Wesley Daggert, the lead character in Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur by Christian Van Allen, is the luckiest guy. He eludes law enforcement, attracts the prettiest gal, and beats back the biggest bloke in Big Sur.

The opening scene of Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur follows sheriff deputies racing to bust Wesley. Someone had tipped off law enforcement that Wesley was growing marijuana. From this energizing drive down the coast to the end of the book, you’ll find yourself gripping the cover in anticipation of luck running out and time for Wesley to find “a real job.”

Big Sur life is described throughout the novel for those living vicariously. “It’s an interesting thing to talk to people about how they came to have their first house in Big Sur. For some it was because they knew someone, for others it was handed to them on a silver platter the first day they arrived. Some found caretaking gigs, while many others lived in houses provided by their employers.” Wesley locates fantastic properties as residences and takes the reader with him to creeks and canyons along the Big Sur coast.

Wesley’s adventures mellow at times to enjoy the good life of Big Sur, “We couldn’t have been sleeping more than five or six hours a day. There was always something going on—a party on the beach, a midnight dance in a large pullout somewhere along the highway… even the Esalen Baths didn’t open until one AM, and they were always full. I saw the dawn break over the gray coastal surf from that vantage point several times a month.”

Quotes uttered by the book’s cast of characters introduce each chapter, some quotes are humorous, some hint at an upcoming adventure, sometimes there are wise insights, and this one describes the coast road: “From the tops of the ridges where the yellow grass falls off toward the sea, Highway One is just a series of road cuts connected by a thread, often covered by a blanket of white fog.”–Army Jack

Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur is a big bunch of fun and may be purchased as a book or Kindle on Amazon.