Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg

Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, 2023) finally drifted up my TBR stack and I tackled it over the weekend. I didn’t know anything about the book and I was delighted to see that the primary characters are arson investigators. I have wondered for years why arson investigators are not considered interesting enough to feature as leads in crime fiction. Homicide detectives, private eyes, department store detectives, insurance investigators, even food inspectors and railroad detectives, but I don’t remember seeing arson investigators as anything but incidental characters. Much of what they do is based on science, and I can understand that analyzing burn patterns and checking for accelerants does not make a scintillating read but I always thought it was fascinating.

Walter Sharpe is an old hand in the arson shop. He draws Andrew Walker as his new partner. Walker is a former U.S. Marshal, a bit of a cowboy, but his pregnant wife pressured him to find a job that would bring him home at night and arson seemed to be a likely alternative. With the wildfires in southern California never-ending and the winds whipping the smallest spark into an inferno that consumes acres of forest and millions of dollars in real estate, the arson department did not lack for work.

Danny Cole is a likable and talented thief, aided in his chosen profession by a significant degree of intelligence and creativity. His attention is drawn to the mega mansions in Malibu. These over-the-top residences (20 bedrooms! 40 bathrooms!) are full of valuable collectibles, art, jewelry, and cash. He decides that a well-placed wildfire would force the residents to flee, leaving the contents of their homes open to plunder.

The narrative moves back and forth between the investigators and the thieves. Along the way it draws attention to the political maneuvering that directs scarce fire protection resources to the wealthy and away from those who need them more. An informative thread describes the California convict firefighting program in which prisoners have the option to join a firefighting unit instead of living in a cell. A quick internet search says at least 14 states have programs that use inmates as firefighting resources and that they are considered essential in rural areas.

With over 50 books and multiple popular television series to his credit Goldberg is a master at character development, consistent pacing, and inventive plotting. I liked it!

The second adventure of Sharpe and Walker was released in September 2024 and the third is scheduled for April 2025. A promising new series. Starred review from Library Journal.

·         Publisher: ‎Thomas & Mercer (September 1, 2023)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎304 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎166250067X

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1662500671

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link:  https://amzn.to/3Csm2qW

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

Review: Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg

Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg picks up about a year after the events of Malibu Burning. This second book in the series also works in Eve Ronin, and her partner, Duncan Pavone. It is also a really good read.

 

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arson detectives Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker have pretty much finished at one fire scene where the fire crew is pulled off to go fight a house fire in the nearby Twin Lakes housing development. The house is unoccupied. There is also plenty of ground fuel, thanks to the weather. If firefighters don’t stop the fire now, it could go through the housing development, get into the bordering Santa Susanna Pass State Park and then take off for nearby Calabasas and the Santa Monica Mountains. The last time the fire roared through the Santa Monica Mountains, Sharpe and Wlaker barely escaped with their lives.

 

Sharpe, as senior investigator and still teaching Walker, insists they have to check out the house fire. Walker doesn’t see much point, as they have not been called in to investigate, but Sharpe wants to see it because fire guys flush away evidence and won’t know if it is arson or not.

 

When they arrive, they find firefighters hard at work fighting a fire that has fully engulfed the two-story home. The house is completely empty and yet is burning like crazy. Power had only been turned on that morning and there were no workman inside or around it. In fact, nobody had been working on it. The weather was fine as it was dry and clear. So, the questions are—What caused the fire and what caused it to spread so fast and burn so hot?

 

While the crew works, Sharpe and Walker look at a nearby home that is identical to the one that is burning. Sharpe has some questions after the house tour, questions that are reinforced when Captain Guyette tells him it must have been an electrical as there were multiple ignition points also over the house next to the electric sockets, light switches, and lighting. Sharpe isn’t buying it.

 

Not that he can investigate much right now, as he and Walker are suddenly pulled off to go to a house fire in Calabasas where there is a body.

 

LASD Homicide Detective Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone are also there and waiting for them. The four gear up and go into the house. It is believed that Patrick Lopresti was home alone and is the dead person in the fire. The question Eve wants to know is where he got murdered, killed himself, or was committing arson and screwed up?

 

That question is soon answered in an unexpected way and becomes one of two complicated storylines in the book. The first being the house fire scene they were working before being pulled here.

 

Ashes Never Lie is the second book in the Sharpe and Walker series and a very good read. Complicated and fast moving it roars along at a rapid pace to a satisfying and explosive conclusion. In short, a fun read, and very much well worth your time. 

Make sure you check out Lesa Holstine’s review here. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4gjCcm5

 

My reading copy was a digital ARC from the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, by way of NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: MALIBU BURNING BY LEE GOLDBERG

 Lesa's Book Critiques: MALIBU BURNING BY LEE GOLDBERG