California Girl: A Novel
Description
The Orange County, California, that the Becker brothers knew as boys is no more—unrecognizably altered since the afternoon in 1954 when Nick, Clay, David, and Andy rumbled with the lowlife Vonns, while five-year-old Janelle Vonn watched from the sidelines. The new decade has ushered in the era of Johnson, hippies, John Birchers, and LSD. Clay becomes a casualty of a far-off jungle war. Nick becomes a cop, Andy a reporter, David a minister. And a terrible crime touches them all in ways they could never have anticipated when the mutilated corpse of teenage beauty queen Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned warehouse.
Praise for California Girl: A Novel
“A man much praised doesn’t need more encomiums; but T. Jefferson Parker deserves all he gets.” — Los Angeles Times
“The book is a gripping, atmospheric saga…wonderfully evokes its time and place. California Girl is an unforgettable book.” — Wall Street Journal
“One of the most entertaining tough-guy writers.” — Esquire
“Visceral.” — New York Times
“Drum-tight prose and richly layered characters.” — Entertainment Weekly
“California Girl is wound tight as a spring and filled with characters you won’t soon forget. Parker is superb.” — Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author of TEN BIG
“A piercing piece of storytelling.” — Reviewing The Evidence
“Evocative. Delicately crafted.” — Orlando Sentinel
“Grabs the reader in a stranglehold of poignancy and suspense that doesn’t let up until the final page.” — New Mystery Reader
“Love, lust, murder, betrayal…brilliant.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Intricately plotted.” — Publishers Weekly
“Fascinating.” — Wichita Falls, TX, Times Record News