Dust To Dust

Rating:
Summary: Is There More Than Meets the Eye?
Review: Following up on her previous book, Ashes to Ashes, Tami Hoag brings us into a new Minneapolis based mystery with some characters we came to know in Ashes. An exciting story that starts with the death of Police Officer Andy Fallon's apparent suicide as a result of rejection by his father because he was gay. Next, Andy's father is dead and there is clearly something wrong with what is also made to look like a suicide. The story takes us into the world of the Minneapolis Police Department and what's been going on there over a twenty year period. Great characters. A compelling read. Read Ashes to Ashes and follow it with Dust to Dust.

Rating:
Summary: Hanging Around the Rafters
Review: I enjoyed this book the way one enjoys a great dessert. It goes down fast & is very sweet. The female officer Liska was a snappy wisecracking woman. My mind kept picturing Frances MacDormand with the witty repartee. Her relationship with her good looking but not dependable ex-husband Speed and her great kids gave fullness to the character as she handled the murders. Kovacs seemed a bit more of a stereotyped gumshoe for me. My mind kept picturing Jerry Orbach of TV's "Law & Order" with the sardonic viewpoint and loaded quips. Most interesting to me was the IA lieutenant Amanda Savard, an ice queen quivering with emotions that lay just beneath the surface. The relationship between she and Kovacs was fascinating to track. All three of the Fallon family characters were specific and rang true for me: The bitterness of police legend Mike in his wheelchair, his son Neil who could never measure up, and the posthumous rendering of Andy who seems like the all-American boy, except for the fact that he prefers boys to girls. The dysfunctional dynamics of that family and how they fit into the story was superb. More cardboard were the stock characters of Ace Wyatt, the policeman turned reality TV star and his assistant "Slick" Gaines, as Kovacs refers to him. Hoag certainly has created a page-burner, one that keeps you flipping to see what will happen next. The title never connected well to the story for me. I thought "Hanging Around the Rafters" might have been a more clever title. "Dust to Dust" is a good book that holds your attention and ends with a bang. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Very solid effort
Review: I hate to admit it but I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to reading suspenseful cop dramas written by women. However, Ms. Hoag was very effective at presenting the reader with a good suspense tale with many different plot twists. Her description of Det. Kovak, for example, was so descriptive that I could actually smell old stale cigarettes on him whenever his name was mentioned.

My only complaint is that she gave us a bit too much of the cliffhanger in the middle of the book instead of saving the best for last. All in all, it was a very good read and can't wait to read her next novel.

Rating:
Summary: More from Liska and Kovac is a good thing...
Review: I listened to this on four cassettes to and fro my work over the last few days, and I must say, this was quite a bit better than 'Ashes to Ashes.' The characters of Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska return - Nikki was definitely a high point of 'Ashes to Ashes,' - and get hit by a pair of very confusing deaths. One, a "cold-case" of the beating-death of a cop, and the other, an apparent suicide of an IA cop. But is it suicide? Is the criminal charged in the cold-case beating death really the one who killed the cop? Why was the IA man looking into the night his father, a legend cop, was shot and paralyzed, and what does it have to do with all the other things going on?

Honestly, the mystery in this one had me turning - I couldn't decide who to look at as the villain in the piece, and I was very well rewarded for my efforts - I got about a third of it right, enough to make me feel all clever, and yet enough to be outsmarted and enjoy the ride. I'm definitely going to look into more Tami Hoag.

The voice actor in this one was also way above the level of 'Ashes to Ashes,' which is always a good thing. His voices for Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska, especially, were well performed, and his pacing was perfect. Well done!

'Nathan

Rating:
Summary: Average fare from a good writer
Review: I sought this book out a day after devouring "Ashes to Ashes" which is a pre-quel of sorts (has some of the same characters in an earlier case). I was excited to follow some of the characters I'd so enjoyed into another case... and I have to admit that I was mildly disappointed in this book.

The plot of "Dust to Dust" has more promise than it delivers. I saw some twists coming too early on, and I thought there were opportunities missed by Hoag. There were certain characters that were too stereotypical for my tastes, especially in the homosexual sub-culture of the novel. I agree with what's been said in other reviews of the darkness of this novel -- there's not much light or joy for any of our characters here.

Still, I was glad to spend more time with Sam and Nikki - getting to 'know' the characters better after thier introduction in "Ashes to Ashes". I wouldn't mind more adventures with them, in the least, especially if they could find a little happiness down the road! Tami Hoag is capable of better writing and storytelling, but this isn't a bad choice if you've read most of her others already.

However, if you haven't read "Ashes to Ashes", I'd recommend it before this one!

Rating:
Summary: Twists and Turns all through out the book
Review: I started reading this book and no one could get me to put it down. Usually it would take me about 2 weeks to read a book, but this time it took about 7 days. I would read it at work, before bed, before school, and after school. I was so stuck by all the action and the twists of the story. I had to know how it ended and the suspense was nerve racking. I had to read this book for a Minnesota Author Report for school and I couldn't have picked a better novel. My favorite character in the book is Nikki Liska, she reminds me a lot of myself, she is tough and sweet at the same time. She ain't afraid of nothing though. I would totally recommend reading this book to anyone, a few of my friends have read my copy and I have some more that want to read the book. Highly recommend this one.

Rating:
Summary: Very solid effort
Review: Ms. Hoag was very effective at presenting the reader with a good suspense tale with many different plot twists. Her description of Det. Kovak, for example, was so descriptive that I could actually smell old stale cigarettes on him whenever his name was mentioned.

My only complaint is that she gave us a bit too much of the cliffhanger in the middle of the book instead of saving the best for last. All in all, it was a very good read and can't wait to read her next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Police procedural; fine "sequel" to Ashes to Ashes
Review: Tami Hoag's Dust to Dust follows the pursuits of the same Minneapolis Homicide detectives we met in Ashes to Ashes, which I recommend you read before this book. There's no serial murderer this time, but two suspicious suicides involving one family catch the attention of Sgt. Kovac and his partner, "Tinks."

Hoag broadens her canvas to include a sub-plot concerning police reality shows and the plight of gay cops, which complement the main story well. Meanwhile we are immersed in a classic and well-done procedural.

Hoag's characters and settings are vivid and in this book she has toned down the gore, as compared to Ashes to Ashes. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Police procedural; fine "sequel" to Ashes to Ashes
Review: Tami Hoag's Dust to Dust follows the pursuits of the same Minneapolis Homicide detectives we met in Ashes to Ashes, which I recommend you read before this book. There's no serial murderer this time, but two suspicious suicides involving one family catch the attention of Sgt. Kovac and his partner, "Tinks."

Hoag broadens her canvas to include a sub-plot concerning police reality shows and the plight of gay cops, which complement the main story well. Meanwhile we are immersed in a classic and well-done procedural.

Hoag's characters and settings are vivid and in this book she has toned down the gore, as compared to Ashes to Ashes. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Full of Surprises
Review: This a very well written novel that is full of surprises from beginning to ed. Ms. Hoag writes a wonderful story full of suspense, and intrigue, but her ability to keep the big secret to the very end is the most amazing of her talents. Dust to Dust has more than one mystery to be solved however.

Andy Fallon, the son of a diabled police veteran has died under some very mysterious circumstance. Detectives Kovak and Liska must try and untangle all of the clues and back up their hunch that this was murder, not suicide with hard evidence. To make matters worse they think that the murder may have been done by a cop.

Ms. Hoag has written another masterpeice of suspense and romance, but this isn't you traditional run of the mill romance novels. Nor is it your traditional run of the mill suspense thriller. It is a novel that is sure to keep you hanging on to the edge of your seat and guessing to the very end. A must read!