The Last King of California

Edgar winner Harper (Everybody Knows) combines mythic motifs and hardboiled crime tropes in this powerful California noir. After flunking out of college, 19-year-old Luke Crosswhite returns to his family’s San Bernardino compound. Twelve years earlier, Luke watched his father, crime boss Big Bobby, kill a man; scarred by the incident, Luke’s not sure he’s ready to face the past, but he’s run out of alternatives. Though Big Bobby is in prison, he continues to call the shots for the Devore Combine syndicate. When the leader of a rival gang insists that Devore pony up 10% of its ill-gotten gains in protection money, it leads to all-out war, pulling a reluctant Luke into the fray. Meanwhile, Luke’s cousin, Callie, sets in motion his plan to escape the syndicate, making a large drug purchase that goes disastrously wrong. As the stakes for Luke’s family escalate, wildfires rage across San Bernardino. Harper makes the story’s familiar elements feel exceptionally fresh, drawing each of his characters with remarkable nuance and pulling the percussive prose of Raymond Chandler into the 21st century (“Thrash metal napalm-burns from the speakers” as Luke drives home from his hotel job). Harper’s hot streak remains intact. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Nov.)