Night Sins

Deer Lake, Book 1

By: Tami Hoag

Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck

Length: 19 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A peaceful Minnesota town, where crime is something that just doesn’t happen, is about to face its worst nightmare. A young boy disappears. There are no witnesses, no clues — only a note, cleverly taunting, casually cruel. Has a cold-blooded kidnapper struck? Or is this the reawakening of a long-quiet serial killer?…

A tough-minded investigator on her first, make-or-break case…A local cop who fears that big-city evils have come to stalk his small-town home...Together they are hunting for a madman who knows no bounds, to protect a town that may never feel safe again.

©2012 Tami Hoag (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Tami Hoag is the queen of the crime story.” ( New York Post)

Not my favourite Hoag. Look for abridged version!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

This is the first Tami Hoag book where I ached for an abridged version while I listened. Long wind up, too many drawn-out sex scenes, too much relationship stuff, not enough mystery. On top of that - I felt badly let down by the unimaginative motivation of the crime, and the poor ending... Stick to the later Hoags!

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Clearly written for a female audience. The crime is almost a sideline to the relationship aspects and raunchy sex-scenes. Motivation, explanation and solution of the crime were all poor in my opinion. Several unexplained occurrences did not lift the standard.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't really say. There was tension building up in some scenes, but then just not followed up. Cannot really remember any absolute highlight.

Do you think Night Sins needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Can definitely do without that. The other, later Hoags are much better balanced and the crimes are so much more imaginative. Also, more likeable main characters. These two were too black/white in their personalities - somehow not the kind of heroes that it is easy to identify yourself with.

Any additional comments?

Love all the later Hoags and still remain a big big fan. If you have to listen to this because you know all the others, look for an abridged version and save yourself some time.

Mostly romance with slight mystery.

The book was made in the 90's and the story is a bit dated on the technology, but as a romantic suspense I enjoyed it fairly well. Its pace was interesting and at no time was I bored. Not to say there weren't a few things that could use a little work. Such as the ending being a bit abrupt. After more than 19 hours of listening I would at least expect a satisfactory ending. But I ended up with way more questions than answers. I know there is a second book, so there is that at least. I also didn't like how the heroine had such a chip on her shoulder. I also did not like the mini unrequited romance with the priest. This was small, but it deflected from the story and cheapened it. This story made me mad because of all the irresponsibility towards the kids at the beginning by all the adults. But it also made me sad because kids can't go and play outside like they used to, without danger. I though the narrator was fairly good.

Not one of her best

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Tami Hoag writes some great books, but this one is part of her romance works. I wish audible would mark the romance mysteries better. The story is good if you took the romance mess out of it.

Would you ever listen to anything by Tami Hoag again?

I like her straight mystery books. I did't realize this was one with a healthy dose of romance mixed in. I hate it when people immediately take a look at others and can't resist getting undressed and it doesn't add anything to the book itself.

What three words best describe Jennifer Van Dyck’s performance?

She does a good job.

Any additional comments?

PLEASE mark romance mysteries!! This isn't the first one I've gotten by mistake.

A Great Book

I have just recently begun reading/listening to Tami Hoag books. This is my third and I have enjoyed each one. This one kept me guessing right up to the very end. I especially enjoy when characters are people you can relate to and these definitely do. I would surely reccomend this book to others.

Good Story, Poor Narration

We enjoyed this story, except for the narration almost made us quit! Glad we stuck it out. The story was worth it, not the narration.

This is just a romance novel.

What did you like best about Night Sins? What did you like least?

This is basically a romance novel. The main characters behave unprofessionally, have all these deep secrets and personal pain that interferes with their ability to do their job but only drop hints about it and won't discuss it. It's annoying and trite and seems like the author is trying to manipulate the reader. I don't have patience for all that. I prefer to focus on the main crime story and drop all the personal drama and romance! I don't remember Tami Hoag books being like this, but maybe it's because I've listened to so many other really good books by great authors in recent years! Doesn't compare to Jo Nesbo, Camilla Lackberg, Ann Cleeves, Jorn Lier Horst, Lee Child, Michael Connlley, Elizabeth George or Tana French.

Has Night Sins turned you off from other books in this genre?

Definitely turned me off from Tami Hoag! I have two others in my library that I haven't downloaded yet, but am going to return.

Well written but nothing new...

Would you try another book from Tami Hoag and/or Jennifer Van Dyck?

Maybe

Would you be willing to try another book from Tami Hoag? Why or why not?

I don't know...seems like I've read this book many time by many authors

Would you listen to another book narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck?

Doubt it

Did Night Sins inspire you to do anything?

Fast Forward.

Any additional comments?

Long, drawn out, predictable.

Great mystery

Really enjoyed this book. The mystery is well done, the humor had great timing. Looking forward to the continuance. I have been happy with this author and I like the narrator.

intence

I can't wait to sesrch for the second book!!!
it keeps you in a constant suspense

Could do with a little less

Any additional comments?

I find some of Tami Hoag's books excellent such as her series with Detective Lisa and Kovak as well as the Oak Knoll Series. Loved those and would love to see more of those. I don't particularly like the overly romantic ones. This one was a bit more on the romance side. I liked the story and the narration but would've preferred to see the female character be stronger and not fall right away for the "strong" male character, forgetting all about her own.I'm by no means a prude and I don't mind romance and sex as long as the plot remains the highlight. When I read a thriller or suspense novel I want suspense rather than listening to 3 minutes of every particular second of sexual exploration. As fun as that sounds, after the characters do it for the third time, it gets kind of boring. I find myself fast-forwarding through that.