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Colleen Hayes #1
Vanishing in the Haight
Between fending off a lecherous parole officer and trying to get by in 1978 San Francisco, private investigator Colleen Hayes struggles to put her life back together so she can reconnect with her runaway teenage daughter. Then her life changes dramatically. She accepts a case from wealthy, retired industrialist Edward Copeland. The old man is desperate to solve the brutal murder of his daughter, a murder that took place in Golden Gate Park eleven years earlier—during the Summer of Love. The case has since gone cold, her murderer never found. Now, in his final days, Copeland hires Colleen to find his daughter’s killer in hopes he might die in peace.
Colleen understands what it means to take a life—she spent a decade in prison for killing her ex. Battling her own demons, she immerses herself in San Francisco’s underbelly, where police corruption is rampant. Her investigation turns deadly as she pries for information, yet there is little to go on. However, a song on the radio makes her wonder—did the murdered girl leave any clues that others may have missed?
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2019
307 people are currently reading
3044 people want to read
About the author
Max Tomlinson
13 books196 followersBorn in the wilds of San Francisco, with its rich literary history and public transport system teeming with potential characters suitable for crime novels, it was inevitable that Max Tomlinson would become a writer.
He is also kindred spirits with a dog named Floyd, a shelter-mix who stops and stares at headlights as they pass by at night. There's a story there, too. If only Floyd could talk. Then again, maybe not.
His work to date includes SENDERO (listed as one of the top 100 Indie novels of 2012 by Kirkus), WHO SINGS TO THE DEAD, LETHAL DISPATCH, THE CAIN FILE (selected by Amazon’s Kindle Scout program) and the follow-up – THE DARKNET FILE. A new three-book mystery series set in 1970s San Francisco debuted in 2019 with Oceanview Publishing. The first book, VANISHING IN THE HAIGHT, features ex-con Colleen Hayes, on the hunt for her long-lost daughter. TIE DIE, book #2, releases August 2020.
Max also writes under the pen name “Max Radin” when he’s not being purely mysterious or suspenseful. Check out ROCK 'N' ROLL VAMPIRE for his comedy debut.
He is also kindred spirits with a dog named Floyd, a shelter-mix who stops and stares at headlights as they pass by at night. There's a story there, too. If only Floyd could talk. Then again, maybe not.
His work to date includes SENDERO (listed as one of the top 100 Indie novels of 2012 by Kirkus), WHO SINGS TO THE DEAD, LETHAL DISPATCH, THE CAIN FILE (selected by Amazon’s Kindle Scout program) and the follow-up – THE DARKNET FILE. A new three-book mystery series set in 1970s San Francisco debuted in 2019 with Oceanview Publishing. The first book, VANISHING IN THE HAIGHT, features ex-con Colleen Hayes, on the hunt for her long-lost daughter. TIE DIE, book #2, releases August 2020.
Max also writes under the pen name “Max Radin” when he’s not being purely mysterious or suspenseful. Check out ROCK 'N' ROLL VAMPIRE for his comedy debut.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 142 reviews
June 7, 2023
The year is 1978 and Vanishing in the Haight features Colleen Hayes, an ex con who spent ten years in prison for killing her husband when she caught him sexually abusing their eight year old daughter. Now Colleen's out and working as a warehouse security guard, totally estranged from her nineteen year old daughter, who's joined a cult. Colleen has nothing to her name and needs more money to just survive. She's thrown an extra job by a retired detective who she helped the year before so now she's working on honing her investigative skills.
In 1967, an eighteen year old runaway was brutally murdered and the case was shoddily investigated by law enforcement, who attributed the murder to the work of the Zodiac Killer and then closed the case, despite the murder showing no signs of being the work of the Zodiac Killer. Now, in 1978, the dead girl's father is on his deathbed and wants to have closure concerning his daughter's death, so Colleen has been hired to find out who killed her. It doesn't take long until Colleen finds out that the San Francisco Police Department is hiding almost all information about this case and more than one person is willing to kill to keep the case closed.
This is old timey San Francisco de noir, with mists, drizzle, rain, the music of the time, shoddy bars, crooked cops mixed in with the men of blue who really want to serve. Colleen is as hard as nails, from living in a loveless marriage and then ten years in prison. She's barely scraping by but this new life outside the pen is so much better than life in the pen and she doesn't want to go back there.
Colleen is rubbing shoulders with the rich family of the murdered girl but also down in the pits of the scum of the city, taking big risks with her life and her freedom to try to bring a murderer or two to justice. This woman is one strong protagonist with nothing to lose and she's on a mission! I enjoyed this book so much that I'll be reading the next book featuring Colleen, very soon.
Pub: September 1, 2020
Thank you to Oceanview Publishing/Independent Publishers Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
In 1967, an eighteen year old runaway was brutally murdered and the case was shoddily investigated by law enforcement, who attributed the murder to the work of the Zodiac Killer and then closed the case, despite the murder showing no signs of being the work of the Zodiac Killer. Now, in 1978, the dead girl's father is on his deathbed and wants to have closure concerning his daughter's death, so Colleen has been hired to find out who killed her. It doesn't take long until Colleen finds out that the San Francisco Police Department is hiding almost all information about this case and more than one person is willing to kill to keep the case closed.
This is old timey San Francisco de noir, with mists, drizzle, rain, the music of the time, shoddy bars, crooked cops mixed in with the men of blue who really want to serve. Colleen is as hard as nails, from living in a loveless marriage and then ten years in prison. She's barely scraping by but this new life outside the pen is so much better than life in the pen and she doesn't want to go back there.
Colleen is rubbing shoulders with the rich family of the murdered girl but also down in the pits of the scum of the city, taking big risks with her life and her freedom to try to bring a murderer or two to justice. This woman is one strong protagonist with nothing to lose and she's on a mission! I enjoyed this book so much that I'll be reading the next book featuring Colleen, very soon.
Pub: September 1, 2020
Thank you to Oceanview Publishing/Independent Publishers Group and Edelweiss for this ARC.
March 26, 2021
Nice to meet you, Colleen!
My friend Michael David has been trying to introduce us for awhile-sorry it took so long to connect!
Colleen Hayes is out on parole, after serving time for killing her husband, with a screwdriver to the neck. But, don’t worry-the bastard deserved it-he was molesting their eight year old daughter, Pamela.
She is now trying to make ends meet as a PI. 🕵️♀️
(Hey-it’s fiction! 🤣)
She has enough money saved up to survive for the rest of her life...as long as she only lives till Friday-Friday morning that is.
So, when a lawyer for the wealthy Copeland family, offers to hire her for FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS (a fortune back in 1978, when this story takes place) with a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS if the killer is found-she cannot afford to say NO!
She is being paid to investigate a cold case, the murder of then 18 year old daughter, Margaret- killed in 1967 during the Summer of Love.
Margaret had been labeled another Victim of the Zodiac killer, despite the fact that the manner in which she had been killed, did not match that of the famous serial killer at all.
And, when Colleen begins investigating, she discovers SEVERAL things that have been covered up.
It was fun to step back in time and follow the clues with Colleen, a woman who will probably always have just enough money to survive till Friday, because she cares more about justice than where she has to sleep that night.
But as long as she has a roll of dimes for those parking meters, and pay phones, Colleen will survive!
I look forward to seeing what she is up to next, in the next TWO books in the series, Tie Die, which just came out in June 2020, and Bad Scene, which will release Aug. 3, 2021.
3.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up!
Get caught up, now!
My friend Michael David has been trying to introduce us for awhile-sorry it took so long to connect!
Colleen Hayes is out on parole, after serving time for killing her husband, with a screwdriver to the neck. But, don’t worry-the bastard deserved it-he was molesting their eight year old daughter, Pamela.
She is now trying to make ends meet as a PI. 🕵️♀️
(Hey-it’s fiction! 🤣)
She has enough money saved up to survive for the rest of her life...as long as she only lives till Friday-Friday morning that is.
So, when a lawyer for the wealthy Copeland family, offers to hire her for FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS (a fortune back in 1978, when this story takes place) with a FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS if the killer is found-she cannot afford to say NO!
She is being paid to investigate a cold case, the murder of then 18 year old daughter, Margaret- killed in 1967 during the Summer of Love.
Margaret had been labeled another Victim of the Zodiac killer, despite the fact that the manner in which she had been killed, did not match that of the famous serial killer at all.
And, when Colleen begins investigating, she discovers SEVERAL things that have been covered up.
It was fun to step back in time and follow the clues with Colleen, a woman who will probably always have just enough money to survive till Friday, because she cares more about justice than where she has to sleep that night.
But as long as she has a roll of dimes for those parking meters, and pay phones, Colleen will survive!
I look forward to seeing what she is up to next, in the next TWO books in the series, Tie Die, which just came out in June 2020, and Bad Scene, which will release Aug. 3, 2021.
3.5 ⭐️ Rounded Up!
Get caught up, now!
September 1, 2020
So I feel like there’s been quite a few books that I declared were on my top 10 list of the year! Please welcome entry #25. 😂 In all seriousness, this is definitely one of my favorite mysteries of the year!
San Francisco - 1967. During the Summer of Love, Margaret Copeland is 18, and living in the Haight-Ashbury area. Her body has been found in Golden Gate Park. She was drugged with chloroform, beaten, raped, and found with a dry-cleaning bag wrapped tightly around her head. Her murderer, thought to be the Zodiac killer at one point, was never found.
San Francisco - 1978. Colleen Hayes has been out of prison for a year...after serving 10 years for killing her husband, who raped their daughter. Colleen is trying to make a go of a career as a PI. When the wealthy Copeland family makes contact with her, they are desperate to find out who killed Margaret and find closure. Colleen takes the case, but soon realizes that there might be deadly consequences in a case involving police corruption...and a killer who has never been caught.
I was hooked from page 1. This tense novel has everything going for it, thanks to author Max Tomlinson’s excellent writing. I wasn’t yet born in 1978, and have never been to California, but the atmospheric writing made me feel like I was in this gritty area and moment in time. The story is extremely intriguing...building suspense as Colleen slowly uncovers clue after clue that hasn’t been found before.
Speaking of Colleen, she is a TOTAL BADASS! She’s tough, smart, and puts people in their places (including men...And in 1978, that wouldn’t have been easy for a woman. As much as things may have improved over the decades, this issue of sexism is still prevalent today). She also has some killer one-liners (I appreciated the chuckles), and has a heart. She’s doing the PI gig while trying to reconnect with her daughter...who is living in a commune and wants nothing to do with her.
What I love most about the 1970’s setting is the good, old-fashioned detective work. Colleen has to exchange a dollar bill for dimes so she can use phone booths to make calls. She has hurdles to cross to get copies of various records. She has to physically talk to people in person to track down information. This all equates to a thrilling mystery and conclusion that will make you want more...
...And more there is. I’m pushing my ARCs back and starting the next Colleen Hayes mystery immediately. I highly recommend!
Thank you to my GR friend, Marilyn, for putting this on my radar with her fantastic review!
San Francisco - 1967. During the Summer of Love, Margaret Copeland is 18, and living in the Haight-Ashbury area. Her body has been found in Golden Gate Park. She was drugged with chloroform, beaten, raped, and found with a dry-cleaning bag wrapped tightly around her head. Her murderer, thought to be the Zodiac killer at one point, was never found.
San Francisco - 1978. Colleen Hayes has been out of prison for a year...after serving 10 years for killing her husband, who raped their daughter. Colleen is trying to make a go of a career as a PI. When the wealthy Copeland family makes contact with her, they are desperate to find out who killed Margaret and find closure. Colleen takes the case, but soon realizes that there might be deadly consequences in a case involving police corruption...and a killer who has never been caught.
I was hooked from page 1. This tense novel has everything going for it, thanks to author Max Tomlinson’s excellent writing. I wasn’t yet born in 1978, and have never been to California, but the atmospheric writing made me feel like I was in this gritty area and moment in time. The story is extremely intriguing...building suspense as Colleen slowly uncovers clue after clue that hasn’t been found before.
Speaking of Colleen, she is a TOTAL BADASS! She’s tough, smart, and puts people in their places (including men...And in 1978, that wouldn’t have been easy for a woman. As much as things may have improved over the decades, this issue of sexism is still prevalent today). She also has some killer one-liners (I appreciated the chuckles), and has a heart. She’s doing the PI gig while trying to reconnect with her daughter...who is living in a commune and wants nothing to do with her.
What I love most about the 1970’s setting is the good, old-fashioned detective work. Colleen has to exchange a dollar bill for dimes so she can use phone booths to make calls. She has hurdles to cross to get copies of various records. She has to physically talk to people in person to track down information. This all equates to a thrilling mystery and conclusion that will make you want more...
...And more there is. I’m pushing my ARCs back and starting the next Colleen Hayes mystery immediately. I highly recommend!
Thank you to my GR friend, Marilyn, for putting this on my radar with her fantastic review!
March 3, 2021
After seeing several goodreads friends reviews, I decided to give this series a try!
Colleen is such an intriguing character. She is out for a bit of revenge and she has good reason for it. She is determined and on the hunt for a killer from a cold case that the police have NO interest in. The tension rises as she uncovers clue after clue. I was rooting for her all the way. Looking forward to what direction she takes now...
Thanks GR friends for your intriguing reviews!
February 21, 2021
3.5 She had a very good reason for killing her ex, but the jury didn't think so and Colleen spent ten long years in prison. Now on parole, she is working security for an empty warehouse when she receives an offer from a wealthy, but dying man. Find the killer of his daughter who was murdered in the Haight during the summer of love. Her case had been buried, loosely attributed to the Zodiac killer. It is now 1978 and the case is cold, but the money on offer is to much to be dismissed. Plus, Connie has unfinished personal business of her own.
The atmosphere of the 1970s is on target. Gas is 65 cents, cigarettes 45 and pay phones are sought out. prodigiously used. Old fashioned police work, seeking clues hunting down and talking to those witnesses willing to talk. Dangerous work, because while she wants to uncover their are others who want this case to stay hidden.
Wasn't actually looking for a new series, but I was intrigued by the title and the time period. I'll read the next because Connie is a feisty female character and I want to see how she fares in her personal endeavor.
ARC from Edelweiss.
The atmosphere of the 1970s is on target. Gas is 65 cents, cigarettes 45 and pay phones are sought out. prodigiously used. Old fashioned police work, seeking clues hunting down and talking to those witnesses willing to talk. Dangerous work, because while she wants to uncover their are others who want this case to stay hidden.
Wasn't actually looking for a new series, but I was intrigued by the title and the time period. I'll read the next because Connie is a feisty female character and I want to see how she fares in her personal endeavor.
ARC from Edelweiss.
November 1, 2020
The story starts with the murder of a young woman in the “Summer of Love,” 1967 San Francisco; hence the title Vanishing in the Haight. The scene drew me in so intensely that I swear I could hear The Mamas and the Papas singing in the background.
The second chapter picks up in 1978 San Franciso with the struggles of PI Colleen Hayes trying to make a go of life post-prison life. I laughed out loud at the “club” used to lock her steering wheel when she exited her car. Unfortunately, I’m old enough to remember such cumbersome gadgets. Living in our ultra-technical world today, we tend to forget the simplicities of life just forty years ago. Besides the exciting plot, these things were a central point of interest in what made this book fascinating. From keeping dimes for the payphone because there were no cell phones, to the much desired 8-Track in-car stereos, to the super hot Torino car with the big-block V8 that burned gas at sixty-two cents a gallon, life was simpler in many ways.
Colleen is hired by the wealthy Edward Copeland to solve the unsolved murder of his daughter Marilyn in 1978. Not an easy task without 2000’s modern technology, a trail gone cold, and the San Francisco police seemingly thwarting her every move. However, Colleen is one smart lady, and she deftly maneuvers all obstacles to solve the case.
It was a fascinating story that swept me back to another time, and I enjoyed it very much. I gave it four stars and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
The second chapter picks up in 1978 San Franciso with the struggles of PI Colleen Hayes trying to make a go of life post-prison life. I laughed out loud at the “club” used to lock her steering wheel when she exited her car. Unfortunately, I’m old enough to remember such cumbersome gadgets. Living in our ultra-technical world today, we tend to forget the simplicities of life just forty years ago. Besides the exciting plot, these things were a central point of interest in what made this book fascinating. From keeping dimes for the payphone because there were no cell phones, to the much desired 8-Track in-car stereos, to the super hot Torino car with the big-block V8 that burned gas at sixty-two cents a gallon, life was simpler in many ways.
Colleen is hired by the wealthy Edward Copeland to solve the unsolved murder of his daughter Marilyn in 1978. Not an easy task without 2000’s modern technology, a trail gone cold, and the San Francisco police seemingly thwarting her every move. However, Colleen is one smart lady, and she deftly maneuvers all obstacles to solve the case.
It was a fascinating story that swept me back to another time, and I enjoyed it very much. I gave it four stars and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
January 20, 2020
I would put this at closer to a 3.5 out of 5. It was a good book with a compelling enough plot. I did tire of the endless rain and endless cigarette smoke. Maybe a bit more editing would have improved my rating. The book was well written, it just felt as if a few of the descriptions were repeats from previous sections. Also, the timeline felt off, like there was too much activity compressed into too few days. In any case, it's a good book, but not a great one.
October 26, 2022
Vanishing in the Haight, the first book in the now five-novel strong Colleen Hayes private eye series, is set in San Francisco in the late Seventies, though published in 2019, and focused on a murder in 1967's free love Haight Ashbury. Tomlinson does a great job of capturing the feel of late 1970's San Francisco, not quite done with the Sixties and not yet ready for the dot.com era of the 2000's.
The other interesting thing about this series is that Hayes is not your average every day private eye. For one thing, she is an ex-con, having served ten years for fatally stabbing her husband with a screwdriver after finding out he molested their eight-year-old daughter, who now does not talk to Hayes and is emeshed in a Marin County cult. Hayes is on parole and has to watch her step and does not exactly have a private investigator's license. Also, she lives quite primatively in an abandoned paint factory where she plays security guard at night.
In any case, Hayes is offered a chance to look into an eleven-year-old unsolved murder case because the victim's daughter is dying and wants resolution. Somehow this intrepid private eye thinks she can find answers that no one bothered to eleven years ago. And, lo and behold, the first hint that something's amiss is that the records are impossible to retrieve from the authorities and the second is no one is willing to talk to her. Something is definitely not right in the City by the Bay. Someone is still hiding something after all these years.
Vanishing in the Haight is a terrific standalone novel that captivates the reader from page one right to the end. Everything about the story feels authentic. Every note played is on key.
The other interesting thing about this series is that Hayes is not your average every day private eye. For one thing, she is an ex-con, having served ten years for fatally stabbing her husband with a screwdriver after finding out he molested their eight-year-old daughter, who now does not talk to Hayes and is emeshed in a Marin County cult. Hayes is on parole and has to watch her step and does not exactly have a private investigator's license. Also, she lives quite primatively in an abandoned paint factory where she plays security guard at night.
In any case, Hayes is offered a chance to look into an eleven-year-old unsolved murder case because the victim's daughter is dying and wants resolution. Somehow this intrepid private eye thinks she can find answers that no one bothered to eleven years ago. And, lo and behold, the first hint that something's amiss is that the records are impossible to retrieve from the authorities and the second is no one is willing to talk to her. Something is definitely not right in the City by the Bay. Someone is still hiding something after all these years.
Vanishing in the Haight is a terrific standalone novel that captivates the reader from page one right to the end. Everything about the story feels authentic. Every note played is on key.
April 17, 2022
An absolute favorite. I love Tomlinson's writing!
November 11, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed Vanishing in the Haight. The cold case of the death of Margaret Copeland during the Summer of Love was an interesting mystery. Colleen Hayes, who was just released from prison for killing her ex-husband after she learned he was molesting their 8 year old daughter, is hired to solve the crime. Hayes is a complicated character who is easy to root for as she works to make a fresh start of her life. The setting of late 1970s San Francisco was well done and the story was well told. I look forward to the next book in this new series. Thank you to Goodreads for the giveaway copy.
October 17, 2020
VANISHING IN THE HAIGHT is a nearly seamless blend of police procedural and loner noir, a sleek but never slick crossover between subgenres that, as a bonus, serves as a tour guide to San Francisco in 1967 and 1978. And if you think there's not much difference, consider that that's the exact shift of time that Jefferson Airplane and "White Rabbit" needed to turn into Jefferson Starship and "Jane."
This debut series novel introduces Colleen Hayes, a recent parolee who served ten years for the murder of her husband after she learned that he had molested their daughter. A year after her release, in search of her daughter, he helped the police solve a murder. That bought her enough goodwill to launch a security business that she hopes to parlay into a private-investigation business — even as she remains on parole. Her daughter remains lost to her, walled off in a commune, but her skills at penetrating San Francisco's cunterculture gets her the job of looking into another 1967 murder, that of a flower-child daughter of a wealthy but dying man. From this Chandleresque starting point, Colleen doggedly puts in records requests and wears out her feet on the street in search of scant leads to a killing that police seem a little too willing to put into the Zodiac Killer open file.
What makes Colleen a winning heroine is her low-key defiance in the face of a world dedicated to marginalizing her as a convicted murderer, a woman, a looker and a loner. She's hassled by everyone from her parole officer to the cops who investigated the original murder to the manipulative poor-little-rich-girl sister of the murder victim, who's a lesbian and loaded down with daddy issues. It's great fun watching Colleen patiently fend off her discouragers, manipulators and would-be abusers while doing the pick-and-shovel work of piecing together the paper trail that will eventually lead her to the politically connected killer. Colleen is tough and determined, but she's not "kickass" or "badass" in an exploitative, male-gazey way, and she's appealingly vulnerable in ways she tries hard not to show.
Max Tomlinson, an underrated writer with a strong sense of tone and mood and steady plot pacing, has turned in another winner in VANISHING IN THE HAIGHT. It's not just satisfying as a crime story, but as a historical account of a specific time and place, and as a good example of how male authors can present female characters as much more than the sum of their charms and body parts. May Colleen Hayes have a good long life as a series heroine who serves as a tour guide to the evolution of San Francisco. (I'm particularly looking forward to 1985 and her "We Built This City" story).
This debut series novel introduces Colleen Hayes, a recent parolee who served ten years for the murder of her husband after she learned that he had molested their daughter. A year after her release, in search of her daughter, he helped the police solve a murder. That bought her enough goodwill to launch a security business that she hopes to parlay into a private-investigation business — even as she remains on parole. Her daughter remains lost to her, walled off in a commune, but her skills at penetrating San Francisco's cunterculture gets her the job of looking into another 1967 murder, that of a flower-child daughter of a wealthy but dying man. From this Chandleresque starting point, Colleen doggedly puts in records requests and wears out her feet on the street in search of scant leads to a killing that police seem a little too willing to put into the Zodiac Killer open file.
What makes Colleen a winning heroine is her low-key defiance in the face of a world dedicated to marginalizing her as a convicted murderer, a woman, a looker and a loner. She's hassled by everyone from her parole officer to the cops who investigated the original murder to the manipulative poor-little-rich-girl sister of the murder victim, who's a lesbian and loaded down with daddy issues. It's great fun watching Colleen patiently fend off her discouragers, manipulators and would-be abusers while doing the pick-and-shovel work of piecing together the paper trail that will eventually lead her to the politically connected killer. Colleen is tough and determined, but she's not "kickass" or "badass" in an exploitative, male-gazey way, and she's appealingly vulnerable in ways she tries hard not to show.
Max Tomlinson, an underrated writer with a strong sense of tone and mood and steady plot pacing, has turned in another winner in VANISHING IN THE HAIGHT. It's not just satisfying as a crime story, but as a historical account of a specific time and place, and as a good example of how male authors can present female characters as much more than the sum of their charms and body parts. May Colleen Hayes have a good long life as a series heroine who serves as a tour guide to the evolution of San Francisco. (I'm particularly looking forward to 1985 and her "We Built This City" story).
September 17, 2019
Fantastic suspense mystery with a strong female lead. I read this in 2 sittings and loved every page. Gritty with awesome characters- likeable and unlikeable, which of course makes for a great read. I especially loved the descriptions of the city, which I know so well.
I look forward to more from this author!
I look forward to more from this author!
August 25, 2019
This is an overpowering mystery set in the late seventies in San Francisco. Colleen Hayes is an ex-con, trying to make it as an unofficial P.I. when she is hired by a near-death billionaire to solve the murder of his daughter eleven years earlier during San Francisco’s Summer of Love.
Max Tomlinson’s skill as a writer shines through on every page. This the first of a series and mystery readers who love series will be anxious to hear more about Colleen.
Max Tomlinson’s skill as a writer shines through on every page. This the first of a series and mystery readers who love series will be anxious to hear more about Colleen.
October 21, 2020
Colleen Hayes is an ex-con. She spent ten years in prison for killing her ex-husband when she learned he was abusing their eight-year-old daughter. Now, she's out of prison and looking to rebuild her life. She's currently working as a security guard in an abandoned paint factory and trying to get her license as a private investigator.
A retired police officer steers her to Edward Copeland. The retired industrialist wants someone to look into the cold case death of his daughter Margaret before he dies of lung cancer. She sympathizes with him because she has lost contact with her daughter who has joined a religious cult and wants no contact with her.
Once she begins looking into the case, she finds what looks like a coverup by the San Francisco police force. Reports go missing or she has to jump through time-consuming hoops for a chance to see them. She also finds that the people who were investigating the case when it occurred eleven years earlier are strangely unavailable to talk to her. The detective who was the lead investigator retired soon after the case. The coroner has retired and moved away. The newspaperman who wrote a number of articles about the case won't return her calls.
Colleen tracks down the lead detective but he's found dead before he can share any information with her. She also finds that she is being followed by someone who isn't reluctant to trying to burn her out at the paint factory.
I liked Colleen who wasn't going to drop the case even if her client wants her to stop. I liked all the period details that show that this story is set in 1978. I remember the bell bottoms and jumpsuits. I remember when everyone smoked cool cigarettes like Virginia Slims or macho cigarettes like Marlboros. Colleen even drives a cool car and teases her retired police consultant for his Pinto.
This is the first book in a new mystery series. I look forward to reading more of Colleen's adventures.
A retired police officer steers her to Edward Copeland. The retired industrialist wants someone to look into the cold case death of his daughter Margaret before he dies of lung cancer. She sympathizes with him because she has lost contact with her daughter who has joined a religious cult and wants no contact with her.
Once she begins looking into the case, she finds what looks like a coverup by the San Francisco police force. Reports go missing or she has to jump through time-consuming hoops for a chance to see them. She also finds that the people who were investigating the case when it occurred eleven years earlier are strangely unavailable to talk to her. The detective who was the lead investigator retired soon after the case. The coroner has retired and moved away. The newspaperman who wrote a number of articles about the case won't return her calls.
Colleen tracks down the lead detective but he's found dead before he can share any information with her. She also finds that she is being followed by someone who isn't reluctant to trying to burn her out at the paint factory.
I liked Colleen who wasn't going to drop the case even if her client wants her to stop. I liked all the period details that show that this story is set in 1978. I remember the bell bottoms and jumpsuits. I remember when everyone smoked cool cigarettes like Virginia Slims or macho cigarettes like Marlboros. Colleen even drives a cool car and teases her retired police consultant for his Pinto.
This is the first book in a new mystery series. I look forward to reading more of Colleen's adventures.
October 19, 2019
This was a great, fast paced read that I found hard to put down. Vanishing in the Haight, set in the late 1970s, follows Colleen Hayes, an ex-con that was recently released from prison after murdering her ex-husband after she found out he was abusing their eight year old daughter. Upon release, she moves to San Francisco in an attempt to start over.
Fortunately, Colleen doesn’t have to be unemployed for long as she gets the attention of the wealthy retired industrialist Edward Copeland. He asks her to look back into an old cold case from eleven years ago, the suspicious murder of his oldest daughter Margaret. The SFPD let the case go cold, attributed the murder to the zodiac killer, and cut ties with the lead officer of the case, Jim Davis.
Needless to say, Colleen faces much adversity tracking down leads by not being officially certified as a private investigator, as well as having served prison time. Plus, everyone seems reluctant to speak anything on this infamous case.
Fortunately, Colleen doesn’t have to be unemployed for long as she gets the attention of the wealthy retired industrialist Edward Copeland. He asks her to look back into an old cold case from eleven years ago, the suspicious murder of his oldest daughter Margaret. The SFPD let the case go cold, attributed the murder to the zodiac killer, and cut ties with the lead officer of the case, Jim Davis.
Needless to say, Colleen faces much adversity tracking down leads by not being officially certified as a private investigator, as well as having served prison time. Plus, everyone seems reluctant to speak anything on this infamous case.
June 14, 2020
San Francisco, 1967 - - Summer of Love. A young woman is murdered and left in a park.
1978 - - Colleen Hayes is guarding an old, abandoned plant. Even worse, she's so broke she's forced to live on-site. But she's happy to be there. Colleen was in prison for 10 years and still on parole. She killed her husband who she found molesting their daughter.
On the recommendation of a retired homicide detective, Colleen is hired by an industrialist who is dying of lung cancer. His daughter is the one who was killed in the park 11 years ago and he wants a fresh look for the killer.
This book was a blast from the past. I saw go-go boots, eight track tape players, Gran Torino, acid trips, bell bottoms, and tie-dye T-shirts. I liked the writing style and Colleen's character. I would read future books in this series.
Does it always rain so much in San Francisco?
1978 - - Colleen Hayes is guarding an old, abandoned plant. Even worse, she's so broke she's forced to live on-site. But she's happy to be there. Colleen was in prison for 10 years and still on parole. She killed her husband who she found molesting their daughter.
On the recommendation of a retired homicide detective, Colleen is hired by an industrialist who is dying of lung cancer. His daughter is the one who was killed in the park 11 years ago and he wants a fresh look for the killer.
This book was a blast from the past. I saw go-go boots, eight track tape players, Gran Torino, acid trips, bell bottoms, and tie-dye T-shirts. I liked the writing style and Colleen's character. I would read future books in this series.
Does it always rain so much in San Francisco?
July 28, 2024
Although the title of Max Tomlinson’s Vanishing in the Haight recalls the height of the 1960s, the bulk of the novel is actually set about ten years later. In 1978, Colleen Hayes doesn’t have a lot of options. She’s an ex-felon, so no one is willing to hire her for good money. Her daughter has a restraining order out against her. Her parole officer is an absolute creep. In spite of all this, a tip lands Colleen with a very lucrative temporary gig: finding out who brutally killed a runaway socialite/hippie girl in 1967...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
February 21, 2022
I came across this title last year in my Goodreads feed. I've lived in the San Francisco Bay area twice, and although I was just a kid in Maryland during the Summer of Love in 1967, I've visited Haight Ashbury, and this story of a young woman's murder there at that time interested me. Colleen Hayes is a private investigator in 1978 San Francisco. She is a paroled murderer, convicted in the stabbing death of her husband. She is contacted by a wealthy man who, now that he is dying, is making a final effort to find the killer of his daughter.
At one point the action ventures up into Mendocino County, in my opinion the most beautiful place in the U.S. Side story: I had the good fortune to live there in the town of Ukiah for 9 years. The area had become more populated in the 60's and 70's when people moved there as part of the Back to the Earth hippie movement. (Check out the 1973 song Ukiah, by the Doobie Brothers.). One of those hippie folks later became my business partner there. He had actually gone to jail for pulling recruits out of enlistment lines, and lived in a commune with Joan Baez.
Vanishing in the Haight is a solid crime story and an enjoyable read. While the plot and characters are very well done, the writing isn't anything special. And I had hoped the story would spend more time in 1967 Haight Ashbury.
At one point the action ventures up into Mendocino County, in my opinion the most beautiful place in the U.S. Side story: I had the good fortune to live there in the town of Ukiah for 9 years. The area had become more populated in the 60's and 70's when people moved there as part of the Back to the Earth hippie movement. (Check out the 1973 song Ukiah, by the Doobie Brothers.). One of those hippie folks later became my business partner there. He had actually gone to jail for pulling recruits out of enlistment lines, and lived in a commune with Joan Baez.
Vanishing in the Haight is a solid crime story and an enjoyable read. While the plot and characters are very well done, the writing isn't anything special. And I had hoped the story would spend more time in 1967 Haight Ashbury.
January 31, 2024
This book got lost in my cyber library and I forgot about it. I found it a couple of weeks ago, and figured I should give it a try. For one thing, it was a free read I was supposed to review, and for another, it is about San Francisco. Not the glamorous, shiny SF you see in movies and TV, but a dirtier, rougher one. Hey, I know that one! I recognized some of those street corners.
The story takes place in the late '70s, before I ever visited, and flashes back to 1967, when I was a starry eyed Midwestern child, wishing I could run away to California and live in The Haight, like Margaret, who vanished. My adult self is glad I didn't, because there wouldn't have been a Colleen Hayes to risk her own life 15 years later to find out what happened to me.
Thanks to Goodreads for a free ARC of this book, which I received long ago in exchange for an honest review.
"Vanishing in the Haight" is the first book in a series, and I already have the second book queued up in my to read list.
The story takes place in the late '70s, before I ever visited, and flashes back to 1967, when I was a starry eyed Midwestern child, wishing I could run away to California and live in The Haight, like Margaret, who vanished. My adult self is glad I didn't, because there wouldn't have been a Colleen Hayes to risk her own life 15 years later to find out what happened to me.
Thanks to Goodreads for a free ARC of this book, which I received long ago in exchange for an honest review.
"Vanishing in the Haight" is the first book in a series, and I already have the second book queued up in my to read list.
October 15, 2025
This was just not it for me.
I mean, the writing is not bad, but so much felt incredibly unnecessary by the end. You could easily cut a hundred pages and still have the same story.
I mean, the writing is not bad, but so much felt incredibly unnecessary by the end. You could easily cut a hundred pages and still have the same story.
July 18, 2019
Colleen, the protagonist of three of Tomlinson’s novels, is the kind of heroine I like to read about: witty and smart, with strong passions and a capacity for deep love, but with the odds against her. After nine years in prison for killing her abusive ex-husband who’d molested their daughter, she learns her daughter has joined a dangerous cult. Colleen above all wants to reconcile with her child, but she also needs to make a living. With the skills she’s learned in and out of prison, Colleen works as a private detective, taking the cases that more respectable detectives won’t touch.
Yet for all Colleen’s troubles, she’s haunted but not bitter, wary but still open to friendship and love. In this current novel, she’s working on a very cold case; it’s 1978, but the crime occurred back in the sixties, a murder of a young woman whose father, now dying, wants desperately to solve. The father is a rich man, and with the money he’ll pay Colleen, she’ll be able not only to pay rent for a respectable apartment but also to find her daughter, in hopes of rescuing her from brainwashing and worse. However, many powerful people have it in their interest that the case remain unsolved – and her client and his late daughter’s loose-cannon sister are creating complications of their own. As with all Tomlinson’s novels, this one is filled with psychologically intriguing characters in settings full of authentic details that bring the story’s places and times to gritty and glorious life.
Yet for all Colleen’s troubles, she’s haunted but not bitter, wary but still open to friendship and love. In this current novel, she’s working on a very cold case; it’s 1978, but the crime occurred back in the sixties, a murder of a young woman whose father, now dying, wants desperately to solve. The father is a rich man, and with the money he’ll pay Colleen, she’ll be able not only to pay rent for a respectable apartment but also to find her daughter, in hopes of rescuing her from brainwashing and worse. However, many powerful people have it in their interest that the case remain unsolved – and her client and his late daughter’s loose-cannon sister are creating complications of their own. As with all Tomlinson’s novels, this one is filled with psychologically intriguing characters in settings full of authentic details that bring the story’s places and times to gritty and glorious life.
September 24, 2019
I received a copy of this book from Goodreads in exchange for a review.
Set in San Francisco during the time of hippies and free love, this tale of suspense and intrigue has the heroine, Colleen Hayes, trying to do the impossible: find a kller in a cold case.
Colleen is as far from a hero as anyone can imagine. After all, she spent time in prison for killing her ex-husband after he abused their daughter. But now Colleen is turning her life around. She’s working security in a run-down warehouse and working as a P.I., unofficially. She’s down to earth, not afraid of work and willing to get her hands dirty in order to solve the case. But maybe she bit of more than she could chew when she agreed to help a dying billionaire find the killer of his beloved daughter eleven years earlier.
Max Tomlinson’s skill as a writer shines through the pages of this story. From the down-on-her-luck heroine to the atmosphere of the brooding city of San Francisco, this story will capture you completely. It’s been a long time since I found myself actually rooting for a character in a book, so mesmerizing is the plot.
This is the first book by Tomlinson that I have read, but I am already searching out his others and putting them at the top of my “To BE Read” list
Well done Mr. Tomlinson.
Set in San Francisco during the time of hippies and free love, this tale of suspense and intrigue has the heroine, Colleen Hayes, trying to do the impossible: find a kller in a cold case.
Colleen is as far from a hero as anyone can imagine. After all, she spent time in prison for killing her ex-husband after he abused their daughter. But now Colleen is turning her life around. She’s working security in a run-down warehouse and working as a P.I., unofficially. She’s down to earth, not afraid of work and willing to get her hands dirty in order to solve the case. But maybe she bit of more than she could chew when she agreed to help a dying billionaire find the killer of his beloved daughter eleven years earlier.
Max Tomlinson’s skill as a writer shines through the pages of this story. From the down-on-her-luck heroine to the atmosphere of the brooding city of San Francisco, this story will capture you completely. It’s been a long time since I found myself actually rooting for a character in a book, so mesmerizing is the plot.
This is the first book by Tomlinson that I have read, but I am already searching out his others and putting them at the top of my “To BE Read” list
Well done Mr. Tomlinson.
November 18, 2019
An excellent well written, dark and twisting mystery set in one of my favorite cities. A recently paroled woman moves to San Francisco to try to pick up her life. She wants to be near the commune where her daughter is living. She is acting as a private detective even though she has yet to get her license.
She is approached by the lawyer of a dying man whose daughter was killed 11 years earlier and asked that she look into the story. From the Age of free love in the Haight until the present she follows a twisting trail to find a killer and the whole story. It pulled me in and I ended up until 2 AM to finish it.
I would love more books about these characters.
She is approached by the lawyer of a dying man whose daughter was killed 11 years earlier and asked that she look into the story. From the Age of free love in the Haight until the present she follows a twisting trail to find a killer and the whole story. It pulled me in and I ended up until 2 AM to finish it.
I would love more books about these characters.
November 15, 2019
With my last name being in the title and being set in San Francisco (where I grew up) I couldn't help but give this book a try. However, after reading 192 pages, my nervous system said "no more!" I had to go to the end of the book to see who did it. I rarely do this. However, this is not my normal genre and I thought it would be best not to force myself to continue feeling stressed out. That being said, I do want to say that this IS a good book and it is worth reading if you love murder mysteries.
March 18, 2021
It's a little disconcerting to see that several readers have dubbed this historical fiction. I lived the sixties and seventies. This book is also a top notch thriller, featuring a tough but likable detective, Colleen Hayes. The writing is sharp, the plot good enough and the setting and characters are very well drawn. It's a good one.
October 14, 2019
Exciting read
I really enjoyed this thriller. The main character had flaws, dreams, was a described as a real person. Throughout the book we learned more about all the characters and it really kept my interest. I’ll read another of this author’s books!
I really enjoyed this thriller. The main character had flaws, dreams, was a described as a real person. Throughout the book we learned more about all the characters and it really kept my interest. I’ll read another of this author’s books!
November 15, 2019
I’ve been reading Max Tomlinson’s work for years. Now with Vanishing in the Haight, the first of the Colleen Hayes mystery series, set in his hometown of San Francisco, I feel his writing has come full circle. His love for the 1950’s author, Patricia Highsmith, (Strangers on A Train) and her love for deviant, amoral characters, has inspired him to take the sociopathic psychological thriller and bring it into a time and place that is close to our hearts—San Francisco in the 1970s. I highly recommend Max’s newest and can’t wait for the next.
April 8, 2020
This book includes three of my favorite things: the San Francisco Bay location, a female protagonist/PI, and a different time period. I read it in two sittings (thank you Covid 19) and am looking forward to more books about Colleen Hayes.
At one point I had to double check that it had been written by a man because cross gender authors sometimes write characters who do not ring true. Not the case here. I particularly liked the honesty about how cases are prosecuted and how juries may react. What might seem inescapable to an investigator can be problematic in court.
At one point I had to double check that it had been written by a man because cross gender authors sometimes write characters who do not ring true. Not the case here. I particularly liked the honesty about how cases are prosecuted and how juries may react. What might seem inescapable to an investigator can be problematic in court.
July 19, 2019
Vanishing in the Haight is an original, compelling murder mystery with many twists and turns. Tomlinson shows skill and great expertise in this excellent 1970s San Francisco-based noir mystery. Colleen Hayes, private investigator, is a flawed, complex character and will take her place alongside the great female private investigators like Lisbeth Salander and VI Warshawski. Vanishing in the Haight is a must read for all mystery readers.
September 26, 2019
New PI series set in San Francisco in the late 70's. PI is female just released from spending 10 years in prison trying to get her feet on the ground and reestablish family ties. Collen our intrepid PI is approached by an old man on his deathbed trying to solve his daughters murder from 1969, a murder that no one in know wants solved.
A nice start looking forward to more from Collen.
A nice start looking forward to more from Collen.
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