GATED PREY

5 stars out of 5

Police procedural. Female detective who has background issues that impact her life on and off the job. Likable, soon-to-retire partner who offers sensible advice based on a long and stellar career. A couple of murders that need solving that threaten the lives of the aforesaid detective and her partner. There you have it: this book has checked all the boxes that make a book a real treat for me to read.

As were, I hasten to add, the first two in the series featuring Los Angeles County Sheriff's detective Even Ronin ("Lost Hills" and "Bone Canyon"). No surprise, then, when I had a chance to get a pre-release review copy of this one (thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley), I didn't hesitate to take it. And for the record, it takes more than just the above-mentioned list to get a 5-star review from me; the story also must be well-written and entertaining. All rightee, then, make that two more boxes checked.

Eve, the youngest homicide detective in department history, has made enemies among a number of her co-workers for her actions in the previous books. Her partner, Duncan Pavone, isn't among them; clearly, he's got her back all the way (well, at least until his retirement in a couple of months, after which Eve hopes he'll become a technical adviser on an in-the-works TV series about her life). As the story opens, the pair are working undercover to catch whoever has been robbing residents of a gated community of hoity-toity homeowners in Calabasas. Their plan works but goes sideways fast - resulting in three dead bodies (not to worry - none is Eve or Duncan).

Department honchos want nothing more than to shove the case into a closed folder never to be opened again, but Eve and Duncan aren't so sure that's where it belongs so they vow to follow up on their own. Then, the partners are sent to check on a woman who reported having a late-term miscarriage (standard department procedure for such events). It turns out, though, that it's far from a "standard" event; this one, too, raises far more questions than answers (and, BTW, might be upsetting to squeamish readers). 

Everything gets resolved in the end - with a twist or two - except for a few intriguing issues that no doubt will be carried over to the next-up book. Soon, please?

Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, October 2021); 255 pp.