Mystery

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. ( )

This is really a 3 1/2 star book.
The story premise was great but my god how this book dragged on. One problem with female authors I’ve noticed is there is the tendency to add way to much detail around relationships and feelings of the characters in the story. That was true with this book and it added about 100 unneeded pages.
This is only the second book by this author I have read but I definitely like the twists the stories take and her use of misdirection. ( )

OMG What a heart wrenching story this was. I so love Tami Hoag and she sure didn't disappoint me with this one. To know Some police think they are above the law is an everyday occurance. They say abuse is learned at home and how sad Cameron was the biggest victim in the abuse. What the mother of those two children went through first with their daughter missing and then the brutal killing of her son.. All at the hands of a 14 year old. I was glad Cameron's mother finally stood up to Kelvin but I was so hoping to see his ass end up behind bars for what he put them all through. And for little KJ what a sad story for such a young little boy. To lose his life the way he did just made me sick. I can't remember when the ending of a book brought tears to me eyes. ( )

The Boy is the very first book I've read by Tamo Hoag, but I've been wanting to read her books for a while now. I was pleased to find out that I actually own the first book in this series, A Thin Dark Line, and I hope to find to read it someday.

The Boy is a tragic story about a murdered child. Married detective Nick Fourcad and Detective Annie Broussard are tasked to find the killer and it soon turns out that not everything is as it seems. There are secrets and even the mother of the murdered child is soon a suspect.

The book is thick and engrossing to read. It's terribly tragic to read. The murder of children is always a theme that I will find hard to read. And, Nick and Annie feel the pain quite deeply now that they have a young son.

Storywise must I say that it didn't end the way I had expected. The last part of the book truly surprised me. It's hard to write about it without spoiling things. So, I will just say that the author really knew how to write an ending that connected all the loose threads.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )