Prior Bad Acts

By: Tami Hoag

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

It was a crime so brutal, it changed the lives of even the most hardened homicide cops. The Haas family murders left a scar on the community nothing can erase, but everyone agrees that convicting the killer, Karl Dahl, is a start. Only Judge Carey Moore seems to be standing in the way. Her ruling that Dahl's prior criminal record is inadmissible raises a public outcry, and puts the judge in grave danger. When an unknown assailant attacks Judge Moore in a parking garage, two of Minneapolis' top cops are called upon to solve the crime and keep the judge from further harm.

Detective Sam Kovac is as hard-boiled as they come, and his wisecracking partner, Nikki Liska, isn't far behind. Neither one wants to be on this case, but when Karl Dahl escapes from custody, everything changes, and a seemingly straightforward case cartwheels out of control. The stakes go even higher when the judge is kidnapped, snatched out of her own bed even as the police sit outside, watching her house. Now Kovac and Liska must navigate through a maze of suspects that includes the stepson of a murder victim, a husband with a secret life, and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system failed. With no time to spare, the detectives are pulled down a strange dark trail of smoke and mirrors, where no one is who they seem and everyone is guilty of Prior Bad Acts.

©2006 Tami Hoag (P)2006 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The breathtaking plot twists are perfectly paced in this compulsive page-turner." (Publishers Weekly)
"A first-rate thriller with an ending that will knock your socks off." (Booklist)

Loved the story....not so much the narration

First, I really liked this book and am totally enjoying the characters and stories by Tami Hoag. I usually don't write negative reviews and am not very comfortable doing so, but, until the middle very last chapter, Holter Graham's narrative of PRIOR BAD ACTS was less than appealing. His halting manner of reading is VERY distracting.  Had I not liked the story so much, I would have quit listening entirely.  As it was,  I had to take breaks from the book as the reading was that irritating to me.

I like the book but the narrator - not so much

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's phrasing of words and pauses is odd and I find it irritating. Kind of reminds me of William Shatner's speech pattern when he plays Captain Kirk. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it all the way through the book because of this. Good story, though.

Definitely worth a listen

Good narrative flow – great suspense – interesting characters - excellent narration. The only weakish point is the basic premise of the story, that practically an entire city would be incandescently enraged by a judge’s pretrial ruling. Suspend belief, and enjoy!

Another great read from Tami Hoag

Would you consider the audio edition of Prior Bad Acts to be better than the print version?

I've read everything Tami Hoag has published, and I love her books. Right now, I'm thoroughly enjoying audiobooks, particularly when narrated by David Colacci.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kovak. What's not to like?

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I love David Colacci's narrations. He puts voice to the way I heard the characters in my head when I read the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

nope

SUPERB!

This audiobook was long - but excellent. The narrator had a very smooth voice. I couldn't wait to listen to a few more chapters once I got started but had to stop. The story line was great as were the characters. This was my first Tami Hoag book, and now I am hooked. WELL WORTH YOUR TIME AND MONEY!!!!

Good story

I like the book, it had some slow parts, bit overall held my interest. I liked the narrator.

Great book and better naration

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the excellent naration made it even better. In many cases, I felt the narator was almost acting out the parts. It made it very easy to know what was going on and to enjoy the uniqueness of each of the main characters. The book has many twists and turns that keep you going until the very end. I highly recommend this book.

Should have been a better listen

This is a good book from a good author but the breathy reading style of the narrator really detracted from the listening experiene.

Never a dull moment.

An entertaining read that kept my attention the whole time with its "whodunnit" approach. Rather predictable "love interest" side but a good ride nonetheless.

Distracting narration

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

I have read all Tami Hoag's books and love them! Currently listening to some old favorites while I paint my house. Funny how we are more likely to write a bad review than a good one as I just listened to 3 with the same characters but narrated by David Colacchi and I never thought to post anything. I know different voices appeal to different people and perhaps I had just gotten used to David but this narrator is so distracting my obsession with audio books may have come to an end. He reads like he's delivering beat poetry putting pauses and breaths in awkward places. David Colacchi had completely captured Kovac and Liska that listening to this version just feels wrong. One review nailed it when they said he sounds like William Shatner as Cpt. Kirk. I know how great this book is but I'm not dying to continue listening. With the other 5 I just listened to I was seriously ready to take off work to keep it going! This narrator seems to be acting too much. Tami Hoag already wrote the suspenseful words, let the story do the talking And the narrator just read.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Holter Graham?

David Colacchi who read Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust and the 9th girl

Could you see Prior Bad Acts being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I thought I knew who the characters would be but the narrator has warped my vision with his poor performance

Any additional comments?

If it's a book featuring Kovak please cast David Colacchi.