ew York Times bestseller Tami Hoag is at the top of her form in her newest thriller, blending unforgettable characters, breakneck suspense, and chilling twists. It is the story of two hard-boiled cops who dare to cross the thin and dangerous line that separates good and evil as they risk their lives to investigate the suspicious death of one of their own. Sorry. The single word was written on the mirror. In front of it hung the body of Andy Fallon, a Minneapolis Internal Affairs cop. Was it suicide? Or a kinky act turned tragic accident? Either way, his death wasn't a crime. The investigation will be a formality, a duty that veteran Homicide detective Sam Kovac isn't looking forward to. He doesn't want to spend any more time than he has to in the bleak, empty world of the victim's father, Iron Mike, Kovac's old mentor and a department legend. It's too much like looking into his own future. But Kovac has a sixth sense for crime, and it's burning. Together with his partner, the wisecracking, ambitious Nikki Liska, Kovac begins to dig at the too-neat edges of Fallon's death, uncovering one motive and one suspect after another. The shadows of suspicion fall deeply not only on the city's power elite, but into the very heart of the police department itself. But Fallon's death has been officially ruled an accident, and the department brass want the case to go away. Iron Mike, gunned down in the line of duty twenty years earlier and forced to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, has suffered enough, they say. They would much rather have the publicity spotlight remain on their latest legend, retiring Captain Ace Wyatt, who is headed for the bright lights of Hollywood. Unfortunately, neither Kovac nor Liska believe Fallon died by his own hand--accidentally or otherwise. As the case unfolds, it seems more and more likely that his death is somehow tied to his work. The question is whether he was killed for a case two months old--the murder of a gay patrol officer--or a case twenty years closed--the one that left his father a paraplegic and made Ace Wyatt a hero. As Kovac and Liska dig deeper, they find their careers and lives on the line, because a killer wants the truth left dead and buried. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.
Another great read by Tami Hoag. I am really enjoying this series by her. And I look forward to the next one in this series, Prior Bad Acts and also the other series that she has. I love how she writes. Pretty fluid and easy to read, lots of mystery and excitement and great plots to follow. I like how parts of the last book rolled over into this one giving hints to past lives. So probably better to read them in order.I think the characters are very well developed, very realistic and believable. And I think that is mostly because she created them to not be perfect and to have their own problems. They have to work for what they want. I also feel like Kovak and Liska were much better developed in this installment, or maybe it was because they seemed to be a bigger part of this book than they were in the first one. Kovak is probably my favorite character.So basically this is a good tale of good cop/bad cop and I again found myself trying to guess who the culprit was and was wrong in many instances. And when everything was revealed I was kind of like what?! I really did not expect a lot of it. There were several different mysteries to follow in this book and I loved that too. It did get a little confusing for a moment where I would have to go back and read something again.There was also one part of this book that involves Sam Kovak that I wished could have been different, but then again I think I know where the Author is going with him in this series and it makes sense. I am sure by the time I get done with the series I will know it all. I recommend this to anyone who has a passion for mystery/suspense.
What do You think about Dust To Dust (2002)?
Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska get much more attention in this second installment. Both detectives evolve personally as the reader learns more about them.When an Internal Affairs officer is found hanged in an apparent suicide, Sam is particularly disturbed because Andy Fallon is the son of a department legend, Iron Mike Fallon--and Iron Mike was something of a mentor to Sam early in his career.Suicide, accident, murder? Kovac and Liska find evidence of corruption, cover-up, and connections to both recent and decades old cases.The clever banter continues, as does the development of secondary and minor characters. The ability to populate a novel with "real" people is one of Hoag's skills in this series. Minor characters are not simply pawns to help advance the narrative; they feel like genuine individuals even if their roles are small.Read in Dec. A Garden Carried in the PocketLibrary copy.Crime/Police Procedural. 2002. 512 pages.
—Jen
Veteran cop Sam Kovac and partner Nikki Liska are investigating several things at once. An internal affairs cop dead of apparent suicide, a paraplegic cop dead of apparent suicide, a 20 year old murder where one of the current victims was a victim, a closed case of a homosexual cops brutal murder and the fun just keeps coming. Sam and Liska may be partners but they investigate different aspects of these cases and rarely actually work together which I found strange. I listened to the audiobook which was unabridged but it still seemed at times that key things were skipped. By this I mean, one or the other would find something out without the partner present, yet in the next scene, the other knew about it and they had never discussed the event. Sam and Liska apparently had conversations that weren't written as part of the novel. Really weird and disconcerting.Tami Hoag doesn't skimp on the graphic details but to lessen the impact, she quickly follows up with smart aleck comments from both Kovac and Liska. She writes using a wonderful mix of humor and horror. Another wonderfully plotted mystery with twists, turns and surprises.
—Barbara ★
agree, kept reading for the plot, but dialogue didn't work in so many places and characters were bothersome. Disappointed since I'd been hearing how great her mysteries were, doubt I'd read another
—Kirk
