no apparent cause. It’s a perplexing mystery for dogged arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his restless new partner, Andrew Walker, an ex–US marshal who craves action.
But as they puzzle over the blazes, another home miles away burns to the ground, leaving a man’s corpse in the ashes and homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone demanding answers. The burn patterns and charred body tell Sharpe a bizarre story that only creates more questions for Eve. So the four detectives team up to find the answers. Their investigation into the two unrelated cases leads to one shocking discovery after another.
Now they must gamble their lives to unmask a brilliant arsonist, crack open a massive swindle, track down a desperate fugitive with a terrifying secret, and race against time to save thousands of people from an agonizing death.
Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg is outstandingly brilliant and entertaining.
Sharpe and Walker meet up with Eve Ronin. Will they take down the bad guys?
Sharpe and Walker
Wow, these two are funny. However, Sharpe would disagree with my assessment. He is very serious about his occupation and fires. Please don’t question his opinion with your theory. Eve Ronin learned that shortly after meeting him. Walker, on the other hand, is an adrenaline junkie. Somehow, he can do this job, manage his craving, and appease his wife.
These characters are fantastic. They seem so realistic, with their issues and imperfections. I love jumping into Mr. Goldberg’s mind; his books play out in my head like a movie, and I am transported to Southern California in a blink. In this story, he seamlessly blends two of his series, making them mesh together perfectly.
I enjoyed getting to know Walker’s wife better. She really keeps him from going over the edge when it comes to catching a bad person.
The Mystery
Arson is always the root cause of Sharpe and Walker’s cases. This installment isn’t different, as we have an arson and a biohazard emergency going on in the Los Angeles area. However, when you think of all the things that are happening in LA, this story seems just as plausible. What a fabulous job, Mr. Goldberg!
Five Stars
My rating for Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg is five stars. If I could give it more, I would, but Karen tells me I have to stick with the ratings we set up. So, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Well, truthfully, I recommend all of Mr. Goldberg’s books as he is a brilliant writer whose stories are always entertaining.
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 Ashes Never Lie 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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