Thank you, Turner Publishing Company, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. No review was required in return for an advance reading copy and no review was promised.

I just finished The California Kid: From USC Golden Boy to International Drug Kingpin, by Owen Hanson and Alex Cody Foster.

Hanson got a volleyball scholarship at USC, where he decided to become a drug dealer. His coach decided to redshirt him for his sophomore season, so he decided to bulk up on steroids to try to become bigger and increase his chances of making the team. That led to him being noticed by the football team, which he ended up making. He won a national championship with USC, but, with the exception of blocking on one play, the author never mentions any football accomplishments. Instead, it is all talk about his drug activity during that time.

After graduating from USC, he got a job in real estate but was eventually fired from that. He then quickly turned to the world of gambling. He got a job in construction, and used the people he there, along with his sports contacts and contacts from his previous job, as a starting client base, which he was very good at expanding. That led him back into the world of drugs.

This was a very fast paced book that always held by interest. To my surprise, once things started going south for him, I started to feel sorry for the author. While this was a lifestyle that I would never have any interest in, it was very interesting to read about his exploits.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

What an awesome book! Probably top 2 or 3 of the 25 books I’ve read so far this year. Amazing from start to finish!

The California Kid is a fascinating look at the life of Owen Hanson, more specifically his college years and beyond that lead him to world of drug-dealing and money laundering. It talks about how no matter what extracurriculars he was involved with, he excelled and rose to the top. Whether that was walking on at the legendary USC football teams of the early 2000’s, peddling drugs, or becoming a bookie and VIP concierge to many high profile athletes and celebrities.

This book was captivating from the get go. Once I started I could not put it down, finishing this book in under 24 hours. This book was extremely well written and moved quickly! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime/thriller type books, along with sports fans, as there is something for everyone.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for my honest and fair opinion.