Rating: 
Summary: The Plot Plods!
Review: Tami Hoag is one of my favorite authors of suspense-thrillers. I usually buy or borrow her books as soon as they come on the market knowing that I will enjoy an entertaining read. "Dark Horse," however, is not a dark horse. This one comes in close to last on my list of winning titles. The plot plods. That pretty much says it all. And it plods for 557 pages. I specifically marked the page where I became somewhat interested - page 272. I did so because I had faith in the author and was determined to finish the novel. It was hard going. There's too much padding here and not enough mystery.Elena Estes, a ballsy Florida narcotics detective took too many risks. She jumped the proverbial gun during a stakeout and her actions cost her partner's life, her own health and her career. Years later, after much surgery and physical therapy, Elena is back on her feet but still feeling pretty down and out. She is approached by a 12 year-old girl, Molly Seabright, and asked to find her missing older sister. The sister was working as a horse groomer among Palm Beach's rich and famous when suddenly she disappeared. Molly knows Elena through an equestrian magazine where her picture is displayed prominently along with the information that she is a private investigator. Elena, Molly, Molly's sister, and just about everyone in the novel are involved in equestrian competition, as is the author. One of the reasons I thought the plot would be fascinating is because in the "Author's Note" Ms. Hoag implies she will write about the equestrian sport of dressage. She does not deliver. She does write about people involved in the sport and in international horse breeding. I hope she has exaggerated her characterizations as most of the folks who populate this mystery are despicable people. She could, unintentionally, give the sport a bad name. I mean, aren't there any good guys? Her characters are not three dimensional. They are either good or evil, with no gradations. I don't recommend "Dark Horse," even if you are, as I am, a fan of Tami Hoag. I remain hopeful and wait for her next book.
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Rating: 
Summary: Good horses' book
Review: First of all let me tell you that I don't know anything about horses, at least at the end of this book I learned something. At first the book is an interesting reading and learning about horses, but after some pages of the same you will bore reading it. Nonetheless this is only the first pages of the book, because the rest of it is an excellent thriller and the end of the book is outstanding.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Horse or Not
Review: First time I have come across this author - Liked the book very much, it kept me interested and keen to read upto a point. There was a part of the book that seemed to dwell and dwell on the family (bit boaring at this point). After that we progressed along and finished in style. A great holiday read which my friend has now snaffled. It appealed to me because I like Crime/Thrillers/Fiction and Horses. In the Horse world - descriptive and authentic. Would rate the book as Excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: What a great book....the heroine in this story is one of the best drawn characters I've read in ages. Great mystery.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: I don't understand why other reviews say this book was disappointing or confusing. Once I got into the book, the characters were fairly easy to keep track of and there wasn't that much about the horse world to make it confusing. I will admit, I did figure out who the real criminals were before it ended. Nonetheless, it was a great read and I read it in a day or so.
Rating:
Summary: Not for comic book readers
Review: It is interesting that reviews often tell more about the reader than the reviewed book. It is clear that many readers want a book that is one step above a comic book. An easy to understand story with cardboard characters. Books by the likes of James, George and Hoag, authors that take the time to create a highly develop plot and fleshed out characters, seem to leave some readers cold.
This is a good book for those who want more in the books they read.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing.
Review: This is the first Tami Hoag book that I've read and I'm not sure if I'll read another. Her books came highly recommended by someone who is an avid suspense/thriller fan. I just found that this book jumped all over the place. The author makes the story confusing by having way too many characters and switching from using their first name to their last name. If you want to start with a Tami Hoag book, I don't recommend this one. Even the ending left me hanging.
Rating:
Summary: slow plot with no twist.
Review: "Dark Horse" centers on Elena, a ex-cop kicked off the force after a drug bust goes bad. The story begins 2 years after the bust, when Elena has become a bit of a recluse and is hiding out in the guesthouse of an old friend and is confronted by a young girl who believes that Elena is a private investigator who can help find her sister. While it starts off at a gallop, the plot tends to do little more than plod along after the first few chapters. While the final "whodunnit" was a surprise, it wasn't a huge plot twist that seems to be typical of this author.
There are a LOT of characters in this story, and only 3 of them are likeable. Many of them are very under developed, and after a while I didn't care who was the villian at the end of the book, I hoped they were all were guilty and put away for life.
However, the bright spot in the book is the incredible accuracy that Hoag describes the "horsey set". Hoag uses her own experiences with this group of notoriously snobbish and backstabbing folks to give the story a very realistic feel.
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