Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2009
368 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
With his novel City of Fire, Robert Ellis debuted a dynamic new character in Los Angeles detective Lena Gamble, but also captured a vivid picture of the city of Los Angeles. Readers and critics made City of Fire an instant phenomenon, as the book became a Los Angeles Times bestseller and was named a top summer read by People magazine, USA Today, and The New York Times.
Now Lena Gamble is a cop held in disgrace by department higher-ups for the explosive way the Romeo case played out, though she’s still hailed as a hero by her colleagues for catching the killer. For her punishment, she hasn’t handled a real murder investigation in eight months. When the chief finally tosses her a case, she’s thrilled until she gets a look at the scene and realizes he’s probably setting her up to be exiled once and for all: The victim is unidentified, and there are no witnesses, and no leads. Just the body, chopped into pieces and dropped in a Dumpster—gruesome enough to ensure that once again the media will be following Lena’s every move.
"Starred Review. 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.
"Ellis's elaborate puzzle is a nail-biter to the final page. Great LA settings enhance this high-speed thriller." - Library Journal.
"...enough bodies, buckets of blood and double-crosses to agitate conspiracy buffs, but interesting mainly as a possible screen vehicle for a distaff Bruce Willis." - Kirkus Reviews.
"Starred Review. Fans of Michael Connelly and T. Jefferson Parker will relish Ellis's second crackling thriller" - Booklist.
This information about The Lost Witness was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Robert Ellis is a former filmmaker and political media consultant from Los Angeles. He is the author of three bestselling crime novels, Access to Power, The Dead Room, and the critically acclaimed City of Fire, which also garnered praise from authors as diverse as Michael Connelly and Janet Evanovich. For more information about Robert Ellis, visit www.RobertEllis.net.
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