A Thousand Steps
- Downloads：4208
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-18 11:21:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：T. Jefferson Parker
- ISBN：1250837464
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sandra Hoover
，
Laguna Beach， California， 1968 - Hippies， Psychedelic Music and Drugs， Peace Signs， Free-Love， Vietnam War， Politics， Anti-War Protesters vs。 Police - the dawning of the perfect storm。 Author T。 Jefferson Parker experienced life in the area and has now written A Thousand Steps， a book of fiction， incorporating the historical events of the era into a story about sixteen-year-old Matt Anthony's life and search for his missing sister during a time when the police considered most missing teenagers t Laguna Beach， California， 1968 - Hippies， Psychedelic Music and Drugs， Peace Signs， Free-Love， Vietnam War， Politics， Anti-War Protesters vs。 Police - the dawning of the perfect storm。 Author T。 Jefferson Parker experienced life in the area and has now written A Thousand Steps， a book of fiction， incorporating the historical events of the era into a story about sixteen-year-old Matt Anthony's life and search for his missing sister during a time when the police considered most missing teenagers to be hippie runaways。 The author's expertise with narrative translates into an entertaining coming-of-age thriller that explodes on the pages with all the psychedelic color and sounds of the times while highlighting an often overlooked darker， ominous side where people like Timothy O'Leary preached free love and mind-altering drugs to thousands of young people tripping high on LSD， and con-men， predators and drug dealers helped themselves to the easy pickings。 The entire situation set up the perfect storm for young girls to be spirited away from their families only to disappear without a trace。A Thousand Steps is a portrait of the times in 1968 - especially in California upon which thousands of young people from across the country converged believing it to be the land of dreams and opportunities。 Through his masterful descriptive prose， Parker has nailed the tone， mood， highs and lows， and good and bad of the era。 He's tapped into the darker side of the hippie movement through the voice of young Matt on his journey of teenage dawning - a sixteen-year-old male whose body is awakening to the wonders of the opposite sex， feeling the stirrings of first love with all the longings associated with his first girlfriend。 A young male toting a lot of responsibility for a teenage boy being challenged to provide for his dysfunctional family （absent dad， stoner mom， brother serving in 'Nam， sister Jazz）。 When Jazz fails to come home after several nights， Matt knows in his gut something bad has happened， and it's on him to find her。 When yet another missing girl is found brutally murdered at the bottom of the Thousand Steps， Matt's world implodes with visions of his sister's battered body haunting his dreams。 After being brushed off by police saying she probably ran away， Matt begins his own search and investigation， often skirting around the edges of perverted gangs and groupies - using his artistic talents and sketch pad to move unnoticed among suspicious groups and possible suspects。 He intends to find his sister - dead or alive。In A Thousand Steps， Matt is on a coming of age journey - navigating a thousand steps down his own road to adulthood。 Whether the author means for Matt's journey to mirror the famous Thousand Steps down to the beach or not， the parallel is notable。 Matt's thrown into the perfect storm and like readers is charged with discovering the fate of the missing Jazz （and potentially hundreds of other missing teenagers） while maneuvering through the mirrors and smoke and psychedelic explosions all around town。 The author does an excellent job weaving the many threads together while keeping the focus of the book on Matt and his experiences growing up in a time of great social and cultural conflict。 For me， the mystery is somewhat secondary， serving as a catalyst for the historical background and coming of age story although I did enjoy the suspense of figuring out what happened to Jazz。 Support characters are well developed and help flesh the story out which concludes with what I suspect many will consider a satisfactory ending。 All in all， A Thousand Steps is a good fictional depiction of a time of extreme unrest in our country when many young people moved west with unrealistic visions of what the promise land was like。 I love that Parker used young Matt as a protagonist， showcasing his growth throughout the story which is impressive while also highlighting a darker side of the time period。 Before I go， I have to mention the beautiful cover that shimmers with all the psychedelic colors recalled by this story and era。 I highly recommend A Thousand Steps to anyone who grew up in the time period - what a walk down memory lane。 I also recommend it to fans who love historical fiction with a heavy side of mystery and suspense。*Special thanks to Forge Books for an arc of this book。**Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine***Review post at Cross My Heart Reviews 。。。more
TC
，
Recommended with reservations。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended with reservations。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more
bgroww
，
This is the first time I've finished a book by a male author。 I also don't usually read mystery/thriller type stuff but I could not get enough of this story。I found this book in the "New Fiction" section at B&N and decided to give it a shot。I couldn't put it down from the moment I started reading。 I loved the thrill of Matt trying to find/rescue his sister， but also loved how much depth there was to the other parts of the story。 I'm not a professional book-reviewer， but I couldn't not leave a re This is the first time I've finished a book by a male author。 I also don't usually read mystery/thriller type stuff but I could not get enough of this story。I found this book in the "New Fiction" section at B&N and decided to give it a shot。I couldn't put it down from the moment I started reading。 I loved the thrill of Matt trying to find/rescue his sister， but also loved how much depth there was to the other parts of the story。 I'm not a professional book-reviewer， but I couldn't not leave a review for this one。 I felt totally transported back to the 60's。 I was also shocked at how I started to forgive Matt's dad for his shitty attitude/beliefs toward the end of the book， after certain things happened。I don't give out 5 stars often but I truly felt that this book deserved all 5。My heart raced all the way through the final chapters。 Would recommend 100x。 。。。more
Ranjini Shankar
，
This was a 2。5 rounded up。 It’s beautifully vivid and describes the time and place with astonishing details。 I felt like I was living right in Laguna Beach in the Vietnam era。 I could hear the protests， feel the free love， appreciate the futility of trying to keep drugs off the street。 All of that was great， but the story was incredibly boring。 It follows Matt whose sister has gone missing and he knows something isn’t right。 The problem is no one believes him - not the cops， not his employees an This was a 2。5 rounded up。 It’s beautifully vivid and describes the time and place with astonishing details。 I felt like I was living right in Laguna Beach in the Vietnam era。 I could hear the protests， feel the free love， appreciate the futility of trying to keep drugs off the street。 All of that was great， but the story was incredibly boring。 It follows Matt whose sister has gone missing and he knows something isn’t right。 The problem is no one believes him - not the cops， not his employees and his family is non existent。 Against all the odds he decides to keep looking and fighting for his older sister and bring her home。 The beginning hooked me and then it was 200 pages of absolutely nothing。 Just details of how many dead ends Matt faces。 No progress is made at all until the last couple chapters。 I was so very bored for most of this。 The last chapter comes out of nowhere with a major gun battle but I was happy for any action by that point。 Not one I’ll revisit。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
，
1968， Laguna Beach， Orange County， California。 The hippies and the cults come flocking to the sun and the sea in A Thousand Steps。Fourteen-year-old Matt’s home life is chaotic。 His father has left the family for a new job and woman in a faraway state。 His mother’s hours are reduced at her job as a waitress causing their rent to be late。 She now smells perpetually of marijuana， or maybe hashish。 And now his eighteen-year-old sister， Jazz， hasn’t been home for two days。 Matt decides to look for Ja 1968， Laguna Beach， Orange County， California。 The hippies and the cults come flocking to the sun and the sea in A Thousand Steps。Fourteen-year-old Matt’s home life is chaotic。 His father has left the family for a new job and woman in a faraway state。 His mother’s hours are reduced at her job as a waitress causing their rent to be late。 She now smells perpetually of marijuana， or maybe hashish。 And now his eighteen-year-old sister， Jazz， hasn’t been home for two days。 Matt decides to look for Jazz in the weird counterculture world of drugs and new age religion。A Thousand Steps has the most realistic depiction of the sixties that I have ever read in a contemporary novel。 The author obviously knows the time and location well。 According to the acknowledgements， he lived there twenty years。I enjoyed my time with Matt。 He seemed genuine。 The mystery was complicated but not difficult to unravel。If you feel like entering， or returning to， a completely different America， don’t miss A Thousand Steps。 4 stars！Thanks to Forge Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Yvonne
，
First book I read by this author。 Couldn’t put it down。 Mystery， young romance， drugs， war， and great depiction of Laguna scenery/culture/ beaches/canyons
3 no 7
，
A boy， a bike， and a paper airplane in 1968 Laguna Beach California“A Thousand Steps” is about a boy， his bike， and the beach， a simple premise in a richly complicated story。 It is an immersive experience; readers witness events in real-time along with the characters。 There are two main stories whose characters are irrefutably intertwined。 The first is the city of Laguna Beach， California in 1968， a time when things are beautiful， artistic， absurd， natural， and wild。 Laguna is home to old money A boy， a bike， and a paper airplane in 1968 Laguna Beach California“A Thousand Steps” is about a boy， his bike， and the beach， a simple premise in a richly complicated story。 It is an immersive experience; readers witness events in real-time along with the characters。 There are two main stories whose characters are irrefutably intertwined。 The first is the city of Laguna Beach， California in 1968， a time when things are beautiful， artistic， absurd， natural， and wild。 Laguna is home to old money and the newly rich， dedicated surfers and outlaw bikers， free-living hippies and duplicitous hypocrites。 Cultural differences are both celebrated and despised。 It is home to the legal， the illegal， and everything in between。 The second story is about a boy， his bike， and a paper airplane。 Events unfold from the viewpoint of sixteen-year-old Matt Anthony who has one foot entrenched in childhood and the other reaching for maturity。 He is living in this trendy beach city， without functional parents， with a sister who is missing， and a brother in danger every day in the war in Vietnam。 Readers follow along as he struggles with completing his daily paper routes， looking for his missing sister， and finding paper airplanes。 Matt is both an observer and a participant; he is an evaluator of events and the instigator of them。 He is growing physically， mentally， emotionally， and spiritually with and without the help of those around him。 Parker presents readers with a portrait of a unique time， place， and people。 His skill with words makes simple events come to life。 There is not just music but notes falling from the air like rain。 The sky is gray-orange with the sun a perfect half-circle above the horizon。 People watch， their figures almost colorless in the vanishing light。 The night sky has a waxing gibbous moon。 Thoughts blur like bike spokes on a downhill run。“A Thousand Steps” is so much more than just a “coming of age” story; it is the transformation of a boy into a man while struggling to hold his world together in the midst of chaos。 I received a review copy of “A Thousand Steps” from T Jefferson Parker， Macmillan-Tor， and Forge Books。 The story depicts people in a time and place that is like no other; time flies past in seconds but events are not gone， just shelved， like books， like drawings in a pad that one can open and study。 When I finished reading it， I knew I might never read a more memorable book。 。。。more
Karen Dunaway
，
DNF。 I’m still giving him 3， as the writing isn’t bad and the protagonist is not horrible， other than being a teenager， reading about which is not my preference。 But I remember much of this stuff and expected to like the book， and I have liked Parker in the past， I think。 Yet he sees every single aspect of this period in its worst， most damaging light。 About halfway through I had enough。 Didn’t care if the sister turned up or the dad came to help or the mom faded into a ghost。 I was caught betwe DNF。 I’m still giving him 3， as the writing isn’t bad and the protagonist is not horrible， other than being a teenager， reading about which is not my preference。 But I remember much of this stuff and expected to like the book， and I have liked Parker in the past， I think。 Yet he sees every single aspect of this period in its worst， most damaging light。 About halfway through I had enough。 Didn’t care if the sister turned up or the dad came to help or the mom faded into a ghost。 I was caught between bored and disturbed。 。。。more
DeAnn
，
4 Laguna Beach StarsI’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。Set in Laguna Beach in the late 1960s our main character， Matt， is 16 and can’t seem to catch a break。 He’s always hungry， his mom is hooked on drugs， he’s always short on cash， his brother is fighting in Viet 4 Laguna Beach StarsI’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。Set in Laguna Beach in the late 1960s our main character， Matt， is 16 and can’t seem to catch a break。 He’s always hungry， his mom is hooked on drugs， he’s always short on cash， his brother is fighting in Viet Nam， his dad left the family， and now his sister has disappeared。 He’s got a paper route and he’s always willing to do odd jobs for cash – I appreciated his ambition！He starts to look for his sister on his own since it seems like the cops aren’t interested in finding her。 They’d rather find out where all the drugs in the community are coming from。 And there are a lot of drugs in Laguna Beach – LSD， dragon balls， cocaine， and hash。 And they would love Matt’s help with figuring this piece out。His search takes us to every nook and cranny in Laguna Beach， from the beaches to the centers for enlightenment， and Matt even starts a house-to-house search with his girlfriend。 Nothing seems to be shaking loose。I definitely rooted for Matt to succeed in many ways – with his girlfriend， finding his sister， getting the police off his back， maybe getting his family back on track， and finding enough food！I thought the author did an excellent job describing the times， hippies， attitudes toward the war， the California lifestyle， fishing in the ocean – all of it！Thank you to Forge Books for the copy of this one to read and honestly review。 Now available！ 。。。more
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
，
EXCERPT: He skids to a stop on the sidewalk and props his bike against the wall of the corner surf shop。 Hustles past the vehicles to the stairs leading down to the beach。 Jams his hands into his poncho against the chill and joins the T-Street Surf Boys， who have gathered to watch the cops。 Matt recognizes two of the surfers as just-graduated seniors from his high school - cool guys， friends of his sister - but they ignore him， wetsuits slung over their shoulders and boards at their sides， all t EXCERPT: He skids to a stop on the sidewalk and props his bike against the wall of the corner surf shop。 Hustles past the vehicles to the stairs leading down to the beach。 Jams his hands into his poncho against the chill and joins the T-Street Surf Boys， who have gathered to watch the cops。 Matt recognizes two of the surfers as just-graduated seniors from his high school - cool guys， friends of his sister - but they ignore him， wetsuits slung over their shoulders and boards at their sides， all their attention on the dark beach below。 Their waves break almost invisibly， with overlapping echoes that end abruptly then repeat。 It's hard for Matt to see what's going on down there。 But he's a curious sixteen year old， so he clambers down the stairs to the beach， his rock-worn sneakers slapping on the concrete then thudding in the sand。 He gets up close。 Where he sees， through a knot of Laguna Beach cops standing in a loose circle， a pale girl lying face-up on a slab of rock。 Her arms are spread and her hair is laced with seaweed。 ABOUT 'A THOUSAND STEPS': 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 Antony 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。MY THOUGHTS: I really wanted to love this。 I was thirteen in 1968。 I know all the music， the bands。 I remember the Vietnam war， the protests。 The fashion I embraced; the drugs and free love I observed from afar， and longed to be hip enough to join in。 But I really just couldn't connect to this story。 I felt nothing for any of the characters except antipathy for the way both Julie and Bruce abandoned their children， each in their own way。 I found the writing to be repetitive， especially in the first two thirds of the book。 I skimmed a great deal from the 40-60% mark。 Then it got a tad more interesting。 But in the end？ Let's throw in a gunfight， OK Corral style， so that we can call this a thriller。 Bad move。 I did love the phrase 'the under 30 lagunatics' - that cracked me up。 But I did have to wonder why anyone would want to shoot doves！A Thousand Steps wasn't mysterious， suspenseful or thrilling。 I was majorly disappointed。 And， at times， bored。 ⭐⭐。5#AThousandSteps #NetGalley I: @tjefferson2220 @macmillanusa T: @TJParkerAuthor @MacmillanUSA#crime #familydrama #historicalfiction #mystery THE AUTHOR: T。 Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels。 He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County， and enjoys fishing， hiking and beachcombing。 DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing a digital ARC of A Thousand Steps by T。 Jefferson Parker for review。 All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions。 For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads。com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday。wordpress。com This review is also published on Twitter， Instagram， Amazon and my webpage 。。。more
Hannah
，
3。5 stars。 It's not my usual read。 It's a coming of age， crime fiction， low key thriller。 It is the summer of '68 in Laguna Beach， CA。 and 16 yr old Matt Anthony has to not only deal with being poor with a pothead mom， absentee father and a brother who is serving in Vietnam， but now his sister has vanished and another local girl was found dead in the beach。 He feels the pressure is in him to find his sister because the cops seem to be more worried about the drugs and all that rather than just so 3。5 stars。 It's not my usual read。 It's a coming of age， crime fiction， low key thriller。 It is the summer of '68 in Laguna Beach， CA。 and 16 yr old Matt Anthony has to not only deal with being poor with a pothead mom， absentee father and a brother who is serving in Vietnam， but now his sister has vanished and another local girl was found dead in the beach。 He feels the pressure is in him to find his sister because the cops seem to be more worried about the drugs and all that rather than just some runaway。 Through this we follow Matt and his journey of self discovery throughout the summer and dealing with his mom， a cop who tries to blackmail him into becoming a snitch， trying to find his sister and then his dad finally shows up and is an opinionated， controlling， judgemental， homophobic， racist。 All in all it was an interesting read。 Not my usual but interesting。 。。。more
Fred
，
This is a great read， on a par with previous Parker classics like Silent Joe and California Girl。 It combines the intense focus on a single character of "Silent Joe" with the '68 setting of "California Girl" and that book's more diffuse cast。 In some ways this is kind of a "bildungsroman" wrapped in a thriller， tracing MC Matt Anthony （a resonant name， recalling "Mad Anthony Wayne，" notorious for his overwhelming emotions， and maybe Marc Anthony， eternally beguiled by beauty） as he embarks on a This is a great read， on a par with previous Parker classics like Silent Joe and California Girl。 It combines the intense focus on a single character of "Silent Joe" with the '68 setting of "California Girl" and that book's more diffuse cast。 In some ways this is kind of a "bildungsroman" wrapped in a thriller， tracing MC Matt Anthony （a resonant name， recalling "Mad Anthony Wayne，" notorious for his overwhelming emotions， and maybe Marc Anthony， eternally beguiled by beauty） as he embarks on a journey of growing up， growing whole， and finding a way for his values of loyalty， perseverance and independence to integrate into the swirling froth of crazy that makes up Laguna Beach。 The author draws the disparate elements of that milieu （kind of the leading edge of America's transition into what we now think of as the sixties） evocatively and with a bemused， jaded affection for their earnest wrongheadedness and the vulnerabilities that engenders。 Side note - one of the author's great strengths， to me， is his creation of supporting characters with personalities bigger than their role in the main story， and in this case Sergeant Furlong is an awesome example。 And what's with that Dickensian name？ Will his type not be around "for long，" drowned in the wave of hipness engulfing the culture？ Is it meant to evoke a race track， with his endless running in circles after those despised hippies？ Anyway， it's fun to think about， and there's plenty of undergrowth like this to admire and wander through while the main path of the story relentlessly propels itself forward。 This book reminds me of another Fred favorite Black Money。 Similarly set in Southern California of the sixties （more a culture than a place）， it shares the eternal story of a hero （it's fair to say， honest）， whose quest for how to do the right thing sets him at odds with a decadent and sometimes indifferent culture that nonetheless is desperate for his intervention。 It also shares MacDonald's ability to make a laconic character eloquent， and to create a powerful sense of place with resonant overtones for the story。 A first class read from a beloved author， highly recommended。 。。。more
Susan
，
Look。 I even called my mom trying to make this book work。It doesn't。First。 It is not a psychological thriller。 It is just flat fiction。 I hate when publishers do that。 I wasted a whole day AND had to walk through everything about the Age of Aquarius with my mom EXCEPT the cult because she didn't know anything about that。 😑 Look。 I even called my mom trying to make this book work。It doesn't。First。 It is not a psychological thriller。 It is just flat fiction。 I hate when publishers do that。 I wasted a whole day AND had to walk through everything about the Age of Aquarius with my mom EXCEPT the cult because she didn't know anything about that。 😑 。。。more
Cheryl Fawks
，
A blast from the pastIn the course of his story，， I don't think the author missed mentioning anything significant （or even insignificant） from late 60's culture。 It was a good story and a fun "trip。" A blast from the pastIn the course of his story，， I don't think the author missed mentioning anything significant （or even insignificant） from late 60's culture。 It was a good story and a fun "trip。" 。。。more
Darcy
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This one was just ok for me。 Part of it was the drug culture that I didn't care for， part of it was I was pissed at Matt's parents and how much they left him to himself and how much Matt got taken advantage of from adults that should have been protecting him， like the police。 It seemed like everyone was for themselves and screw anyone that got in their way。I will say that I'm glad that Matt found his sister in the end and that he never let go of finding her。 This one was just ok for me。 Part of it was the drug culture that I didn't care for， part of it was I was pissed at Matt's parents and how much they left him to himself and how much Matt got taken advantage of from adults that should have been protecting him， like the police。 It seemed like everyone was for themselves and screw anyone that got in their way。I will say that I'm glad that Matt found his sister in the end and that he never let go of finding her。 。。。more
Victoria
，
3。5 I liked it overall。 Fast easy read。
Bam cooks the books ;-）
，
What I really liked about this novel was how well it was conceived and put together--the setting， the characters and the plot were perfectly in tune with the hippie days of 1968 in Laguna Beach， California。 Parker chose to tell the story in the third person point of view of 16-year-old Matt Anthony who is desperate to find his older sister who left home after a quarrel with their mom and hasn't returned。 He's just seen the dead body of a teen girl on the beach--another local girl who'd gone miss What I really liked about this novel was how well it was conceived and put together--the setting， the characters and the plot were perfectly in tune with the hippie days of 1968 in Laguna Beach， California。 Parker chose to tell the story in the third person point of view of 16-year-old Matt Anthony who is desperate to find his older sister who left home after a quarrel with their mom and hasn't returned。 He's just seen the dead body of a teen girl on the beach--another local girl who'd gone missing weeks earlier。 Is there a connection here？ Matt is struggling to deal with his weird druggie mother and the hippie drug scene of Laguna Beach in general， with his absent father， with the uncertainty of where he will live， with not having enough food and money， and with his awakening sexuality。 He's developing a strong sense of what's right and wrong and is doggedly determined to find his sister， without much help from the local police。 Whenever a story is told from a young person's pov， there's always that sense that they don't really understand everything that's going on in the crazy mixed-up world around them。 Matt is a very special kid。 I enjoyed seeing him grow and develop， both physically and through experience， while keeping his head on straight。 This was my first taste of T。 Jefferson Parker's writing and I will definitely look forward to reading more。 I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Many thanks for the opportunity。 。。。more
LizKatieReads
，
✨ARC Review✨Laguna Beach， CA…。the year？ 1968…and cue The Beatles music…Matt is sixteen， the proverbial teen trying to find his way。 His life and family are sort of in shambles， and his sister Jazz just went missing。 The police think her to be a runaway hippie， but Matt knows that isn’t like his sister。 He is determined to find out what happened to Jazz in a town where hippies and cops are enemies。 What I Loved: -Matt and his enthusiasm to not give up on his sister-a great portrayal of the time p ✨ARC Review✨Laguna Beach， CA…。the year？ 1968…and cue The Beatles music…Matt is sixteen， the proverbial teen trying to find his way。 His life and family are sort of in shambles， and his sister Jazz just went missing。 The police think her to be a runaway hippie， but Matt knows that isn’t like his sister。 He is determined to find out what happened to Jazz in a town where hippies and cops are enemies。 What I Loved: -Matt and his enthusiasm to not give up on his sister-a great portrayal of the time period。 You don’t have to have lived in the 60s to feel full on immersed in this book。 The imagery of the time period， including that of the Vietnam War， and just how people lived and engaged is telling This was a gripping thriller， although I felt like you don’t really get full on immersed until the second half or so。 If things had continually been fast paced， I don’t think I would have dropped a star。 ✨Rating✨⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5A special thank you to NetGalley and Forge Books for this eARC！ 。。。more
Lilibet Bombshell
，
There are two kinds of “thousand steps” in this novel: the very real ones of a beach located in the city of Laguna Beach， California and the metaphorical ones of the seemingly endless steps the main character， Matt， takes in the fervent search for his missing sister， Jazz。 If there’s one thing I thought about constantly while reading this novel it was， “If it’s hard to find a missing teenager even in the age of smart EVERYTHING， how much harder would it have been to find one in 1968， especially There are two kinds of “thousand steps” in this novel: the very real ones of a beach located in the city of Laguna Beach， California and the metaphorical ones of the seemingly endless steps the main character， Matt， takes in the fervent search for his missing sister， Jazz。 If there’s one thing I thought about constantly while reading this novel it was， “If it’s hard to find a missing teenager even in the age of smart EVERYTHING， how much harder would it have been to find one in 1968， especially for a poor 16 year-old boy？”This novel， from start to finish， is very engaging。 You can’t help but keep turning the pages， wanting or needing to see what’s next or who’s going to reveal something or what’s going to happen or what’s going to go wrong？ Because more goes wrong than goes right in this book， and it’s only intuition， instincts， courage， impetuousness， and indefatigability that keep Matt going even after he keeps getting knocked back， kicked down， and told no。 You can’t help but identify with and root for Matt， with his broken family， missing sister， young age， and very limited resources。 Who doesn’t like an underdog story， right？ At the same time， you feel angry at the adults around Matt， who neglect him， use him or try to do so， manipulate him， and lie to him。 Fighting against drugs， hippies， the homeless， communism， and “the man” all seem more important to all the adults than making sure the kids are all right。 And that’s precisely what allowed Matt’s sister to slip through the cracks and go missing and what leads to Matt being the only person who truly takes her disappearance seriously and the only one devoted to finding her。 In the end， the only thing that keeps this novel from getting a five-star review from me is that it’s fairly predictable。 I don’t like waiting for the characters to catch up with where I’ve been since about 30% of the way through the book。 But I was still happy to read， just to see what would happen in-between when I got there and when the book caught up with me。 。。。more
Karen Parisot
，
Matt Antony is 16 years old。 His mother is a junkie， his father absent， his older brother is fighting in ‘Nam， and his big sister Jasmine has gone missing。 Matt has a paper route， is always hungry， and desperately wants to find Jasmine。 The police seem more interested in stopping the influx of drugs into Laguna Beach， so Matt starts an investigation of his own。I really enjoyed reading this story set in the 1960s。 It captures the feel and spirit of the era so well。 The main character， Matt， won Matt Antony is 16 years old。 His mother is a junkie， his father absent， his older brother is fighting in ‘Nam， and his big sister Jasmine has gone missing。 Matt has a paper route， is always hungry， and desperately wants to find Jasmine。 The police seem more interested in stopping the influx of drugs into Laguna Beach， so Matt starts an investigation of his own。I really enjoyed reading this story set in the 1960s。 It captures the feel and spirit of the era so well。 The main character， Matt， won me over as he struggled so hard to find his sister and do the right thing all while barely surviving himself。 I kinda knew where Jasmine was right from the beginning， but there were still many surprises， as the story progressed。 Well written and engaging， this is a coming of age mystery you don’t want to miss！ 4。5 stars 。。。more
PottWab Regional Library
，
A
Sara Bregasi
，
When I first read the premise for A Thousand Steps， I was intrigued - a historical fiction set in 1968 centered around the life of a teenager who is trying to find his missing sister。 Unfortunately， I had some trouble getting into this one。 As a thriller fan， I found this story a very slow-burn。 The mystery part of it played a considerably small role， so I was left wondering why this book is labelled as a thriller in the first place。 A lot of the action took place in the last 10-20% of the book， When I first read the premise for A Thousand Steps， I was intrigued - a historical fiction set in 1968 centered around the life of a teenager who is trying to find his missing sister。 Unfortunately， I had some trouble getting into this one。 As a thriller fan， I found this story a very slow-burn。 The mystery part of it played a considerably small role， so I was left wondering why this book is labelled as a thriller in the first place。 A lot of the action took place in the last 10-20% of the book， but the rest of it read more like a heart-wrenching coming-of-age tale。 Having said all that， I believe the book is extremely well-written， the protagonist Matt Anthony is likeable， and the author does an amazing job of describing the time and place of the novel。 I believe this story is much more suitable for readers of historical fiction and drama。 。。。more
Suellen
，
• Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge， Forge Books and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy。 Expected publication date is January 11， 2022。It’s 1968 in Laguna Beach， California; you know， peace， love and LSD。 Kids are going there in search of good times and enlightenment。 Matt is 16-years-old and has a deadbeat dad and a drugged up mom。 Hippie girls start showing up dead on the beach。 Matt can only hope one of them will not be his missing sister， Jazz。 I liked this crime thriller which • Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge， Forge Books and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy。 Expected publication date is January 11， 2022。It’s 1968 in Laguna Beach， California; you know， peace， love and LSD。 Kids are going there in search of good times and enlightenment。 Matt is 16-years-old and has a deadbeat dad and a drugged up mom。 Hippie girls start showing up dead on the beach。 Matt can only hope one of them will not be his missing sister， Jazz。 I liked this crime thriller which was the first book I’ve read from this author。 。。。more
Carlie | shesbecomingbookish
，
It’s the summer of 1968， and 16-year-old Matt Anthony’s life is about to abruptly change。 His family is broken by society’s standards， but nothing could have prepared him for what’s happening right now。 First， Matt witnesses police recovering the body of a young girl who’s been missing for months。 Now his older sister， Jasmine， has gone missing， but the police don’t seem to care。 All they seem to care about is busting the local narcotics ring， and they'll go to any length to do it， even if it me It’s the summer of 1968， and 16-year-old Matt Anthony’s life is about to abruptly change。 His family is broken by society’s standards， but nothing could have prepared him for what’s happening right now。 First， Matt witnesses police recovering the body of a young girl who’s been missing for months。 Now his older sister， Jasmine， has gone missing， but the police don’t seem to care。 All they seem to care about is busting the local narcotics ring， and they'll go to any length to do it， even if it means asking Matt to steal evidence。 If the police aren’t going to find her， then it’s up to him to figure out where she's gone。 He knows she didn't run away， but where could she be？ And where to begin searching for her？ Following Jasmine’s footsteps leads Matt right into a world of hard drugs， sex parties， enlightenment centers， and hippy festivals。 What he discovers about himself and the world around him is sure to be a trip！I didn't know what to expect with this one。 Billed as part thriller， part coming of age story， part historical fiction， part family drama: this book has something for everyone。 Parker did a great job grabbing my attention from the very start， and at no point after did I want to put this one down。 I absolutely loved that it was set in nearby Laguna Beach which feels， to me， like the perfect setting for this book。 The psychedelic counter-culture themes captures the feel of 1968: Timothy Leary， LSD， the Vietnam War protests， hippy fringe， VW vans， and peace signs。 And who doesn’t love that cover image？ I've added this one to my list of the best books from the 60s/70s era， where it rightfully belongs。 Read it！ 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
，
A Thousand Steps by T。 Jefferson Parker is a very highly recommended coming-of-age story wrapped around a mystery set in a very specific time and place。 This is really a compelling， extraordinary， excellent novel！In 1968 Laguna Beach， California， is attracting members of the developing counterculture - hippies， protests， sit-ins， drugs， and free love。 Matt Anthony is a broke sixteen-year-old who is just trying to survive。 He has a paper route that he needs to buy food。 His mom is neglectful and A Thousand Steps by T。 Jefferson Parker is a very highly recommended coming-of-age story wrapped around a mystery set in a very specific time and place。 This is really a compelling， extraordinary， excellent novel！In 1968 Laguna Beach， California， is attracting members of the developing counterculture - hippies， protests， sit-ins， drugs， and free love。 Matt Anthony is a broke sixteen-year-old who is just trying to survive。 He has a paper route that he needs to buy food。 His mom is neglectful and an addict。 Drugs are readily available and she is becoming part of the counterculture。 His dad is gone and is only occasionally in contact。 His brother is over in Vietnam and will hopefully be returning home soon。 But Matt is mostly worried about his sister， Jasmine （Jazz）。 She has just graduated from high school and hasn't returned home。A girl they both knew has turned up dead on a beach， so Matt is worried about his missing sister and sets out trying to find Jazz。 When there is still no sign of Jazz after 48 hours， Matt and his mom talk to the police about it。 They assume she is a runaway and are much more concerned about the hippies and the drug problem over running the city。 Matt takes it upon himself to search for Jazz as his mother is too stoned to do it。 He tirelessly searches for Jazz while making sure he does his paper route。The social and cultural divisions between characters is clear。 In the pretense of helping Matt make money so he can eat， many of the adults are using him for their own nefarious purposes。 They knew he was struggling and could have just gave him the money or bought him a meal。Matt is a good kid。 He is a sympathetic and thoughtful young man who is raising himself， which is heartbreaking and tragic。 While his mother is off doing her own selfish thing， Matt is in a constant battle to obtain food or money for food， while looking for his sister。 During this time， he has his first girlfriend， a girl he has had a crush on since fourth grade。 He is also a talented artist and does sketches of the people he encounters。 Matt is a memorable character involved in an overwhelming situation， both facets work together to make A Thousand Steps an unforgettable novel。It is mostly a coming-of-age story， but it is also a mystery and a historical novel set in a very specific time and place。 The time period adds insight into the actions of the characters and the atmosphere in Laguna Beach in 1968。 This is when Timothy Leary was encouraging people to， "Turn on， tune in， drop out，" use LSD， smoke hash， use opium。The writing is exceptional and I am surprised I have never read anything by T。 Jefferson Parker before this。 A Thousand Steps is hard to put down once you start reading this intriguing and riveting novel。 The plot seems simple， a young man is searching for his sister， but there are so many other parts to the story that give it depth and interest。 A Thousand Steps will certainly be one of the best novels of 2022。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Tor/Forge Books。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Tami
，
It’s so great to begin the new year with a good book！ This one took me back in time to Laguna Beach in the late 1960’s。 The hippie era is in full swing， along with the drug culture and war protests。The main character， Matt Anthony， stole my heart。 This is really the story of Matt’s coming of age， but it all revolves around his missing sister and the Laguna Beach atmosphere of “spiritual” enlightenment。Matt is still in high school， living with his mom and sister， awaiting the return of his brothe It’s so great to begin the new year with a good book！ This one took me back in time to Laguna Beach in the late 1960’s。 The hippie era is in full swing， along with the drug culture and war protests。The main character， Matt Anthony， stole my heart。 This is really the story of Matt’s coming of age， but it all revolves around his missing sister and the Laguna Beach atmosphere of “spiritual” enlightenment。Matt is still in high school， living with his mom and sister， awaiting the return of his brother from Vietnam。 He has a newspaper route and fishes in the ocean to supplement the family table。 When his sister does not come home one night， Matt sets out on a journey to find her。With an absent father and a mother who is on drugs， everything seems to be working against him。 He’s much more mature than the average teenage boy and has a heightened sense of responsibility to those he loves。 He’s also self-reflective and considers often what is the right thing to do in situations that seem to be confusing。I was so caught up in the story of finding Matt’s sister， that it didn’t hit me until later， how close Matt came to losing every member of his family。 That’s a tough reality for anyone， much less a teen。The ending was exciting and satisfying。 It was the perfect ending to the story to see Matt grasping the life that all teen boys yearn to have。 This is a great read with the appropriate 60’s music playing in the background。Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for allowing me to read an advance copy。 I am happy to give my honest review。 。。。more
Stephanie Doyle
，
I don't think I'd call this a gripping thriller， which is what its description calls it， but I liked it。 Matt is a great character and the setting both geographically and in time were both great。 I am way into analog books right now。 TheI liked the writing， loved Matt， love the cover， but this was too slow in a lot of spots。Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review。 I don't think I'd call this a gripping thriller， which is what its description calls it， but I liked it。 Matt is a great character and the setting both geographically and in time were both great。 I am way into analog books right now。 TheI liked the writing， loved Matt， love the cover， but this was too slow in a lot of spots。Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brad
，
A Thousand Steps， by T。 Jefferson Parker， is a historical fiction/crime novel that takes place in Laguna Beach， California in 1968。"Matt is a 16 year-old kid。 His mother is a drug addict - his brother is off fighting in the tunnels in Vietnam - his deadbeat dad has moved away - he is always hungry。 And now his sister has not come home for a couple of nights。 The police don't want to listen。 They think she is just another runaway。 Laguna is awash in LSD and heroin and the police want to chase awa A Thousand Steps， by T。 Jefferson Parker， is a historical fiction/crime novel that takes place in Laguna Beach， California in 1968。"Matt is a 16 year-old kid。 His mother is a drug addict - his brother is off fighting in the tunnels in Vietnam - his deadbeat dad has moved away - he is always hungry。 And now his sister has not come home for a couple of nights。 The police don't want to listen。 They think she is just another runaway。 Laguna is awash in LSD and heroin and the police want to chase away hippies instead of look for his sister。 All Matt wants to do is spend time with his middle-school crush and be a regular teenager。 But he is the only one who can find his sister。"This is my first book from Parker。 He has the ability to make you feel like you're there in the scene。 You can hear the noise of the protestors on the street - the sound of the festival - smell the unwashed bodies。 And you can feel Matt's desperation and hunger。 There are evil， greedy people here。I love the way Parker uses the paper airplanes。 It's a wild ending and Matt must make some tough choices。 Great story from Parker。 。。。more
Lou Jacobs
，