I found City of Fire by Robert Ellis to be a fast-paced, well-written police procedural with a likeable female lead in Lena Gamble. Lena, 29, is all alone in this world since her brother’s murder 5 years ago. Newly transfered to LA’s elite Homicide Division, Lena’s first case as lead detective seems a gory but straightforward murder of a wife by her abusive husband. But a nagging sense leads Lena to a clue that convinces her and her partner that the crime is the work of a serial killer. The killer has an unfortunate head start and several more murders are committed before the police close in. I didn’t see the ending coming, which I liked, but also made me feel like it was a bit contrived. Even so, I liked Lena as a character and hope this is the first of a series. I recommend this book to fans of John Sandford, Harlan Coben, and Michael Connelly.
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Tags: book review, police procedural
