The Last King of California

Book cover of The Last King of California

Book description

'Beautifully written' S. A. Cosby

Sometimes to find yourself, you have to go back to where you came from.
You just might not like what you find.

After failing in his new life, Luke decides to go home, back to the one place where he'd once felt he belonged. But…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Last King of California as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sam Holland

Author

Everybody recommended Jordan Harper to me. This can be both a blessing and a curse; could expectations be met? Of course, they were. Exceeded and then some.

This book tells the story of Luke, visiting family for the first time in years and discovering that The Combine, a gang run by his uncle, no longer feels like home. But as he tags along with his childhood friend, Callie, he gets caught up in a gang war and is forced to join them in order to save everything he holds dear.

Harper is an exquisite writer with a distinctive style all…

From Sam's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Paul French

Author

Perhaps perplexingly for a Londoner who writes about China I have a fascination and obsession with reading Grit Noir.

2023 was a good year with new books from Grit Noir masters like Chris Offutt and SA Cosby but Jordan Harper’s The Last King of California really won out for me. The story of Luke, a young man who has been estranged from his father's family and his gang and will he want in or out.

But the real heart of the story, for me, was what it just might be like to grow up and live among violent, compulsive sociopaths.…

From Paul's 3 favorite reads in 2023.