TEST
Most of the authors I follow in suspense got their start in romance. Ms. Hoag is one of those ladies, and I think her past experience affects how she writes her mysteries. They almost always have the focus on the female protagonist. They almost always have romance, even if it is not the focus of the book. And they have the perfect balance for me of light and dark. They may go down dark, dark roads but I always know there is light at the end of it. This latest in the author’s Oak Knoll series is no exception.
Four years ago Lauren Lawson led the most charmed life imaginable. She lived in an affluent section of Santa Barbara, a town where the hardest decision to make was whether you wanted a view of the mountains or ocean when you looked out your front window. She had two beautiful, healthy, intelligent, talented daughters. Her husband was handsome, successful, a good father, and the love of her life. And in one afternoon, it all vanished. Leslie, her oldest girl, disappeared without a trace. The stress of the subsequent investigation cost her husband his life. She and youngest daughter Leah now live in the agony of limbo, uncertain what has happened to Leslie. The police have never given up the hunt but they have absolutely no evidence pointing toward the potential abductor.
But Lauren knows who did it. And she has been playing a horrific game of cat and mouse with him ever since.
In an effort to get away from it all she moves to the quiet little town of Oak Knoll. Leah begins to make friends in this sleepy bedroom community, Lauren herself settles into a quiet routine of writing and working on healing. And then comes the day in the grocery store.
Detective Tony Mendez wasn’t expecting an exciting day at Pavillions Market but he got it. A crazy woman virtually runs him over with her cart. Their crash draws the attention of everyone around as his attractive assailant virtually melts down right there in the dry goods section. Following her, Tony watches in horror as she practically murders three people in her race to get out of the parking lot. Tony pulls her over, only to learn that she is convinced her daughter’s kidnapper was in the brown van that just passed them. Lauren is bitter and angry at all the police have not accomplished in the solving of her daughter’s crime. She is even more upset that the probable abductor is apparently on the streets of Oak Knoll, free to harass her and Leah. That easily, with a simple shopping cart crash, Tony Mendez finds himself travelling a dark path of chilling twists and turns in an effort to catch a very, very clever killer.
This novel completely sucks you in from the start. Hoag does an excellent job of ratcheting up the chill factor at every junction, making you question your own judgement at every bend in the trail. It is very clear what Lauren thinks happened, but it is also very clear that Lauren is not unbiased in her opinion, and that she is in fact, a tiny bit unhinged. All of this makes the book a complete page turner.
Tony is, as always, magnificent in this story. He is a smart, tough young cop who stands on the edge between how police work used to be done and the future of detecting which will run on the science of forensics. He brings it all – passion, caring, and a zest for justice – to his case. Tony is so completely dedicated to the ideal of justice, and so completely devoted to helping yet another damsel in distress that we don’t see much of what he is like away from that. This time around we learn a little about his family, see him going through a few daily routines, but the private Tony remains a bit of a mystery. But don’t get frustrated. Another really nice factor about this novel is that we get to see him working with a new officer, detective Danni Tanner. Danni is one of the first women detectives and she is tough as they come. She is also funny and lively, cool and calculating, and smart as a whip. I adored her and was so glad to see her relationship with Tony deepening to friendship by the end of the novel. We can hope for more for these two in the next book.
Another terrific character is young Leah Lawson. At the start of the story Leah is fragile and frightened. She lost both a father and a sister and is desperate to hold her family together, with her mother seeming to fight her every step of the way. As the book progresses Leah becomes stronger, able to address some of the issues that have been underlying the difficulties they face. As the intensity and danger increases she shows herself more than able to deal with trouble head on.
Lauren was a bit tougher for me to understand. I certainly felt for her, this poor woman who lost so much and then continues to lose in the battle against the shadowy, wily nemesis who took it all away from her. But I was also frustrated with her; her obsession over one daughter almost blinds her to the other. She was exactly what this tale needed though. Her vulnerabilities keep us guessing, her flashes of genius move us forward.
This book stands alone very well. The history of the past several cases that affected Oak Knoll are worked into the plot easily through conversation, but they have no real bearing on this case. It just lets you know what the community has been through in recent years.
Fans of the series will be glad to hear Anne and Vince Leone make guest appearances in this book. They are worked seamlessly into the plot and fit very well within the story. I really appreciated that Hoag kept their involvement to a minimum and utilized them just enough to show us they are still an important part of Tony’s life. It’s awesome when an author can include previous characters without taking the emphais off her primary tale.
A few slow points and some struggles with Lauren are all that kept this book from being a DIK for me. I would recommend it to anyone who likes suspense novels that are well written, well executed and darn near brilliant.
Grade: B+
Book Type: Suspense
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 02/01/12
Publication Date: 2011/12
I've been an avid reader since 2nd grade and discovered romance when my cousin lent me Lord of La Pampa by Kay Thorpe in 7th grade. I currently read approximately 150 books a year, comprised of a mix of Young Adult, romance, mystery, women's fiction, and science fiction/fantasy.
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.