City of Fire
Praise for
“I just discovered Robert Ellis. This book is terrific.”
—Janet Evanovich,
People
“This book is fast, gruesome, and twisted, like a scary Jodie Foster movie. Ellis makes it easy to be terrified.”
—
Library Journal
“A complex portrait of the flawed but righteous Lena by Ellis makes this sure-footed police procedural something special.”
—
Kirkus Reviews
“Ellis vividly evokes Hollywood as a place of burning desires, where the boundaries between good and evil are blurred beyond distinction. Ellis’s prose is crisp, and his plot moves at a good clip.”
—Booklist
“Robert Ellis’s brisk, complex
City of Fire
is hot stuff. Ellis excels at vivid writing and the expert plotting keeps the reader off-kilter … L.A., which is written about so often, seems fresh in the hands of an original storyteller such as Ellis.”
—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“The story is tight, the characters alive.”
—Publishers Weekly
“City of Fire
begins like a roller coaster, building tension, anxiety, and fear. Then it plunges at full speed, spiraling and twisting through scenes that will have hearts pounding and fingers flying through the pages.”
—Mystery Scene Magazine
The Dead Room
Access to Power
Robert Ellis
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CITY OF FIRE
Copyright © 2007 by Robert Ellis.
All rights reserved. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007009102
ISBN: 0-312-36614-0
EAN: 978-0-312-36614-8
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition / June 2007
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / July 2008
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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To Charlotte
THIS novel could not have been written or accurately portrayed without the help and guidance of LAPD detectives Rick Jackson and David P. Lambkin from the Robbery-Homicide Division, Cold Case Homicide Unit. The author would also like to express a great debt of thanks to Art Belanger from the pathology department at Yale University School of Medicine, and H. Donald Widdoes, a longtime friend, for his work in firearms and ballistics. Although this story may have been inspired by real events, it is a complete work of fiction, so any technical deviations, errors, or exaggerations are the author’s responsibility alone.
A very special thanks must also go to my agent, Scott Miller, for making all this happen. And to my editor, Ben Sevier, for his contribution to this story. The entire experience has been wonderful. The author is also deeply grateful to John Truby for his help in polishing this story. Without John’s advice and guidance, this would only be a dream.
Great help and contributions to the story were also made by Margie Becker, Michael Conway, and Meghan Sadler-Conway. And by Joe Drabyak, Barry Martin, and Mark Moskowitz. Thank you for your knowledge and experience and friendship. But also, thank you for providing the inspiration for this story and for wrestling with that massive first draft. For this the author will always be grateful.
Much thanks must also go to my friend Christopher Rising for his help with this story. Chris’s contribution to chapter 50 took it over the top. Way over the top.
The author would also like to thank Linda E. Burg, Lisa Cabanel, Neil Oxman, Katy Sadler, and Jean Utley for their help and unyielding support during the writing of this novel. And Victoria Horn and Jenness Crawford for their great help and attention to detail in getting this work out.
Last but really most, the author wishes to thank Charlotte Conway, to whom this book is dedicated. Without her grace and understanding, the author wouldn’t get past go.