Night Sins (Deer Lake) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Tami Hoag (Author) "Josh Kirkwood and his two best buddies burst out of the locker room, flying into the cold, dark late afternoon, hollering at the tops of..." (more)
Key Phrases: Deer Lake, Agent O'Malley, Olie Swain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Set in a pastoral Minnesota small town, Hoag's thriller has an ill-matched pair of detectives trying to trace a sadistic kidnapper.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (December 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055356451X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553564518
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (114 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #600,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Predictable, forced, and annoying, April 6, 2001

By	Robert J. Morris (Macungie, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the most difficult read I've tried in years. Maybe Harlequin fans could enjoy the forced situations, predictable characters, and endless mindless horniness of this book. Please put Fabio on the cover to steer people who like plots and sensible stories away.

Someone told me that if I liked Grafton and Cornwell and Fairstein that I'd love Hoag. No way, Hoag is a romance writer - not a story teller.

Frequently the story takes mindless turns, leaving the reader confused. The confusion clears when you realize the device was set to get a couple of principals into coupling position.

Hoag has an original idea here. If characters are plain, or old, or physically flawed they are bad. If they are young and physically attractive they are good. Very clever. I identified the first of the bad guys when he was introduced. The character's existence made no sense, what he had to offer made no sense, and he was very homely. Although introduced as a caring person I guessed he just had to be a baddy with those looks, he was.

The main male character is introduced "bulge" first in an incredibly contrived scene, your typical police chief in tights. Within a few chapters our agent lady finds herself "melting against him, on fire." Need I say Give Me A Break? Better yet, give me Kinsey Millhone.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Great, Great Read, September 26, 2000

By	Marcia L. Hopkins (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews

Eight-year-old Josh Kirkwood is abducted outside the hockey arena where he has finished practice. Only one clue is left, a note that talks of ignorance and sin. Josh's parents, Dr. Hannah Garrison and Paul Kirkwood are inconsolable. Dr. Hannah Garrison was to have picked Josh up after hockey but she was detained at the hospital due to an emergency.

Megan O'Malley, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Investigator and Mitch Holt, Chief of Police for the town of Deer Lake, Minnesota set out to investigate Josh's disappearance. The kidnapper leaves two more clues but there's no break in the case.

Tami Hoag does a fine job in building this first of a two-part story. Go on to Guilty As Sin for the full story. Night Sins and Guilty As Sin together make an excellent story that you won't want to put down.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

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

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

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.