The hot breath noirs of David Goodis crossed with William Burroughs' jittery kaleidoscopes are in evidence in Max Talleys thoroughly engrossing Peace, Love and Haight. The novel deftly captures the defeated promises of a time and placeyet is timeless as the tale is populated by the righteously flawed, the grasping, and the doomed. Gary Phillips, author Ash Dark as Night
Who says time travel isn't possible? Max Talley's Peace, Love and Haight is a fun, fast and suspenseful trip back to San Francisco in the groovy, hip, and sometimes even dangerous summer of 1969. Gar Anthony Haywood, bestselling author, In Things Unseen
"Its the Haight in the late 60s. Fredrick Dorn, art dealer and reluctant snitch, battles a motley crew of mobsters, dealers, musicians and other off-the-wall strangers, all intent on murderhis. John Reed, author, The Kingfisher's Call and The Mole Train
The antihero in Max Talleys roisterous novel lays bare the rot of late 1960s America, particularly the spiritual and social decay of San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Talley unleashes a searing, incisive tale about the demise of the 1960s in which utopian notions of peace, free love, and community have been eclipsed by treachery, paranoia, and sex cults. The author takes a Gonzo-like journey through this vortex without making us feel dizzy or hopeless. Talley accomplishes this through a sophisticated sense of restraint and deft use of language. Serge F. Kovaleski, former longtime investigative journalist, The New York Times
The year is 1969. Love and peace have turned to fear and anger. Art gallery manager, Frederick Dorn, wants to clean up Haight Street, bring some normal back. What can one man do but go undercover for the cops. Max Talley takes us on a wild ride through the death of the Sixties with a brutal wit, vivid characters, and yes, a glimmer of hope. Melodie Johnson Howe, Edgar-nominated author, Mother Shadow and City of Mirrors
Its 1969 on Haight Street, and all thats left of the Summer of Love is dregs. Gallery owner Frederick Dorn, haunted and hopeful, cynic and idealist, just wants make the street a little safer, even if that means dealing with the devil in the form of drug pushers, cops, and the Mafia. Hip, tense, and wildly propulsive, is an outstanding thriller, frightening to funny and back again in lightning leaps. As soon as you finish it, youll want to start again. Cynthia Weiner, author, A Gorgeous Excitement
Max Talleys Peace, Love and Haight is a whirling novel, largely set in San Franciscos Haight-Ashbury district after the Summer of Love in 1969. Imagine an Elmore Leonard novel with an almost Brueghelian cast of crooked cops, predatory pushers, hopped-up hookers, teen-aged Jezebels, and horndog Jesus freaks. . . Protagonist Freddie Dorn is learning street-life the hard way. Naturally, when a drug deal goes wrong in Baghdad-By-The-Bay, someone must go over the rail of the Golden Gate Bridge, no? Well, its not going to be Freddie Dorn. Hes getting smarter every day. Max Talleys novel is a rollicking tale, filled with suspense and gnarly humor. Barnaby Conrad III, author, Jacques Villeglé and the Streets of Paris and Writers Like Us: My Life with Sinclair Lewis
Max Talleys new novel is a fast-moving, gritty noir, with great dialogue, suspense, and characters that are larger than life. The dicey sixties in San Francisco reimagined. Leonard Tourney, author, Catesbys Ghost
