Lee Goldberg is one of the best thriller authors in the business and proves it again with MALIBU BURNING, the first book in a new series featuring a team of arson investigators for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Walter Sharpe is a veteran when it comes to figuring out the source of fires, a Sherlock Holmes of arson. Andrew Walker is Sharpe’s new partner, a former U.S. Marshal who has switched jobs because he’s promised his pregnant wife that he’ll do something safer than chasing down fugitives.
I think we can all guess how that’s going to work out.
On the opposite side of this equation from Sharpe and Walker is Danny Cole, a
brilliant con man and master thief who was arrested by Walker at one time in
the past and became a convict firefighter. This background gives Danny the idea
for a spectacular heist when he gets out, and also provides him with a motive
for revenge on a wealthy businessman who has a huge mansion in the Malibu
hills. All Danny has to do is reunite his old team and set a few huge wildfires
. . .
With some flashbacks to Danny working out his plan and setting things up, in
classic heist novel fashion, Goldberg keeps things racing along at such a pace,
and in such smooth prose, that it’s almost impossible to stop reading in this
novel. I stayed up late to finish it, which is almost unheard of for me these
days. Us old guys need our sleep! But giving up a little of it was well
worthwhile because MALIBU BURNING barrels along to a great climax and a very
satisfying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it and give it a very high
recommendation. It’ll be available from Amazon in e-book and paperback editions
on September 1, but you can pre-order it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment