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)

Great read

Liked the story, and performance. I like the author, Tami Hoag books are always good.

covak and liska

love covak and liska!! favs. need more of them!! like how stories inner twine details

Good story, but...

Good story, but she should have left out the cheesy sex. It took away from what could have been a very good read.

Very exciting

I try not to get so sucked into a book, but this one did just that. Could not wait to get into my car to see what was going to happen next and to figure out who did what. Interesting characters. And, contrary to someone's comments about the narrator, I thought it was very well narrated.

Surprises

Loved all the twists. Need a follow up of Novak and Carrie ! Very well written and every character was interesting .....

Perfect!

I have to rate this a "Perfect 10" from start to finish. The best Hoag novel I've read.....it had the perfect balance of suspense, drama, and a little touch of romance. I set a record listening to this one and didn't want it to end. I would like to see Hoag write a sequel so we could continue with the books main players........download it you won't be disappointed!

Distracting

Performer has a distracting cadence to his performance. Either I adjusted it he did, but first few chapters were not much fun

Great Book/Poor Reader

I loved this book, but the reader is distracting with his unusual pauses, making every character sound a little cognitively deficient. Keep with Scott Brick for the next one.

Kovac and Liska plus murders and kidnap!

I was well into this listen when I suddenly realized that I "know" Kovac and Liska. This book has gruff Kovac in the thick of things and, in spite of his prior opinions, gets personally involved with one of the victims. Liska tries to keep him grounded and investigates other leads. There are several gruesome murders and even more possible perps. Sorting out who is guilty of what while trying to protect the victims keeps the story moving. I will definitely look for more Kovac and Liska books.

Holter Graham is one of the better narrators; something I take into consideration before buying an audiobook.

Best thriller on Audible

This is the best thriller on Audible. Well written end exiting from first to last page.