annieb123's Review of The Lost Coast

by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman

The riveting new Clay Edison thriller from the bestselling, acclaimed father-son duo who write “brilliant, page-turning fiction” (Stephen King)

Cut loose from his former life at the coroner’s office, Clay Edison has set up shop as a private investigator. It’s steady, safe work. Until it isn’t.

The trouble begins when a young man, tasked with managing his grandmother’s estate, hires Clay to examine some minor financial discrepancies. What starts off as a case of simple fraud rapidly explodes into a web of deception, an elaborate con game stretching back decades and involving countless victims.

All the evidence points to a tiny town on California’s rugged, remote Lost Coast. Good luck getting there, though. And Clay’s reward for surviving the journey is a trigger-happy welcoming committee, ready to guard their secrets with lethal force.

Navigating this landscape of savage waves and savage lies brings Clay into collision with a host of other players: a grieving mother, an enigmatic teenager, a reclusive military veteran, a foul-mouthed PI pursuing her own agenda. And the price of truth will turn out to be higher—and deadlier—than Clay could have imagined.

From the minds of Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman comes a heart-stopping tale of deception and redemption—bursting with action, suspense, and unforgettable characters.

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.

Reading updates

14 August, 2024: Started reading

14 August, 2024: Finished reading

14 August, 2024: Reviewed