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Noah Braddock #1
Killer Swell
San Diego P.I. Noah Braddock has a six-pack in the fridge, a solid beach view, and a killer past that's come knocking. The snobby mother of Kate, his old high school girlfriend, claims that her daughter is missing, and mom thinks Noah can find her for old time's sake. But what Noah discovers about Kate is hardly the stuff of bittersweet reunions. In fact, it's murder.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
17 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Shelby
64 books172 followersJeff Shelby grew up around the beaches of Southern California and graduated from the University of California at Irvine. He is the author of the bestselling Noah Braddock series (Killer Swell, Wicked Break, Liquid Smoke), the stand alone thriller Thread of Hope, and the Deuce Winters series (Stay At Home Dead), written under the name Jeffrey Allen. He lives in Dallas, TX.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
March 22, 2012
Reading Jeff Shelby is like spending a day on the beach with your best friend who you secretly think is way cooler than you'll ever be. Reviewing KILLER SWELL makes you want to turn a surfing phrase a hundred times more clever than any surfing phrase that has come before, but then you think, "Ah, I better avoid the temptation - don't want to sound too cheesy here." But then you're like, "Aw, man, I've already likened reading Jeff Shelby to spending a day on the beach with your best friend who you secretly think is way cooler than you'll ever be. At that point, you cue the "Family Guy" cutaway and end your review by saying, "Play me off, Johnny!"
Play me off, Johnny!
Play me off, Johnny!
October 16, 2015
"We drove south on the five, past Lindbergh Field, the ancient El Cortez Hotel and Balboa Park, home to most of San Diego's cultural activities. We moved by the on-ramp to the Coronado Bridge and then through the industrial grounds of National City and Imperial Beach to the last U.S. exit in San Ysidro."
Jeff Shelby's "Killer Swell" (2005) relies on prose like the fragment shown above in its attempts to convincingly situate the plot in San Diego. This beautiful city has been my home for the last 33 years and I am always on a lookout for accurate literary portrayals of the city. Alas, listing the names of streets, districts, and tourist attractions does not convey the atmosphere or sense of location. The only part of San Diego that is somewhat close to coming alive from the pages of the novel is the surfers' and beach bums' area around Mission Boulevard. All the rest are just words.
Noah Braddock, a private investigator and an avid surfer, is the protagonist of the novel. Ten years ago, while finishing high school, he had been in love with Kate, but her parents managed to break the relationship. Now, Kate - who has since married and moved to Northern California - has disappeared and her mother asks Noah to help find her. Despite the passage of time, Kate is still a very important person to Noah, so he agrees to take the case. The investigation leads him and his cliché sidekick, Carter, to face a cliché Mexican drug lord and his cliché brutal enforcers. There is violence, people die, and others get hurt. In other developments Noah also has to face Kate's slick husband, while continuing the on-and-off relationship (another cliché) with Liz, a detective on the San Diego police force.
Despite the preponderance of tired clichés, despite several moronic plot devices (for instance, Tates, the psychotic twins, ugh), and amateurish sentences like "He said it so matter-of-factly that it couldn't have been a lie", the novel is not that bad a read. I have to admit I sort of enjoyed it.
Two and a half stars.
Jeff Shelby's "Killer Swell" (2005) relies on prose like the fragment shown above in its attempts to convincingly situate the plot in San Diego. This beautiful city has been my home for the last 33 years and I am always on a lookout for accurate literary portrayals of the city. Alas, listing the names of streets, districts, and tourist attractions does not convey the atmosphere or sense of location. The only part of San Diego that is somewhat close to coming alive from the pages of the novel is the surfers' and beach bums' area around Mission Boulevard. All the rest are just words.
Noah Braddock, a private investigator and an avid surfer, is the protagonist of the novel. Ten years ago, while finishing high school, he had been in love with Kate, but her parents managed to break the relationship. Now, Kate - who has since married and moved to Northern California - has disappeared and her mother asks Noah to help find her. Despite the passage of time, Kate is still a very important person to Noah, so he agrees to take the case. The investigation leads him and his cliché sidekick, Carter, to face a cliché Mexican drug lord and his cliché brutal enforcers. There is violence, people die, and others get hurt. In other developments Noah also has to face Kate's slick husband, while continuing the on-and-off relationship (another cliché) with Liz, a detective on the San Diego police force.
Despite the preponderance of tired clichés, despite several moronic plot devices (for instance, Tates, the psychotic twins, ugh), and amateurish sentences like "He said it so matter-of-factly that it couldn't have been a lie", the novel is not that bad a read. I have to admit I sort of enjoyed it.
Two and a half stars.
October 14, 2019
One of my 9 best first mysteries read in 2005.
April 15, 2010
I had to start this one twice--combination of 1st person POV & a rocky first page or two--but once it took off, it really took off. On the down side, there's a tendency toward contrivance in order to move the plot along, but I also really enjoyed the dialogue and characters. I'll be looking for more by this author...
June 24, 2019
The first in the Noah Braddock series. A good introduction to the series.
July 10, 2022
3.5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 Good mystery that kept me interested all the way to the end. Characters have their quirks but I wasn’t annoyed by them. Some language, lots of alcohol, and implied hanky panky. I will be trying another mystery in the Noah Braddock series.
February 9, 2020
I really enjoyed this book-new series. language was not something I enjoyed though
November 29, 2021
Was an action movie in print. Good mystery storyline with a balance of action, romance, twists & turns. I look forward to more from this author.
December 19, 2012
I’m always thrilled when I find a first novel, particularly one in a series, and this book was worth checking out. Its protagonist is Noah Braddock, a not-overly-ambitious private eye who lives in San Diego and loves to surf. Though he did hit the waves a couple of times, the surfing aspect had very little to do with the story, other than helping to define Noah’s character.
Noah is shocked when the mother of his high school girlfriend shows up and asks him to find her. Noah and Kate Crier had dated for a year before Kate ended it when she left for college at Princeton. Noah hadn’t seen her since, but he hadn’t forgotten her, and when she winds up dead, he will stop at nothing to find her killer. Over the intervening years, Kate had changed from the woman Noah remembered, even developing a drug addiction and getting in trouble with the law. Noah winds up meeting some interesting individuals on the wrong side of the law, as well, when he begins his investigation.
Noah’s best friend Carter is big and very loyal, as well as having connections on the seedy side. Noah’s ex-girlfriend Liz is the homicide detective who draws Kate Crier’s case, and the two of them play well off one another. There are a few other well-drawn side characters, as well, the best being crime boss Costilla, who meets Noah in strange places.
This book stars a likeable cast of characters and features a pretty decent murder mystery, as well. Like many other series, this one has a hook—surfing—but aside from its San Diego setting, the surfing aspect was very minor and had nothing to do with the story. There were no tense moments on the waves, nobody chased the hero on the water, and the mystery had nothing to do with surfing. It simply stars a hero who likes to unwind on a board. Though I wasn’t so thrilled by this book I have vowed to own every Jeff Shelby novel in existence, I did like it well enough to buy more of his books if I see them. Shelby has started a fine mystery series with fun characters, and mystery fans should take note.
Noah is shocked when the mother of his high school girlfriend shows up and asks him to find her. Noah and Kate Crier had dated for a year before Kate ended it when she left for college at Princeton. Noah hadn’t seen her since, but he hadn’t forgotten her, and when she winds up dead, he will stop at nothing to find her killer. Over the intervening years, Kate had changed from the woman Noah remembered, even developing a drug addiction and getting in trouble with the law. Noah winds up meeting some interesting individuals on the wrong side of the law, as well, when he begins his investigation.
Noah’s best friend Carter is big and very loyal, as well as having connections on the seedy side. Noah’s ex-girlfriend Liz is the homicide detective who draws Kate Crier’s case, and the two of them play well off one another. There are a few other well-drawn side characters, as well, the best being crime boss Costilla, who meets Noah in strange places.
This book stars a likeable cast of characters and features a pretty decent murder mystery, as well. Like many other series, this one has a hook—surfing—but aside from its San Diego setting, the surfing aspect was very minor and had nothing to do with the story. There were no tense moments on the waves, nobody chased the hero on the water, and the mystery had nothing to do with surfing. It simply stars a hero who likes to unwind on a board. Though I wasn’t so thrilled by this book I have vowed to own every Jeff Shelby novel in existence, I did like it well enough to buy more of his books if I see them. Shelby has started a fine mystery series with fun characters, and mystery fans should take note.
October 9, 2016
After predominantly reading big(ger) name authors, I decided to try something a little off the rez. This debut by Jeff Shelby was pretty good. It was another page from the Spenser book, with the protagonist (Noah Braddock) being an easy going private eye with a strange, tough as nails sidekick.
The setting is San Diego, and Noah does his fair share of surfing. As a guy familiar with the beach and its lifestyle, Shelby nailed the surfing scenes and the general vibe of the coast. You can see what Shelby paints and can almost feel the waves lifting you up.
Now on to the mystery: it was pretty good.
Noah's high school girlfriend gets killed and her folks hire him to find the killer. What he finds out about her is intriguing, but it kind of drags along. Also, a few too many chapter were devoted to Noah struggling to come to terms with what is happening. Overall, a decent mystery, albeit one that could have been 60 pages shorter. I'll read the next in the series though, bc I'm a sucker for a private eye and beachy vibes.
The setting is San Diego, and Noah does his fair share of surfing. As a guy familiar with the beach and its lifestyle, Shelby nailed the surfing scenes and the general vibe of the coast. You can see what Shelby paints and can almost feel the waves lifting you up.
Now on to the mystery: it was pretty good.
Noah's high school girlfriend gets killed and her folks hire him to find the killer. What he finds out about her is intriguing, but it kind of drags along. Also, a few too many chapter were devoted to Noah struggling to come to terms with what is happening. Overall, a decent mystery, albeit one that could have been 60 pages shorter. I'll read the next in the series though, bc I'm a sucker for a private eye and beachy vibes.
October 26, 2012
Reading this book was a lot like watching one of those 80's cop shows. This could have been an episode of Simon & Simon or Vegas. It has it all, cool private detective main character, lovable sidekick, hot girlfriend, lost love, femme fatale, tough but fair policeman, drug dealers and lots of quirky characters. It's an easy read. Not a lot of mystery here. You'll have it figured out long before the final page but its still lots of fun.
I loved those old 80's shows. I'll tune in again and look for more Noah Braddock, private eye.
I loved those old 80's shows. I'll tune in again and look for more Noah Braddock, private eye.
February 20, 2013
I'm not entirely sure how I found this book but the author hooked me early on and built an enjoyable cast of characters that I'm anxious to learn more about in future books.
The protagonist is a youngish PI who lives a few blocks from the beach (easy hook for me) in San Diego. He's a surfer as you might have guessed from the cover. I'm not, but I enjoyed the surfing bits.
The mystery, built around a lost love from high school kept me interested. Noah's a cool guy and I want to read more.
The protagonist is a youngish PI who lives a few blocks from the beach (easy hook for me) in San Diego. He's a surfer as you might have guessed from the cover. I'm not, but I enjoyed the surfing bits.
The mystery, built around a lost love from high school kept me interested. Noah's a cool guy and I want to read more.
November 29, 2014
A welcome combination of place-based mystery and laid-back brain candy. A lot like reading a hot tub. I liked that the main character's personal life is a mess and he appears grudgingly incapable of fixing it then makes it worse. I love Carter, and there is serious bromance going on. Lots of great place descriptions, good pacing and a half dozen times I laughed out loud.
May 28, 2012
First of the series I have read. The writing, plot , and characters were all adequately done. More a police procedural than a thriller There are are no glaring deficiencies. It was faithful to the genre. It is not particularly dark, and there is little here to offend The writing is not particularly witty. I would recommend this book to those with an interest in stories set in San Diego.
November 18, 2018
Private Investigator Noah Braddock is hired to find his high school girlfriend who is missing. It’s been 10 years since he saw her, but the assignment brings back a lot of memories, both good and bad. He quickly finds her body, but then he is determined to find her killer even though the police have ordered him to stay out of the investigation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2012
After having lived in San Diego and wishing I was still there this book took me back. For that reason it was a fun read for me as I have been to all those places. It was a little far fetched in some places but all in all a good read. I will read the following two books by this author.
June 5, 2012
Loved the book - first time I read this author and will definitely read more from him. The character was likable and you wanted to know more about Noah and Carter. Thought the story line was engaging - couldn't put it down - great entertainment!
December 3, 2016
Easy to read, flows well. Story about a poor boy rejected by a rich girl and her family. When she disappears, they hire him (now a PI) to find her. Story about very dysfunctional family, and how sometimes, we hang on to things that are not real.
September 23, 2008
Read and enjoyed. Trying to track down his other.
December 31, 2009
About a San Diego PI dude....a nice light mystery, with some humorous dialog.
Read
July 30, 2011Excellent PI story.....first book by this author! The characters were rich and the story compelling. A real page turner...excellent writing for a detective novel. Such fun reading!
August 7, 2011
by the title you would think this book may be wierd but I loved it and the sequel to it wicked break and wish another edition to this series would come out
October 25, 2011
Second half was really good.
Read
February 27, 2012fun quick bus-reading thriller
March 30, 2012
Murder, mystery, romance and humor are combined with a fun and fact filled tour of San Diego (along with a little TJ and LA)for a very good read! I'll look for more adventures of P.I Noah Braddock.
April 29, 2012
Complex and intriguing plot...the kind of book that's impossible to put down. Love this series!
June 24, 2012
A fun a quick read...
July 18, 2012
This is the second book I've read written by Jeff Shelby. I love his style of writing. And? I have a crush on Noah. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
Read
August 26, 2012okay nothing great but a good easy read - kept me entertained
November 20, 2012
I like these books, you don't know who did it until the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews