Publishers Weekly
★ 10/30/2023
Swierczynski delivers his best work since the Charlie Hardie series in this virtuoso serial killer thriller. Jack Queen was convicted of murdering real estate tycoon Julian Church by running him down in a car while drunk, an apparent act of revenge for Church’s involvement in the death of Queen’s wife. Ten years into Queen’s sentence, ex-cop Cato Hightower springs Queen from prison, hoping he’ll be grateful enough for his new freedom to aid Hightower in an unofficial investigation. Hightower is convinced he’s identified the “California Bear,” a serial killer who’s eluded justice for nearly 40 years and hasn’t struck in 30. His suspect is Christopher Albin Dixon, another former cop whom Hightower plans to extort—with the help of Queen’s muscle—for a share of the money he believes Dixon’s receiving from a deal with a streaming service to make a documentary about the California Bear’s killings. Queen has other priorities, such as providing support for his precocious 14-year-old daughter, Matilda, a brilliant young sleuth whose dedication to exonerating her dad has just been sidelined by a devastating cancer diagnosis. Swierczynski is brilliant at fooling even savvy readers, and his jaw-dropping twists never compromise his exceptional character development. This is a tour de force. Agent: Katherine Fausset, Curtis Brown, Ltd. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Duane Swierczynski has written his best novel, and that’s saying something. From the tragi-comic opening sentence to the heartrending final paragraph, California Bear is fresh, exciting, and brilliantly unpredictable. The Girl Detective will live in my heart forever.” —James Patterson, New York Times bestselling author
“A powerful story with myriad surprises . . . Swierczynski’s melding of a gripping plot and superb characters will prove California Bear to be one of the year’s best.”—South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Well-crafted...not only hair-raising but emotionally resonant.”—Elle
“Swierczynski is brilliant at fooling even savvy readers, and his jaw-dropping twists never compromise his exceptional character development. This is a tour de force.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The novel tackles a number of themes, including the current fascination with true-crime stories, the difficulties of reconciliation between people who have been estranged for many years, and the question of whether someone who acquires a taste for killing can ever really stop. The characters are beautifully designed, and the author offers up some tantalizing questions. . . . Swierczynski brings the story to a magnificent, surprising, exhilarating conclusion. An ambitious and deeply satisfying novel."—Booklist (starred review)
“Loaded with emotion, redemption, and comeuppance in sufficient measure to inspire the hope of encountering these characters again. . . . Compelling not for its solution but for the act of solving, with modern cultural references and screen-worthy action.”—Library Journal (starred review)
"There's real truth at the core of California Bear, Duane Swierczynski's latest novel. And no, it's not some ripped-from-the-headlines true crime element. It's not even the crafty writing or the dead-on dialogue. It's heart. Plain and simple. This book was written straight from the heart, and I won't ever forget it."—Eli Cranor, author of Don't Know Tough and Ozark Dogs
"California Bear is a kick-ass serial killer thriller with heart. It's Veronica Mars meets Hannibal Lector, about a formidable girl-detective with a terrible sickness, her ex-con dad, and an elusive monster in crime-riddled Los Angeles. Swierczynski's written an utterly fresh take on LA noir."—Sarah Langan, author of Good Neighbors and A Better World
“Twisty, engaging and surprisingly heartfelt . . . explor[ing] police corruption, dysfunctional marriages, and the bond between fathers and daughters. . . . A less ambitious writer might have built his novel solely around the search for the Bear. But Swierczynski has some tricks up his sleeve that make California Bear anything but a straightforward thriller.”—Book Reporter
“With all the wit and style of Elmore Leonard, but way more heart, California Bear is a can't-put-it-down caper, an incisive look at the dark side of true crime 'entertainment,' and a beautifully moving story of a family in crisis learning exactly how far they'll go for each other, all in one. I can't wait to see more of Jack and especially Matilda, who is the kickass twenty-first century successor to Philip Marlowe Los Angeles crime fiction needs. I loved this book!”—Halley Sutton, bestselling author of The Hurricane Blonde
"What a fantastic storyteller! Duane Swierczynski is the oh-so-talented face of the new noir—and his terrific California Bear is relentless (in a brilliant way) and propulsive, with captivating characters hurtling toward certain disaster—and, somehow, redemption. Swierczynski's unique voice is unstoppable, and this evocative mystery is also infinitely heartbreaking. I could not put it down." —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today Bestselling Author of The House Guest
"If you've been looking for a thriller that checks all the boxes - smarts, suspense and heart - you'll find it in Duane Swierczynski's California Bear. The Girl Detective is a teenage crime-solver like no other and the Bear she's up against is as dangerous as serial killers come. This is cat and mouse fiction at its very best."—Gar Anthony Haywood, author of the Aaron Gunner mystery series
“Duane Swierczynski pulls off a miracle of a crime book that is both terrifyingly thrilling and deeply heartfelt—all while being darkly funny in a Elmore Leonard kind of way. From Matilda, the hospitalized wanna-be detective teen, to the coming out of retirement serial killer at the heart of this novel, the California Bear—I could not put this book down.”—Scott Reynolds, screenwriter of Jessica Jones and Dexter
Praise for Duane Swierczynski and his novels——
"Breathless action. So much fun to read-on the couch or on the run."—The New York Times Book Review
"Riveting . . . Memorable characters, suspense, a native's portrait of a fascinating city, eruptions of spectacular violence—fans will love this one."—Booklist (starred review)
"Swierczynski keeps the action pulsating along [with] an array of compelling characters, crisp dialogue, and pop culture references."—Boston Globe
Library Journal
★ 12/01/2023
Edgar-nominated Swierczynski's (Canary; Revolver) novel is loaded with emotion, redemption, and comeuppance in sufficient measure to inspire the hope of encountering these characters again. At a time when true crime is an enormously popular genre in podcasting and on Netflix, Swierczynski propels readers into a story that would be a hit on either platform. The Bear is a serial torturer/murder who's been at large for decades. He spends his day searching for his wife's hidden cookies and contemplating his stash of souvenirs from his victims. Meanwhile, hospitalized teen Matilda is reunited with her convicted-murderer father, Jack, who was freed on a technicality; Matilda is unsure whether he is in fact a killer. A retired cop looking to split Jack's compensation for wrongful incarceration, along with his genealogist wife, join Jack and Matida in an unlikely vigilante foursome using research skills to bring elusive criminals to justice. Matilda's research makes her a target of the Bear—but might it be a copycat killer? VERDICT Compelling not for its solution but for the act of solving, with modern cultural references and screen-worthy action. Readers who enjoy redemption and comeuppance dispensed by smartly written characters will enjoy.—Laura A.B. Cifelli
MARCH 2024 - AudioFile
Narrators James Urbaniak and Jesse Vilinsky grip listeners throughout the roller-coaster ride of this inventive thriller. The story features the California Bear, a serial killer who mysteriously disappeared decades ago. As interest in the long dormant case is reignited, an ex-police detective, Hightower, and his cohorts go on a mission to reveal the real Bear. The plot unfolds through four clearly identified points of view in alternating chapters. Urbaniak expertly delivers the chapters from The Bear and Killer (Jack Queen), and perfectly portrays the often inebriated Hightower. Vilinsky shines in delivering the chapters from the female leads: The Girl Detective (Queen's teenage daughter) and Hightower's wife, Gene Jeanie. The result is a masterfully told tale. In the afterword, Duane Swierczynski shares the touching story behind the novel. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
