First published 2022
Matt Anthony is sixteen and struggling to survive in Laguna Beach during the summer of 1968. His mother smokes pot, his father has abandoned the family, and his brother fights in Vietnam. Matt scrapes by without knowing where his next meal will come from. When his older sister Jazz disappears, the police dismiss her as another runaway hippie girl caught up in the counterculture movement sweeping through California. Matt refuses to accept their explanation. Another missing girl has already been found dead on the beach, and he fears Jazz may face the same fate. While Matt dreams of getting his driver's license and asking out his longtime crush, he realizes only he can find his sister. The search forces him to navigate the deep mistrust between law enforcement and the hippie community that has flocked to Laguna Beach seeking peace and enlightenment. Matt must grow up quickly as he uncovers the truth about what happened to Jazz, racing against time before it's too late to save her.
Genres: american-fiction, coming-of-age, mystery, crime, adolescence, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, race-against-time
Setting: Laguna Beach, Vietnam
Period: 1968
384 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Forge Books