Murder Season

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.

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 body number two: twenty-five-year-old Jacob Gant, acquitted just weeks ago of murdering his sixteen-year-old neighbor, Lily Hight, in a trial that left the city seething.

As Lena investigates, the leads chase her through an unforgiving labyrinth of deceit and vengeance. Each stone she overturns—each new murder she unearths—leads her deeper into a web of secrets so dark, she begins to question everything 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.

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.

Editorial Reviews for the Series

“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, Hearst Media Group, Murder Season

“Scorching. Deliciously twisted. Nothing is what it appears to be.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, The Lost Witness

“Ellis serves up a killer crime tale with riveting characters and relentless twists.”
—Booklist, Starred Review, The Lost Witness

“The story is tight, the characters alive.”
—Publishers Weekly, City of Fire

“Ellis nicely depicts how the unsolved murder of Lena's musician brother casts a specter over her life and work. But City of Fire is about its propulsive plot: the ins and outs of police investigation and how the growing horror of a mad multiple murderer loose on the fiery streets of Los Angeles leads to unexpected decisions, layers of betrayal, and a scorcher of an ending.”
—The Baltimore Sun, City of Fire

“City of Fire is a gripping, spooky crime novel.”

—The New York Times “Hot List,” City of Fire

“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