To die in California - Newton Thornburg

Informed by the police that Chris, his son has committed suicide, David Hook, an Illinois farmer, knows that this cannot be true. He knows that something else must have happened in California to cause the death of Chris, who loved life too much to take his own. He also knows that he must go West to find out what did happen. In California he discovers corruption, immorality and pain that shocks him to the very core of his being but he also discovers exhilaration and
pleasure that changes him forever. First published in 1973, To Die in California was the first novel to reveal what lies behind West Coast bright lights and glitz.