Vanishing in the Haight

San Francisco native Tomlinson debuts an exciting new series set in his home town and starring a most unusual PI: parolee Colleen Hayes, who spent nine years in a Colorado prison for killing her abusive ex-husband. It's 1978 now, and Colleen is making a living as an unlicensed investigator while fending off a parole officer who sexually harasses her. When a wealthy industrialist who is dying of cancer offers to pay Colleen very well for solving the murder of his daughter, who was killed during the 1967 Summer of Love, she takes the case. Her research takes her from the public library to police headquarters as she quickly learns that someone with lots of clout wants the case to remain unsolved. Her persistence may make her the killer's next victim. With a strong, intelligent female sleuth; a colorful location; a tantalizing puzzle; and an abundance of San Francisco lore, this will please a wide variety of mystery readers.--Barbara Bibel Copyright 2019 Booklist

Set in 1978 San Francisco, this enjoyable series launch from Tomlinson (the Agency series) introduces Colleen Hayes, whose resourcefulness and strength have been forged by her turbulent past. After serving 10 years in prison for killing her abusive husband, Colleen works as a security guard at an abandoned warehouse. Then a retired policeman she knows connects her with wealthy Edward Copeland, who's on the verge of death. Copeland hires her to find out who raped and murdered his 18-year-old daughter, Margaret, in 1967. Jim Davis, an informant, gives her a lead, but she's soon stonewalled by the police and mired down in red tape. Colleen continues to push even after Davis is murdered, and she realizes that the corruption that buried the case originally could very well lead to her own death. Intelligent and observant, Colleen has a healthy dose of ex-con cynicism as well as a sense of justice and a way of seeing through social conventions that echoes Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer. Detective fiction fans will willingly follow her into her next adventure. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Life isn't easy for Colleen Hayes in 1978 San Francisco. She's an ex-con who hopes her daughter will want her back in her life. She needs to keep her sketchy security job so her parole won't be revoked. And when a dying rich man hires her to find who murdered his daughter 11 years ago, Colleen will find her own life in danger.When Colleen learned that her husband had been abusing their 8-year-old daughter, Pamela, Colleen killed him. She served 9 years in prison, and when she got out in 1977, she came to San Francisco to search for Pamela. Instead, she ended up helping a cop find the killer of Pamela's friend. Now, a year later, it's that tenacity that wealthy Edward Copeland values. His teenage daughter, Margaret, was murdered in 1967, her killer never found. Copeland, along with his surviving daughter, Alex, wants Colleen to find any answers while he's still alive. Colleen's questions, though, lead to another murder and put her own life in danger. Tomlinson (The Darknet File, 2019, etc.) deftly makes us not only understand Colleen, but root for her. He also does an excellent job of capturing the times of 40 years agoColleen can barely afford cigarettes at 40 cents a pack and spends hours making phone calls on a pay phone and digging for records; current readers will have to remind themselves not to think "Why doesn't she just Google that?"Even with an ending some might find abrupt, Tomlinson's confidence in his characters will have readers ready for his follow-up. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.