What do You think about The Alibi Man (2007)?
ALIBI MAN (Unlicensed Investigator-Florida-Cont) – VGHoag, Tami – 2nd in seriesBantam, 2007 – US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780553802016First Sentence: She floated on the face of the pool like an exotic water lily.*** Elena Estes is a former homicide investigator now living and working at the stable yard of her best friend, Sean. Although she could cope with the unexpected bolting of the horse she was riding, she hadn’t expected having to deal with finding the dead and alligator mutilated body of Irina, Sean’s stable hand. Things go from bad to worse as the murder brings Elena back into the circle of the Palm Beach elite members of the Alibi Club, men who will protect each other no matter what. Among the members is Elena’s former fiancée Barrett Walker, who tried to use Elena as an alibi after he raped and murdered a girl, and Elena’s prosecutor father, who got Barrett off.*** Elena is a smart woman whom life has taught to be tough. But that doesn’t leave her without feelings. She is a character with whom one can identify and about whom one can care. It those feeling that really drew me into this book. I also liked that she didn’t let her anger overcome her desire to find out the true facts of Irina’s death. In addition to creating a great character, Hoag really understands sense of place, believable dialogue and knows how to create tension and suspense. She also knows how to provide a very satisfying, albeit sad, twist at the end. Ms. Hoag delivers another very good book.
—LJ
I thought several things. 1) The protagonist, Elena Estes, was obnoxiously cynical. 2) The crime scenes and episodes were gruesome. 3) I finished the book wondering who it was that attacked one of the characters partway through the book. (Not part of the main crime scene investigation, but still I wanted to know who attacked this character and nothing was said of it. I was more curious about that than the original murder, and the question was never answered.) Although I might have not picked up on it. I think Hoag's writing is a little bit confusing at times. So not a great reading experience, sadly.
—Judith
Book2 Elena Estes seriesEx-narcotics detective Elena Estes wants to live in peace training her horses. But when she discovers the abused body of a young female co-worker dumped in a canal, she is drawn back into action and launches an investigation. As Elena delves into her dead friend's secret life, she discovers ties not only to the Russian mob but also to a group of powerful and wealthy Palm Beach bad boys known for giving each other alibis to cover a multitude of sins. She is now more determine to uncover the truth...Tami Hoag brings us once again into the world of Polo clubs, priceless horses and the unscrupulous rich. She uses her knowledge of horses and her quirky, multi-dimensional characters to provide more than just your typical murder mystery. The plot is slow moving and pulls you through a series of predictable intrigues. I like the gutsy in your face style of her main character Elena, her personality is a wise-cracking cynic, persistent and comfortable using unorthodox means to get to the truth. The secondary characters are ridiculous; the good ole polo boys are painted a little too negatively, Kulak's misconception is hard to understand and Barbaro's interest in Elena doesn't quite ring true. It seems overdone. What I found most boring was the redundancy describing Elena's accident and her fixation about her past as a rich kid. If these points are overlooked the book in its whole is not bad.
—Toni Osborne
