Eve’s Attention is Split
I’ve been reading Lee Goldberg’s books for decades at this point, and he’s pretty much on auto buy. I am continuing to enjoy his current Eve Ronin series. Split Screen, book seven, may not be the strongest book he’s written, but it is still fun.
For those who haven’t met Eve yet, she works for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. That’s right, this isn’t one of my cozies. She turned a viral encounter while off duty into a job as a detective out of the Lost Hills station. And in the time she’s been there, she’s found herself involved in some pretty wild cases, for better or worse.
The author includes a note at the beginning of the book warning that the series is best read in order, and I will second that. Eve’s story is building on the events in previous books. Yes, this could be read as a standalone (or read by someone who doesn’t remember all the details of what was going on when he read the last book a year ago), but it does contain some pretty big spoilers for an earlier book in the series.
The area where Eve works contains plenty of the rich and famous, including current and former stars. And a former child star, Juliette Winter, has just died. She’d been in and out of rehab for drugs for years, but is her death that easily explained?
Meanwhile, Eve is also dealing with Erin Casey, the actress who plays Eve on TV. Erin has gotten approved to ride along with Eve to better portray the character in season two. But will that prove to be too big a distraction for Eve? And will her deal with the new Sheriff be a benefit or Eve’s undoing?
Believe it or not, there’s even more I didn’t try to get into that teaser. And that was my biggest issue with the book – it tries to fit too much into the pages of one book. I feel like there were a bunch of ideas that wouldn’t quite work for an entire novel, and they were all put together here. Yes, I get plots and sub-plots. This felt unfocused instead of that. At least to me.
Now, don’t misunderstand me – I did enjoy the book. There was plenty going on, so it was hard to get bored. Things do make sense when Eve pieces them together. And some of the twists along the way were great.
Additionally, Eve is continuing to grow. I am enjoying watching her develop as the series progresses, and I can’t wait to see how what happens here is reflected in future books. Not to mention that her relationships are changing as well, and those keep getting more complex, which adds to the fun.
I did already mention that these aren’t cozies, but the harder content isn’t as bad as it could be. Additionally, we don’t have the teen male humor we often get, which I truly appreciate.
I will definitely be back for Eve’s next adventure. I hope it’s a bit more focused than Split Screen was, however.
Enjoy the rest of the Eve Ronin Mysteries.
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