California Fever

by John J Jacobson

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

California Fever is a light and breezy "caper" mystery by John J. Jacobsen. Released 5th July 2022 by Blackstone, it's 160 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. 

This is a fun and very light mystery(ish) story set in southern California and featuring lots of surfer culture and appealingly off-kilter characters. Dolphin Smoote just wants to catch waves and earn money without having to work for it. He has a love interest who mere presence renders him tongue-tied and flustered. The secondary characters are variously adorable, silly, and questionable.

In a lot of good ways it reminded me of a more grown-up episode of Scooby-Doo. There's a lot of whimsy and humor, and if the writing isn't terribly polished, at least it suits the narrative very well.

Three and a half stars. It's a standalone and a fast read. It would be a good choice for a pick-up-and-put-down commute or break read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.