Rating: 
Summary: thrill,suspence,drama !!!!!
Review: I have read a number of novels authored by Tami Hoag, but this one was by far my favorite! not only did it capture me from the first page, but it was so suspenceful it only took me three days to read because I just couldn't put it down. Like many of her other books, Hoag included a little romance on the side which added-as oppose to take away from- the plot, and the twists at the ending actually had me yelling in amazment out loud. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves a good thrill!
Rating: 
Summary: How Many Characters is Too Many???
Review: I've enjoyed a number of Tami Hoag's books in the past but unfortunately this one left me hungry for a good Patricia Cornwell. So many passages seemed to be included for nothing more than page fill to get the word count up and so many characters were introduced within the first few chapters -- some even with nicknames -- that I seriously thought about keeping a score card to keep everyone straight. There were also enough transparent red herrings to open a fish market.Will I read Hoag again? Probably...
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: I think Tami out did herself with this one. The ending was a total surprise. I couldn't put the book down. A page turner. I burned many a dinner over this one. Good plot.
Rating:
Summary: Predictable, but a fun read
Review: There aren't a lot of surprises here: the sexual tension and inevitable pairing of the main hero and herione left me saying "jeez..not THAT old story again". On the other hand, the action is fast-paced and interesting, even though I'm fairly sure the average reader will guess the identity of the Cremator long before the cops and FBI profiler do. Hoag has obviously read Thomas Harris, and knows a good thing when she sees it. Not as good as Harris, but fine as a good beach book.
Rating:
Summary: Why did I read this?
Review: I have mixed feelings about this book, which I picked up in an airport upon finding my flight delayed. I flew through it, which is unusual for me. It was definitely engrossing, but when I got to the last 5-6 pages, I barely skimmed them...I just wanted it to be OVER! I've not read any of Tami Hoag's other books, but she is somewhat formulaic, and while I enjoyed the back scenes from the detectives' office and all the political shenanigans and gamesmanship, I thought she went completely south when it came to the romantic scenes. While I'm sure the bodice-ripping passion scene is a requirement for this genre, I thought it weakened the story as a whole. The relationship between Quinn and Kate didn't really add anything to the overall narative, and I got very tired of reading ONCE AGAIN, how Kate was going to be strong and shut the door on that part of her life. Yeah, so do it already! Overall, I can't recommend it, unless you're stuck in John Wayne International Airport, then ANYTHING is a blessing!
Rating:
Summary: Very highly recommended
Review: Tami Hoag's ASHES TO ASHES is a meaty, suspenseful thriller that draws the reader to the world of tracking a serial killer, exposing the clashes between law enforcement, victims and politicians. With humor, sensitivity and energy, Hoag creates a novel that sure to be a best seller. The cops call him Smokey Joe. The public calls him the Cremator. The killer burns his victim's bodies in Minneapolis parks. Unfortunately, the public doesn't truely become outraged until until one of his victims turns out to be the daughter of a local billionaire. Suddenly, the pressure mounts to find the evil creature who mutilates and burns his victims. When a homeless teenager witnesses a burning, former FBI agent Kate Conlan, who now works as a victim-witness advocate, and the Bureau's top serial-killer profiler John Quinn must join forces to find the killer before he strikes again. But Kate and John shared something special in the past, and now they must find a way to work together despite their painful history. Tami Hoag writes with an enthusiasm and intensity that carries the reader along on a wave of tension, humor and fear until the last page is turned. ASHES TO ASHES is a gruesome look at a sadistic killer, but it is also a revealing expose of those who are determined to stop him. While the details are horrid, and certainly not appropriate to anyone uncomfortable with mutiliation and murder, the details are carefully presented in appropriate context. Moreover, the humor of the investigating officers provides much need comic relief with a flair seldom matched.
Rating:
Summary: Get those chores done before you begin this one!
Review: I love a book that I can't put down, and fortunately I started this one on a Friday. I have to admit the laundry isn't done, the bed is not made, the husband is picking up Wendy's for dinner....and it's all Hoag's fault. Spare me from those who criticize her prose, her occasional trite phrase, and her inaccuracy in portraying the Midwest dialect (I'm from Michigan, not so far from Minneapolis, and I didn't notice a problem). I read suspense/crime thrillers for the sheer entertainment of it, and this one comes up a winner. The plot was meaty, the heroine worthy, the characters interesting, and the ending a pulse-raiser...what more could you ask for? Granted, the avenues that you are pointed toward in your quest for the Cremator's true identity probably won't fool you into thinking you've got the mystery solved....but I can pretty much guarantee that neither will you figure it before the author clues you in! This was my first Hoag novel, but it will not be my last.
Rating:
Summary: A FIRST-CLASS, HUMDINGER OF A THRILLER!
Review: Being a first-timer to Tami Hoag's books, I wasn't sure what to expect...but she comes highly recommended by family and friends, so I simply had to read one to find out what all the fuss was about. I did not expect to find one of the best written, intelligent thrillers I have read in awhile! I nearly caught the pages on fire, I was turning them so fast! And I'm told that "Ashes To Ashes" isn't even her finest work! Former FBI agent turned Victims Advocate in the chilly climes of Minnesota, Kate Conlan is enjoying the laid-back themes her life has taken since leaving the Bureau. Too bad for her, it seems then, when a killer known locally as The Cremator begins burning a path through town, leaving charred corpses in his wake...and Kate is assigned the only witness who can identify this gruesome killer. To top it off, her client is a bratty, foul-mouthed teenage kleptomaniac, facts which don't please Kate in the least. "I don't do kids" is her mantra, all the while being sucked into one of most disturbing cases of her career...albeit, unwillingly. The case is deemed so disturbing that the local politicians bring in Kate's former partner/boyfriend and top criminal profiler John Quinn. This only complicates Kates life further. As the two dance an uncomfortable ballet around each other, trying to find place for their unrequited love, the killer looms ever closer and ever more complex. As the case escalates exponentially, Kate and Quinn are thrown together not only in emotional turmoil, but as the only ones who can detangle the web that the killer is weaving. Hoag does a brilliant job of portraying the emotional tenseness that Kate and Quinn are experiencing, heightening it with the tense murders and the dense political background that the pair must cut a swath through in order to save themselves, and the next victim. Hoag's characters are some of the most believable and emotionally real characters I've had the pleasure of meeting...tough as nails on the outside, yet completely unsure and vulnerable...and wraps them in a package that kept me up nights in terrified glee, eagerly turning pages to sop up every delightful, nasty detail. Also recommended: "Deviant Ways"--Chris Mooney "Blindsided"--Clyde Phillips
Rating:
Summary: Good, but I've read better..
Review: This was the first Tami Hoag novel I've read. I found it to be good, but not overly wonderful as some others have claimed. I thought it meandered a bit, and I found the main character to be a little too tough and quite bitchy. The killer was indeed disturbed, but I've books with better more scary villans. A lot of twists and turns, but the ending, for me at least, came up a bit flat. It was a good read to pass the time, but it's not on my shelf as a "keeper".
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: This book is a great read all the way through. It will keep you guessing and is suspenseful until the end. I have read it twice and have highly recommended it to others. Enjoy this book and hold on because it will keep you guessing. Nothing prepares you for the way the story ends.
|
