California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker

In 1968, the Becker brothers — a cop, a preacher, and a reporter — stumble upon the body of a young woman floating in an abandoned orange-packing plant in Orange County, California. The victim is Janelle Vonn, the beautiful and troubled girl they all once knew. Her murder shatters their lives, binding them in a decades-long quest for truth. As the years unfold, each brother confronts the corruption, violence, and moral decay beneath California’s golden surface, exposing how innocence and idealism are lost in the relentless tide of change. California Girl is a haunting, masterfully written noir that captures the dark heart of the American dream.