Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Night Candy by Max Tomlinson

Max Tomlinson is a native of San Francisco. He is the author of a crime series set in South America, an international espionage series, and the Colleen Hayes mysteries, set in 1970s San Francisco. Max also writes under the pen name Max Radin.

Colleen Hayes killed her abusive husband and spent ten years in prison in Colorado. When she was released, she drifted into private investigation work and eventually received her license. Colleen’s main focus was on reconnecting with the daughter who went into foster care while she was incarcerated and she ended up in San Francisco, because that’s where her daughter was.

Night Candy is the fifth book about Hayes, released by Oceanview in July 2023. Colleen is grieving the death of her first grandchild. Her daughter has disappeared to mourn on her own and Colleen is left to carry on her fledgling PI business. Fortunately there is no shortage of wives checking up on husbands and vice versa to keep her gainfully employed.

A serial killer who targets prostitutes is prowling the streets. Because of his chosen victims, the press is calling him Night Candy. Colleen is keeping an eye on a trio of sex workers that she is trying to persuade to find other sources of income, hoping to keep them safe. Their pimp isn’t especially happy about her efforts to deprive him of revenue streams.

In the meantime one of her few friends on the San Francisco Police Force, Inspector Edmund Owens, is arrested for the murder of his ex-wife. Colleen is convinced that he is being railroaded and turns over every stone and cuts all sorts of corners in her attempt to identify the real killer.

This is a fast-moving, tightly plotted thriller with more than one surprise as Colleen shreds the DA’s case against her friend. Colleen Hayes is a great character. She is the feminine version of the loner private investigator seen in so many crime fiction series. She takes just as many chances and is just as ruthless as her male counterparts. Her lack of friends and family weighs heavily on her but not enough to change her life. I have not read the first four books in the series and had no trouble following the back story, so they do not have to be read in order.

Especially for fans of contemporary female private investigators.

·         Publisher: ‎Oceanview Publishing (July 25, 2023)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎336 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1608094545

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1608094547

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.