California Fever is a Capricious Adventure in the SoCal Surf Scene 

Dolphin is caught between con artists, ghosts, an approaching storm off the coast of Mexico, and his beloved surf crew—who frequently have a lot more to say about style than anything else—but still has no money for a proper date. Throughout the journey, Dolphin discovers a storytelling talent that'd make P.G. Woodehouse laugh out loud. What could possibly go wrong in Jacobson's gripping narrative of a crime novelist who gets mixed up in criminal activity and an aspiring author who seeks to elude the criminal activity that runs in her family? 

The Casual-Extreme surf culture of California, where radical antics are performed with an air of casualness, is a studied art form, brought to life for the reader by Jacobson. Rival surf clans in this universe encourage one another by pushing the ante on careless outrageous acts until mayhem threatens. The storm that is forming off of the coast of Southern California appears to have the potential to spook the peace of the beach.

Jacobson, a Las Vegas native, sees the west coast as a perfect location, citing his father as the origin of his interest in crime. 

“We moved to the beach area of Southern California when my father was pretty much run out of town by the ‘mob’,” he said. “He was a math whiz and had invented a keno game that doubled the amount of money one could win in that statistic-oriented game. The mob wasn’t wild about doubling the amount of money they could pay out. I guess my interest in crime and crime stories begins with this and other stories I was told of the early days of Vegas.” 

“My goal with the setting and some of the characters in California Fever was to give the reader a feel for the ethos of that by-gone culture that I found so charming and fun,” Jacobson told us. California Fever began as the idea for a film, a nostalgia project with some of his hometown friends.

“Everyone has his or her foibles, so we can all relate and laugh at innocent eccentricities and weaknesses,” he said, speaking to his compelling storytelling style as well as his often-humorous delivery. “But what we can find lurking behind what seems like innocent weaknesses can be startling and even dangerous. Most everyone appreciates a good thrill.”

Warning readers of what to expect when embarking on this unputdownable rollercoaster ride, Jacobson emphasizes the accuracy of his novel.

“Though hyperbolized, much of this story is quite factual: The house described really was built “ghost proof," Jacoboson told us. “The most compelling characteristic of the coolest surfers was that they would do incredibly radical stunts (on and off their surfboards) and at the same time be totally casual about it; that a crime similar to that my story is based upon did occur, and it is true that those types of crimes are not publicized because of possible negative publicity on the perpetrated.” 

If you’re looking for a dramatic, realistic crime thriller this fall, John J. Jacobson’s California Fever is a delectable classic-in-the-making.