Later Days

USA Today Bestseller and winner of the 2025 American Writing Awards Prize for General Fiction! In an evocative follow-up to his Los Angeles Times bestselling Arroyo, Chip Jacobs returns with a gripping tale of brotherhood, recklessness, and footloose souls in the anything goes of late-seventies Southern California. As their elite, all-boys prep school turns coed, transforming from suburban Lord of the Flies to gender-roiled soap opera, two unlikely friends—Luke Burnett and Denny Drummond—alternate rescuing each other from self-destruction amid troubled home lives. Eager to maximize their era as invincible seniors at Stone Canyon Prep, they and their pals commandeer Bob's Big Boy, explore the secret world beneath Caltech, stumble into a possibly supernatural lab animal, and grapple with near-ODs at a playoff game. Just as our heroes manage to graduate, their bond is shattered by a wild gunshot that'll haunt them for decades. Twenty years later, Luke is a high-powered journalist with a nosediving career, while Denny, a visionary software engineer with plenty of explaining to do, is socked with devastating news. Desperate to make amends for that misbegotten bullet while he can, Denny enlists his estranged friend's help, culminating in an unforgettable meeting with Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross that helps them decode what existence means while reconnecting with what matters most. Later Days is a powerful exploration of the ties that bind and break us. Perfect for readers drawn to rollercoaster friendships, forgiveness, and the raw beauty of life skimming its edges to Near-Death Experience. With insight into Pasadena's buried histories and the psychological baggage of growing up in the shadows of "Great Men" fathers, Jacobs' second novel is as emotionally resonant as it is intellectually sharp.