The Boy

By Tami Hoag

Book Overview

An unfathomable loss or an unthinkable crime? #1 New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag keeps you guessing in her most harrowing thriller yet.

A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered and bloodied, desperate to find help . . .

When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son, KJ, has been murdered by an alleged intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she's troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind?

When the very next day KJ's sometimes babysitter, twelve-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms, fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier's tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim, or something worse? Then everything changes when Genevieve's past as a convicted criminal comes to light.

The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself from the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1101985399
• ISBN13: 9781101985397
• Release Date: December 2018
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 1.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A well-crafted story with an intricate plot line and well-developed characters.

A well-crafted story with multiple murder suspects. Everyone who is a suspect is known to the reader—no last minute introductions. There is a final twist, and I feel like there is a more plausible murder suspect than the one Tami Hoag chose. For a while, I kept wondering why so many children were being introduced when we only know of the one child being murdered. But it turns out, they are all a part of this intricate plot line and their backgrounds are all important and vividly described. Eventually, more than one child is murdered and two more go missing. You get to know several of the characters very well and form opinions about them as if you know them yourself. As far as the plot goes, you can kind of see some of it coming, but it’s worth reading to allow the author to unfold the full story and reveal the parts you haven’t guessed. I don’t personally need the protagonist to be able to relate to a victim in the story by having similar experiences because I don’t think it adds any value to the story. I don’t believe everyone is broken beyond repair or shares traumatic events with the people around them. That is the only part I could do without. I don’t need detectives Annie and Nick to have a small child they worry about constantly to be able to understand the trauma of having a child go missing or be brutally murdered. Being detectives who want to do their job should be motivation enough. I quit reading Tami Hoag many years ago because she tended to repeat the gory parts for pure shock value. I’m glad I finally picked up another one of her novels because this one didn’t do that and I was able to enjoy the read. I will definitely pick up another one of her titles soon