Nautica City is one of those gems that transcends genres. Imagine a love story, mystery, and a science-fiction element all woven together. It also contains a nice Twilight Zone-like twist that delightfully caught me by surprise.
The setting is a beautiful beach-front town on the 1960s California coast. All the good things of the era are celebrated here; the great music, surfing, hotrods, cookouts and dancing on the beach at night, and of course, the romance.
Crime is almost nonexistent in this nice little seaside village, so the cool, young sheriff has an easy job. But, just as he’s found the love of his life, and everything is groovy, the editor of the local newspaper is found dead, and possibly murdered. With no deputies, he has to rely on his surfer friends to help him solve the mystery.
Bobby Underwood gives us another fun adventure and cool story laced with the atmosphere of the popular culture of the time. It was a blast seeing tributes to the great songs, singers, and shows, some of which I’d forgotten. If you dig The Beach Boys and the California beach scene of the ‘60s with some Twilight Zone, this is a book for you. I found it to be a real gas. ( )