Portfolio Archive - Lee Goldberg

Fallen Star

A spiraling case of betrayal, corruption, and murder could destroy Eve Ronin if she exposes it in a gripping thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg

A 55-gallon drum washes up in the Malibu Lagoon stuffed with the corpse of Gene Dent, the key player in a bribery scandal that ensnared several local politicians. LASD detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone know the case well and all the likely suspects. But just as they begin their investigation, the Sheriff publicly reveals evidence linking the crime to L.A’s Mayor.

But Eve and Duncan realize the bombshell allegation, true or not, arises from corruption within the Sheriff’s own office… because they helped cover it up years ago. If the Sheriff goes down, so will they.

Eve is agonizing over her moral dilemma when a helicopter crashes into the hillside below her Calabasas home. It’s not a coincidence. Eve soon discovers shocking connections among the twisted wreckage and the dead passengers to her own past…and that leads to a fight for her life.

“Whether Fallen Star is your first time reading Eve or your sixth doesn’t matter. In either case, Goldberg has done it again with a compelling and complex mystery.” FirstCLUE

Hidden in Smoke

When the crimes of a serial arsonist lead to murder, Sharpe and Walker need detective Eve Ronin to join the hunt in a blistering thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Dozens of Hollywood apartment buildings erupt in flames during a single night of terror…and it’s only the beginning. Arson investigators Walter Sharpe and Andrew Walker are assigned to catch the serial torcher and end his fire spree. But then a catastrophic inferno destroys a major freeway, crippling the city, forcing the detectives to take on that massive case, too.

Desperate for help, and caught in a media and political firestorm, Sharpe & Walker know exactly who to call: homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone. Together the four of them must quickly discover if the freeway disaster was a tragic accident…or the work of an arson mastermind with horrific intentions.

As the two fast-moving investigations collide, an old foe enters the fray, igniting a race against time to stop a conspiracy of deception, corruption, and murder.

Praise for Hidden in Smoke:

“As pleasurable as surfing another wave off Malibu. An expansive procedural given uncomfortable new weight by the recent real-life LA fires.” Kirkus Reviews

“Whip-smart, odd-couple arson investigators Andrew Walker and Walter Sharpe are back, this time probing a string of fires across LA. The worst is a blaze that has taken out part of a major highway. In a city that lives in its car, traffic that’s even more snarled is a disaster, and the investigators relish the chance to travel by helicopter while they sniff out—sometimes literally—clues and, at least on Sharpe’s part, exasperate all around them. Fans of the series will enjoy reacquainting themselves with a lovable criminal from the previous books (Ashes Never Lie, 2024; Malibu Burning, 2023), Danny Cole, who is continuing his revenge against a corporate monster. Tense scenes, some (awesome!) Mission Impossible-type capers, and the wonderful arson-fighting duo of Walker and Sharpe make this an exciting, absorbing addition to the series. Readers need not have read the previous books, but it adds to the experience.” FirstClue

“The novel feesl remarkably current and topical.” Deadly Pleasures Magazine

“This third installment in the Sharpe and Walker series is as compelling and absorbing as the prior two. Gripping and intense, Hidden in Smoke is a combustible story that moves at a scorching pace and will ignite the thrill of the hunt in readers’ minds. Another fantastic book by Lee Goldberg, one of the most bankable authors in the genre for engaging, fun, smooth novels containing great characters and intriguing plots.” Best Thriller Books

Eight Very Bad Nights: A Hanukkah Story Collection

The perfect holiday gift for the crime fiction lover in your life! Curated by New York Times bestselling author Tod Goldberg, this collection of twelve delightful and twisted Hanukkah capers will entertain you through all eight nights of the Festival of Lights.

This captivating collection, which features bestselling and award-winning authors, contains laughs aplenty, the most hardboiled of Hanukkah noir, and poignant reminders of the meaning of the Festival of Lights.

The anthology includes Lee’s story, If I Were a Rich Man, featuring Ray Boyd, the “anti-Reacher,” a character introduced in the collection Crown Vic. Other stories are by James D.F. Hannah, David L. Ulin, Ivy Pochoda, Nikki Dolson, J.R. Angelella, Jim Ruland, Liska Jacobs, Gabino Iglesias, and Stefanie Leder, and Tod Goldberg, who edited the book and wrote the foreword.

“My favorite story in Eight Very Bad Nights is Lee Goldberg’s If I Were a Rich Man, featuring his anti-hero Ray Boyd tracking down a bundle of stolen cash during Hanukkah. Boyd plays all the notes just right and even falls into a honeytrap with both eyes open. Of course, everything works out for Boyd and the trip is a blast.” Dark City Underground

“Tod Goldberg’s titular story as well as brother Lee’s If I Were a Rich Man — the latter involving a Jewish ex-con, now a dementia patient in a retirement home in Merced — bring on the funny while being wildly observant.” Los Angeles Times

“This outstanding collection of 11 stories uses Hanukkah to shadow events that occur around the Jewish holiday… while eight stories would be in keeping with Hanukkah’s legend, readers will be grateful for the extra stories as each is a winner. Savor these dark, yet energetic stories as you light the menorah. The Goldberg brothers, each an established author, contribute vastly different stories, with Lee Goldberg’s con man in If I Were a Rich Man and Tod Goldberg’s clueless businessman who just wants to make payroll in the titular Eight Very Bad Nights.” Oline Cogfill, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

“Ray Boyd, the main character in Lee Goldberg’s If I Were a Rich Man, might also qualify as a sociopath. After all, he’s only visiting his former prison roommate Phil Zarkin because he hopes to discover where Phil hid diamonds after a heist years before. It’s not Ray’s fault that he’s not stupid enough to fall for other people’s scams, nor is he willing to let anyone take advantage of him. His main worry is whether Phil, who now lives in a nursing home, is truly senile, or just pretending to have dementia in order to protect his stash. The way that the different plot elements come together was extremely satisfying.” The Reporter (Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton)

“A deliciously dark array of noir stories laced with humor and wry poignancy for the season written by eleven authors. They include If I Were a Rich Man by his wildly successful older brother. He has reprised anti-hero Ray Boyd from his own collection Crown Vic and Lee cautions faithful readers that this one is rude, crude and full of sex and violence despite its incongruous setting in a Jewish retirement home in Merced.” Booktrib

Ashes Never Lie

The secrets hidden in smoldering ashes hold the fate of a city in an explosive thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Vacant homes in a new housing development are erupting into flames in broad daylight with no apparent cause. It’s a perplexing mystery for dogged arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his restless new partner Andrew Walker, an ex-U.S. Marshal who craves action.

But as they puzzle over the blaze, another home miles away burns to the ground, leaving a man’s corpse in the ashes and homicide detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone demanding answers. The burn patterns and the charred body tell Sharpe a bizarre story that only creates more questions for Eve. So the four detectives team up to find the answers. Their investigation into the two, unrelated cases leads to one shocking discovery after another.

Now they must gamble their lives to unmask a brilliant arsonist, crack open a massive swindle, track down a desperate fugitive with a terrifying secret, and race against time to save thousands of people from an agonizing death.

“A clever, complicated story. With its witty banter and well-developed characters, Goldberg’s latest procedural is tailor-made for readers who enjoy shrewd investigators in fast-paced dramas.” Library Journal

“A gripping story that also teaches you a ton about a fascinating subject. The characterization here is wonderfully enjoyable, with the partners and their various associates bantering in ways that’s sometimes hilarious and always reveals the human behind the shield.” FirstClue

“Goldberg manages to give each of his four leads their due while keeping the investigation’s fuse burning bright. This series deserves a long life.” Publishers Weekly

“Malibu Burning (2023), which launched the Sharpe and Walker series, was an excellent novel; this one’s even better. Goldberg brings a screenwriter’s sense of pace and character to the story, making it a pure pleasure to read. Highly recommendable.” Booklist

“Goldberg is especially good at portraying the dynamics of partners in each of his books, and Ashes Never Lie is no exception.” Deadly Pleasures Magazine

“Goldberg always excels at weaving in witty dialogue and wry humor. Readers will learn as much about arson and the motivations behind it as they will be entertained by the characters’ interactions in this action-packed, extremely entertaining thriller.” Kings River Life Magazine

“Goldberg, who used to write for TV (he did a lot of hour-long mystery series), has a real knack for keeping us turning the pages; it’s a combination of winning characters and a plot that keeps us guessing. This is a series to watch.” Winnipeg Free Press

“Lee Goldberg’s smooth and alluring storytelling talent is on fill display in Ashes Never Lie, an irresistible tale of arson, murder and fraud that locks you in early and keeps you riveted to the end. This book is all-gas, no breaks. Including multiple events and dangerous situations that propel the story forward at high speeds with the heat of a five-alarm fire.” Best Thriller Books

Crown Vic

This hand-grenade of pure noir features two, never-before-published crime stories about Ray Boyd, an ex-con traveling the open road in a used, black-and-white, Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor. Ray is the anti-Reacher. He doesn’t help people in trouble. He helps himself.

Fair warning, these two violent, sexually explicit stories—”Ray Boyd Isn’t Stupid” and “Occasional Risk”—mark a sharp departure from the police procedurals and fast-moving thrillers that Goldberg is known for, though they feature the same ingenious plotting, colorful characters, and outrageous wit of his best-loved work. They are, as he says in his lively introduction, a test run. If there is an enthusiastic response to the stories, he says that Ray Boyd will be back…

Praise for Crown Vic

“Diamond hard noir. No holds barred, no punches pulled. There’s a whole lot of fun to be had. Clever stories that riff on the classics. Sharp, to-the-point, and briskly-written. More Ray Boyd please, Mr. Goldberg.”
—CrimeTime FM

“Crown Vic’s stories are a marvelous mash-up of Dan J. Marlowe’s early Earl Drake novels—The Name of the Game is Death, Endless Hour—and the erotic thrillers so popular in video stores during the 1990s. But Ray, even with all his failings, is a Lee Goldberg character: observant, witty, at times downright funny—for the reader at least—and a heck of a good escape for all of us drab work-a-day slobs.”
—Gravetapping

“And here I thought that Lee Goldberg was such a nice boy…I mean, the man wrote episodes of Diagnosis Murder! And its tie-ins! But in Crown Vic, Goldberg unleashes the beast with two violent, sexually explicit and previously unpublished stories that just reek of 1950s pulp paperbacks.”
—The Thrilling Detective

Dream Town

A gated dream town for the mega-rich becomes a murderous nightmare in a riveting Eve Ronin thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg

Hidden Hills is a private, celebrity enclave of white-picket-fences and horse trails that seems to exist in a dream world. But when reality superstar Kitty Winslow is killed within their gates, and corpses are found in the vast state park outside of them, LASD detective Eve Ronin realizes there is a deadly, razor thin line between what’s real and imagined…

Eve discovers that Kitty’s surreal on-and-off-camera life, a blur of fact and fantasy, shockingly mirrors her own as she struggles to investigate the killings, wade into a music industry war, and battle a vicious Chilean gang…all while her own life is being turned into a fictional cop show directed by her estranged father.

Her grip on reality and the case is strained to the breaking point as the slayings continue, the media frenzy reaches fever pitch, and the only inescapable truth she can see is death…and it’s coming for her.

“Fans of fast-paced police procedurals will enjoy Goldberg’s trademark humor and his insight into the entertainment world.” Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Goldberg has created a terrific character in Eve Ronin, and he knows how to write a fast-paced thriller mixed with humor and inside jokes with no fluff. Like Michael Connelly, Goldberg also utilizes the Los Angeles landscape effectively.” FirstClue

“An exceedingly fun and thrilling novel Dream Town is the perfect continuation of the Eve Ronin series — an equal mix of Hollywood theatrics, personal/family drama, criminal mayhem and investigative prowess” Best Thriller Books

“Old bones, paparazzi, rappers, sex tapes, the whole nine yards—topped off with a surprisingly Big Reveal” Kirkus Reviews

“A deftly crafted suspense thriller that will have a very special appeal to readers with an interest in police procedural murder mysteries. Especially and unreservedly recommended.” Midwest Book Review

Calico

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg, comes an explosive, page-turning investigative thriller – with a mind-blowing twist.

There’s a saying in Barstow, California, a decaying city in the scorching Mojave desert . . .

The Interstate here only goes in one direction: Away.

But it’s the only place where ex-LAPD detective Beth McDade, after a staggering fall from grace, could get another badge – and a shot at redemption.

Over a century ago, and just a few miles further into the bleak landscape, a desperate stranger ended up in Calico, a struggling mining town, also hoping for a second chance.

His fate, all those years ago, is linked to Beth’s when she’s assigned two very different cases: investigating an old skeleton dug up in a shallow, sandy grave, and identifying a vagrant run-over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm.

Every disturbing clue she finds, every shocking discovery she makes, force Beth to confront not just her own troubled past, but also one that’s not her own . . . until it all smashes together in a revelation that could change the world.

Praise for Calico:

A 2024 Western Writers of America Spur Award finalist for Best Contemporary Western Novel

A Crime Fiction Lover Best Book of The Year — “CALICO is unlike any other book I’ve ever reviewed for Crime Fiction Lover & it is that uniqueness which made it unhesitatingly my book of the year for 2023. Thank you, Lee Goldberg, for a book I will never forget!”

“Impeccably crafted entertaiment.” The Times (London)

“A superb twin-track thriller featuring constant intrigue and a huge secret – could be Lee Goldberg’s best ever.” Lee Child

“Expands the boundaries of the police procedural in rip-roaring ways. If you have time for only one mystery, one Western, and one SF this year, this will ding all three targets.” Kirkus Reviews

“I guarantee you’ve never read a novel like it. The X Files meets Deadwood. Totally gripping.” Ian Rankin

“A genre-bending, gripping read.” Harlan Coben

“Goldberg interweaves two storylines into a remarkably unconventional crime novel that is warm, thrilling, and fun to read.” Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

“This book is so inventive, so different, and so much fun. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.” Linwood Barclay

“Lee Goldberg’s novel is a double-barreled blast, melding the tense, edge-of-your-seat contemporary police procedural with a gritty 1880s Wild West tale set in the dusty desert of Southern California. To go into detail would be to spoil the fun. It’s enough to say that for Western readers CALICO is a solid adventure and for crime/mystery fans it’s a cop story that is both conventional and wildly unconventional. Fans of both will find it a double delight. The mind-bending truth behind Motor Home Man’s death and Owen Slader’s disappearance and the clever twists and turns the intertwining stories take will leave readers’ minds reeling for days.” The Roundup, the magazine of the Western Writers of America.

“Lee Goldberg astonished and delighted me at every turn with his creativity in CALICO, an exceedingly clever mashup of police procedural and historical Western adventure, with a healthy dose of science fiction. I guarantee you’ve never read anything like it.” Christine Goff

“Goldberg has crafted is a page-turning novel that has surprises up to the final page. Calico is arguably one of his best.” FirstCLUE

“Lee Goldberg attempts something very tricky: combining a gritty Southern California police procedural and an epic Western historical saga. Does he succeed? The answer is a resounding yes, in splendid fashion. Calico is one of the most compelling novels I’ve read in a long time. Great characters, a vivid historical setting, and intriguing plot twists had me staying up late to finish it. Honestly, I wondered how Goldberg was going to be able to pull it all together and make it work, but he does so in a very satisfying way, right down to a final twist that’s a great sting in the tail. Goldberg always delivers the goods, and Calico is something special.” James Reasoner, Spur-Award finalist and author of more than 350 westerns, including 41 Longarm novels and 20 books in the Trailsman series.

“Calico is an audacious thriller which probably should not work, but it does thanks to a bravura performance from author Goldberg and a straight-shooting, stand-up-gal heroine. Goldberg steers his plot with care, maintaining a perfect sense of intrigue and suspense throughout. There [is] a leavening of wry humour and some genuinely heart-warming touches, plus a great sting in the tail.” Shots Magazine

“A cleverly complex plot wreathed in Goldberg’s brilliant humour makes this a rocket-paced story. This novel, where wryly amusing moments abound, comes highly recommended.” Historical Novel Society (Editor’s Choice)

“Lee Goldberg delivers with the unapologetically savvy Beth McDade, a detective unafraid of following the dead bodies and the mystery surrounding them. Calico is a time warp that couples history with good old fashioned detective work.'” Yasmin Angoe, author of Her Name is Knight

“If you enjoy murder mysteries – complete with the obligatory detective tropes, investigative twists, whodunit suspense, and strong female lead – then you already know that few can do it better than Lee Goldberg. However, by combining all of those crime-fiction staples into an unconventional, widely different approach, Goldberg delivers something altogether new, radical and exciting for his readers. Calico is a very clever crime-fiction novel authored by an absolute pro. Highly recommended.” Paperback Warrior

“It’s like nothing you’ve ever read before. Your reading experience is never likely to be the same agiain. As the narrative deftly switches between present day and the 19th century Calico, we piece together the story of Owen and of Beth — and, rather than seeming far-fetched, it has an unerring sense of realism and an almost cinematic attention to detail. Calico is a unique read and a hugely entertaining one.” The Crime Fiction Lover Site (UK)

“An absolutely wonderful and surprising novel, suddenly crossing genres so shockingly yet so believably. The contrast between the Barstow police milieu of today and the Calico mining town of the 1880s is superbly drawn. The authenticity is overwhelming, the action moves quickly, and the mystery is thoroughly engrossing.” James Robert Daniels, author of The Comanche Kid, a Spur Award finalist for Best Western Novel.

“A genre-busting, mystery-thriller that defies easy classification. It’s entertaining and Goldberg has a lot of fun with it, creating a surprising and enjoyable adventure.” CrimeTime FM

“If you like the Yellowstone series and its spin-offs, you’ll love Calico!” Peter Brandvold, multple Spur Award nominee

“Calico is stunningly original – a magical mixture of a murder mystery and an old-fashioned Western, set in the California desert. It’s also a heartwarming epic story of one family that spans the centuries. Read it today – you won’t soon forget it!” Matt Witten, author of Killer Story

“My favorite Lee Goldberg novel yet! Calico alternates between contemporary investigation, intriguing sciences, and fascinating history. Each aspect is told with a stellar sense of place, engaging characters, and the kind of real, yet snappy, dialogue readers have come to expect. Highly recommend!” Tori Eldridge, author of The Ninja Betrayed

“Lee Goldberg is a master of the mystery genre in books and television. He can do mystery-comedy, mystery-medical, thriller, procedural & now, a triple genre, a western-detective-metaphysical novel… [that he] brings to an explosive conclusion.” Ladies Fiction Salon

“Lee Goldberg’s delightful time-travel detective western is the funnest novel I’ve read since Peter Cline’s delightful time-travel detective western, Paradox Bound.” Book Post

Malibu Burning

Named one of the Best Thrillers of 2023 by Deadly Pleasures Magazine

For a professional criminal and a relentless arson investigator, fear and revenge spread like wildfire in an incendiary thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg.

Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds blasting at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend.

Soon the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles history scorch the earth, setting Malibu aflame. Veteran arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his new, wild-card partner Andy Walker, a former US Marshal, suspect that the massive blazes were intentionally set, a terrifying means to an unknown end.

As the blazes rage out-of-control, Danny pursues his brilliant scheme, unaware Sharpe and Walker are closing in. But when they meet in a canyon of fire, everything changes, pitting them all against an unexpected enemy within an inescapable inferno.

Read the first chapter!

“Malibu Burning is a blistering thrill ride full of Southern California thieves, cops, and firefighters, all facing high stakes and imminent danger. Superbly researched and told, fast-paced, and downright fun, this is Lee Goldberg at his best!”
—Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the Gray Man series

“Goldberg’s well-drawn characters will keep readers rooting for both crooks and cops, and he hangs everyone’s fates on a clever, complicated con. The result is as explosive as a wildfire.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The heist mystery — when the theft is the most overriding plot point — is having a resurgence, and among the leaders of this venerable subgenre is Lee Goldberg. The prolific Goldberg melds the heist with the procedural into a solid plot with fully realized characters in the highly entertaining Malibu Burning.”
—The Sun-Sentinel

“By turns, tense and rambunctious, wildly entertaining and breakneck-paced, Lee Goldberg’s splendid Malibu Burning is pure storytelling pleasure from beginning to end.”
—Megan Abbott, Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Thriller Award, & Los Angeles Times Book Prize winning author of The Turnout

“A fast-paced, over-the-top caper that entertains while keeping readers guessing.”
—Library Journal, STARRED review

“Goldberg is a master of his craft, creating vibrant characters brought to life through Eric Conger’s voice-acting talents. A nail-biting thriller that will have listeners on the edge of their seat.”
—Library Journal STARRED review (audiobook)

“Lee Goldberg writes a scorching hot thriller that delivers on all the heat. Fast paced, the plot moves relentlessly to an unexpected climax.”
—Montecito Journal

“Hilarious and touching, exciting and endearing. Highly recommended. Rating: A”
—Deadly Pleasures

“An inventive, twisty, and funny caper from one of crime writing’s true pros. Elmore Leonard and Donald Westlake would’ve loved this wild heist.”
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby and The Heathens

“Goldberg returns to the wildfire he memorably chronicled in Lost Hills (2020) from a strikingly new angle….A businesslike thriller that shows how rewarding it can be to revisit the same story from a new point of view.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Malibu Burning is classic Lee Goldberg at the top of his game: a fast-paced, funny, and deeply satisfying page-turner.”
—Jess Lourey, Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Quarry Girls

“Both fans and newcomers to Goldberg’s work will enjoy the fast-moving, at times terrifying, tale and its close look at firefighting and arson-investigation techniques. A bonus is the companion buddy story featuring likable new police-procedural partners and their unusual focus.”
—FirstCLUE

“This is a book I couldn’t put down. Lee Goldberg is a master when it comes to building tension and writing heart-pounding action scenes. Malibu Burning is a roundhouse kick of a thriller, a true nail-biting race against time.”
—Simon Gervais, author of Robert Ludlum’s The Blackbriar Genesis

“If Malibu Burning was a wine, we’d describe it as rich and full-bodied, with tasty top notes of humor and light-heartedness, a robust blend of experience infused with enormous heart.”
—The Thriller Zone

“Superb characterizations & pacing, a tight-as-a-drum plot, and bold pops of humor make this cinematic tale a scorching (can’t resist) page-turner.”
—Amazon Editors’ Picks

“Lee Goldberg knows how to write entertaining novels. His latest thriller, Malibu Burning, is a prime example. He creates a diversity of characters, throws them into some impossibly dangerous situations, and ratchets up the tension and suspense. Like a wildfire storming through the woods, I was racing to get to the novel’s ending.”
—The Gumshoe Review

“A master thief with a conscience? Only from the pen of Lee Goldberg, a virtuoso of crime fiction who knows how to keep the pages turning. This fiery tale of revenge against powerful Malibu homeowners is the background of what, if it’s successful, will be the biggest heist in U.S. history.”
–The News-Courier (Athens, Alabama)

“This splendidly entertaining tale unfolds at a cinematic pace with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a great crime movie. Goldberg blazes new ground in his already storied career, treading on the territory of the great Don Winslow, especially an early book of his, California Fire and Life. Not to be missed for crime-thriller aficionados.” –Booktrib

The Joy of Sets: Interviews on the Sets of 1980s Genre Movies

Go back in time to the 1980s, and visit the sets of movies like Back to the Future, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and A View To a Kill, where young journalist Lee Goldberg, years before he was a #1 New York Times bestselling author (Lost Hills, True Fiction, etc) and TV writer/producer (Monk, Diagnosis Murder, SeaQuest, etc.), interviewed Michael J. Fox, William Friedkin, Wes Craven, Chevy Chase, Robert Zemeckis, Roger Moore, and many other actors, directors, producers and screenwriters.

These informative, fascinating, and trivia-packed interviews offer a revealing look at film-making in the 1980s, while also exploring the long careers of established talents like Kurt Russell and director Fred Schepsi at the top of their game… and introducing newcomers like Johnny Depp and director W.D. Richter, some of whom went on to greatness, and others who disappeared into obscurity.

Lee Goldberg put himself through college by writing freelance articles, primarily about movies, TV and publishing, for publications like Starlog, American Film, Cinefantastique, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He didn’t do it just to pay his tuition and support himself… he also saw it as a way to get a graduate school education in all aspects of the entertainment industry… learning lessons he’s still benefiting from today.

The Dreamweavers: Interviews with Fantasy Filmmakers of the 1980s

The box office smash Back to the Future was almost a bomb, saved only by the talents of Michael J. Fox, who was brought in to star six weeks after production had started. Ivan Reitman wasn’t really interested in directing Ghostbusters. Producer Gloria Katz described Howard the Duck as “a comedy about a person with certain particular characteristics,” foremost of which was that he was a duck.

These insights and many more are revealed in these interviews with some of the leading creative talents in Hollywood fantasy films during the 1980s. Fox, Reitman, Katz, Joe Dante, Robert Zemeckis, Richard Donner, Jamie Gertz, Ray Bradbury, Michael Ritchie, Timothy Dalton and others discuss Big Trouble in Little China, James Bond, Conan, Dead Zone, Gremlins, Ladyhawke, Lost Boys, and other fantasy films of the decade. Each of the interviews (previously published in a different form in Starlog) is preceded by a brief introduction setting it in context.

“All the interviews are informative” Classic Images

“Gives a variety of perspectives…enjoyable and informative” Library Journal