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North Beach
The latest Gulf Coast mystery/thriller by the author of Thin Slice of Life, La Salle’s Ghost, and Ransom Island.
It’s 1962 on the Texas Gulf Coast, and 15-year-old Charlie Sweetwater and his brother, Johnny, are happily oblivious to the world’s problems. Charlie’s main concerns are qualifying for an upcoming Golden Gloves boxing tournament, ducking a local bully and, with any luck, stealing a kiss from Carmen Delfín, the prettiest girl he’s ever laid eyes on.
Charlie’s last innocent summer ends abruptly when his boxing coach is murdered and his friend, a black Cuban boxer named Jesse Martel, is accused of the crime.
Their problems are compounded when Jesse becomes a political pawn in a high-stakes contest between Cuba and the CIA—a contest that intensifies when the Cuban Missile Crises begins, and the world’s two superpowers come within an eye blink of mutual destruction.
Through it all, Charlie and his brother are convinced that Jesse is innocent, and they are determined to find the real murderer—a remorseless killer who is stalking more victims—and clear Jesse’s name before time runs out. Suddenly the Sweetwater boys find themselves navigating through a world that is much bigger, more complicated, and scarier than they ever imagined.
It’s 1962 on the Texas Gulf Coast, and 15-year-old Charlie Sweetwater and his brother, Johnny, are happily oblivious to the world’s problems. Charlie’s main concerns are qualifying for an upcoming Golden Gloves boxing tournament, ducking a local bully and, with any luck, stealing a kiss from Carmen Delfín, the prettiest girl he’s ever laid eyes on.
Charlie’s last innocent summer ends abruptly when his boxing coach is murdered and his friend, a black Cuban boxer named Jesse Martel, is accused of the crime.
Their problems are compounded when Jesse becomes a political pawn in a high-stakes contest between Cuba and the CIA—a contest that intensifies when the Cuban Missile Crises begins, and the world’s two superpowers come within an eye blink of mutual destruction.
Through it all, Charlie and his brother are convinced that Jesse is innocent, and they are determined to find the real murderer—a remorseless killer who is stalking more victims—and clear Jesse’s name before time runs out. Suddenly the Sweetwater boys find themselves navigating through a world that is much bigger, more complicated, and scarier than they ever imagined.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 9, 2015
5 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Miles Arceneaux
10 books29 followersMiles Arceneaux is the storytelling alter ego of Texas-based writers Brent Douglass, John T. Davis and James R. Dennis. Miles was born many years ago among this group of old friends who penned, as a literary lark, the collectively-written novel Thin Slice of Life —a book that has given birth to a series of witty Gulf Coast thrillers based on its central characters.
ABOUT BRENT
International businessman Brent Douglass writes in airports, hotel rooms and drinking establishments around the world. At present he is a principal owner of KBC Networks and peddles data transmission equipment in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is the cultured, cosmopolitan writer of the Miles Arceneaux trio.
ABOUT JOHN T.
John T. Davis has been writing about the music, culture and personalities of Austin and the Southwest for more than 30 years for local, regional and national publications. He is the streetwise and roguishly irreverent co-author of the Miles Arceneaux canon, albeit its most discerning.
ABOUT JAMES
James R. Dennis, a Dominican friar, practices law in San Antonio and across Texas. He writes and teaches on spiritual matters and lives with his two ill-behaved dogs. Of the three writers, he is the good-looking, funny one.
ABOUT BRENT
International businessman Brent Douglass writes in airports, hotel rooms and drinking establishments around the world. At present he is a principal owner of KBC Networks and peddles data transmission equipment in Latin America and the Caribbean. He is the cultured, cosmopolitan writer of the Miles Arceneaux trio.
ABOUT JOHN T.
John T. Davis has been writing about the music, culture and personalities of Austin and the Southwest for more than 30 years for local, regional and national publications. He is the streetwise and roguishly irreverent co-author of the Miles Arceneaux canon, albeit its most discerning.
ABOUT JAMES
James R. Dennis, a Dominican friar, practices law in San Antonio and across Texas. He writes and teaches on spiritual matters and lives with his two ill-behaved dogs. Of the three writers, he is the good-looking, funny one.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 31, 2021
I have enjoyed several Miles Arceneaux books, and this one is no exception. It is set in south Texas in the 60's, and as usual, has several complicated characters and mysteries. It's definitely a 5-star read.
November 1, 2015
Readers get a snapshot of life on the Texas coast in the early 60s, from a teenaged boy's perspective, including all the tensions of the times. Full review posts 11/2/15 on Hall Ways http://kristinehallways.blogspot.com/...
October 26, 2015
Fiction
Miles Arceneaux
North Beach
Published by Miles Arceneaux (October 22, 2015)
Paperback, 270 pages, ISBN 978-0996879712 (ebook also available)
October 2015
“Okay . . . . What’s the worst that could happen?”
Johnny flashed me a quick smile and started the car. “The Sweetwater family motto.”
The triumvirate that is Miles Arceneaux — Brent Douglass, John T. Davis, and James R. Dennis — are back with North Beach, the fourth story about the Sweetwater clan in their series of crime novels that have been christened Gulf Coast noir. North Beach is a coming-of-age story of the next generation of Sweetwaters.
With North Beach, set in the summer of 1962, Arceneaux again proves masterful at evoking atmosphere and recreating a particular time and place. We are immersed in that year: the Space Race, Cuban Embargo, fallout shelters, the Beach Boys, paranoia, and virulent racism. North Beach proves the truism that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as some of its historical elements remain relevant today.
The story is told in the first person by Charlie Sweetwater, fifteen years old and consumed by fishing, boxing, football, cars, and girls. He and his older brother, Johnny, box at Stubby Hunsacker’s gym in Corpus Christi. The trouble starts when Miami mobsters (“the Miami Chamber of Commerce”) show up to poach Jesse Martel, a boxer from Cuba and Stubby’s best fighter. As intimidation escalates to violence, Charlie and Johnny morph into a noir version of the Hardy Boys to save Jesse from the death penalty and themselves from street punks, corrupt cops, Castro operatives, and the CIA.
Charlie experiences first love when he falls for Jesse’s niece, the beautiful Carmen (“she looked like a figure you’d mount on the prow of a ship”), a ballerina from Cuba and an older woman (aged seventeen). Some of the most satisfying moments in North Beach occur when Charlie’s fishermen-and-tavern-owning family culture collides with Carmen’s salad-and-dessert-forks-classical-music family culture. The younger Sweetwaters are game for broadening their horizons and venture forth to appreciate Tchaikovsky as well as Duke Ellington and conjunto. North Beach is a very multicultural book.
Arceneaux ably channels the teenage protagonists. The language is simple, suiting their ages, circumstances, and the era, while producing such humorous bons mots as these, describing a fish: “It was also absolutely the slimiest fish found in the Gulf Coast waters. Local anglers called them ‘tourist trout.’ We called ‘em ‘snot rockets.’” And this: “‘Inboards and Outboards?’ My uncle’s catchy names for the ladies’ and men’s rooms.” The sophisticated Carmen comments: “South Texas is not exactly the center of the ballet universe. People around here think a jeté is one of those long stone piers you build out into the water.”
North Beach is uneven. There is a lot going on here — multiple storylines crowded by a large cast of characters. The pacing is sometimes slow, but the climax is exciting and the ending satisfying. Ultimately, North Beach is about bullies in all their guises, personal and political, from the schoolyard to governments and everything in between.
Originally published by Lone Star Literary Life.
Miles Arceneaux
North Beach
Published by Miles Arceneaux (October 22, 2015)
Paperback, 270 pages, ISBN 978-0996879712 (ebook also available)
October 2015
“Okay . . . . What’s the worst that could happen?”
Johnny flashed me a quick smile and started the car. “The Sweetwater family motto.”
The triumvirate that is Miles Arceneaux — Brent Douglass, John T. Davis, and James R. Dennis — are back with North Beach, the fourth story about the Sweetwater clan in their series of crime novels that have been christened Gulf Coast noir. North Beach is a coming-of-age story of the next generation of Sweetwaters.
With North Beach, set in the summer of 1962, Arceneaux again proves masterful at evoking atmosphere and recreating a particular time and place. We are immersed in that year: the Space Race, Cuban Embargo, fallout shelters, the Beach Boys, paranoia, and virulent racism. North Beach proves the truism that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as some of its historical elements remain relevant today.
The story is told in the first person by Charlie Sweetwater, fifteen years old and consumed by fishing, boxing, football, cars, and girls. He and his older brother, Johnny, box at Stubby Hunsacker’s gym in Corpus Christi. The trouble starts when Miami mobsters (“the Miami Chamber of Commerce”) show up to poach Jesse Martel, a boxer from Cuba and Stubby’s best fighter. As intimidation escalates to violence, Charlie and Johnny morph into a noir version of the Hardy Boys to save Jesse from the death penalty and themselves from street punks, corrupt cops, Castro operatives, and the CIA.
Charlie experiences first love when he falls for Jesse’s niece, the beautiful Carmen (“she looked like a figure you’d mount on the prow of a ship”), a ballerina from Cuba and an older woman (aged seventeen). Some of the most satisfying moments in North Beach occur when Charlie’s fishermen-and-tavern-owning family culture collides with Carmen’s salad-and-dessert-forks-classical-music family culture. The younger Sweetwaters are game for broadening their horizons and venture forth to appreciate Tchaikovsky as well as Duke Ellington and conjunto. North Beach is a very multicultural book.
Arceneaux ably channels the teenage protagonists. The language is simple, suiting their ages, circumstances, and the era, while producing such humorous bons mots as these, describing a fish: “It was also absolutely the slimiest fish found in the Gulf Coast waters. Local anglers called them ‘tourist trout.’ We called ‘em ‘snot rockets.’” And this: “‘Inboards and Outboards?’ My uncle’s catchy names for the ladies’ and men’s rooms.” The sophisticated Carmen comments: “South Texas is not exactly the center of the ballet universe. People around here think a jeté is one of those long stone piers you build out into the water.”
North Beach is uneven. There is a lot going on here — multiple storylines crowded by a large cast of characters. The pacing is sometimes slow, but the climax is exciting and the ending satisfying. Ultimately, North Beach is about bullies in all their guises, personal and political, from the schoolyard to governments and everything in between.
Originally published by Lone Star Literary Life.
January 21, 2016
The summer of 1962 in Corpus Christi, brothers Charlie and Johnny Sweetwater love living the life of carefree teenagers—working, fishing, surfing, listening to the radio, and camping. They go to the boxing gym run by Stubby Hunsacker daily in order to get the older Johnny ready for the Golden Gloves competition. A hard-bitten character, Hunsacker cares for the boxers and others around they gym. In a short time, both boys will be out for football at the local high school where Johnny is the quarterback and fifteen-year-old Charlie will be going out the varsity team and aching for a sanctioned boxing match. He is six months shy of being able to compete in the Gloves. The boys’ shrimper father spends a lot of his time on the boat dragging the net “over the seabed like he had a personal vendetta against brown shrimp” as Charlie describes his dad work ethic. While dad is out in the Gulf, the boys are looked after by an extended family of colorful characters. The kids are fun loving, hard-working, and rambunctious. Over the next six months, the boys’ lives will be made even more as they fall in love, play ball, get ready for boxing competitions, and try to solve a murder unfairly pinned on a friend and fellow boxer. This takes place against the larger backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis, friendly and unfriendly government agents, Mafioso, and crooked cops. This is a classic story of angels with dirty faces and a sense of honor, good guys versus bad guys, right versus wrong, and never leaving a friend to take the fall. The book moves rapidly from one piece of the puzzle to the next. The description of boxing gyms and matches is spot on. Yet, this is not a boxing story. In Texas of the 1960s, football is an obsession and Golden Gloves boxing is merely a preoccupation; part of the activities woven into the boys’ lives as they take the first tentative steps into adulthood. Nor is this a young adult novel but a classic coming of age story with characters that can only be described as unforgettable.
April 1, 2016
I was given an ebook copy of this book for a fair review.
So this is book 4 of the Charlie Sweetwater series, but Arceneaux makes it feel like you’re not missing out on anything (although I do kinda want to read the other 3 books now). The beginning is a little rough to me – too much description or something – but you can tell the author (or rather, authors) know boxing and fishing, because that’s where the story starts to flow great. I got a little squirmy at the teenage hormonal parts for some reason, but the murder and assault mystery kept me on my toes. I was impressed that Arceneaux took the time to learn his ballet terminology for a few scenes too. However, if you’ve ever seen the movie Million Dollar Baby, I’m sure you will find some pretty big similarities: gruff old boxing gym owner who doesn’t want to push his fighters along too quickly (arguably holding them back some), mentally disabled teenager who bothers everyone, black fighter who’s being courted by promoters who promise big money. Overall, great read and I look forward to checking out the rest of the series.
So this is book 4 of the Charlie Sweetwater series, but Arceneaux makes it feel like you’re not missing out on anything (although I do kinda want to read the other 3 books now). The beginning is a little rough to me – too much description or something – but you can tell the author (or rather, authors) know boxing and fishing, because that’s where the story starts to flow great. I got a little squirmy at the teenage hormonal parts for some reason, but the murder and assault mystery kept me on my toes. I was impressed that Arceneaux took the time to learn his ballet terminology for a few scenes too. However, if you’ve ever seen the movie Million Dollar Baby, I’m sure you will find some pretty big similarities: gruff old boxing gym owner who doesn’t want to push his fighters along too quickly (arguably holding them back some), mentally disabled teenager who bothers everyone, black fighter who’s being courted by promoters who promise big money. Overall, great read and I look forward to checking out the rest of the series.
October 28, 2015
Fall in love with Charlie and Johnny, this dynamic brother team will take you on a wild ride that will have you guessing at every turn. Fall in love with the idea of first love with Charlie. Remember the days when you didn't know when you put your foot in it. I loved seeing all the relationships built through it the book. Found myself near tears when friends where lost in one form or another. I found myself wondering about the old days, and years. When a book throws you into the past you know it has done a great job. The mysteries also helped get your adrenaline going. This book is perfect for adults and teens. Loved it and wonder what else the boys will get into.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews