Tie die A Colleen Hayes mystery

Colleen Hayes has come up in the world since her first case (Vanishing in the Haight, 2019). It's the late 1970s now, and Colleen has her own apartment in San Francisco, but she is still an unlicensed investigator on parole after killing her abusive husband. When Steve Cook, a 1960s British rock star who lost his career when he was arrested and fired by his record company, asks her to find his missing daughter, she can't refuse. Her own daughter has vanished into a cult, so she understands. She was also a big fan of Steve's back in the day. Her investigation quickly leads her to believe that something is very wrong. Was Steve's daughter really kidnapped? His nasty ex-wife and her father, a greedy record producer, are somehow involved. The hunt takes Colleen into the corruption-filled pop-music world, and it leads her back to London, where Steve's downfall began in the 1970s. Tomlinson's evocation of San Francisco at that time is spot on, and Colleen is an appealing kick-ass detective.

Tomlinson's excellent sequel to 2019's Vanishing in the Haight deepens the character of his multilayered lead, Colleen Hayes, an unlicensed PI and ex-con who's still on parole. In 1966, musician Steve Cook was rubbing shoulders with the likes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, and his band, the Chords, was set to take America by storm. That bright future didn't happen. Now it's 1978, and Steve is living in San Francisco, playing occasionally at a local club. His ex-wife is a rapacious harridan, and his 11-year-old daughter, Melanie, is best described as "In a word difficult. In two words: extremely difficult." When Melanie is kidnapped, Steve hires Colleen. Soon enough, Colleen realizes that the kidnapping is not as straightforward as it at first appears, and murder is also on the agenda. Her investigation takes her through an authentically rendered San Francisco, as well as on a quick trip to London. Having served time in prison for killing her abusive husband, she has a wary toughness that rings true. Readers will want to learn more about this surprising and pragmatic woman. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Aug.)