Night Sins [Mass Market Paperback]

Tami Hoag (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

A peaceful Minnesota town, where crime is something that just doesn’t happen, is about to face its worst nightmare. A young boy disappears. There are no witnesses, no clues—only a note, cleverly taunting, casually cruel. Has a cold-blooded kidnapper struck? Or is this the reawakening of a long-quiet serial killer?

A tough-minded investigator on her first, make-or-break case . . . A local cop who fears that big-city evils have come to stalk his small-town home . . . Together they are hunting for a madman who knows no bounds, to protect a town that may never feel safe again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Touted as the author's hardcover breakout novel (Hoag was the erstwhile bestselling star of Bantam's Loveswept romance series), this thriller, despite a compelling premise and several intriguing characters, ultimately disappoints. The Norman Rockwell-esque community of Deer Lake, Minn., takes a turn toward Stephen King territory when the local lady doctor's son is snatched by a fiend who leaves enigmatic notes. Attempting to crack the case, feisty feminist Megan O'Malley-who hopes to become the first female field agent for the male-dominated Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension-finds herself paired with Mitch Holt, the town's love-scarred sheriff (and recovering alcoholic) who is facing assorted personal demons. Though Hoag provides occasional passages of genuine suspense, the intrigue here is never fully realized. Her overwritten narrative becomes burdened with repetition (the distraught parents' angst, the one-dimensional protagonists' self-destructive coupling), and she substitutes cliched internal monologues and emotional outbursts for real human feelings and motivations. The unfortunate coup de grace comes in the form of a poorly resolved conclusion. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selection; major ad/promo; TV rights sold to CBS; BDD audio.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This well-crafted romantic suspense novel by the author of Lucky's Lady (Bantam, 1992) is a tautly written account of life in a small Minnesota town. Megan O'Malley, the first female field officer of the state's criminal investigation bureau, is forced into a close working relationship with Mitch Holt, the town's police chief, when a child goes missing. Against the background of a multijurisdictional criminal investigation, dialog and plot flow smoothly, and elements of romantic tension that serve to define the characters further are seamlessly inserted into the basic mystery/suspense theme. Current news topics, such as the presence of known pedophiles in a community and the problems of childcare in homes with two working parents, help fuel important subplots. The investigatory techniques are all presented intelligently and provide a strong framework for this gripping suspense tale. Highly recommended for current fiction collections.
Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at Binghamton
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553592157
• ISBN-13: 978-0553592153
• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 1.2 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (123 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,417,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Half of A Facinating Investigation, August 21, 2000

By 

Daniel J. Maloney "Daniel J. Maloney" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Sins (Deer Lake) (Mass Market Paperback)

Eight year old Josh Kirkwood is abducted outside the hockey arena where he has finished practice. Only one clue is left in the form of a note regarding ignorance and sin. Josh's parents, Dr. Hannah Garrison and Paul Kirkwood are beside themselves. Enter Megan O'Malley, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Investigator and Mitch Holt, Chief of Police for the town of Deer Lake, Minnesota. They set out to investigate Josh's disappearance but don't have much to go on. The kidnapper leaves two more clues in the form of short religiously oriented notes but there still is not much direction. The town responds by setting up search parties and telephone volunteers. But it's not easy. Slowly some suspects come into the picture, yet, they seem to disappear as quickly as they arrive. Tami Hoag does a fine job in building this first of a two part story regarding child abduction and the challenges it presents to law enforcement. While the ending is very hopeful, the reader needs to go on to Guilty As Sin for the full story. Night Sins and Guilty As Sin provide the reader with an excellent story that you can sink your teeth into. It's nice that Hoag didn't choose to simply wrap up a complex story in the last chapter. Further layers unfold in this fascinating story in volume two. Well worth the time and effort.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Slow Paced for a Thriller, July 9, 2006

By 

Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Night Sins (Deer Lake) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've heard a lot about Tami Hoag, so I thought I would give one of her books a shot. Hoag started as a romance writer, and was one of the very first romance writers to make the jump to mainstream suspense. NIGHT SINS, released in 1995, was her first major mainstream suspense book. The book became a major bestseller and later became a TV miniseries starring Valerie Bertenelli.

I must admit that I really didn't care for this book at all. It's a very slow paced novel, nearly 600 pages long. There's a lot of romantic material in this book, including a rather silly relationship between two law enforcement officers (the female officer desperately wants to be taken seriously as a detective, but then sleeps with her male superior within days of arriving in the small town!)

If you read a lot of thrillers, there is very little in this book that is new or fresh. In the end, I was more bored than thrilled. Personally, I prefer the faster-paced novels of Alex Kava, Sandra Brown, or the JD Robb books.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a waste, August 13, 2005

By 

Robert Bladen "avidreader" (Newport Beach, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Night Sins (Deer Lake) (Mass Market Paperback)

My first and last Hoag novel. After 540 pages you finish up with Zero. Perhaps the author could not come up with answers to the questions she poses so she just types "The End", leaving the reader without a clue as to why the novel was ever started.
Here's my summary. Page 1 - boy kidnapped - Page 540 - boy knocks on the door. Hi Mom I'm home. In between Zip.