Night of the Book Man
Book One in the Surf Mystic Series

by Peyton Douglas

Demons and Surfers!

Taking place in 1958 set in Laguna Beach, California the main characters are connected to a dubious tiki bar called Café Monstro. The young woman, Frannie is the niece of the owner and works at the Café while surfing with a group of young men. The Café has a mysterious air about it and it's not long before Frannie discovers the truth about the café or her uncle! Her uncle holds Blanks which are empty books that tell the future of each person who dares to open them. For some, they are encouraging but for others, their futures would have been better left unknown! A hungry demon who thrives on the Blanks has come to town with the deadly purpose of obtaining them no matter who gets in his way! Frannie must learn Yiddish curses, the purpose of dybbuk boxes, create a golem, and more to fulfill her destiny and defeat the demon. The description of the demon is perfect! I loved the origami birds and paper cuts analogies!

This book started out as “Gidget Learns to Surf” or “Beach Blanket Bingo” type book that quickly moves into a mystery with a supernatural twist to it. The author, Peyton Douglas, captured everything about surfers, 1958, and relationships and relayed it perfectly. The dialog was smooth and flowed evenly, the character development was detailed, and the storyline was well-designed executing each twist intentionally.

The narrator, Leigh Fryling, performed this audiobook with charm and clarity. Her pace was even, and she assumed the role of Frannie easily allowing me to see Frannie.

The production and quality of this audiobook are ok. There is some noisy dead air between chapters which is distracting. Other than this it is well done.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.