Prior Bad Acts

by Tami Hoag

Book Overview

New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with a thriller that begins with a shocking crime scene you'll never forget and follows two relentless detectives on a manhunt that ends in a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553801988
• ISBN13: 9780553801989
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Length: 375 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Well-Woven Mystery With Plenty of Creepy Sociopaths

Good story, well structured, interesting characters. I like this novel and would recommend it. Tami Hoag always has a certain gag factor in her stories, as did this one. But once you skim past the first description of the family being brutalized, it’s easy to skip over the subsequent times it’s mentioned. Once the investigation into the Haas family murders is underway and the judge is mugged after excluding prior bad acts of the murder suspect from being known to a jury, Detective Kovac gets emotionally involved in protecting the judge from her attacker and her sleazy leech of a husband who didn’t even bother to visit her in the hospital after she was attacked. Kovac is certain the husband is responsible for her mugging. Detective Liska looks at the Haas teenage boy for the mugging because he’s so angry at the judge since her actions might allow the psychopath murder suspect to go free. The judge hasn’t seen the last of her own personal terror as she learns more and more about her husband’s extracurricular activities and someone decides to abduct her. It could be the hit man Detective Kovac is certain was hired by the judge’s husband; or Stan Dempsey, the rogue detective who was demoted to a desk job once he let the Haas family murder case unravel him and rob him of his sanity; or the psychopath that everyone is certain murdered the Haas family. Then after a prison riot, the murderer escapes custody! There’s plenty going on in this well-woven story! Hoag gives the reader just enough clues to solve the mysteries. But will you be able to unweave the web of sociopaths? I did figure out most of the mysteries because of the trail of breadcrumbs Hoag leaves. But there are still more twists to come. However, I never would have guessed the sleazy husband’s dirty secret. Ick! Memorable line: When the nurse gives the judge Tylenol after getting a concussion, the judge says, “You know that’s like putting a Band-Aid on a shark bite?”

My favorite Tami Hoag book so far!

This book was such an enjoyable read. Multiple crimes, lots of suspects, and even more motives. This book keeps your head spinning until everything comes undone. I loved it!

WOW! This one kept me up all night!

I've been a Tami Hoag fan for years and she has never let me down when I want an enjoyable, fast-paced thrilling read. In Prior Bad Acts she gives you enough twists and turns you'll feel you're on a roller coaster without brakes! I love Tami's humor and realistic dialogue, and her character development is 4-dimensional. I was `in love' with these characters in Ashes to Ashes, and then Dust to Dust, and am ecstatic that they're back. Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are awesome protagonists with sizzling chemistry. Hoag has a winning team! Prior Bad Acts is one of my favorites and if you're new to Tami's novels, I highly recommend you pick up a copy, curl up in a chair with the doors locked and settle in for a suspenseful ride. She really knows how to tell a good story! Kudos, Tami! ~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif Author of Divine Intervention

One of the Best

This is one of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. I love the characters Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska and hope they appear in future Tami Hoag books. Prior Bad Acts was one of those where you aren't sure who the bad guy is until near the end. The book is clear and well written with a superb plot, and I highly recommended it.

Hard to put down

Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska from DUST TO DUST are back for an encore peformance. This time their investigation involves one of Minneapolis's most grisly crimes, the murder a mother and her two foster children. Judge Carey Moore's decision to disallow suspect's Karl Dahl's prior criminal record has upset many in the community. Judge Moore is mugged in the parking garage and later threatened. To make matters worse Karl Dahl escaped from prison. Now Kovac and Liska must find Dahl , protect Judge Moore and apprehend a rogue cop while continuing their on-going investigation of the Haas case. Hoag delivers a standard crime thriller, but with engaging characters and a well-paced plot. A couple of warnings-leave enough time to read it and the violence is rather graphic. Weak stomachs beware.

Stellar Story Teller

So glad to see Sam and Nikki back in this fast paced page turner! I truly enjoy the way they relate to each other, and with the addition of Carey, you get to see the softer side of Sam. This was an exceptional book with many plot twists and turns. I hope to see Sam and Nikki, and especially Carey in a future tale. Being a romantic, I would like to see Carey and Sam get together. There's so much more that could be told in the lives of these two dynamic characters. Tami Hoag never lets you down!!!

Tami Hoag does it again!

I was originally drawn to Tami Hoag's work as it was interesting for me as an Asian woman to read a female, Asian author. I am glad I had that interest because she is now one of my favorite authors. She has a talent for plotting and pacing that is tough to beat, and her plot twists usually catch me totally by surprise. This time out Homicide detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska (from Ashes to Ashes) must protect a judged. The judge, Carey Moore, has released serial killer Karl Dahl on some minor technicalities. The killer then escapes from jail and the judged is attacked. Hoag deftly mixes the genres of police procedural and thriller into a hearty soup of intrigue, but what sets her apart from the average thriller writer is her characterizations. These are characters that become real people in the authors capable hands. I highly recommend "Prior Bad Acts" along with Hoag's other novels.