Tami Hoag > Reviews > A Versatile Author!

Author's product rating:   

Listenability

Pretty compelling but not addictive

Advantages:	great writing in two genres
Disadvantages:	she won't lay off cheap romance

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Tami Hoag is a best selling American author of suspense and romance novels. I can only comment on the suspense ones as I never read romance.

I first read one of her books, Cry Wolf, last autumn. I was very impressed and decided to read more and do some research on this author.

Before publishing her first book, a romance novel in 1988, she held various other jobs. After a number of love stories she moved on to crime writing. Hoag published thirteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers. The novel Night Sins has been made into a TV miniseries. Due to her high profile success she also participated in one of Barbara Bush's literary function and was asked to read at it.

Here is a quick overview of her work, afterwards I will mention which ones I'm familiar with.

Independent crime Novels

- Still Waters (1992)

- Dark Paradise (1994)

- A Thin Dark Line (1997)

- Dark Horse (2002)

- Kill the Messenger (2004)

- Alibi Man (2007)

Kovac/Liska Series

- Ashes to Ashes (1999)

- Dust to Dust (2000)

- Prior Bad Acts (2006)

Deer Lake Series

- Night Sins (1995)

- Guilty as Sin (1997)

Doucet Series

- The Restless Heart (1991)

- Lucky's Lady (1992)

- Cry Wolf (1993)

Hennessy Series

- The Trouble with J.J.

- Magic (1990)

Loveswept

- Mcknight in Shining Armor (1988)

- Mismatch (1989)

- Straight From the Heart (1989)

- Sarah's Sin (1991)

- Heart of Dixie (1991)

- Taken by Storm (1992)

- Last White Knight (1992)

Quaid Horses Series

- Rumor Has it (1989)

- Man of Her Dreams (1989)

- Tempestuous (1990)

The Rainbow Chasers Series

- Heart of Gold (1990)

- Keeping Company (1990)

- Reilly's Return (1990)

"Cry Wolf" was a very engaging read. Hoag creates a creepy atmosphere in the swampland of Lousiana. A young prosecutor is recovering from a professional problem and returns from the city to be with her family in smaller town. Before and during that time there has been a series of murders of young women. After a while tragedy strikes close to home and things escalate. There is also a hand full of other interesting and mysterious characters. Naturally there is a romantic element to the story.
I won't go further into it in case anyone is tempted to read the book.

"A Thin Dark Line" is set in the same area, a few years later. In a way this one has two lead characters. A troubled detective accused of planting evidence and a female rookie with ambitions. The town is troubled by a recent murder. The accused man claims to be the victim's lover. There are those who want him to be guilty, others who are looking for the truth, even if it's an unwelcome one. Again, there is the inevitable romantic element.

In "Cry Wolf" there was more atmosphere, less graphic descriptions than in the second one. On the other hand, I found the female lead character more appealing in "A Thin Dark Line". I find weakness and helplessness hard to like and respect. At the same time, I try not to judgemental about people with traumatic experiences. Another complaint about "Cry Wolf" are the rather soapy love elements, in particular the elaborate descriptions of "the poignant beauty of the female anatomy". Sorry, but that kind of stuff just makes me gag. Everyone knows how all that works, and if I wanted steamy romance I'd reach for it. Besides that it's both well constructed as a story and has a good standard of language.

The other two books by Hoag that I enjoyed were "Ashes to Ashes" and "Dead Sky". Both are set in Minneapolis and are part of the Kovac/ Liska series. These two detectives play a major role, but there are also different important characters in each of the books. "Ashes to Ashes" deals with a serial killer of young women, a teenage witness to one of the crimes, her social worker and others. Most have a troubled past, a hidden agenda or worse. The story is full of twists and surprises, which was first class. But again I found the romantic component hard going. The witty, often rude exchanges between the detectives lighten the atmosphere and make me wish I could retort so well.
"Dead Sky" tells of murder of a woman and her children that shook the city. When the female judge seems to be lenient towards the accused man, her life is in danger for it. But nothing is as it seems, either with the surviving family members or those shadowing the judge for different reasons. While the story was compelling, I enjoyed the parts with the two detectives best.

I have to admire an author that has done so well in two genres. Even though there are points I complain about, her writing is generally compelling enough to overlook small negatives. Despite being too graphic at times, Hoag doesn't rely on violence to dispense with atmospheric writing. I would highly recommend her books for the summer holiday time. They are usually long and hard to put down. The best is to pick a time when you can read as much as you like.