The Bottom Line: An electrifying debut that is part murder mystery, part psychological thriller, and most of all, a memorable plunge into the dark soul of the Summer of Love.
The Summer of Haight begins as British expatriate and San Francisco attorney Longfellow finds himself in the vibrant tide of the 1967 Summer of Love. While the city explodes in psychedelic colors, free love, and anti-establishment fervor, Longfellow clings to the rules and order that govern his life and profession. A shock of unwelcome change comes when close friend and fellow expatriate Jonathan reveals that he intends to leave his entire fortune to a shadowy new acquaintance, Dr. Asmodeus Youngblood.
Jonathan wants Longfellow to write the will and make it “bulletproof.” But Longfellow, who has never even heard of Youngblood, is alarmed. Subsequently, Longfellow is contacted by Jonathan’s butler, Alfred, who suspects that Youngblood has strangled Jonathan’s cat. What’s more, he reports that Jonathan has given Youngblood the run of the house, with the staff up at all hours of the night at his beck and call.
Turning amateur sleuth for the sake of his friend, Longfellow and pooch pal Winston follow Youngblood through San Francisco’s fog-drenched underground before confronting him. But Longfellow won’t be working alone. Author George Petersen pairs Longfellow with Detective Maggie Shaughnessy, who serves as a confident, direct and unfiltered counterbalance to her former love interest. Intriguingly, Shaughnessy is in the midst of investigating the murder of several young women.
One of the most striking aspects of The Summer of Haight is how deftly George Petersen subverts the romanticized vision of the “Summer of Love” by layering it with dread, death and disillusionment. While 1967 San Francisco is historically remembered as a haven for peace, music, and flower power, Petersen flips the script to expose a darker undercurrent beneath the tie-dye and acid trips. Even as Petersen uses real world icons – The Grateful Dead, The Merry Pranksters, Janis Joplin and more make up the artistic tapestry – the book’s noir lens reveals how irrational idealism and naivete create opportunities for predators.
Themes of transformation, identity, and corruption ripple through the novel. Jonathan’s fascination with snakes and metamorphosis becomes a dark metaphor for his yearning to escape human responsibility. This descent into philosophical madness is paralleled by the city around him, where innocence is devoured under the guise of freedom. Highly recommended.
