California Girl - Page 2

The investigation into her death begins with the discovery of a transient nicknamed "the Wolfman" in the press, but he is quickly dismissed as a viable suspect. As Nick and Andy delve further into Janelle's life, they find themselves at an odd intersection of California in 1968: a world featuring an often-uneasy mixture of John Birch Society paranoia, anti-war protesters, free-love radicals, tripping musicians, and the developing hard core of the burgeoning drug trade.

Ultimately, however, California Girl isn't just about Janelle Vonn or the investigation of her death. It is also about her life, and about the lives of the three Becker boys who each in their own way are transformed in the aftermath of her murder. It's also about growing up, about accepting compromises, dealing with consequences, facing failure, and the entire shifting landscape of the 1960s culture (and the counter-culture). Parker's strengths lie in his deft atmospheric touches and his emphasis on his characters: his stories are rarely straightforward mysteries, and instead delve into many other interpersonal aspects than you might expect.

Nick, David, and Andy each face personal and professional crises as the investigation progresses. David may be concealing some sort of connection with Janelle that he doesn't want publicized, while Nick's affair with a secretary in the sheriff's office may come back to haunt him and Andy's ideal of publishing "the truth" may end up conflicting with his ambition and the question of compromising to protect others. Parker manages to establish each of these men as a disparate character, each still tied to the California orange groves of their youth and at a loss to explain the shifting world around them. As Nick says when the story opens:

I drove past the old SunBlesst packinghouse today. Nothing left of it. Not one stick. Now there's a bedroom store, a pet emporium, and a supermarket. Big and new. Moms and dads and kids everywhere. Pretty people, especially the moms. Young, with time to dream, wake up, and dream again.

I still have a piece of flooring I tore off the SunBlesst packinghouse back in sixty-eight. When I was young. When I thought what had happened there shouldn't ever happen anywhere. When I thought it was up to me to put things right.

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2 — Page 3 — Page 4

Article Author: W.E. Wallo

W.E. Wallo is a book and movie junkie whose writings have appeared in a variety of print and online publications.

Visit W.E. Wallo's author page — W.E. Wallo's Blog