“If you were a story, I’d sit up in bed tonight and read you.”

This coming of age story is abundant with references to the age of “peace, love, dove”. However, the search for truth, enlightenment and healing takes many forms in this tale of a teenager’s courage and determination in the quest to find his missing sister. T. Jefferson Parker has brilliantly interwoven the sights, sounds, love, drugs, war, politics, and protests of the Sixties into a story that combines the genres of coming-of-age/crime thriller/historical fiction.

We follow our protagonist on a journey through love and heartbreak as he endures all manner of physical and emotional pain in his pursuit of the truth. Sinister undertones lead us to an inevitable, breath-taking climax.

The story deftly transports us back to the time of ‘California Dreaming’, so much so that while reading, my original LPs of Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Cream, Dylan, and Aretha witnessed something of a revival …

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Highly recommend this book! This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish the book. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

A Thousand Steps by T. Jefferson Parker is set in 1968, and since I am a sucker for all books set in the 60s&70s, I had high hopes even before I began. But this book gripped me from the very first page. Matt is a teenage boy/almost man who I won't soon forget. This novel seamlessly blended the very best parts of historical fiction and thriller genres perfectly!!! Highly recommend!!!

This book was so descriptive and I was so wrapped up in this story! This was the epitome of the 70's, LSD, hippie movement. I really enjoyed this book! Somehow this was my first book by T. Jefferson Parker but will definitely not be my last!

Dr. Timothy Leary's "Tune in, turn on, drop out" is a mantra I well remember from the late 1960s; even though I was a happy housewife with two small children, the colorful, free-thinking counterculture of California was in many ways appealing to me - and definitely helped change my somewhat sheltered Midwestern thinking. If nothing else, this engaging book brought those old memories to life and provided insights into what really went on back then.

But it's much, much more than that; it's an up-close-and-personal look into the bittersweet life of 16-year-old Matt Anthony, who tries to make sense of things in Laguna Beach in 1968. It's not easy; most days, Matt has to make do with peanut butter on taco shells or fish he's caught for dinner because his mother is high as a kite and his father is missing in action. Happily, his older brother isn't - he's seeing action in Viet Nam, hoping to stay alive for the last few months of his tour of duty so he can return home. Matt earns a pittance delivering newspapers and tries his best to stay out of the drug scene; but then, his older sister Jasmine disappears without a trace.

His mother deals with the issue by moving into the heart of hippie land, living and working on a commune-style tomato-canning production line. That leaves Matt mostly on his own, having to decide almost on an hourly basis whether finding something to eat or looking for his sister takes precedence. Many of his "friends" straddle the fence between the police and the hippies, and some are willing to slip Matt some munchies (no, not THAT kind) or a job that earns him a few much-needed bucks. As for the cops, a couple seem sympathetic to his sister's disappearance, but Matt doesn't trust that they're really doing anything to find her. And on the other side, some of his best friends are hippies, but since their main focus is on "enlightenment," he doesn't fully trust them, either. So for the most part, he, too, is straddling the fence - all the while growing into a young man for whom life somehow can never be the same.

I'd love to say the story is heart-warming - and in a sense, it is; throughout many of the pages, all I really wanted to do was give Matt a big hug and tell him everything would be all right. In spots, I was near tears; in others, I chuckled. In the end, I think, I was satisfied. To the author, I say thanks for a totally engrossing story that will, like memories of my young-adult years, stay with me for some time. And more thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. This one for sure is a don't miss.

A Thousand Steps will not make my list of good books. Although I appreciated the writing, the nostalgia of the late 1960's (which I experienced), and the coming of age aspects of the novel, I got bogged down in the actual search for Jazz. There was too much repetition and too many coincidences for me to embrace the book.

A Thousand Steps is a really great well-written book with a gorgeous cover and wonderful premise. It's a very nostalgic but beautiful.

Great thriller! Loved the story and plot kept me guessing. Would definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

T˙is was a fine read from start to finish. I loved ALL the characters and how realistic they are and well they related to each other.

The writing style of this book is much like a short story in a literary magazine -- shorter, choppier, with no huge rush to get to the end. Which works for this story.

Set in the '70s in the LSD, hippie crowd, it focuses entirely on the experiences of one teenage boy, Matt, and how he processes the fact that his sister is missing and what he does about it. It feels as if I sat and listened to a drummer beat very slowly and then pick up speed chapter by chapter, until there's a big-deal, drumline ending.

I liked the realism; the descriptions of nature, houses, and first loves; the lack of bedroom scenes. All in all, my takeaway is that this was very well written and immersive, and I wouldn't be surprised if it picks up an award or two.

A fantastic step in to the late 60's in California (Laguna Beach). Where it is the Age of Aquarius and Timonthy Leary is well known and spotted weekly.

Matt Anthony is the 16 year old child of a single mother slowly slipping into heroin. He relies on his paper route to feed himself and pay for his art supplies. Still, he lives a decent life enjoying summer and falling in love for the first time until his sister Jasmine (Jazz) disappears.

What follows next is a race against time as Matt attempts to convince the police that Jazz has been kidnapped. She was last seen with some rock band members and the police believe her to be a runaway. Matt's mom is in a fog and Matt's dad is angry and out of reach. He takes it upon himself to track down Jazz's step and get to the bottom of the mystery.

I loved how real T. Jefferson Parker made Matt's life. As someone who works with teenagers, I can testify to the importance of receiving your driver's license, a major milestone. Matt's true hunger is ever present and you really root for him to come out on top no matter what obstacles he faces from the very dull adults.

If you ever wanted to know what life was life in the late 60's, want to revisit your own time in the 60's or enjoy coming of age mysteries than this book is for you.

My Take:

I’m going to make a list today. Here goes!

Likes:

The late sixties atmosphere: The haze of the weed and the dark underbelly of the Free Love movement. Parker did such a great job putting the reader in that time and place. The Harley riders, the storefront focused on “meditation” and “spiritual peace” and the Southern California surfers out in the water.
Matt is a fantastic character. He’s just a bit naive, but has such guilt and loyalty on his shoulders about his sister’s disappearance that he pushes through and does things he never thought he’d be able to do. I thought the characterization was just about perfect… no dumps here, but reveals that occur through his actions. His dedication to his paper route, his love for his sister, and this new opportunity to do the right thing on his own.
Not a Dislike, but an Explanation:

The Pacing: I suspect a lot went into getting this story to move forward just right. Matt’s own hesitancy, his mother’s mercurial life, his brother’s anxiety-ridden, his love life, and his sister’s kidnapping… yep, it’s a lot, and as the threads start to reveal themselves the pace only quickens. What I want to say is that the set-up takes a little bit of time, but the payoff is worth it!
An engrossing historical thriller and a gripping coming-of-age… Even though I read it over Veteran’s Day, I would call it a perfect Weekend Read.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Forge Books, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

TIME...PLACE...ACTION..a book that pulls you into the hippies era in the late 60's with peace signs, revolt against the Vietnam war, drugs galore, and free sex. I was in college at the time, but everyone I knew was involved with drugs in one form or another. One of my friends threw himself out of a window and died thinking he was flying. So, through the lens of Parker's fully developed main character, I got to take a trip down Alice in Wonderland. Through the lens of this novel, I was able to go back in time and watch a 16 year old boy from Laguna Beach struggling with his environment, his family relationships, his poverty emotionally and physically, and his emergence as a young man more confident in himself and who he was. Matt was just a young teenager when his sister went missing and he glimpsed a dead girl's body at the ocean's shore. Terrified of what might have happened to his sister he tries to investigate her disappearance but the cops don't seem to believe that she didn't run away. Matt's support system was negligible. His mother was a drug addict, his father had basically abandoned the family and his older brother was in Vietnam fighting that detested war. I was struck by how mature Matt was at one level..catching fish for supper, cooking the meals, bicycling paper routes to get any possible money while his mother essentially was in her drug stupor. However, the other half of him was young and innocent without even having had a girlfriend. As he searches for his sister, many of these demeanors and circumstances change as his maturity increases along with the physical growth of puberty. The ending is hopeful; a wonderful salve to the intensity of his journey.

Laguna Beach, California, 1968. The Age of Aquarius is in full swing. Timothy Leary is a rock star. LSD is God. Folks from all over are flocking to Laguna, seeking peace, love, and enlightenment.

Matt Anthony is just trying get by. Matt is sixteen, broke, and never sure where his next meal is coming from. Mom’s a stoner, his deadbeat dad is a no-show, his brother’s fighting in Nam . . . and his big sister Jazz has just gone missing. The cops figure she’s just another runaway hippie chick, enjoying a summer of love, but Matt doesn’t believe it. Not after another missing girl turns up dead on the beach.

All Matt really wants to do is get his driver’s license and ask out the girl he’s been crushing on since fourth grade, yet it’s up to him to find his sister. But in a town where the cops don’t trust the hippies and the hippies don’t trust the cops, uncovering what’s really happened to Jazz is going to force him to grow up fast. If it’s not already too late.

T. Jefferson Parker has created an engrossing coming-of-age novel, and a spot on look back to Laguna in the 60s. Highly recommended! #AThousandSteps #NetGalley

T. Jefferson Parker has a true gift for making a place come alive. In A THOUSAND STEPS, Parker describes Laguna Beach with such detail that by the end of the book, I felt I could have drawn a map with some accuracy. I could practically smell the salt air and get a second-hand high from all the dope smoke. Parker also creates vivid characters and Matt Anthony is one of Parker's best. Sixteen years old in 1968, Matt is living on the edge of desperation. His mother is sinking into drug addiction, his father is who-knows-where and he worries daily that his brother Kyle will be killed in Vietnam. So when his older sister and closest ally, Jasmine disappears, Matt has a find a way to keep himself clothed and fed while simultaneously trying to get any adult to believe that Jasmine didn't run away, but was kidnapped. A THOUSAND STEPS is a thrilling story that held me in its grip long after I was finished reading.

T. Jefferson Parker never disappoints. In depth character studies hallmark the stories he has to tell, along with spot on descriptive phrases and sense of place.

Laguna Beach, in Southern California, is an enticing place. I spent a few days there at the end of a long road trip a few years back and was enchanted by its laid back atmosphere and it’s beautiful beaches and coastline. But what I didn’t know is that in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s this small coastal city was the epicentre of America’s drug trafficking surge. A group calling themselves The Brotherhood of Eternal Love based themselves here, their headquarters being a shop on the Coast Highway called Mystic Arts World. The self-declared ‘prophet’ of psychedelic drugs at that time was a psychologist and writer called Timothy Leary and he was famously arrested for possession of marijuana at Laguna in 1968.

Jefferson T. Parker, a long-time resident of the city, uses the above as the background to his story and incorporates much of this history into his tale. It’s told from the perspective of Matt, a sixteen year old boy who lives with his drug taking mother and elder sister, Jazz, in a cheap and draughty rented house. Matt’s dad is long gone, he ran off with another woman some six years ago and now keeps in touch only through occasional phone calls. Matt’s brother is a soldier – a tunnel rat - fighting in Vietnam, he’s due to return soon but the letters Matt receives tell of his brother’s concern that his luck might run out before that date arrives. And then one night Jazz fails to return home.

There had been a row between Jazz and her mother and it’s possible that she has just hunkered down somewhere and will return within the next day or so. But this doesn’t happen and as days pass Matt becomes increasingly worried about the fate of his sister - this being exacerbated by the body of another girl of similar age being discovered on the beach one morning. So this story is about Matt’s quest to find his sister, but it’s also about his own development – both physically and emotionally – growing up amongst the turbulent events associated with this time and this place.

Matt is central to everything here, when he’s not looking for his sister he’s fishing to provide food for himself and his family or he’s completing an energy sapping paper round, delivering to houses in the seaside resort and the surrounding hills. His wages supplement his mother’s scant income as a waitress in a local restaurant and his occasional task of delivering of books and other paraphernalia for the folk at Mystical Arts World provide a small amount of additional cash. Even so, his mother's drug habit ensures that there's barely enough money to pay the rent and food is in short supply It’s all clearly a struggle and I quickly found myself rooting for Matt and those close to him.

This is a book I found hard to put down. Though the action is somewhat drawn out and the plot perhaps a little fanciful, the vibe it gives off really drew me in. It’s a heart-warming and sometimes gripping tale of love and endeavour. Parker paints brilliant pictures of the Laguna of the 1960’s and provides a good cast of characters to flesh out the story. Moreover, he made me care about the fate of Matt and his family. It’s a book I was disappointed to finish, something that's happened far too seldomly of late and which causes me set aside any minor misgivings I might have had along the way. It's four and a half stars for me, rounded up to five.

Having spent my tween years in the 60’s, I could really relate to this book. The way the 60s are portrayed are just how they were lived and envisioned for those living in California. The psychedelic, hippy anti war vibe, peace signs, incense, wild parties, free love and drugs.
Matt is just 16 when his sister doesn’t come home. Although it’s only been a night, Matt is worried. His mother is a druggie, his dad has gone and his brother is in the army, winding down his tour of duty in Vietnam.
The police don’t seem that interested when Matt and his mother file a missing persons report 2 days later, so Matt decides to look for her himself. He is a pretty resilient teen, having to look out for himself. He has a paper run he does to earn money and he goes fishing for food. Matt enlists the help of his childhood crush to look for his sister Jazz.
This is as much a coming of age story as it is a thriller and the heady steamy backdrop of the 60s is the winner here. I really liked it.
#netgalley #AThousandSteps

Teenagers always have issues. Parents, siblings, girlfriends/boyfriends, navigating life, all while undergoing confusing physical and psychological changes. Turbulent times. Such is the case with sixteen-year-old Matt Anthony. It’s 1968 in Laguna Beach, California. Matt’s father has been AWOL for years, his mother’s a druggie, his brother’s crawling through tunnels in Viet Nam, and his paper route barely makes enough money for him to eat. On top of that, his sister Jazz goes missing. The police believe she’s just another hippie runaway. Matt knows differently. Toss in a religious cult, drug smugglers, and aggressive and corrupt police officers and you have the making of yet another great story from T. Jefferson Parker. He never fails to deliver and A Thousand Steps is no exception. Grab a copy and follow Matt through the smoke and haze as he attempts to find Jazz, stay out of jail, and avoid a cadre of bad guys.


DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series

If you enjoy slow-burn mysteries and are obsessed with the 1970s, this book is right up your alley! I loved the setting, the character descriptions, and everything else about this book!