California Fever, John J. Jacobson
California Fever, John J. Jacobson
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California Fever
A Novel

Author: John J. Jacobson

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Unabridged: 4 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/02/2022

Synopsis

SoCal surfer Dolphin Smoote just wanted to earn quick dough for a date with the brown-eyed beauty … what he got was G-men (and G-women), ghosts, and a Colt 45.John Jacobson’s California Fever is the compelling fusion of mystery, crime, and Southern California beach charm. Top surfer Dolphin Smoote gets more than he bargains for when he works up the nerve to ask out the brown-eyed beauty on a date. The search of quick coin without having to work will always lead a surfer to precarious places, and Dolphin is no exception. With the help of his lovable surfer crew who often have more to say about stylishness than anything else, Dolphin finds himself between conmen, ghosts, an impending storm from the coast of Mexico … and still no money for a second date. Along the ride, Dolphin finds in himself capacity for storytelling that would make P. G. Wodehouse himself chortle with laughter.From the author of All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone comes this thrilling tale where a crime-novel writer becomes caught up in crimes, and an aspiring writer tries to outrun the crime in her bloodline—what could go wrong? Jacobson immerses the reader in the world of California’s casual-radical surf culture, where radical stunts executed with the most casual air is a practiced form of art. In this world, rival surf clans goad each other on, upping the ante on stunts until mayhem looms. It looks like the storm brewing off the coast of Southern California just might disturb the tranquility of the beach.

About John J. Jacobson

John J. Jacobson grew up surfing the waves in Southern California, Mexico, and Hawaii. After dropping out of college, for a number of years he (as he likes to say, quoting Shakespeare) was blown by “such wind as scatters young men through the world to seek their fortunes farther than at home, where small experience grows.” Eventually, he somewhat settled down and received, among other degrees, an MA in Renaissance literature and an MBA from Claremont Graduate School. Before becoming a full-time writer, he did have a real job in microchip design software. He is also the author of All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone.

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jules The Book Junkie Reviews on August 03, 2022

With California Fever, John J. Jacobson proves his writing skills by offering up a second book in a much different genre from his book. His debut novel, All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone, is a Western and epic journey, while California Fever is a more lighthearted work of fiction. The main character, Dolphi......more

Goodreads review by Sam on July 07, 2022

First of all, I need to thank both Blackstone Publishing and John J. Jacobson for sending me this Advanced Readers Copy of California Fever, which is both a lighthearted and trivial short story of a group of friends who ends up saving the day, on accident. This short story/novella is set to his shel......more

Goodreads review by Pennie on July 24, 2022

This was a fun departure from what I have been listening to. Dolphin Smoote is a surfer and the last thing he wants to do is get a real job. His aunt is a big time crime author who owns a mansion on the beach in California and her publisher needs her in New York. She will not travel by plane and bei......more

Goodreads review by V on September 04, 2022

This was a super easy to read book that was honestly just enjoyable to read! I wouldn’t say the writing is anything to be amazed with and I wish the author would have developed the end of the book more. The end sort of came out of nowhere but not in a shocking way. If the author had quilted to a few......more

Goodreads review by readingwritingandocd on August 18, 2022

Herein lies a mystery. The mystery presented in California Fever is solved, in my opinion, in a very Scooby Doo kind of way. Not that it is a bad thing. I have always enjoyed the Scooby Gang. California Fever is by no means a serious mystery/thriller, but don’t let that scare you off. Even die hard......more

Quotes

“Channeling the idiosyncratically whimsical voice of Tom Robbins and marrying it with the SoCal surf scene, John J. Jacobson ‘s California Fever is a perfectly formed overhead Rincon barrel groomed by an offshore zephyr. Alternately funny, wacky, and mordantly satiric, Jacobson’s charming follow-up to his critically acclaimed All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone goofy-foots its way into a mischievously madcap plot headlined by a guileless main character—thigh-deep in a miasmic subculture of sun-worshipping surfer clapperheads—hell-bent on personal salvation and the love of a woman, but unwittingly vectored for self-destruction. Evoking fond memories of the inscrutably plotted The Big Lebowski, I devoured this coruscating gem in one night in a veritable blur of pages. Move aside, Kem Nunn. Or, as the surfing world’s GOAT Kelly Slater might holler, ‘Cowabunga!’” Rex Pickett, author of Sideways and The Archivist

“[A] laid-back, well-paced caper novel…This skillful farce is a perfect beach read for Surf Dawgs and fans of P. G. Wodehouse alike.” Publishers Weekly

“Having lived in the place and through the era, Jacobson captures them both vividly and humorously. It was a time when surfers really did rule; a time when surfers would avoid almost anything (like a steady job) rather than risk missing a day of good waves in the sun. This book also gives a taste of the adventures and misadventures that epitomized the ‘casually radical’ surf culture. Those days of relative innocence are pretty much gone, but it is a blast to go back.” Rowland Hanson, former Microsoft vice president of marketing, and still a “surfdog”

“A humorous, light mashup of surfer culture, mystery, and quirky characters.” Rick Bleiweiss, author of Pignon Scorbion & the Barbershop Detectives

“John J. Jacobson proves his writing skills…California Fever is a humorous mystery with a solid plot and a feel-good ending. A quick, entertaining read that is suitable for young teens and adults.” Book Junkie Reviews

“A classic, surfer-set whodunit in which all is revealed and made well. John J. Jacobson’s funny, cozy mystery novel California Fever features surf culture and capers as a man gets entangled with oddballs during a harebrained summer scheme…An entertaining comedic novel.” Foreword Reviews

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