Summer of Love: A Music & Murder Mystery

Set in 1967 amid the exhilarating and contentious rise of the hippie movement in San Francisco and the equally controversial conditions faced by soldiers fighting in Vietnam, Martin’s well-researched third Music & Murder mystery (after 2021’s Dance of the Millions) focuses on twin brothers Bobby and Jack Doyle. After graduating from Berkeley, Jack volunteers to serve in Vietnam, while Bobby takes a job covering the music scene for the San Francisco Chronicle. Death becomes a dramatic part of both their lives. Bobby winds up a suspect in the murder of two young women he had dated. Is he the reason the women are being targeted by a killer? With a little help from his friends, he searches for the truth. Meanwhile, Jack becomes viscerally aware of death and its aftermath as he watches his fellow soldiers fall in battle. Martin lards the narrative with meticulously chosen historical anecdotes—beginning with prehistoric nomads and carrying on to the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll–fueled 1960s. The conventional murder mystery thread occasionally pops up in what is essentially a fascinating biography of a particular time and a particular place. This one’s definitely aimed at a niche audience. (Dec.)