Customer Reviews

The Alibi Man

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Tami Hoag has revisited one of my favorite characters, Elena Estes, from DARK HORSE. I liked her gutsy in your face style, and her total committment to justice. Her integrety and solid true blue personality are and were captivating to me. This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while.

Elena Estes lives in the guest house of one of her friends who owns a stable and horses in Palm Springs. She lives on disability from the Sheriff's Dept because she was dragged under a pick-up truck while on a bust. She had jumped the gun and one of her friends and co-workers was killed. The bust had gone terribly wrong. If you read DARK HORSE you already know this. Elena has lost much, her job, her friends and her peace of mind. She has slowly healed her body but her guilt never leaves her mind.

Elena is exercising one of the horses belonging to her friend when she discovers the body of the other groom from her stable. Irina has been missing for two days and her body is found floating in a canal; as Elena and Detective Landrey watch an alligator attacks the corpse.

Landrey has allowed himself to fall in love with Elena and with her cynical outlook she has pushed him away. As he works on the case he finds she is a very valuable silent partner.

The story is graphic, with grab you by the throat action and dialogue. A group of wealthy men are the last to see Irina alive. They believe they are entitled to anything they want and no one has a right to question them. They are all wealthy socalite men from the highest ranks of the polo playing crowd. If one needs an alibi they need only call.

The tension is tight and when the steel of justice meets the injustice of patronage and favoritisim Palm Springs will take notice.

This was a stunner and I had no clue who did it until the end of the book. Which clearly showed the importance of wealth and station compared to an everyday average person. Do not miss it. It could have been torn from the headlines today.

The Alibi Man is author Tami Hoag's latest thriller. In this novel, heroine Elena Estes returns, this time trying to find out who killed Irina, her coworker. Estes was previously featured in Hoag's Dark Horse.

Estes works for Sean Avadon as a groom helping take care of his horses. Another young woman, Irina, works for Avadon as well. One morning, Elena takes one of the horses out for a ride. She needs to get away after an emotional break-up with her boyfriend, Det. James Landry. While riding the horse down a path, Elena is horrified to find a dead body in a canal. Elena, an ex-cop, immediately calls Landry. They soon discover that the murdered young girl was Elena's co-worker, the mysterious Irina.

Elena takes the case somewhat personally and begins investigating what Irina's private social life entailed. She works on her own and discovers Irina liked to party with a group of wealthy men. These men include Jim Brody, the wealthy benefactor, Juan Barbaro, the playboy polo player, and Bennett Walker, Estes' ex-fiance from 20 years ago whom she still hates with a passion. The rest of the novel follows the twists and turns as Estes investigates what happened the night Irina went to a party with these men and then turned up dead. She aides Landry in his investigation too and also promises to help a vicious Russian mobster find the killer for different reasons.

This is a standard Hoag novel, and also one of her better ones. The plot follows a logical projection, none of the twists come out of left field. The ultimate culprit is believable. Characterization is solid, with Brody being a typical rich snob and Barbaro taking a liking to Estes. Estes as the main character, has had such a rough life and is so cynical that at times her attitude brings the book down. Even the end of the novel when she allows herself to be slightly happy won't make up for Estes' horrible outlook on life that permeates the rest of the book.

For Hoag fans, this novel is more of the same, which is a good thing.

Elena Estes (who I recognize as a character from a previous novel) is back and better than ever. Investigating the death of a co-worker and friend, Elena soon discovers that events from her past, are effecting her present and future. More than anything, Elena wants to solve Irina's death, and having recently broken up with her lover, Detective Landry, she struggles to keep him at arms length while assisting in the investigation. I will not retell the story, or tell you who killed Irina and why (enough reviewers have done that), but I will make a few simple statements. This novel contains everything that you need to make a terrific suspense novel. There were wealthy men (Brody and a host of other interesting characters) who have formed an "Alibi Club" (a bad version of a Good Ole Boy Club, who provide alibis to each other if needed); sexy polo stars (Barbaro)looking for redemption; a grieving and vicious Russian Mobster, Alexi Kulak; a person referred to as a "Freak" (who walks around looking like a circus reject); blackmailers; a victim who is more than she seemed; and a murderer. But what I found to be the most compelling was the character of Elena. You really grow to understand why she has become so jaded, so filled with guilt, and so sad. We understand why she pushes Landry away, but secretly desires what they could have, but what she is too afraid of. Anyway, Elena is a product of her past. We find out that she has left the police force, 3 years ago, because of guilt that she has about causing the death of her partner during a meth bust. The incident left her with physical (she was drug by a truck) and psychological scars (blames herself). And on top of that, her ex-lover/fiance', Bennett Walker (20 years ago), appears to be the number one suspect. Elena remembers all too well how Bennett asked her to be his alibi when he was accused of raping and assaulting a girl, and would it be unreasonable to think that someone who has everything would not kill to protect themselves. And on top of that, he is a member of the Alibi Club. Having escaped punishment for his past deeds, with the help of her estranged/defense attorney father, Elena would like to see him brought to justice if he is guilty.

As the story develops, you learn a lot about Irina, her lovers and her good friend Lizbeth, but you learn even more about Elena, and what makes her what she is....a truth seeker. How all of the injustices she has been a witness to, have shaped who she has become. I would love to read another Elena Estes story to see how her life evolves and what becomes of her relationship with Landry. So, I can tell you with no hesitation to read Alibi Man, I think you will enjoy it.

Wow! Who is this Tami Hoag, and are all of her books this good?

The Alibi Man is an exciting mystery story. Elena Estes is working at a Palm Beach upscale stable, and Irina, a coworker of hers, is murdered. She takes it personally, given that she liked the woman and... Elena used to be a homicide investigator, a good one, until she was grievously injured in the line of duty. Given her background, she stays one step ahead of the police in the investigation, tough as nails and fragile as a straw at the same time, with the fragility hidden whenever necessary.

This mystery is rich with interesting characters: the ultra-rich, the polo and horse communities, residents in upscale Palm Beach, and the Russian Mafia.

Now here's what I really liked. Hoag writes in a very descriptive style. Read just the first two very short chapters, and you'll know what I mean. In fact, if those first few pages don't grab you, put the book down and look for your recreational reading elsewhere. Ninety-five percent of you will keep on reading.

Oh, and the butler didn't do it.

It has been awhile since I have read something by Tami Hoag and I really enjoyed The Alibi Man. I understand that I have been out of the loop with the main character Elena Estes. However, when I finished the book it didn't appear to me that I missed anything from Elena previous adventures, because I thought The Alibi Man stood on its own. Elena has her fair share of knocks and I couldn't help but root for her. The story moves along at a quick pace, with a number of unrealistic scenes that I had trouble with. But still it was an entertaining read and I thought Tami Hoag did a terrific job and I would gladly recommend it to all my friends.

Tami Hoag's "The Alibi Man" is a sordid but engrossing tale about the lifestyles of hedonistic rich people in Palm Beach, Florida. Elena Estes is a bitter and cynical woman, with good reason. Two years earlier, Elena became a pariah among her former colleagues in the police department after she blew a drug bust that cost a fellow cop his life and left her severely injured. She despises her father, an amoral but highly skilled criminal defense attorney, who betrayed her when she needed him most. Her former boyfriend, Bennett Walker, is a sleaze who continues to use his wealth and power to attract young and beautiful women.

Elena has found peace taking care of horses for her close friend, Sean Avadon. She lives in Sean's guest cottage and enjoys spending time with animals who "are honest, straightforward creatures without guile or ulterior motive." She feels that "you always know where you stand with a horse," which, unfortunately, cannot be said for most people. Elena is upset after arguing with her boyfriend, James Landry, a homicide detective. However, her romantic problems fade into the background when Elena stumbles across the murdered and mutilated body of her fellow groom, Irina Markova.

Irina spent her off hours trying to snag a rich husband, but instead, she ended up floating in a South Florida canal. Elena takes Irina's murder personally; she launches her own unofficial and unauthorized investigation, which brings her into contact with Detective Landry, a gorgeous polo player named Juan Barbaro, and some fabulously rich and dissolute men (including Bennett Walker), known as the Alibi Club, because of their habit of covering up for one another's misdeeds. Although she is no longer a detective, Elena's skills are still sharp and she soon joins forces with Landry to find Irina's killer. Naturally, this puts Elena at risk, especially when she confronts a violent and irrational Russian mob figure, Alexi Kulak, who was in love with Irina and wants revenge.

"The Alibi Man" is fast-paced, gory, and thoroughly engrossing, and Elena is a delightfully sarcastic first-person narrator. Logic is not Hoag's strong suit: It is unlikely that Landry would allow Elena anywhere near his case. However, most readers will willingly suspend their disbelief regarding Elena's unorthodox activities because Hoag knows how to hook her readers and keep them interested. The characters are strong and well-delineated, the South Florida setting is depicted in exquisite detail, and the plot is suspenseful and engrossing. "The Alibi Man" is a guilty pleasure that will appeal to fans of CSI Miami and to anyone else who enjoys hard-boiled thrillers with a touch of noir.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. I received this book Friday and was finished by Sunday night. I could not put this book down, except for my Saturday night fun... Excellent Tami Hoag thriller.

Elena Estes is back in a world she shunned after a horse groomer that she worked with is found dead in a canal and all clues lead back to her old fiance, Bennett Walker, and his cronies that form the Alibi Club.

I did get through the book and I enjoyed most of it. I didn't like switching back and forth between 1st person for heroine Elena Estes and 3rd person for everyone else, mostly Det. Landry. There was some redundancy with reminding constantly that Elena had been dragged under a truck, which made it implausible to think she would still be very attractive, and her past as a rich kid with parents she can't respect, setting us up for a scene with her father. The beginning also implies that Elena and the victim were more acquainted through work than really friends, but then Elena thinks of her as a friend ever after, though one she didn't know well. Elena is fixated on her cynical life, but I did like her overall. The dialog was snappy, which keeps me going. The very end was a bit of a switch, focusing on her and Landry in greater measure, when the entire story only touched on that briefly.

Elena Estes first seen in DARK HORSE is back for an encore in another briskly paced Tami Hoag thriller. Elena is still grooming horses in Palm Beach for the rich and famous after having been one of the rich set herself. She's still jaded, still prickly, still unable to commit to a man namely, Detective James Landry. The novel starts with Elena finding the body of her friend and co-worker Irina Markova. The crime was exceptionally brutal and Elena is drawn back into investigating not only from her own sense of responsibility toward Irina, but by bereft Russian mobster Alexi Kulak who is grief-stricken at Irina's death and vows revenge. Let's just say that Alexi didn't give Elena much of a choice. Elena's investigation brings her face-to-face with her past life, a father whom she has not seen in twenty years, and an ex-finance she testified against in a rape case defended by her wealthy and powerful father.


I have enjoyed many Tami Hoag novels, but I think the wounded character of Elena is my favorite. The plot was suspenseful, but my one gripe is that the violence seemed to be more graphic than it needed to be. I'm not squeamish by any means, but I found the gore to be a little over the top. I liked the chemistry between Elena and many of the secondary charcters an especially the chemistry between her and Landry. Their relationship was very much in the background of this novel which made it even more compelling. I hope that we see Elena and Landry again.

I really enjoyed THE ALIBI MAN as a novel that kept a good pace and had no really boring or slow moving moments. I read a few reviews that described this novel as unnecessarily graphic. I just didn't see that. I thought it was delightfully graphic where it needed to be. When one is dealing with horrific murders and with unmerciful people who wish to terrorize potential witnesses or perpetrators, what would you expect? I think this would have been a 5 star book for me had the main character, Elena, been just a little more likable. I did grow somewhat tired of her continueing to try to act tough. She's an adult now. Grow up and get over it. Okay, your adopted dad was a jerk. Move on! Detective Landry was well done. I could actually believe he was a cop with a sense of duty and he was pretty competent at his job. Weiss was a bit hard to take and he just kind of disapeared towards the end of the book. I don't know how to describe Bennett Walker, but Barbaro was my pick as the biggest sleeze in the book. I was really hoping something awful was going to happen to him. I won't give away any details in the way of spoilers. I will conclude with something of a spoiler though: Way to go, Svetlana! All in all, this was a very good novel, fast paced and interesting. Another nice piece of work from one of my favorite authors.