First published 2021
This collection opens at the legendary Lighthouse Cafe in 1950s Southern California, where jazz great Miles Davis takes center stage in Michael Scott Moore's story. The action shifts to Monterey Bay, where recently released bank robber Mitch Lenney arrives to help his sister run her bike shop after her boyfriend vanishes without explanation. Three families meet for what should be a pleasant beach day in Southern California, but their outing spirals into a high-speed chase against traffic on the 405 freeway. At an exclusive nude beach on the East Coast, private detective Susan Jaffe confronts an impossible murder that challenges everything she knows about crime solving. Two friends attempt to intercept a drug cartel's shipment using a fishing boat disguised as a Coast Guard vessel, with catastrophic results. The stories move to the Salton Sea's desolate landscape, where Duane Reed searches for his missing father Walt in the eerie settlement of Bombay Beach. The collection closes with two sisters who protect each other at any cost, even when murder enters their lives.
Genres: short-stories, adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, high-stakes
Setting: California, East Coast, Lighthouse Cafe, Monterey Bay, Salton Sea, Bombay Beach
Period: 1950s, Present Day
220 pages · Paperback · Kelp Books, LLC
Content warnings: violence