Anyone who enjoys police procedurals with humor should be reading Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin books. Dream Town is the fifth in the series, and it’s as strong as earlier entries. As always, Goldberg adds realistic details about crime to add to the authenticity of the stories.

Eve Ronin, the youngest homicide detective in the history of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept., isn’t at all happy with the filming of her life as a TV show. But, she desperately needed the money at the time, facing a possible lawsuit, so she sold the rights. Her partner, Duncan “Donuts” Pavone, loves watching the filming. Or, actually, he loves the food provided at the set. He’s never happy to be sent to an actual crime scene. When a guy hiking with his dogs found bones in the Ahmorsan Preserve, Eve and Duncan respond. The bodies uncovered by Dr. Daniel Brooks, a forensic anthropologist, will offer an unusual insight into the team’s next case. This one isn’t a priority.

The shooting death of Kitty Winslow is a priority for the sheriff’s department, so Eve and Duncan are sent to the scene. Kitty Winslow lived in the City of Hidden Hills with her father’s family. It’s a private celebrity enclave behind gates, protected by an on-site deputy, Amos Tatum. He handles all the problems for the residents, and he’s not happy to share information with Eve and Duncan. But, there was a home invasion, reality star Kitty Winslow was shot in the face, and her diamond engagement ring was stolen. Video shows three masked men broke into her house at the family compound, and they ransacked the place before she was killed. The singer/model was the daughter of a western actor, Caleb Winslow. The family reality show was about their daily life.

The high-profile case takes the team into the lives of some of the other residents of Hidden Hills, including a rapper, LilGlok9, who was featured in a sex tape with Kitty. Eve is introduced to a new group of criminals, Chilean robbers who fly in, stay in California for a couple weeks to rob the wealthy, and they fly home. Deputy Tatum suspects Chilean crime tourists. Eve and Duncan think it’s a possibility that they were there to rob residents of Hidden Hills. But, Eve’s experiences on a stakeout to arrest some of the robbers lead her to think otherwise.

While Eve is unhappy with the TV show, it supplies insight into her investigation. Goldberg’s knowledge of TV shows adds to the realism of these stories. As I said, readers who enjoy police procedurals with humor shouldn’t miss the Eve Ronin books, including Dream Town.

Lee Goldberg’s website is https://leegoldberg.com/

Dream Town by Lee Goldberg. Thomas & Mercer, 2024. ISBN 9781662512346 (hardcover), 300p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley to review for a journal through NetGalley.