“Channeling the idiosyncratically whimsical voice of Tom Robbins and marrying it with the SoCal surf scene, John J. Jacobson ‘s California Fever is a perfectly formed overhead Rincon barrel groomed by an offshore zephyr. Alternately funny, wacky, and mordantly satiric, Jacobson’s charming follow-up to his critically acclaimed All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone goofy-foots its way into a mischievously madcap plot headlined by a guileless main character—thigh-deep in a miasmic subculture of sun-worshipping surfer clapperheads—hell-bent on personal salvation and the love of a woman, but unwittingly vectored for self-destruction. Evoking fond memories of the inscrutably plotted The Big Lebowski, I devoured this coruscating gem in one night in a veritable blur of pages. Move aside, Kem Nunn. Or, as the surfing world’s GOAT Kelly Slater might holler, ‘Cowabunga!’”

“[A] laid-back, well-paced caper novel…This skillful farce is a perfect beach read for Surf Dawgs and fans of P. G. Wodehouse alike.”

“Having lived in the place and through the era, Jacobson captures them both vividly and humorously. It was a time when surfers really did rule; a time when surfers would avoid almost anything (like a steady job) rather than risk missing a day of good waves in the sun. This book also gives a taste of the adventures and misadventures that epitomized the ‘casually radical’ surf culture. Those days of relative innocence are pretty much gone, but it is a blast to go back.”

“A humorous, light mashup of surfer culture, mystery, and quirky characters.”

“John J. Jacobson proves his writing skills…California Fever is a humorous mystery with a solid plot and a feel-good ending. A quick, entertaining read that is suitable for young teens and adults.”

“A classic, surfer-set whodunit in which all is revealed and made well. John J. Jacobson’s funny, cozy mystery novel California Fever features surf culture and capers as a man gets entangled with oddballs during a harebrained summer scheme…An entertaining comedic novel.”