On the Grapevine with Craig Robertson and Alexandra Sokoloff

Submitted: 3rd June 2026

On the Grapevine with Craig R and Alexandra S

Oh you are in for a TREAT today! Later this month, King of Scottish Crime Craig Robertson and his wife (Queen!) Alexandra Sokoloff release their book, jointly written, the one they said they would never write…..well they HAD to write it. And thank the Crime Gods they did.

Map of locations in The Grapevine

I collared Craig for a chat…

Craig Robertson

Map of locations in The Grapevine

I had an idea for a new book. It was a road-trip thriller; an adrenaline-filled tour of my second home of California and had a kick-ass middle-aged female protagonist that I was confident would appeal to readers. There was just one problem – I knew that to make it the best book it could be, I was going to have to do something I’d said I would never do. More importantly, something that WE said we’d never do.

Alexandra Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

It was even in our wedding vows. “We will never, ever, ever write a book together. Till death do us part.”

(BookTrail – haha brilliant!)

But my wife, Alexandra Sokoloff, knows California SO much better than I do. Like a native, you might say. And although I’d no fears of writing another female protagonist, I knew she’d give me more insight than I’d reach on my own. So, I pitched it to her. (BookTrail – Thank you Alexandra!! haha)

Map of locations in The Grapevine

A 50-something mom’s daughter had been missing for a year. The police have effectively given up looking for her, so Lou Gomersall takes the family RV on the road to find Abby herself. Or kill the man who took her.

The Grapevine Craig Robertson and Alexandra Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

Lou has her own theory. Having researched all the missing young women in California, she has identified four others who fit the same pattern as Abby. No one believes her; not her husband, not the police. Lou believes enough for all of them.

Map of locations in The Grapevine

The book takes us all over the state, through desert and mountains, into the woods, and to the ocean’s edge. California is larger than Germany. It is vast, wondrous, geographically diverse and challenging. Part of the fun of the book is showing all this off.

Lou’s new lifestyle is nomadic. The RV – named Lady Luck – gives her the freedom of California’s highways and its back roads. She’ll go wherever the leads take her, and she’s going to stop at nothing in her quest to find Abby.

Map of locations in The Grapevine

When another young woman disappears – a college sophomore like Abby, Lou jumps on the fresh trail, enlisting the help of millennial #vanlifers, Gen Z entrepreneurs, boomer RVers, homeless sages, truck stop prostitutes and everyone in between.

So where does the trail and Lady Luck take her? Without giving too much away and in no particular order…

Map of locations in The Grapevine

Berkeley (c) Robertson and Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

Berkeley: On the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, it was a hotbed of free speech and revolution in the 60s. It’s home to the University of California and remains a progressive haven.

Salinas: Birthplace of John Steinbeck and the most populous city in Monterey County, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a lovely place – we just happen to concentrate on some of its less salubrious parts.

Badwater Basin (c) Robertson and Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

Badwater Basin: One of the most incredible places on earth. This site in Death Valley is the lowest place in North America with a depth of 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. Its wondrous hexagonal salt crust is otherworldly.

Higuera Street (c) Robertson and Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

San Luis Obispo: On the central coast, SLO is home to an 18th century Spanish mission; to Bubblegum Alley; the bars and restaurants of Higuera Street; and the downtown Farmer’s Market. It’s where the search for Monica Serrano is centred.

Bakersfield: In the San Joaquin Valley, north of Los Angeles, it’s a heavy-hitting powerhouse for oil and agriculture, home to the Bakersfield Sound and known as the Oil Capital of California.

The Missing Board (c) Robertson and Sokoloff

Map of locations in The Grapevine

There are also side trips and diversions, stopovers and drive-throughs to odd little places that I’m wary of mentioning in case they lead to spoilers. It’s a Californian’s guide to California with an outsider’s perspective thrown in. If you think it’s all Santa Monica, San Francisco or Disneyland, think again. To paraphrase the Beach Boys, we get around.

So – thank you to the duo who ‘ get around’ and who put a non writing clause in their wedding vows! haha brilliant!