Review
WL Rating
This is another gem from Kem Nunn that manages to skillfully blend a story from seemingly unrelated elements: Surf-culture, white trash, drug dealing and decadent wealth. The lead character, Ike Tucker, is an inland empire loser with a gift for repairing motorcycles. After getting word that his sister has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, our hero goes to a late 1970’s Huntington Beach to follow a lead. Tucker manages to befriend a biker who, in classic Nunn style, is also a tormented yet epic surfer. I’m still not sure how Nunn manages to consistently pull this character off in his books without them feeling cliche, but somehow he does (you may disagree, but too bad). The narrative steadily draws Tucker and the reader through the seedy underbelly of HB, finally climaxing at a decadent ceremony held at a thinly veiled version of the Ranch. Tapping the Source apparently became the inspiration for the horrific move, Point Break. But, unlike that campy piece of garbage, Tapping the Source eloquently riffs on the surfing’s darker side. This one is an easy read on the beach. (August 2008)
Tapping the Source - Kem Nunn
