A couple of years ago, when I reviewed T. Jefferson Parker’s book A Thousand Steps, I wrote: “When I first read T. Jefferson Parker’s Laguna Heat back in 1985, I had recently moved to Santa Cruz and was ecstatic to be living in a small beach town again — because I grew up in South Orange County (specifically in and around Laguna Beach) and graduated high school in 1965. So I know the area well (at least the area as it was then, because overdevelopment has ruined most of the good things about the area). Anyway, I have read all of Parker’s books since then, loving many and being “meh” about a few…but I always like the ones set in Orange County, so I was extremely happy last year to receive a copy of A Thousand Steps.” I subsequently received a copy of his book The Rescue in exchange for an honest review, and this year I was once again fortunate to receive a copy of Parker’s book Desperation Reef, described as a “surf thriller.” Not sure what that is exactly, but give me a TJP mystery set in California surf towns, add in a multigenerational family story, and top it off with an important character who happens to be canine…and as Tim Walz has been saying recently, “I’M ALL IN!”

The story centers around the Stonebreaker family, whose lives revolve around surf and the ocean…and the lure of the biggest California surf event of all, Mavericks. Jen is a single mom of twin boys, who were born before they ever had a chance to know their father, who was killed in a horrible surfing accident. Jen has been focused on raising her boys, all the while dealing with her nearly overwhelming grief and guilt, because she was the person responsible for the tow line (huge waves require the surfers to be put in place be either a jet ski tow rope or a helicopter – Jen was driving the jet ski). 

The twins, Casey and Brock, are very different. Casey works in the family restaurant, fishing for the “catch of the day.” His twin brother Brock is an activist who has a very strange rescue mission and spends a lot of time being angry. The action starts when Casey has an encounter with some criminals whose income seems to come primarily from illegal fishing activity, including “finning,” which involves cutting off the fins of the shark and then discarding the perfectly good rest of the fish. On top of that, the bad guys kidnap Casey’s beloved dog, and that is just beyond what Casey can tolerate. During all this, the family is preparing for the upcoming Mavericks craziness (which is right on the mark for those of us who live on the Central Coast).

There are multiple threads to this book: the family drama, the surfing, the criminals, and the “romance” (?) between Casey and a female character I never did quite develop any positive feelings for…and, as is the case with Parker’s work set on the California coast, the setting is a character in itself. He really can write about the area in a way that resonates with any and all of us who are familiar with the areas around the surf meccas of Laguna Beach, San Clemente, Santa Cruz. (I’ve lived in all three, which might prejudice me in favor of his books, because I have such great memories of the area as it was back in the day before greed and overdevelopment completely took over. )

So there is a lot going on, and I pretty much enjoyed all the threads of the story, despite not warming up to Casey’s love interest. I was rooting for Jen (although I’m much less brave than she is) and since I was willing to suspend disbelief around the crimes committed, I still came away smiling. Four solid stars. Thanks to Tor Publishing/Forge Books and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review.