California Sober - a crime thriller

In the misty, redwood-choked hills of Humboldt County, going legal was supposed to be the new gold rush. For nineteen-year-old Jace, it’s just another way to get buried.

Trapped in a dead-end trailer park with nothing to his name but a few hundred dollars and a simmering rage, Jace sees a way out: a small, illegal weed grow in a backyard shed. It's his ticket out of poverty, his one shot at a life that doesn't taste like desperation. But in the shadows of California's Emerald Triangle, the space between small-time dealer and dead man is razor-thin.

When his first crop is stolen by a smug ex-con neighbor, Jace’s desperate attempt to get even puts him on a collision course with Vic Torrance, the ruthless kingpin who runs the local drug trade with an iron fist. Suddenly, Jace isn’t just trying to make money—he’s trying to stay alive.

Every problem he solves with violence only creates a bigger one. Each step up the criminal ladder sinks him deeper into a bloody turf war he’s not equipped to win. Hunted by a local crew and stalked by a more dangerous and professional outfit from Sacramento, Jace is a ghost in his own life, a kid armed with a stolen gun and a series of increasingly bad decisions. He’s learning the hard way that in this game, there is no redemption. There is only the next move, the next body, and the next monster waiting to take your spot.

Fans of Elmore Leonard’s razor-sharp dialogue, the rural noir of Daniel Woodrell, and the unflinching grit of Dennis Lehane will devour CALIFORNIA SOBER, a gripping, high-octane thriller that fires on the first page and doesn’t let up until the stunning, breathless conclusion.

This is Book 1 of the Jace Ryland series, a raw, unflinching descent into the dark heart of the American dream. If you’re looking for a hero, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Get Ready to enter a world where survival is the only law.

Perfect for readers of:

Hardboiled Crime Fiction

Rural & California Noir

Drug & Cartel Thrillers

Vigilante Justice Action Thrillers

Fast-Paced Crime Stories