«Gloria's Gone» by Frank Warren

Steve Lund’s life is comprised of days spent surfing and nights on his 1950 Matchless G80 motorcycle, running his NQA (No Questions Asked) Messenger Service. He’s not interested in “working for the man” and not that keen on anything too strenuous, certainly not engaging in a search for a missing girl who’s left her nest and might be found anywhere along Southern California’s stretch of endless beaches.


In this rollicking jaunt through mid 1950s So Cal surf culture, Steve becomes an amateur sleuth, hunting for the missing Gloria Hess. He loads up his surf wagon, a trusty but rusty 1940s Ford panel truck, and hits the beaches north and south, from Santa Barbara’s El Capitan to San Diego’s Windansea. With a stash of Acapulco Gold to help spur memories of the missing teen, and the enticement of reward money from the girl’s worried father, Steve combs the coast and hits the waves in search of Gloria, her custom Velzy surfboard, and her ‘48 Chevy station wagon. He finds indifference and hostility from local cops, animosity from local surfers protecting their breaks, and gregarious, sometimes overly friendly females. With an eye for detail gained from his personal experience in the milieu, author Frank Warren immerses the reader in the local surfing culture that would soon influence the world.