Fiction
Lee Goldberg: Lost Hills.This 2020 New York Times bestselling police procedural revolves around a brutal murder in the author’s Calabasas neighborhood.
Gary Johnson: Zipper. This 2016 thriller is set almost entirely in Topanga.
Kate Milliken: Kept Animals. Milliken lives in Northern California, but her dark and evocative novel about a devastating car wreck and how it impacts the lives of three teenage girls, is set in Topanga in 1993.
Diana Mathur: The Linden Tree & the Legionnaire: A Latvian Tale of Blood and Treasure. This book, by Topanga New Times contributor Diana Mathur is an omnibus containing the first four stories in her series of historical novels set in Latvia during WW II.
Non Fiction
Linda Ballou: Lost Angel in Paradise: Great Outdoor Days from Los Angeles to the Lost Coast of California. In her most recent book, Topanga resident and travel writer Linda Ballou reveals her favorite California destinations.
Pablo Capra: Topanga Beach: A History. Poet and local historian Pablo Capra reveals the colorful, remarkable history of Topanga Beach, from the cowboy era to the roaring 20s.
Suzanne Guldimann: Life in Malibu. Topanga New Times writer Suzanne Guldimann is a lifelong Malibu resident. In this book of essays and photography she shares the history and natural history of the historic Topanga Sequit Malibu Rancho.
Robert Kerbeck: Malibu Burning: The Real Story Behind L.A.’s Most Devastating Wildfire. This 2019 book is a compelling and in depth look at the Woolsey Fire, including extensive interviews.
Children’s Books
Sue Ganz-Schmitt: 100 Days in Orbit and Planet Kindergarten. Topanga resident Ganz-Schmitt’s delightful picture books teach life lessons and a little science using a fun and inventive space theme.
Ann Stalcup: America’s Secret Weapon: Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. In this 2018 book for young readers, Stalcup creates a fictionalized account of the real life Navajo Code Talkers, who used their language to create a code the Germans couldn’t break during WW II. Available on Amazon.com
Poetry
Jane Marla Robbins: Dogs in Topanga 2000-2018. Poetic portraits—funny, sad, insightful—of dogs the poet has known. www.janemarlarobbins.com
