Another first-rate 1970s detective noir with ambitions that stretch well beyond its San Francisco location, with a complicated but convincing story of the horrors of the Holocaust and how they continue stretching into the present day. Ex-con/husband-killer Colleen Hayes continues to be one of the most winning new private eyes out there.

Ex-con, PI wannabe Colleen Hayes has just moved into her new office when German businesswoman Ingrid Richter comes to her door wanting to hire Colleen to find her nephew Erich who was supposed to meet her earlier in the week. She peels off a bunch of cash and Colleen starts to investigate.

None of the routine things locates him in one of the better hotels leaving Colleen to scatter pictures with cabbie and other lower-class venues. Her lack of success makes her begin to question just why Ingrid wants to find her "nephew." Meanwhile for us, the readers, are flashbacks to a World War II concentration camp for political prisoners and to Erich's current-day activities.

This story has Colleen getting involved with Nazi hunters who are out for revenge instead of justice and has her travelling to Italy in pursuit of her client and answers to her questions about just what is going on.

The main part of the story takes place in 1979 and I loved all the references to fashions and pop culture. I could see the leisure suits, big collars, and polyester and was familiar with much of the music that was mentioned in the story. I also like that Colleen is rebuilding her life after her imprisonment for the murder of her husband. I like that she is trying to rebuild her relationship with her daughter.

This is the fourth book in the series, but I think it would stand alone well. There are references to earlier cases which given enough background for a reader not familiar with the earlier books. It was an engaging and entertaining mystery.

An interesting read. Line of Darkness by Max Tomlinson is a fast-paced thriller. It is a story of evilness, unlikely alliances and revenge. Alternating between past and present, the story unfolds over a span of forty years. Characters are well developed.

A great addition to this series - Tomlinson is keeping the characters fresh and their interactions interesting.

Line of Darkness, by Max Tomlinson, is an exciting historical, suspense that focuses on nazi Germany and its after affects. It was interesting and informative while keeping me hooked. I had mixed feelings about the main character but I'm also intrigued to see what's next for her and her daughter.
Ingrid Richter travels to San Francisco to try to find her nephew. Having no luck she decides to hire a private investigator. Enter Colleen Hayes, an ex con, who is still working towards getting her PI license. At first Colleen assumes that it's going to be an easy job but she soon realizes that it's a lot more complicated than she could have ever imagined.
After a body is discovered on San Francisco’s Municipal Railway, Colleen realizes the similarities to another recent killing committed in Buenos Aires. As she searches for clues, she finds a World War II banknote and an SS ID for a nazi officer who was long thought dead. Now a nasty group of neo nazis is after her to stop investigating. That only convinces her to get even more involved.

I should pay more attention to a book's description. And the description for Line of Darkness is a prime example of my inattentiveness.

In the description for Line of Darkness, it clearly indicates tht the main protagonist is an ex-con PI. Obviously, I overlooked this fact when I started reading the novel. Then at the 17% point, it became clear that Colleen Hayes was an ex-con that was released from prison a year before. Okay, let's overlook that Colleen is a ex-con PI even though that's probably a stretch. But then, it's revealed that Colleen is not a licensed PI because of her status as a felon. Well, that became a stretch of the imagination because how can an ex-con even become an PI and is not licensed to practice private investigations. But the clincher was when it is revealed that Colleen was on parole and was carrying a firearm which is a parole violation. At that point, it was a no go.

While I do enjoy detective/crime mysteries, Line of Darkness was just too unbelievable. It it wasn't for the ex-con part, it probably would have made for a better narrative. Too bad. One unfortunate star.

I received a digital ARC from Oceanview Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Remember. Colleen Hayes is an ex-con who did 10yr for killing her abusive husband in Colorado. It’s 1978 and she’s in San Francisco trying to get her life in order attempting to her PI license.

A German businesswoman, in SF for a conference, hires Colleen to track down her missing nephew. The two were to meet in SF but he never showed up so Colleen gets enlisted to do what the local cops can’t or won’t do. She finds the guy in a fleabag hotel, tells the aunt, and now it’s up to the aunt to make contact.
Tidbits picked up by Colleen don’t sit well with her. She breaks into the guy’s hotel room and finds half of an old British five-pound note, a pistol, and a photograph All neatly hidden in a heating duct. The more she digs, the more confusing are the clues and her client.

Turns out that the connection between the aunt and nephew date back to a German concentration camp. And Colleen starts to wonder if the two really are related. Colleen has been told by SFPD to lay off the case, but that’s not in her DNA. She must find out about the nephew, the businesswoman, the torn 5-pound note and an international trail of murders that all seem to be connected to that one concentration camp.

Tomlinson has four books about Colleen Hayes and the third reviewed by the boys at MRB. I’ve found this series to be quite entertaining and fun to read and certainly not a waste of my time. If I had to assign a category, I might say that it’s high-quality PI pulp.

And did I forget to mention? It’s from Oceanview Publishing. So for, I’ve not gone wrong with any Oceanview mystery. Need to find the one title I’m missing.

Personally I am not the biggest fan of detective mysteries and unfortunately this was that. I don't like to read about someone repeatedly putting themselves in compromising positions while there are other people available to jump in. Perhaps I'm the wrong audience for this.
Next, I found the way things "conveniently" came together very aggravating. Every time we needed another sequence of events because something was wrapped up: bam there would be something else. Perhaps this goes along with it being detective mystery but I found this "convenience" less than appealing.
Lastly, the monologues by the characters just didn't make sense to their character. A career criminal who says they aren't speaking to the cops without a lawyer is not going to confirm their entire plan and then lay out the entire network of others in their criminal enterprise. It just literally is not a thing. And that's not the only monologue. Several characters just vomited their entire position in a chunk of text that... ... just doesn't happen.

I had mixed feelings about this one. While I really enjoyed reading it for the most part, I felt like I should've read the other books in this series first. I do love that it was a mystery novel with a historical feel. Those are some of my favorite types to read. This book definitely could've moved at a little faster pace, but Colleen is quite a likeable character.

Overall, I would recommend this book to others to read!

This is a mystery about concentration camps and what happened after to a few people, survivors and Nazi's. The ethics and morality of the story weren't explored as fully as I would have liked, nor the conclusion so it was iffy for me

This book was so good! I want to see more from this author in the future!! I couldn't put this book down. What a page turner!!!

San Francisco, 1978: Colleen, a convicted felon now working as a private investigator, has a new client. Ingrid has hired Colleen to find her adult nephew, who is allegedly in San Francisco. Colleen completes the assignment, but is bothered by the whole thing. Are these people connected to a local white supremacist group which has recently trashed her office and her apartment? Can she convince the police department to pay for a trip to Rome to pursue a suspect? Is there a vengeful group looking to kill ex-Nazis? As someone who was actually alive in 1978, I recognized that the author had researched the clothing and music of the period. I hadn't read the first three books in this series, which I think would have been helpful in better understanding what made Colleen tick. (As an aside, anyone who likes mysteries from the cellphone-free period might enjoy Sue Grafton's Alphabet series, which were actually written back then.) Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I had mixed feelings about this one... I absolutely loved the premise and the plot. It's a very unique historical fiction disguised in a detective novel. The pace was way too slow for me though as I expected a more gripping one considering it's mainly a detective novel rather than a rich historical fiction.

I'd also say that the historical part of the novel lacked richness and could have been more developed. The main character though was quite likable and she had a fair amount of character development.

I would give this book the more stars if it were written a bit differently and if it were faster paced. I wanted this book to be a page turner so badly because I was so intrigued by the plot and interested in the story itself.

3.5 stars
*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A bit far fetched that a newly minted PI would get to be a part of a world-wide hunt for Nazis, Nazi hunters, and counterfeit money, but overall this book was interesting and captivating. The story played out well and kept me reading.

If I you are wanting a great escape this is exactly the book you will want to read. You will be so glad you did! The premise of this book sounded interesting from the very beginning. It was a quick, easy read mystery thriller.

I simply had to read this one. Set in the year when I was born, and with a historical theme that I like to read.
Ex-con PI Colleen Hayes Is hired by a german businesswoman to find her nephew. In her search, she is discovering other old and dark secrets that are placed in different parts of the world and they go back to WW II and the secret projects of the Nacis. I was simply drawn into the story and enjoyed it from the start till the finish, it kept me awake just because I had to see what will happen next.
Excellent read and I will definitely read other books written by Max Tomlinson.

Revenge or retribution? A gripping mystery that delves into the myriad motivations for why a person acts as they do.

The Forty’s in Nazi Germany. At seventeen, Ingrid Richter is arrested and taken into custody for interrogation. Her father, Professor Richter, aan anti-Nazi protestor has just been shot and she is being sent to a concentration camp for political prisoners. On the train, she meets 6 year old Jakob Klaus, his mother and grandmother, Jews also being sent to the same work camp. Within minutes of their arrival, Jakob’s grandmother is clubbed to death in full view of them all. Ingrid, impressed with how Jakob steels himself against this atrocity, vows to help him in any way possible, knowing as a political prisoner she will not face immediate death, as will the Jews. Ingrid is assigned to the secret Nazi project to produce counterfeit British notes and destroy the British economy and becomes the mistress of the commander of the project.

The war is over. The Allies have prevailed. PI hopeful Colleen Hayes is hired by Ingrid Richter to find her nephew, Jakob Klaus. In her search, details do not add up and when she find Klaus, he doesn’t want to be found and disappears again leaving behind a dead body with an Auschwitz’ tattoo. From San Francisco to Rome and the hills of Northern Italy Colleen Hayes is relentless in her determination for justice leaving us to ask was it served?

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this uncorrected proof.

San Francisco, 1979. Private investigator Colleen is asked by a German businesswoman to locate a missing relative. The money is good and she has bills to pay. It’s not until she’s further into the case that she learns the missing relative is a Holocaust survivor. He’s also part of a group that hunts down nazi war criminals and ‘disposes’ of them. All this makes Colleen question the motives of the one who hired her, and is her target really the killer she thinks?

Line Of Darkness is a fast paced adventure. Being a female private eye in San Francisco in 1979 is no easy fete but Colleen is resourceful and ‘rootable’. It’s enjoyable.

A cat and mouse chase involving a rogue vigilante Nazi-killer, the people on his list, a private detective who doesn't know where her client's allegiances lie, and now the police. But are all the people on the list guilty and deserving to die?

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well formed and pictured. The plot was a little slower than I like but was an interesting and engaging read. I recommend