Daily Times

In the wake of wildfires ravaging Southern California hillsides, a Hollywood screenwriter discovers a human skull fragment on the edge of his property. Before long, forensic anthropologist Daniel Brooks´ meticulous search of the area uncovers more bones. He identifies the victim as Sabrina Morton, a young woman who disappeared six years earlier after filing a rape complaint with the Los Angeles County Sheriff´s Department.

Enter Eve Ronin, an inexperienced young officer resented by her colleagues because she made detective over several more qualified male candidates. The promotion was a reward for her role in a case that produced a lot of good publicity for the department, but the case also unfairly branded her as a publicity hound.

To make matters worse, Hollywood agents and producers – as well as Eve´s mother – are badgering her to consent to a movie or TV series based on her life. Eve just wants to be left alone to do her job.

The last thing she wants now is another attention-grabbing murder case, but in Lee Goldberg´s “Bone Canyon,” the second book in his Eve Ronin series, that´s exactly what she´s got. Eve soon discovers that her department botched, or perhaps deliberately mishandled the victim´s rape case. Worse, she begins to suspect that the rapists may have been members of a secret society of law enforcement officers. As she struggles with “blue wall” efforts to derail her investigation, the remains of more victims turn up, turning the investigation it a serial killer case.

As with “Lost Hills,” the first novel in the series, the tale is fast-paced, and the author accurately depicts investigative practices, making for another first-rate police procedural. Goldberg´s characters are engaging and well-drawn. The supportive relationship between Eve and her partner, the soon-to-retire Duncan Pavone, is particularly well-handled, as is a budding romance between Eve and Dr. Brooks. The only false note is the yarn´s final twist, which may strike some readers as unnecessary and farfetched.