THE PERFECT HOSTS

4 stars out of 5

What a mash-up of nasty characters – all of them, including even the “hero” - have some kind of agenda that’s not totally revealed till the end. And speaking of the ending, we’re left with a bit of a cliffhanger – making me think there’ll be another installment (at least) to come. If that includes the aforementioned hero, a guy I really, really liked, I’m ready and waiting.

That hero is Jamie Saldano, an agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). He’s been called to the scene of a death by explosion at the home of wealthy and pregnant Madeline Drake and her husband Wes, where a gender-reveal party was taking place. The “reveal” was to be made by an explosion triggered by a rifle shot to a staged container that would release the properly colored smoke. That happened as planned, but the shot was followed by another explosion that destroyed a nearby building – killing Madeline’s midwife and good friend Johanna. The question Jamie must answer is whether it was an accident or intentional. If it’s the latter, of course, it likely means someone at the party is a murderer.

But who might that be? And for that matter, was Johanna the actual target, or did she just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? As the investigation progresses, evidence points in more than one direction – from guests to the people who threw the party. Also not to be discounted are Wes’s older brother Dix and a party server named Millie, who narrowly escaped the burning barn with her life, and Madeline’s estranged sister, Lucy, who suddenly appears out of nowhere.

For his part, Jamie is haunted by his past years here – highlighted by the fact that Wes Drake once saved his life back when he was a teenager and his sister disappeared, never to be found again. But his ongoing quest to find out what really happened to her is overshadowed by doing the job he came here to do, so for the most part his memories get put on the back burner.

Of course, the rest of the book focuses on the investigation, muddled in large part because everyone – including Jamie – has some kind of an axe to grind. Except for Jamie, most of the characters to me weren’t very likable, but that simply made me more curious as to which one would end up being the worst of the lot. Overall, it’s a thoroughly engaging adventure (with a bit of a surprise ending), and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf (Park Row, November 2025); 320 pp.

ASHES NEVER LIE

5 stars out of 5

Two series by this author have become favorites of mine: those featuring arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his newish partner Andrew Walker and those with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Detective Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone. What a treat it is, then, to find all four in one book!

As the fire-related title suggests, it is Sharpe and Walker who get more of the page time here; they lead off by looking into a fire in an in-progress housing development blaze thought to be accidental, but a common object found in the ruins sparked the investigators' notion that arson may be the case. No one was living there at the time, though, so why would anyone want to torch it?

Shortly thereafter, Sharpe and Walker head to another home devastating home fire - this one with a body inside and Ronin and Pavone outside. The same question arises - accident or arson - until they learn where the dead man worked. Using their best investigative skills, Sharpe and Walker come to some frightening (and subject-wise, timely) conclusions that have great and far-reaching implications far beyond their little part of Los Angeles County.

Of course, I always advise starting any series with the first book - especially since they're all very good - but this one stands on its own quite well. I'm already looking forward to the next installments, so bring 'em on! Meantime, many thanks once again to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy of this one.

Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg (Thomas & Mercer, September 2024); 286 pp.

BURNING MAN

5 stars out of 5

When I was offered the chance to get this book for 99 cents as an "earned credit" at Amazon.com, I read the synopsis, checked customer reviews and learned that author Alan Russell, the author of 10 books, has won several writing awards. Satisfied that my almost-dollar probably wouldn't be wasted (and any event it wasn't a lot to lose), I downloaded it. When I ran out of other things I wanted to read a couple of months later, I decided to find out if I'd won or lost.

And wow! This, my friends, is (pun intended) a real sizzler. Not only did I have trouble putting it down, but the closer I got to the end the more I realized I didn't want it to. 

The story begins as LAPD officer Michael Gideon and his K-9 partner, dubbed Sirius, are reassigned to head up a new Special Cases unit after suffering bad burns while capturing a serial killer, who was severely burned as well and now on death row. Essentially, Gideon is told, they'll take on out-of-the-ordinary cases, and the first is a doozy: a teenage boy is found crucified in a city park. At the same time, the body of a days-old infant - apparently left in a box to die by an uncaring mother - turns up near a bridge. Gideon identifies with the infant and vows to find the mother and see that she's prosecuted to the fullest extent.

Juggling those two cases - one official and one unofficial - forces Gideon to come to grips with demons of his own (not the least of which are recurring dreams of burning alive). And, he must deal with an ongoing, but reluctant, relationship with the serial killer, who may hold the key to the boy's murder. Complicating matters even more is a budding romantic relationship with a woman who has made it her job to see that abandoned babies are not forgotten.

There's no shortage of blood and guts stuff here, and it helps that Gideon is a bit of a jokester (well, no belly laughs for me, but I admit to chuckling at quite a few of the one-liners and groaning at a few others). Gideon tends to defuse situations, including his own reluctance to deal with his own emotions, with humor, and it really works.

Burning Man by Alan Russell (Thomas & Mercer, December 2012); 328 pp.