Publication Date February 3, 2026

I recently saw a promotional flyer for an event at local (wonderful) independent bookstore.  Bookshop Santa Cruz “… welcomes award-winning investigative journalist Scott Eden for a discussion with Steve Palopoli about A Killing in Cannabis: A True Story of Love, Murder, and California Weed.” Great timing! Thanks to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley, I just finished reading an ARC of the book, which I received in exchange for this honest review. 

I am one of the lucky people who live in Santa Cruz, known as “one of the country’s surf meccas,” located just over the mountains from Silicon Valley. I’ve been familiar with the weed culture for years, having previously lived in Humboldt County (also well known as an area where for decades, marijuana has been cultivated, consumed, and trafficked). Our geographic location combines proximity to both weed and tech, and these were both part of what drew Tushar Atre to an oceanfront home less than two miles from my home. Atre was known to be charismatic, ambitious, arrogant, and rich, a man who lived large, often surfing at dawn then working incredibly long hours in tech. After meeting a woman named Rachael Lynch, a cannabis entrepreneur, the two joined up in business as well as in a personal relationship. 

For some reason, Atre thought it would be a great idea to disrupt the newly legal cannabis industry by funding a start-up with black market capital, pretty much guaranteeing that he’d become tangled up with some sleazy characters, who just might see benefit to him being permanently eliminated. In 2019, at the age of 50, Tushar Atre was abdicted from his home in the Pleasure Point area of Santa Cruz County, then killed and dumped in the mountains. Almost immediately, four people (two of whom were ex-employees) were arrested, and are being tried separately, with the first trials taking place in 2025. Three have been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole; the fourth is in the middle of his trial, which is scheduled to resume in early 2026. 

I found it particularly interesting as it took place in my town and has been in the news for the past few years, with lots of juicy details coming out along the way. I am looking forward to the event, which will feature author Scott Eden along with Steve Palopoli (local editor for the Bay Area News Group) in a discussion of the book (Scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, at 7 p.m.). Four stars.