Cate Touryan’s storytelling is deeply rooted in coasts—from the Mediterranean coast of her birth to the Central California coast, where she lives just miles from the beach that inspired her first novel. With a career in education and as an editor, she brings a lyrical, heartfelt voice to her work that sifts for beauty among the ashes.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys walking the coastal trails, reading old classics and discovering new ones, and conjuring joy with family and friends. Both her fiction and creative nonfiction are marked by rich atmosphere, compassion for conflicted characters, and a faith that sees the invisible.

 

A 1971 California Coming-of-Age Mystery

Winner of the 2025 IAN Book of the Year Award (Cross-Genre Fiction)
Silver Medal, 2026 IPPY Awards (Best First Book–Juv/YA)
Gold Medal, 2026 Illumination Book Awards (General Fiction)
Finalist, 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (General Fiction)
Finalist, 2025 IAN Book of the Year Awards (General Fiction)
Finalist, 2026 the Wishing Shelf Awards, Audiobook YA, Readers Choice, UK

Eden Lewis knows two things for certain: family’s a whole mess of trouble, and someone in the sleepy beach town is out for revenge.

For most fourteen-year-olds, California summers in the early 1970s mean sun and surf, despite the Cold War chill. Not for Eden. Her AWOL father has sent her life into a tailspin, landing her in a shabby seaside bungalow. Now she’s stuck caring for her severely disabled brother, Dex.

Caught in her parents’ own cold war, Eden ditches Dex at every chance—pier fishing with Hollis, playing poker with the grizzled card sharks, and caterwaulin’ in the church choir. Never mind she’s not speaking terms with the Almighty. Then Raven arrives, an elusive Soviet girl whispered to be behind a rash of petty crimes. When the mischief escalates to bloodshed on the beach, rumors point to the “commie,” giving Eden a mystery to crack and a jailbreak from her duties—until suspicious eyes fall on her.

Desperate to prove herself innocent, Eden embarks on a reckless game of chase—one that draws danger to her doorstep, where uncovering the truth means betting Dex’s life.

Will she go all in, no matter the cost?

 

 

“This is storytelling at its most atmospheric—brimming with quirky, well-drawn characters, razor-sharp prose, and the kind of setting you can almost smell. The writing is lyrical, grounded, and often laugh-out-loud funny—even in the midst of deeply poignant moments. With a cast of endearing misfits and a tone reminiscent of Southern Gothic charm, this story lures you in from the very first line and doesn’t let go. Cate Touryan has a truly original voice, a rare gift for language, and a special ability to render a world so vivid you feel baptized in it.” — Zena Dell Lowe, Screenwriter, Story Coach, and Founder of The Storyteller’s Mission AMAZON