Deeper than the Dead

By: Tami Hoag

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Tami Hoag is in a class by herself, beloved by audiences and critics alike, with more than 22 million copies of her books in print. With Hoag's first novel for Dutton, she proves anew why the Chicago Tribune called her "one of the most intense suspense writers around."

California, 1984. Three children, running in the woods behind their school, stumble upon a partially buried female body, eyes and mouth glued shut. Close behind the children is their teacher, Anne Navarre, shocked by this discovery and heartbroken as she witnesses the end of their innocence. What she doesn't yet realize is that this will mark the end of innocence for an entire community, as the ties that bind families and friends are tested by secrets uncovered in the wake of a serial killer's escalating activity.

Detective Tony Mendez, fresh from a law enforcement course at FBI headquarters, is charged with interpreting those now revealed secrets. He's using a new technique-profiling-to develop a theory of the case, a strategy that pushes him ever deeper into the lives of the three children, and closer to the young teacher whose interest in recent events becomes as intense as his own.

As new victims are found and the media scrutiny of the investigation bears down on them, both Mendez and Navarre are unsure if those who suffer most are the victims themselves-or the family and friends of the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very close to them is a brutal, calculating psychopath.

©2009 Tami Hoag (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

“[A] nail-biting thriller…Once again, bestselling Hoag plots craftily and creates characters readers root for.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

“Hoag's first-rate exploration of her characters imbues Deeper than the Dead with compelling plot twists.” (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

“There's a truly terrifying serial killer at the heart of Hoag's...page-turner...the chilling premise and exciting twists make Hoag's latest a thriller in every sense of the word.” (Booklist)

“Bestseller Hoag (Kill the Messenger) ventures into serial killer territory with results sure to please her many fans.” (Publishers Weekly)

Could’ve been much better

This story was pretty boring. It jumped into the thoughts of some characters that made no sense in my opinion. It also wasn’t as graphic as I prefer in a mystery or thriller. The narrator was great, but this book wasn’t as interesting as I would’ hoped. It could’ve been a great listen, but it was pretty bland. I figured out “who did it” pretty early in the book, so the “mystery” was basically gone for me.

Predictable

This isn’t a bad listen while you work or do something around the house. It’s incredibly predictable and repetitive.

suspense of the 80's brought me to the innocence

It brought me back to the innocent times of the 80's. That until this year still remained in parts of the USA.

Absolutely brilliant

Kept me on the edge of my seat. Intense, thrilling, could not stop listening. Well written and superbly read

interesting read

At first i thought this mystery was going to be straight forward but it had interesting twists and turns. The ending could leave you to believe there could be another book in the wind. But did have a true conclusion.

Deeper then Enjoyed

This is the first book I have had the chance to listen to by Tami Hong. It was very well written with each chapter narrating perspective through the happenings. The book had me ranging from enjoying a good "edgy" story to sitting on the edge come the end.

I highly recommend this book to Cornwell/Patterson fans in the vein of Alex Cross with some spice of humanity or reality.

The book shocks and rivets you off your seat. Events that offend every sense of being in you make unfortunate and perfect sense in the world today.

Last note, the author did an AMAZING job setting a book written in a time when we had no computers, no DNA databases, and cell phones were bricks to carry. It was a great read/listen.

I must have said "WHAT!!??" at least a dozen times

Usually I'm pretty good at figuring out who done it early on, but this story had me second guessing myself with every new chapter. With so many reasonable suspects, it's almost impossible to pin the crime on one particular person until the last minute. Definitely had me going in circles. Worth the read or listen. Two thumbs up!

Good Listener

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and Kirstin Potter is an awesome narrator!! I plan to look for more Tami Hoag books narrated by Kirsten Potter. I would definitely recommend this book, well worth the money and the time!

Back in time

I really enjoyed the book, without computers and other technology, relying on tedious police research, gut feelings and psychology. Imagine "Criminal Minds" without Penelope. Overall, the characters were quite believable (though the accent of Vince seems wrong for Chicago, sounds more Bostonian). I have only a short commute of 15 mins and many times I found myself still sitting in the car for several minutes, listening to book - my version of "not being able to put it down".

Great book!

Would you consider the audio edition of Deeper Than the Dead to be better than the print version?

I have never read the print version... But I think the narrator brought a lot to this book

What about Kirsten Potter’s performance did you like?

She has an amazing narration voice and shifts clearly between characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely