California Bear by Duane Swierczynski is a great book! In fact, it’s one of the best I have read in a while. Click here to buy at Amazon
Jack Queen is released from prison. His utmost priority is to see his teenage daughter Matilda who is in the hospital undergoing treatments for a particularly aggressive form of leukemia.
The precocious Matilda busies herself by enlisting the help of her good friend Violet to investigate the circumstances that led her father to be incarcerated. Matilda fervently believes in his innocence and sets out to prove it.
In the meantime, there is a serial killer on the loose. Because of his costume and frightening MO, he was dubbed The California Bear in the 1980s. In hibernation for many years, The Bear has suddenly resurfaced to again strike fear in the heart of the community. Coincidentally, a cult director is making a documentary about him and plans to reveal The Bear’s true identity in the series finale.
Jack owes a debt to Cato Hightower, a hard drinking ex-cop who procured a wrongful conviction which expedited his release.
Hightower is obsessed with The Bear.
Bound by loyalty, Jack agrees to help Hightower investigate the filmmakers and get their hands on the killer. Perhaps a chunk of much-needed cash could flow their way in the process.
With an increasingly rich storyline and compelling real-feeling characters, California Bear is an engaging, and entertaining read. With more than a few stunners and plot twists, it is definitely one of those books you can’t wait to get back to.
Swierczynski has The Gift. His characters stay with you, so I am hoping for a sequel to California Bear, so we can reconnect with Madeline and Jack.
As a significant side note, Swierczynski’s personal revelations in the Afterword will not only break your heart, but they will provide deeper insights into the workings and significance of California Bear.
You’ve got to read it.
California Bear
Duane Swierczynski
Mulholland Books 2024
368 pages
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