Flower Power ignites into fire power when the once cheeky Liz MacKayleaves Scotland in a fog of grief to lose herself in the crazed days of The Summer of Love. In San Francisco, thoughts of a “jolly good time” evaporate and she’s in over her head with dope-smoking roommates and a plot to bring down the Black Panthers.
Liz MacKay’s lies lead to her son’s death and a man’s murder. “City of Redemption” is about a lonely woman with a shameful past in a city seemingly full of free love and groovy people. Only Liz is drawn to the dark underbelly of violence and devastation.
Partly to blame for her young son's death and abandoned by her husband, the once cheeky Liz leaves Scotland in a fog of grief to lose herself in the crazed days of the Summer of Love. Once in San Francisco she joins a commune.
Her new family is a curious mix: Black Panthers trying to change the world, a Vietnam vet seeking inner peace, a flamboyant hairdresser ready for fame and love, a flower child and her drug dealer boyfriend who changes girlfriends often.
At first, Liz is happy to have found a welcoming home, but as her new roommates pry into her mysterious past Liz's search for a "jolly good time" brings more grief and a worsening drug addiction. Embroiled in a plot to bring down the Black Panthers, she looks for a way to redeem herself for her part in her son's death. Sharing her fears, she is told, "Keep your mouth shut." Can she save her friends or will she just watch her commune family break apart? No one expects anything heroic from Liz.
The story combines strong plotting and dialogue to create a memorable and revealing exposé of the seedy side of The Summer of Love.
Excerpt
SNAP, SNAP, SNAP. The rapid sharp sounds of the inmate’s bubblegum ricocheted around the waiting room.
“Brenda Rose!” growled Officer Sue DeLosa between clenched teeth, followed by a threatening glare.
Brenda Rose Browne, or BR as she was known at Chowchilla’s Women’s Correctional Facility, scowled defiantly at the stout officer and continued rotating her jaw like a cow chewing cud. DeLosa widened her stance and casually placed a hand next to her billy club. The prisoner rolled her watery blue eyes at her fellow inmate, Liz Mackay, sitting opposite on a matching plastic chair.
Liz ignored both women and fixed her eyes straight ahead on the blank wall. The gum chomping and snapping didn’t irritate her as it did the guard. She’d learned to live with many irritants and restrictions over the years she’d been incarcerated.
The space was more of a wide corridor with three doors. At one end a door led to the cellblocks and eight feet away opposite it another led to offices and the outside. Behind the third door in the middle was where the parole board conducted hearings to determine prisoners’ lives. The three women had been waiting for almost an hour while the board settled in and reviewed their cases.
Liz tilted her head back to rest against the wall and tried to calm her growing anxiety. She wondered why she agreed to face the parole board again. No matter which board she faced, it would be the same: parole denied. Anger at her attorney, Toni Bordeaux, also nagged at her. The previous day they had had a serious argument. The words played over and over in her mind and Liz began to doubt her decision.
Professional Reviews
Excellent Tale of 1960s San Francisco
"City of Redemption" is yet another solidly honed story by celebrated author June Ahern who writes with such interest and vigor that the reader feels as if they've traveled back in time with her. She captures the moment and the unique characters of a unique era in compelling storyline and plot. Interested in San Francisco in the 1960s? June Ahern will take you there.
Great captivating story
was hooked on page one. one of those books that are hard to put down. Especially enjoyed the section when the story takes place in San Francisco. It becomes a classic san francisco tale. Having lived in the bay area around the time the story takes place I felt I went back in time to that era of hippies, black panthers and the sights and sounds of the city by the bay. As you can tell I am a big fan of ms. Ahern's work.
An Amazing Adventure,
The City of Redemption, written by Author and renowned Psychic, June Ahern was a phenomenal read, which I did not want to end. In the City of Redemption, June describes the painful torment and dark shadows of Liz’s earlier life in Scotland, and how she crosses the ocean to start a new life in commune of a motley crew group of friends, who become her family. Liz struggles to forgive her self and overcome the sadness of her past, eventually, redeeming herself during the summer of love.
Throughout the book, I was taken back to Scotland, Chowchilla Women’s Prison, and the city of San Francisco. June has a unique style and ability make her readers feel and experience the damp Scotland fog, hear the clanging of the prison doors closing and locking, and to smell the scent of patchouli at a concert in the park. The City of Redemption was a thrilling adventure, that I did not want to end.
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