Tapping the Source Audiobook By Kem Nunn cover art

Tapping the Source

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Tapping the Source

By: Kem Nunn
Narrated by: Andrew Eiden
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.95

Buy for $17.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

A reissue of the classic novel that inspired the movie Point Break and pioneered a genre.

People go to Huntington Beach in search of the endless parties, the ultimate highs, and the perfect waves. Ike Tucker has come to look for his missing sister and for the three men who may have murdered her. In that place of gilded surfers and sun-bleached blonds, Ike's search takes him on a journey through a twisted world of crazed Vietnam vets, sadistic surfers, drug dealers, and mysterious seducers. He looks into the shadows and finds parties that drift toward pointless violence, joyless vacations, and highs you may never come down from... and a sea of old hatreds and dreams gone bad. And if he's not careful, his is a journey from which he will never return.

©1984 Kem Nunn (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks About Surfing

Massive waves, breathtaking beauty, precious wildlife, extreme athleticism, spiritual allure— these are just a few of the things that draw people from all over the world to the ocean. For some, surfing is about adrenaline and adventure; for others, it can be a way to heal and connect with nature. Surfing audiobooks, both fiction and nonfiction, reflect this variety of perspectives, experiences, and philosophies. Find a list of the best surfing audiobooks, perfect for surfers, diehard surfing fans, ocean lovers, and even avid audiobook listeners looking for an exciting beach listen or an engaging nonfiction title.

Featured Article The Best Audiobooks About Surfing
Wonderfully Written Story • Deep Storyline • Great Narration • Well Thought Plot • Gripping Storytelling
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
This has little to do with Point Break. There’s surfing in both, that’s all. This is a very well told story with great narration, two rarities with audio books. This held my attention from start to finish. I’ll be purchasing Kem’s other books

Great narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Was looking for a book with a good storyline and surfing undertones. Could have done without all the explicit sexual language but otherwise a good book.

Good overall

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a wonderfully written story with several stories within the story. I enjoyed the gritty insights into a generation of surfers, the anatomy of who a surfer really is, the connection with recreational drugs and other exotic pastimes that can attract (or trap) young people in all modern generations and then the way these beautiful, athletic people drift away from that life style. I also enjoyed the insights into disenfranchised young people, how they keep their way or find their way back; good to the bone human beings. And then, the dark evil that finds its way into the lives of naïve young people. Kem Nunn is a talented writer who focuses on the smallest details to enrich his story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Preston: He was deeply flawed, a born loser in many ways, but with a noble, brave heart who would go to the mat to repay a debt.

What does Andrew Eiden bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He had the voice of the protagonist.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I loved the descriptions of the act of surfing. Nunn uses verbal description much the way a good photographer uses the camera lens.

Gripping story telling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Apparently this book was the inspiration for the movie Point Break, which we ALL thought was a bad-a** flick, little did we know it was a super cheap Hollywood-ized version of a truly great story. I can just see them now, "Uhh, lets make the kid an FBI agent!" and "Yeah, and we could make the antagonist surfers into bank robbers! and, and we could name the leader 'Bodi Satva' to play the spiritual angle!" "Oh that's perfect Tom and we can turn the main characters father figure from a cool ex-surfer/biker dude into an old fat Fed and we can get Gary Busy to play him!" SMH...Jeezus... It's sad what Hollywood does to great literature. So many films that should be made never will bcuz of studio exec's that don't have a clue as to what people truly need. So many great authors option their work to the film industry are clueless as well, ignorant to how their books will be butchered into meaningless drivel and brain wasted crap... but I digress, Tapping the Source is an excellent read. If you are into surfing or motorcycles or NOT, you'll love this book for it's beautiful writing and deep storyline. The characters are well fleshed out and very relatable. The plot is well thought out and rises to a great conclusion. Kem Nunn did his thing on this one. I haven't read any of his work before this but now I will definitely try another of his right away. This book is certainly worth the cash OR credit!

Point Break should have been this...smh

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you are familiar with the film Point Break then you will know what kind of scene the book is set in. It may not be a literary masterpiece but the characters are colorful and well developed. The narrator is great making this an easy listen for your daily commute.

The original "Point Break"

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
if Thomas harris wrote surfing novels. great story, great feeling. good even if you're not into surfing

best surfing novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Truly enjoyed this book. It’s not about surfing as much as a mystery story. Definitely recommend.

Surf Rat story of old HB.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is amazing in its writing. Like it could be studied in a literature class for its symbolism, its themes, its set & setting juxtaposed into the sunny SoCal setting. Terrifically dark and brutal with just enough lightness and air to let you hope and breathe in between. What a story.

The finest in Surf Noir

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I can see why they changed the story a bit when they made the movie adaption Point Break. Tapping the source has a few strange themes as well as a few twists and turns that seem to come out of nowhere.
That being said, this book is awesome! The setting (huntington beach) is so well laid out that you almost feel the sunshine tanning your skin and smell the salty air blowing in off the ocean while you listen. The characters, all lost souls in some way, are so strong and interesting that you can't help but like them even if they're the bad guys. Great Book!! Can't say enough about it!

FANTASTIC!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sentence to sentence, so beautifully written. I’m excited to return to this book again and check out more of Nunn’s work. Dont read the summary just dive in.

Surf noir and so much more. Excellent character work and atmosphere.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews