Down the Darkest Road [Hardcover]

Tami Hoag (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 27, 2011

Once upon a time I had the perfect family. I had the perfect husband. I had the perfect children. I had the perfect life in the perfect home. And then, as in all fairy tales, evil came into our lives and destroyed us.

Four years after the unsolved disappearance of her sixteen-year-old daughter, Lauren Lawton is the only one still chasing the ghosts of her perfect Santa Barbara life. The world has given her daughter up for dead. Her husband ended his own life in the aftermath. Even Lauren's younger daughter is desperate to find what's left of the childhood she hasn't been allowed to have.

Lauren knows exactly who took her oldest child, but there is not a shred of evidence against the man. Even as he stalks her family, Lauren is powerless to stop him. The Santa Barbara police are handcuffed by the very laws they are sworn to uphold. Looking for a fresh start in a town with no memories, Lauren and her younger daughter, Leah, move to idyllic Oak Knoll. But when Lauren's suspect turns up in the same city, it feels to all the world that history is about to repeat itself. Leah Lawton will soon turn sixteen, and Oak Knoll has a cunning predator on the hunt.

Sheriff's detective Tony Mendez and his team begin to close in on the suspected killer, desperate to keep the young women of their picturesque town safe. But as the investigators sift through the murky circumstances of an increasingly disturbing case, a stunning question changes everything they thought they knew. In Down the Darkest Road, #1 New York Times bestseller Tami Hoag proves again why she is one of the world's most beloved storytellers.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Before her daughter, Leslie, then 16, was abducted four years ago, Lauren Lawton had been a lovely woman. But with no assailant or body ever recovered, she has devoted all her energy to trying to keep Leslie’s case in the headlines while simultaneously not neglecting her younger daughter, Leah, now nearly 16 herself. In an apparent attempt to make a clean start, Lauren and Leah leave Santa Barbara and head to the fictional Oak Knoll, a high-end pastoral retreat in the foothills. How is it, though, that Ronald Ballencoa, the monster whom Lauren is convinced took and probably murdered her daughter, also now resides in Oak Knoll? Lauren’s obsession with Ballencoa is well known to and mostly disregarded by law enforcement in many local jurisdictions, but new-on-the-scene Deputy Mendez doesn’t dismiss Lauren’s pleas and hopes to be the one to finally bring some closure to the fractured family. Mendez, a protégé of legendary profiler Vince Leone (star of many Hoag thrillers), teams up with the feisty Danni Tanner, the original detective on the case (sparks fly between these two). Hoag takes obvious pleasure in keeping her setting circa 1990, before DNA technology had advanced to where it is today and before mobile communications rendered many otherwise tense situations easy-breezy. The setting and her consummate skill as a plotter add to plenty of old-school thrills that pack a punch and will leave fans breathless. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Hoag is on a remarkable streak: since 1995, she has written 30 books, and all 30 have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list. Her publisher will be doing everything in their marketing power to ensure that the streak hits 31. --Mary Frances Wilkens

Review

The latest chiller from Tami Hoag is a winner. GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 20120201 It's gripping, highly emotional and I would definitely recommend it. ESSENTIALS 20120201 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (December 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595239X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525952398
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (146 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers--Deeper Than The Dead, and Secrets To The Grave. Set in the late '80's, this series explores crime fighting in the early days of modern forensic science and criminal profiling. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times Bestseller list with Night Sins, and each of her books since has best a bestseller. She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great from Tami Hoag! December 27, 2011

By R. Lane

Format: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!

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars riveting--creepy-- December 27, 2011

By ice cream lover

Format: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!

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars OK but disappointed December 29, 2011

By DocG

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.