A Thin Dark Line
by Tami Hoag
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Book Summary Information
Author: Tami HoagEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-04-01
ISBN: 0553571885
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of A Thin Dark Line
Book Review: Lacking on the Suspense End
Summary: 3 Stars
Tami Hoag has joined the mass exodus of romance authors jumping to the mystery genre. Since I never read any of her romance books, I can't tell if her mysteries are an improvement or not. I can compare her to other romance-writers-turned-mystery-writers though. Hoag isn't the best mystery writer out there, but she's also far from the worst; I guess that would put her at mediocre or average.
A Thin Dark Line has some great qualities and it has some less desirable aspects to it also. Hoag takes the reader on a journey into Southern Louisiana where vigilante justice is a way of life. A realtor is brutally murdered and the prime suspect is released on a technicality, which angers the entire town of Bayou Breaux. As the suspect, Marcus Renard, is leaving the courthouse, the father of the victim decides to take justice into his own hands. As he points the gun at Renard, his revenge is stopped by a police detective, Nick Fourcade, and a uniformed officer, Annie Broussard. This begins the journey that has Fourcade and Broussard trying to find the evidence that will put the killer behind bars for good before another murder is committed.
When Annie stops a drunk Fourcade from beating Marcus Renard to death, the entire police department goes against her since she's turned on a "brother in blue". Annie's nightmare has only begun and she's not sure who is an enemy and who is an ally, as the killer begins to stalk her. Can she be sure who fired the shot at her while she pulls into her driveway? Who trailed the pig entrails and blood up the stairs to her home? Who mutilated a cat and hung it above her bed? Who tried to run her off the road and kill her near the bayou? Is it an angry police officer who feel she's betrayed the entire force, or the killer who targets her as his next victim since she physically resembles the dead realtor?
It seems like Hoag has pulled every nightmare out of her reserve and uses them all in A Thin Dark Line. At one point it became expected that the next horror would fall on Annie, and was no surprise when it happened - again and again and again. Hoag needs to brush up on her suspense skills and learn the element of surprise like Iris Johansen has in her mystery genre books. Even Nora Roberts does a better job on suspense in River's End or Montana Sky.
One of the most annoying nuances of this book was the constant use of the Cajun French in the dialog. Tami Hoag did provide a dictionary in the back of the book to translate these phrases, but I found myself constantly flipping to the back to see what was being said. It kinda takes away from the scene, to say the least, when you have to stop reading and look up the phrase. It was a nice thought that she did put the dictionary in the back, but there could have been a better way to accomplish getting the reader to understand the meaning without interrupting the flow of the story.
A Thin Dark Line is the second mystery genre book by Tami Hoag that I've read. The first one, Still Waters was predictable. A Thin Dark Line was better but still has a long way to go to keep Tami Hoag at the top of the charts in this genre. If want to read a blockbuster full of suspense and action then I'd suggest any Iris Johansen or many of Nora Roberts' mystery books. If you're satisfied reading an average mystery book that doesn't have many surprises, but does a great job with description and character development, then this is the book for you!
Summary of A Thin Dark Line
Terror stalks the streets of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. A suspected murderer is free on a technicality, and the cop accused of planting evidence against him is ordered off the case. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to walk away. He?s stepped over the line before. This case threatens to push him over the edge.He?s not the only one. Deputy Annie Broussard found the woman?s mutilated body. She still hears the phantom echoes of dying screams. She wants justice. But pursuing the investigation will mean forming an alliance with a man she doesn?t trust and making enemies of the men she works with. It will mean being drawn into the confidence of a killer. For Annie Broussard, finding justice will mean risking everything?including her life.
The search for the truth has begun?one that will lead down a twisted trail through the steamy bayous of Louisiana, and deep into the darkest reaches of the human heart.
Vigilantism can be swift and lethal, but it does not always carry the banner of justice. For Deputy Sheriff Annie Broussard, an attempt to honor the law traps her between the prime suspect in a vicious crime and her own colleagues on the force. And she's unsure which side, if either, is to be trusted. Set in the bayou country of Louisiana, A Thin Dark Line explores dark psychological territory while weaving through a complex plot rife with sordid characters and unlikely heroes. As the author of Night Sins and Guilty as Sin, Tami Hoag lives up to her reputation as a master of suspense.
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