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paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
Detectives Nick Fourcade and Annie Broussard are married and become involved in the murder of young 7 year old KJ Gauthier, who has been viciously stabbed to death. His mother Genevieve is somewhat of an enigma, as various stories emerge about her past. Nick is also dealing with a new boss, Kelvin Dutrow, who he doesn't get along with. Things only get messier for Nick, who already has an unsolved sexual assault on an autistic teenager on his hands, and then he's hit with the disappearance of the 12 year old girl who used to babysit for KJ.
"The Boy" had a bit of a long road to publication. The publication date got pushed back multiple times, and Tami Hoag's own Facebook page indicated that she was battling several personal problems, and was still putting the finishing touches on this mere weeks before the final publication date. To her credit, she's put out a professional product, certainly better than some of her other works (e.g. Cold Cold Heart) and not without interest. But I could certainly feel the padding here.
"The Boy" does have a compelling mystery/mysteries at its core, and everything ties up really well, and the final 100 pages or so are highly gripping. But it feels a bit buried beneath what I felt were endless antagonistic confrontations between all the players. All of them. Nick with his suspects. Nick with his boss. Nick with crime scene analyst Kempt. Dutrow with his wife. Dutrow with his son. Dutrow with others. Annie with the Florette family members. Annie with Dutrow. Annie with Dutrow's wife.
All of them! Every single chapter would have some sort of the confrontation between different characters, and it grew very wearying. The book's blurb really pushes Genevieve as the unreliable narrator so favoured by thriller writers these days, but she's almost forgotten for long stretches of time as we launch into another antagonistic confrontation between two (or sometimes more) of the characters. Nick in particular. I would have preferred some more plot complications. This mystery was very much a slow burn because everybody was bloody arguing all of the time! Sometimes violently!
A couple of other things bothered me.
It was a decent crime thriller, but it was far too long. All those pages spent on constant confrontations between the various characters, chapter after chapter, could have been used to speed the narrative along further. It also didn't help that, apart from Nick and Annie, nobody was particularly likable. Hoag paints a very depressing, downbeat picture of life with little glimmer for hope. It's far from Hoag's worst, and quite good considering the obvious hurdles she faced in completing it, but overlong and, well, depressing.
"The Boy" had a bit of a long road to publication. The publication date got pushed back multiple times, and Tami Hoag's own Facebook page indicated that she was battling several personal problems, and was still putting the finishing touches on this mere weeks before the final publication date. To her credit, she's put out a professional product, certainly better than some of her other works (e.g. Cold Cold Heart) and not without interest. But I could certainly feel the padding here.
"The Boy" does have a compelling mystery/mysteries at its core, and everything ties up really well, and the final 100 pages or so are highly gripping. But it feels a bit buried beneath what I felt were endless antagonistic confrontations between all the players. All of them. Nick with his suspects. Nick with his boss. Nick with crime scene analyst Kempt. Dutrow with his wife. Dutrow with his son. Dutrow with others. Annie with the Florette family members. Annie with Dutrow. Annie with Dutrow's wife.
All of them! Every single chapter would have some sort of the confrontation between different characters, and it grew very wearying. The book's blurb really pushes Genevieve as the unreliable narrator so favoured by thriller writers these days, but she's almost forgotten for long stretches of time as we launch into another antagonistic confrontation between two (or sometimes more) of the characters. Nick in particular. I would have preferred some more plot complications. This mystery was very much a slow burn because everybody was bloody arguing all of the time! Sometimes violently!
A couple of other things bothered me.
Spoiler
Mainly: sexuality-as-monstrous. Cameron's assault on the autistic girl was because he was afraid he was gay, and his other crimes were to cover that up. I'd like this sort of harmful stereotype left in the past, where it belongs. But then again, Hoag has always had a very outdated view on gay people. Also, Sharon is depicted as a bit of a helicopter mum, cleaning Cameron's room for him and keeping an eye on him. I'm pretty sure she cleaned his room at one point during the book. How did she not notice a gravely injured 12 year old girl under his bed?!? Also, her murdering her fiance in the finale to protect Cameron didn't jibe with the fact that mere pages earlier, she was ready to send Cameron off to military school to keep her fiance happy!It was a decent crime thriller, but it was far too long. All those pages spent on constant confrontations between the various characters, chapter after chapter, could have been used to speed the narrative along further. It also didn't help that, apart from Nick and Annie, nobody was particularly likable. Hoag paints a very depressing, downbeat picture of life with little glimmer for hope. It's far from Hoag's worst, and quite good considering the obvious hurdles she faced in completing it, but overlong and, well, depressing.
agemme10's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
rgyger's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great collection of stories. So far my favorite collection by Goble.
alyshak14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.5
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
The Boy
4 Stars
Homicide detectives Nick Fourcade and Annie Broussard investigate the horrific attack on a young single mother and her small son, which left him dead and her struggling with severe injuries. As Nick and Annie question who would kill a child and leave a living witness, they must also contend with the disappearance of the boy's 12-year-old babysitter. Are the events connected and is someone targeting the children of Bayou Breaux?
Series note: As the events take place 6 years following the previous installment, it is possible to read this as a standalone. Nevertheless, readers interested in Nick and Annie's past should definitely read book #1.
Although the narrative is slow to start with the build-up of the details surrounding the crime and the introduction of the various characters and their motivations, the tension soon ratchets up and the climax and resolution are intense and exciting.
Once again, the setting is immersive and Hoag is skilled at drawing out the nuances of a small community with a diverse population as well as providing detailed descriptions for each and every character whether major or minor.
The updates on Nick and Annie's life are one of the highlights of the book. While it is clear that they love each other deeply, their conflicting personalities and the issues they must contend with in their daily lives provide a realistic portrayal of marriage being hard work.
The case itself is gripping with numerous twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. That said, there comes a time when the identity of the killer becomes glaringly obvious and all that remains is to follow along as the detectives reach the same conclusion.
In sum, an enjoyable sequel and I look forward to reading the next book, which comes out in June.
4 Stars
Homicide detectives Nick Fourcade and Annie Broussard investigate the horrific attack on a young single mother and her small son, which left him dead and her struggling with severe injuries. As Nick and Annie question who would kill a child and leave a living witness, they must also contend with the disappearance of the boy's 12-year-old babysitter. Are the events connected and is someone targeting the children of Bayou Breaux?
Series note: As the events take place 6 years following the previous installment, it is possible to read this as a standalone. Nevertheless, readers interested in Nick and Annie's past should definitely read book #1.
Although the narrative is slow to start with the build-up of the details surrounding the crime and the introduction of the various characters and their motivations, the tension soon ratchets up and the climax and resolution are intense and exciting.
Once again, the setting is immersive and Hoag is skilled at drawing out the nuances of a small community with a diverse population as well as providing detailed descriptions for each and every character whether major or minor.
The updates on Nick and Annie's life are one of the highlights of the book. While it is clear that they love each other deeply, their conflicting personalities and the issues they must contend with in their daily lives provide a realistic portrayal of marriage being hard work.
The case itself is gripping with numerous twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. That said, there comes a time when the identity of the killer becomes glaringly obvious and all that remains is to follow along as the detectives reach the same conclusion.
In sum, an enjoyable sequel and I look forward to reading the next book, which comes out in June.
whaney's review against another edition
5.0
Well... started out a bit slow, and some of the characters were really ticking me off. But then it got really good and I couldn't stop listening. Every time I got up from my desk I squeezed in a few minutes.
Did not see THAT ending coming!!!
Did not see THAT ending coming!!!
justinmahaffey's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by Tami Hoag! This book offers several of the same concepts as the first book in this series. I love Tami’s writing style that keeps you guessing. Gave it 4 stars!
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
It's the first book I read by Tami Hoag and won't be the last.
This author can surely write a book that will keep you hooked and this book is gripping and entertaining.
I loved the well crafted plot full of twists and turns, the character development and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
This author can surely write a book that will keep you hooked and this book is gripping and entertaining.
I loved the well crafted plot full of twists and turns, the character development and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
raeerin22's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So good and mysterious
thewoollygeek's review against another edition
5.0
Classic Tami she never fails to impress. This book grips you from the first page and doesn’t let you go,full of suspense and twists you don’t see coming. A dark and intense thriller, a great read.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion