Narrated by Kelley Hazen

There’s something super compelling about a good mystery. I love to get lost in them, staying up late into the night, holding my breath as the characters work to unravel whatever threads necessary to set their lives to right. Murder on Potrero Hill seemed like just such a book, so I was excited to review it.

Jake and Zoe Ryder live a charmed life in Pacific Heights. They’ve been married for almost four years and, in Jake’s opinion, things couldn’t be better. True, Zoe defied her father’s wishes and is now working at a local coffeehouse instead of pursuing a career in medicine, but Jake doesn’t care about that. He wants Zoe to be happy. He doesn’t love his job as a loan officer, but it pays the bills. He figures there’s more to life than money.

When Zoe dies under very suspicious circumstances, Inspector Peyton Brooks and her partner Marco De’Angelo are quick to assume that Jake is a murderer. Peyton’s father was a cop, and Peyton has learned that the husband is almost always the man behind the crime. Bearing this in mind, Marco and Peyton begin to pursue Jake, in hopes of getting him to confess to his wife’s murder. What will they do when he doesn’t comply?

This was not an enjoyable book. I had very strong feelings of dislike for both Marco and Peyton. I’ve never seen characters behave in such a ridiculous manner. Nobody should decide a case based on statistics alone and yet, that’s exactly what they did. They refused to look at any other suspect. When Jake wouldn’t confess, they did all manner of unethical things to force him to do so. Can the police really cause you to lose your job, freeze your bank accounts, and make it so you can’t ride public transportation? I suppose they can do these things if they have a good reason, but not just on a whim. I would expect them to look at things objectively, instead of giving all their focus to one suspect.

I found it difficult to feel anything but sorry for Jake Ryder. His wife is dead, he has no job, and no means of helping himself out of a very bad situation. He can’t even hire a lawyer. He has no access to his money. He’s the victim of police persecution, and he has nowhere to turn. All he knows is that he did not kill his wife.

Narrator Kelley Hazen was this book’s saving grace. I must admit to being a bit skeptical when first hearing her voice. It has a smoky quality that took me awhile to get used to. However, once I did, I found myself actually enjoying her narration.

The characters were all very distinctly voiced. Dialogue tags were used, but I didn’t find them necessary. Hazen was able to vary her pitch and style of speaking for each character.

I would definitely listen to another book narrated by Ms. Hazen. I cannot paint her with the same brush I use for the author, who I simply would not bother with after listening to this book.

Overall, Murder on Potrero Hill did not live up to its synopsis. There is no romance at all. Peyton does go on a date, but she constantly denies having any interest in the man. She just wants to enjoy herself for an evening. Also, I knew who murdered Zoe just over halfway through the book. I wasn’t sure of the motive, but even when it was revealed, I didn’t find it very compelling. Basically, this is just the story of people acting irrationally, and getting away with it.

Shannon