ARC Review: Ashes Never Lie by Lee Golden

Ashes Never Lie
Author: Lee Golden
Series: Sharpe & Walker (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (September 17, 2024)

Description: The secrets hidden in smoldering ashes hold the fate of a city in an explosive thriller by #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.

My Thoughts: Arson investigators Andrew Walker and Walter Sharpe are kept very busy investigating suspicious fires. The first they investigate is a burnt-out car which was used in a robbery and was burned in an area that is a jurisdictional nightmare. 

While they are looking at that one, they follow the fire department to another suspicious fire at a new housing development which has been dealing with protests from various environmental groups. The fire chief says it was a fault in the electrical system, but Sharpe disagrees. 

The third fire has a body which brings in Eve Ronin and her partner Duncan Pavone which leads to Ronin and Walker working together to discover why the victim committed suicide in such a thorough manner.

Then there is a second spectacular fire at the housing development which leads to the discovery that quite a few of the houses had been set up with bombs in the walls. There are suspects in that case including a disgruntled homeowner who went bankrupt and a shady contractor who was stealing supplies.

Meanwhile the spectacular suicide leads to a company making biological weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of a very unplanned release of the virus. Ronin and Walker are pushed aside by the FBI, Homeland Security and a number of other government entities, but they continue to investigate on their own even going so far as to attend ComicCon in costume.

This was a fast-paced and engaging thriller. I enjoyed the witty dialog and the strong relationships between the partners. I liked the way Walker is getting used to his new job as an arson investigator and I liked the chance to visit Eve Ronin again. 

Favorite Quote:

"We're not working the case, we're just being thoughtful," Walker said. "Because we care about people."

"Deeply," she said. "Think that explanation will save our careers if the FBI, Homeland Security, or CDC finds out what we're doing?"

"That depends if we find Justine Bryce before they do."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.