The 1st Victim

By: Tami Hoag

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 1 hr and 30 mins

Publisher's Summary

New Year's Day is a time for new beginnings, but Minneapolis homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are focused on endings: specifically, the tragic end of their latest murder victim, an unidentified young woman discovered on the side of the freeway. Believed to be the victim of a serial killer, Kovac and Liska are determined to do the girl the small justice of returning her body to her family as they investigate her case, but it is no simple task matching the broken corpse to any of the scores of missing persons reports, especially when no one seems to be looking for her.

Meanwhile, recent widow Jeannie Reiser is frantic when she is unable to get in touch with her daughter, Rose, who, as an 18-year-old, is a legal adult rather than a missing child in the eyes of the law. Jeannie's desperate attempts to get the police to believe her child is in trouble lead her closer and closer to the New Year's Doe and to an evil even Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska may be unable to stop.

Tami Hoag once again proves her place as "one of the most intense suspense writers around" (Chicago Tribune) with The 1st Victim

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©2013 Tami Hoag (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Give me more...

I chose this book because I like the author. I did not really pay attention to the length. This is a short story. It is well written and has good narration. Needless to say it leaves you wanting more.

SHORT, SHORT

Where's the rest of the book? ? Good story. I guess I didn't look at length of book.

Buy The 9th Girl and forget this one.

This "book" is really an excerpt from The 9th Girl. It's only a little more than 1 hour long and adds about 10 minutes of new information. What a rip off! I really felt cheated by this one.

What?

I thought this was a regular book. Apparently it is a short story. When it ended I was bewildered.

Don't waste your time or credits on this one.....

An hour and 30 minutes?? Even setting up a storyline, this one is a stretch,

A gripping short story

This is the introduction to The 9th Girl. It is short story of a mother's search for her missing daughter, Rose. She went missing on New Year's Day. The mother lives in Kansas. The police just will not take her report of a missing person because the girl is 18. The police in Minneapolis are searching for the identity of a young girl found dumped on the side of the road - tortured, beaten and stabbed to death. Finally the lines cross. Sad but very interesting story.

Good entriduction for the upcoming books.

Good entriduction for the upcoming books.
narrator voices are excellent. was able to identify each character with out a problem.

More to Come

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

Since the book was short, my time spent listening did help me finish my chores a little easier. If I had sat without doing something constructive, my time would not have been well spent.

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

I've read quite a few of Tami Hoag books before. Therefore, I will read other's. I will not purchase, The 9th Victim, the book following the 1st Victim. If the first book is any indication of what the next book will be like, I have no desire to read it.

What about David Colacci’s performance did you like?

His performance wasn't as good as his other performances. However, he didn't have very much to work with.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I don't think anyone should waste their time and money on this book. Invest your money more wisely. Choose a different book.

Short Story

The 1st Victim is a short story that introduces us to Doc Holiday, the serial killer who we get to know better in The 9th Girl and whose actions are a direct catalyst for Cold, Cold Heart.

As with most short stories, there isn’t a lot of time spent fleshing out or otherwise developing the characters and I normally don’t read short stories for that reason. But when they are part of a series, they are more a filler story, bridging a gap between books where the character development really happens. With some series, it’s a treat for the readers; a fix to get them through their DT’s of waiting for the next book.

I can’t say I loved this story but I did enjoy it and spending time with Nicki and Sam are always a treat. This story was more of a preview, of sorts, of what is coming down the road for Nicki and Sam. As homicide detectives, they have seen their share of the heinous and horrendous. They work perfectly as a team, always there for one another and having each other’s back. Their partnership is the kind we should all strive to have with our workmates. Tami Hoag does a brilliant job of creating characters that readers easily connect to and empathize with. Even the characters that the readers do not like are able to grab the attention of the reader, keeping them engaged throughout the story.

Unfortunately there are no happy endings or justice for the victim’s family in this book. The killer is just getting started and his reign of terror is far from over. I recommend this book to readers of mysteries, thrillers and police procedurals. The suspense isn’t as nail-biting as the author’s earlier books, but this is a short story and a good segue into the next book.

Too Short.

Be careful when buying this. I thought it was a regular unabridged book. I was SUPER short. Like an hour and a half. Not worth the price of a credit.

Great introduction to Tami Hoag

Excellent short story and a great introduction to Hoag's Kovak and Liska series. I have downloaded 'The 9th Girl' on the strength of this. Excellent characterisation and plot which is often difficult to achieve in crime short stories. Narrator does an excellent job too.