Reviews for City of Fire (Lena Gamble Series #1)

The average rating for City of Fire (Lena Gamble Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-10-29 00:00:00 John Smith I enjoy Robert Ellis's work. I also like a good crime mystery with a strong female protagonist. What I don't necessarily like is when the protagonist is made to appear broken. Lena has some personal issues she wrestles with, but the author does a good job balancing them out with a satisfying mystery.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-24 00:00:00 Mark Jacob Book Blog | Bookstagram WHAT?! SO GOOD. I am always searching for a new character series I can get excited about. My dream-book criteria go like this. One: a kickass female heroine, who is human and knowable with just a sprinkle of torture. Just a sprinkle! Two: dead bodies. And three: I don't want to be able to figure out the mystery until the author wants me to. Trying new books, I usually get two-out-three in random combination. This book checks off all three boxes. City of Fire has a detailed, intricate and layered plot that weaves together a medley of separate past and current events and past and current crimes, into one glorious cornucopia of mind-blowing mind-blowingness. You find out pretty early on who the serial killer, "Romeo," is but there are still a few tricks up Ellis' sleeve that will serve to give the killer some surprise. And when the final words are read, you realize the whole time the mystery wasn't about Romeo. It was all so brilliantly tied together and the red-herrings are perfect. As the ending draws near, you think back to those things you just barely picked up on in previous chapters and it feels like Ellis is winking at you. I got you, Ellis. You silly, clever bitch. This is a twisted and engaging story, even during some of the slower parts, with crisp writing that is descriptive but not overloaded. It has a perfect cast of characters who blur the lines of good and bad, black and white. It's some 3-dimensional, human character writing shit. The shades of grey are rich. There's just enough backstory to bring everything to life and move the underlying mystery forward, while also teaching the reader about lead character Lena Gamble and the ridiculousness that is the RHD. I've never been to L.A. but the setting is written with such kaleidoscope description you could almost taste the smoke from the forest fire, or see the Hollywood hills or the suburban neighbourhoods or the downtown streets. The meh, of it: Ellis uses the word "righteous" too many times. It's such an odd word used in the context of this story, that every time I read it I thought, Really? There was no other word you could use that wouldn't make me stop and think: "Really?..." A gripe so small, it hardly registers and doesn't detract from the overall perfection of this book to me. LOVED IT. Recommended. Buying the next one. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 5 stars