9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another great from Tami Hoag!, December 27, 2011
This review is from: Down the Darkest Road (Hardcover)
Imagine having your sixteen-year old daughter abducted; disappear without knowing if or where she's alive. Imagine knowing who took her and not being able to do anything about it! This is the situation Lauren Lawton finds herself in for the last four years.
The Lawton family was once a happy family of four, husband and wife, with two daughters: Leslie and Leah, living a charmed life in Santa Barbara, California. Leslie being abducted has destroyed that. Lance, Lauren's husband couldn't take the pain of losing Leslie, and in a tragic accident, he drove off a mountain road two years after Leslie's disappearance. For the last four years, Lauren's main focus in life is finding a way to make the man responsible, Roland Ballencoa pay. Needing a change in scenery for both her and Leah, Lauren decides to leave Santa Barbara and move to a small college town north, Oak Knoll. This all seems to be working out well until Lauren thinks she sees Roland in Oak Knoll, at the grocery store! Has he followed them up there or is her mind, tired from grief and lack of sleep, playing tricks on her? Lauren drops everything and pursues him out of the parking lot to see if it's really him. This captures the attention of Detective Tony Mendez, whom we've already met in the past two books. He pulls Lauren over for her erratic driving. When Tony finds out whom Lauren is and who she thinks she's seen he goes to work finding out more about this case. Tony wants to know if this child predator has moved into his backyard, and what his plans are. Also, if there is a female around in distress, Tony is there to save the day (can I have a Tony, please?)!
This story is set in the same universe as Tami Hoag's previous novels Deeper than the Dead and Secrets to the Grave (Oak Knoll, #2). Both novels are set in the 1980's. Vince Leone an FBI agent and Tony Mendez a detective in Oak Knoll are central characters in all three. I loved both of these books, and was happy to get to see all these characters again! Tami does a wonderful job of capturing the feel of the 80's, bringing back a lot of memories for me! It was interesting to see how cases were worked without all of our modern technology. Both Vince and Tony are very involved in the "new concept" of profiling. I love Tony's character, he's so protective and chivalrous *swoon*! In both the first two books, Tony had lost on his love interest, so I was hoping for a match up for him here. There is, sort of but unfortunately it wasn't with the person I was hoping for him. Maybe it was a little too soon. Hopefully it works out in the next book. If you're looking for a well plotted mystery with romance, these books are a definite recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and The Penguin Group for allowing me to read this!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK but disappointed, December 29, 2011
This review is from: Down the Darkest Road (Hardcover)
While I found the first two Oak Knoll books to be great reads I was
somewhat disappointed in the characters in this one. There was no
development of the Hewitt character and I was unsure of why he was
even needed, as he seemed an afterthought. I also was disappointed
in the fact that the cutting done by the daughter was never resolved.
I did enjoy catching up with Anne and her family and to see where
Mendez may be heading. If there is another one in this series, I will
probably read it, but I still feel that the author rushed this one.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
riveting--creepy--, December 27, 2011
This review is from: Down the Darkest Road (Hardcover)
great book! it's not every writer who can create a page-turning, nail-biting, mind-blowing story without leaving a trail of bloody corpses or gory fright-fests in every chapter. this book feels real and that's what makes it so scary and disturbing. the mother is both horrible and heroic, and the combination is fascinating. this would make for a great 'what would you do if you were in her shoes?' discussion! hoag is always a winner and this is no exception. make it a movie!
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