In the glittering world of Hollywood—as the sirens wail—Detective Lena Gamble finds herself thrust into the chaos of a late-night crime scene so horrific it might wake the dead.
There’s been a gruesome double murder at Club 3 AM, a hotspot for the rich and famous. And the victims are well-known.
Johnny Bosco, the influential club owner went down first. But the real heat comes when Lena turns over the second body: twenty-five-year-old Jacob Gant, acquitted just weeks ago of murdering his sixteen-year-old neighbor, Lily Hight, in L.A.'s latest trial-of-the-century. A trial that left the city seething.
A Lena Gamble Novel, Book 3
As Lena digs into the case, the murders chase her through an unforgiving labyrinth of deceit and vengeance. Each clue she uncovers—each new murder she unearths—leads her deeper into a web of corruption and secrets so dark, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about justice.
And now it’s a race against time where every face she sees could be an enemy. Every line she crosses could mean her death.
But she never wavers. And she never gives up—her tenacity and resilience in full form.
For Lena Gamble, it’s not just about finding the killer anymore. It’s a mission. A promise. A relentless pursuit of the truth no matter what she might have to sacrifice. No matter what it might cost.
“Robert Ellis's City of Fire is a gripping, spooky crime novel.”
—The New York Times “Hot List” Pick
“City of Fire is my kind of crime novel. Gritty, tight and assured. Riding with Detective Lena Gamble through the hills of Los Angeles is something I could get used to. She’s tough, smart, and most of all, she’s real.”
—Michael Connelly
“City of Fire features a tough but deeply flawed protagonist, a tantalizingly complex plot, fully realized—and realistic—characters, and most of all, a palpable intensity. And if that weren’t enough, the bombshell plot twist at the novel’s conclusion makes this an absolute must read for thriller aficionados.”
—Chicago Tribune
“I just discovered Robert Ellis. This book is terrific.”
—Janet Evanovich, People magazine, City of Fire
“Fast, gruesome, and twisted, like a scary Jodie Foster movie.”
—Library Journal, City of Fire
“Scorching. Deliciously twisted. Ellis succeeds masterfully in both playing fair and pulling surprise after surprise in a story that feels like a runaway car plunging down a mountain road full of switchbacks.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, The Lost Witness
“A killer crime tale with relentless twists.”
—Booklist, Starred Review, The Lost Witness
“Murder Season: a terrific sick-soul-of-LA thriller. Before you can say Chinatown we are immersed in a tale of mind-boggling corruption where virtually every character in the book—with the exception of Lena—has a hidden agenda. Ellis is a master plotter. Along the way we meet wonderful characters.”
—Connecticut Post, Murder Season
Praise for the Lena Gamble Novels
