Ashes Never Lie

Sharpe & Walker, Book 2

By: Lee Goldberg

Narrated by: Eric Conger, Nicol Zanzarella

Worlds collide as Eve Ronin and Sharpe & Walker race to find hidden secrets in smoldering ash, from #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.

©2024 by Adventures in Television, Inc. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Goldberg manages to give each of his four leads their due while keeping the investigation’s fuse burning bright. This series deserves a long life.” —Publishers Weekly

“The sequel to Malibu Burning unites Goldberg’s Ronin and Pavone police team with his arson investigators Sharpe and Walker in a clever, complicated story. With its witty banter and well-developed characters, Goldberg’s latest procedural is tailor-made for readers who enjoy shrewd investigators in fast-paced dramas.” —Library Journal

“Pure enjoyment for anyone who doesn’t happen to own a home in the Valley.” —Kirkus Reviews

Great complex story

Lee Goldberg is remarkable in his multiple threads, entertaining metaphors by chapters in dialogue and tying all the threads into a tight knot. I can’t wait for his next book. Thank you, Lee.

Entertaining Light Suspense

Walker and Sharpe meet Eve Ronin on an arson case ... that turns out to be rather more than it first seems (shocking in a suspense novel, of course.)

All of the various interlocking cases eventually resolve in one way or another, and the resolution is entertaining. There's some very good police procedural work here, but some parts are very much the sort of nonsense that is typical of Hollywood scripts.

I prefer a single narrator for audiobooks, but the second narrator here doesn't disrupt my immersion too much.

Regardless, the characters are fun and the plot is worth reading. Recommended as a relatively light suspense novel.

Good action.

A page turner, unusual crimes, good characters and fast moving. Some humor in spite of the whodunit genre. Thank you for an entertaining story!

Good story but I wanted more

This is the second in the series and it does not seem to follow along the same path as the first. I thoroughly enjoyed the first in the series and have recommended to many but this one did not pull me in and I am not sure why we have a couple cops that get main roles in the story. I fully expected this would be more Sharpe and Walker togetherness but it almost seemed more like a Walker and Eve story. I am sad that it did not hold up to the first one as I have been looking forward to this one.

A smoking hot two-fer

Walker: “You’d be lost without your stereotypes.”
Sharpe: “Says the sheriff’s deputy wearing a Stetson.”
While I enjoy mysteries, I’m tired of the ones that bog down in the violence and grit. I think that’s why I’m enjoying this series so much: mystery delivered with a side of buddy-cop humor and things that go boom. At times, the made-for-TV over the top one-liners and wild arson scenarios were too much.
But, I’d rather roll my eyes a bit at the cheese than plod through another gruesome murder mystery.

“I thought we avoided our exploding house for today.”
Book 2 expands upon both MC’s personalities and their new partnerships. I love that Walker’s psychologist wife is still in the mix. I also welcomed the addition of Eve, a famous/infamous cop
(even if I’m not sold on the new narrator voicing only Eve’s lines ala duet narration).

“This is the way.”
Pop-culture and Mandalorian fandom figure prominently here, almost as much as the arsons.
Being free of sex and F bombs contributed to the prime time TV level feel. Finally, there are two different arson investigations, each with unique, if implausible, aspects, making this a double-value two-fer.

Great book great narration

The Goldberg does it again! Lee’s style of writing and characters are very interesting. There always seems to be a bit of humor behind the serious drama. Sharpe is a grouchy fire investigator teaching the ex marshal to look at what the remains and scenes of a fire are really showing them. In this book, Eve Ronan joins the investigation. There is murder and a series of fires that are being used as insurance payoffs. Who they thought it was originally, it wasn’t. Excellent book lots of twists and turns.

Fun

I find Lee Goldberg's books to be entertaining and Ashes Never Lie was no exception. I like the characters and their dialogue, I like the element of mystery, and I like the humor. I also like the fact there aren't too many characters so I don't get lost trying to figure out who was who when I pause the audio book and come back to it.

loved

Great book great narration loved the interactive way it was read with all voices .... I am a fan

Good "read"

The story line was entertaining, but i really appreciated the character development of Walker and Sharpe and Eve. Hope this series continues!

Mandalorian & Arson!

This was the second book in the Sharpe and Walker series. I loved the first one, Malibu Burning and had preordered this one. It did not disappoint. Our favorite arson investigators meet up with detective Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavan. They are brought together investigating several arson and homicide cases that ran together. I love the arson series because it’s very funny, very creative and I love how the author uses the locations in the story. And this book included another of my favorites, Star Wars. Detective Walker chasing a suspect dressed as the Mandalorian was excellent. The author even got the info from the show correct about Beskar and lightsabers. A great read, but even better audiobook is even better. I can’t wait for the next one!