I really like this book. It made me get a nice feeling of what Laguna in the 1960s must have been like. It was a good mystery thriller and I enjoyed the characters. In the end, I felt like about 50 pages could have been easily trimmed, but that said, I found myself thinking about this book a lot.

4 stars

T. Jefferson Parker situates his novels firmly in his native southern California. Laguna Beach during the late 1960s serves as the location for this latest from the prolific author. His fictional version of the location is richly described, providing fertile ground for a mystery interwoven with the true—and truly extraordinary—backdrop. Matt Anthony is a feckless teen grappling with the counterculture movement while staving off starvation and pursuing his crush. While he would prefer to devote his attention to these more suitable efforts, he is diverted by the disappearance of his older sister. The authorities assume that Jazz has run away despite Matt’s repeated protests. Now, his new side job is to collect enough evidence to convince the police that she has been kidnapped. He indefatigably follows every possible avenue, even though his efforts expose him to a landscape filled with the clueless and the unscrupulous. He is left to navigate within this sphere of mistrust at a time when every traditional societal structure is being questioned. Parker wonderfully portrays the uncertainty and chaos endemic to the setting, but the central mystery becomes mired in Matt’s plodding search culminating in a farfetched resolution. With an inventive “McGuffin” injecting some overdue forward motion, the plot abandons its more realistic tone. Those looking to take a tour through mid-century America will find Parker’s protagonist a knowledgeable guide. Those looking for a truly thrilling and plausible mystery might opt to look elsewhere.

Thanks to the author, Forge Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have to start this review by saying I don't know when I have rooted for a character like I did Matt.

Matt is 16 and lives with his mother, who is hooked on drugs, and his sister, Jazz, he hasn't seen his father in 6 years, but there have been some letters and calls. Matt fends for himself because his mother is on drugs, so when his sister Jazz doesn't come home one night, he takes it upon himself to find her.

This book was set in the time of hippies, the Vietnam War, and more. It is very well written, even when heart-wrenching, as it is also a coming-of-age story.

Mr. Jefferson is a great storyteller, and it shows throughout the book. Well written, pacing on point, and generally just a great read. I highly recommend it. (Linda - Guest Reviewer)

I loved the premise of this book but it ended up falling flat for me. Let's start with what I enjoyed. The setting and time period was great. The music, the fasion, war and protests and drugs. It all made me feel immersed in the time. I just couldn't connect to the story and it felt very repetitive. I found myself skimming because it felt like nothing was really happening. I didn't really connect to any of the characters either.

A story set in Laguna Beach in 1968 a very different place than it is now. I use to go there with my mother in the sixties and early seventies her being an artist so some of the areas and the art festival were some of the familiar places, of course, the area is so much different now. The book opens with you the reader following Matt and his travels throughout the area after a body is discovered in the cove first thinking that it is a drowning Mat begins to wonder where his sister is. He is looking for Jazz and also wants to date a girl he has had a crush on since elementary school, at the same time he is receiving letters from his brother who is over in Vietnam.
The author takes you through all of the emotions that Matt is feeling looking for his sister, dealing with moving because of his mother, worrying about his brother, whether or not he has a girlfriend, and how that changes when his father shows up after being away for years, and just all of the different people he comes in contact with. This is a very good book and very much worth the read. Very good characters.

I liked the setting and thought that author T. Jefferson Parker did an excellent job evoking the music, culture, and attitudes of the 1960s, as he did in another book of his that I loved much, much more, California Girl. I had also read one of the nonfiction books he cites as a reference, Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World, so I know that he got the details right. But the story fell flat for me. I liked the character of Matt and his coming-of-age journey, left to himself as a child of divorce to figure out much of the world around him. What I didn't care for was how repetitive and monotonous his search for his missing sister seemed. Everything wraps up too quickly at the end, and the reader is left wondering if this is really a thriller, or a thin family drama with a confused boy circling Laguna Beach endlessly on his bike. 2.5 stars, rounded up to three for the 1960's atmosphere and the character of Matt. Read the Edgar-nominated California Girl instead - a memorable thriller in the vein of the best of Dennis Lehane or George Pelecanos.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

I wanted to love this one so much…I love all things 70’s but this fell so flat. There was so much potential but the author took it in a direction that I didn’t really understand. Soooo much potential, makes me super bummed. Skip this, unless you lower your expectations.

I’m not quite sure how to categorize this one, it’s definitely a coming-of-age story and it feels like historical fiction, but not sure if the 1960s count as historical? There’s also a mystery in this one – all that to say I enjoyed my first book by this prolific writer.

A Thousands Steps is an intriguing novel that offers a social history of Laguna Beach through the life of Matt Anthony, a teenager who is immersed in a disconnected family life: his mom is addicted to all the drugs available in the neighborhood, his father is off in Texas trying to find a better life, his brother is fighting in Viet Nam, and his sister is dangerously dipping into alternate cultures and lifestyles. Matt works his paper route, scrounges for food, and captures his life in his sketch book. This is a great book discussion novel. For fans of Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway.

Somewhat of a mystery a 16-year-old boy is looking for his 18-year-old sister who hasn’t come home. As the days stretch out that she is missing he becomes more frantic. He is unable to get the police convinced that she has been kidnapped. His parents are divorced, and his mother has a drug problem. He has an older brother who is in Vietnam soon to come home but there is always the worry something will happen to him before he returns home. Matt finds paper airplanes that are a design his father created and made from the pages of a ukulele music book, and he knows they are clues from his sisters. He factors in the wind’s directions and when his father arrives, they manage to find his sister, his brother comes home and the book ends rather BLAH.

What an excellent feel of time and place. I love coming of age novels and thought Matt was a good kid. He was written so believable and really was caught in a bad situation. Like many kids in unfortunate lives, he was surrounded by adults with poor behavior. I thought the author did a great job of pulling together the Vietnam War, the peace/love/drugs, and protest era into the story.

Any story set in the 1960's is something worth reading to me. Add is a missing person and thriller, and I'm all over it!

Matt is 16 in Laguna Beach. It's 1968, and his sister Jazz hasn't shown up in a while. His brother is in Vietnam. His mom is in the drug scene. His dad isn't around. The cops aren't helpful. So Matt takes off to find his sister himself.

I enjoyed taking this trip with Matt, even as my heart broke for him. This is a story I won't soon forget.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

At once a coming of age novel and a dive into the dark underbelly of Sixties culture, A Thousand Steps is an engrossing tale. All the details of Southern California beach life are there, and the Sixties setting is spot-on. Add to all that Parker's unerring way with a mystery, and you've got a terrific beach read.

A Thousand Steps by Jefferson Parker

A beguiling thriller and a vivid portrait of a turbulent and place.

I enjoyed this book. It sure told the dangers and results of drug abuse and it’s dealers. Although it did repeat a lot, it was a good mystery. Many unusual characters. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

This is the first book I read from this author and besides the intriguing premise, I confessed I was drawn by the amazing cover. The story is narrated by a brave 16 year old that was a very well developed character by the author. Another thing that stranded out in this book was the setting. The description of the places and the beaches made me fell I was there with the protagonist. Very clever and well developed plot. I’ve really enjoyed it.

3.5 Stars. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book – in all honestly I wanted to read it just because of the cover! A Thousand Steps is a merger of a mystery and a coming of age story, set in California in the late 1960s. The book follows 16-year-old Matt, a responsible kid with a bike and a paper route. Matt is just getting by in life, living with his hippie (caring but somewhat unreliable) mom and his older sister Jazz – who didn’t come home last night.

Matt knows in his gut that something bad has happened to his sister, but no one is really taking his concerns seriously. Matt takes matters into his own hands and begins investigating on his own.

The setting of this book is awesome – you drop right into the counterculture of the 1960s. Parker does an excellent job setting the scene and immersing you into this era. The mystery initially pulled me in, but the pacing for a mystery was on the slow side – I think because this book isn’t just a mystery, but also has a coming-of-age story woven throughout.

I know you are asking yourself “should I read this book?” If you are looking for a 1960s historical fiction or a coming of age novel, I think this book will resonate with you. If you’re in it more for the mystery, the pace is probably too slow and ultimately the mystery ends up being a bit convoluted.

This book started out fantastic and I was really enjoying the characters and the story - in fact - at times I felt like I was back in the 1960s. However, halfway through the book it felt like I was trudging through quicksand and couldn't get back to story - Parker was taking too long with getting to the point. I finally read the last few chapters and didn't feel like a missing anything.

Thanks for the chance to read this book.

It was a fantastic look at the hippie and drug culture of the late 1960s and how easily people could get lost in it.

I normally enjoy Parker's writing, but this book fell flat for me.

I did love the setting! The sixties, especially in California, is one of my favorite periods to read about.

The characters didn't engage me. Our narrator is a 16-year-old boy who behaves immaturely, especially given his situation. All of the characters felt stiff, lacking a spark of personality or some complexities to keep me emotionally connected.

As the plot unraveled, certain aspects seemed implausible.

Pacing is incredibly slow.

I was bored. Gave up.

DNF