annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Lost Coast is the 5th Clay Edison PI procedural by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman. Released 6th Aug 2024 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 384 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is a well written PI investigation in a very well written series. A brazen real estate scam has lone wolf private investigator Clay digging into the background of a number of seriously shady characters who would strongly prefer to remain under the radar.
The plotting is (as always) very tight and action driven. It's eminently readable and exciting. The denouement and resolution are satisfying and self-contained in this volume. For readers unfamiliar with the characters, it works well as a standalone, with minor spoilers for earlier works. There is some rough language and a fair bit of violence.
Although it's not derivative at all, fans of Robert B. Parker, Stuart Woods, and Michael Connelly will likely enjoy this one. There are 5 books extant in the series; it would make a great binge/buddy read or choice for mystery bookclub study.
Four and a half stars. A solid mystery in a very solid, very long-running series.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.