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29th out of 415 books
—
553 voters
Ashes to Ashes (Kovac and Liska #1)
by
Tami Hoag
He performs his profane ceremony in a wooded Minneapolis park, anointing his victims, then setting the bodies ablaze. He has already claimed three lives, and he won’t stop there. Only this time there is a witness. But she isn’t talking.
Enter Kate Conlan, former FBI agent turned victim/witness advocate. Not even she can tell if the reluctant witness is a potential victim or...more
Enter Kate Conlan, former FBI agent turned victim/witness advocate. Not even she can tell if the reluctant witness is a potential victim or...more
Paperback, 592 pages
Published
June 23rd 2009
by Random House Publishing Group
(first published November 1st 1996)
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never underestimate the taste of the American public for pure garbage. The writing sucks, the characters suck, but somehow.....they keep buying it.
This may be one of the most horribly written books I've had the displeasure to read. I really tried to give it a chance since a friend told me how much she enjoyed it.....needless to say, I won't follow her advice re what to read again!!!!!
I was trapped at home while out on disability and had nothing else to read--that is the only thing that made me s...more
This may be one of the most horribly written books I've had the displeasure to read. I really tried to give it a chance since a friend told me how much she enjoyed it.....needless to say, I won't follow her advice re what to read again!!!!!
I was trapped at home while out on disability and had nothing else to read--that is the only thing that made me s...more
This wasn't a bad bit of thriller work - when women show up stabbed, mutilated, and then doused in gasoline and burned, the only witness is put into the care of a Witness/Victim's rights woman, Kate. Kate, who has suffered a familial loss years ago, and is trying to get past it, doesn't normally work with kids (and of course, the witness is a kid).
So, who is the killer? Can Kate withstand the FBI agent arriving (who is a man she sought comfort with during her familial collapse)? Can the police f...more
So, who is the killer? Can Kate withstand the FBI agent arriving (who is a man she sought comfort with during her familial collapse)? Can the police f...more
I used to read Hoag's mysteries and when I saw what I thought was a new paperback at Walmart and read the back, I was interested and picked it up. Now I usually check the copyright date but failed this time, much to my dismay. After I got into it I quickly realized this book was dated. It originally came out in 1999. The use of pagers, a month to get DNA results and other anachronisms ruined the story for me. Yes, she writes a gripping and intense mystery. She keeps me reading until the last pag...more
Wish I could rate this book higher, knowing this author wrote a better book in later years. This one was just painful to read and need some serious editing help. Cut two hundred pages, change the route to the killer and it would of been a better read for me. Many people recommend this writer, but this book didn't support the recommendations. We have a killer called the Creamator by the media, but his third choice of the victim is what brings this case to the forefront of the homicide division an...more
It had me from "Some killers are born." The story follows Kate Conlan, former FBI agent turned victim/witness advocate, a no-nonsense, person grimly hiding her soft insides by being tough on the outside. Things get complicated when she is asked to sponsor a young girl, a homeless runaway who witnesses a hellish event, and oh by the way work with her ex-lover, John Quinn FBI's supervisory special agent from Quantico, on assignment in Minneapolis-St. Paul to profile the serial killer responsible f...more
Well I have to say that in the end this was a very good story with a twist ending that I only half figured out but found that I had about three different endings in my mind, this being one of them, but almost got sidetracked into believing that one of the others was in fact the case. Any way I say that “in the end it was very good” because towards the middle of the book it completely lost me and I went on to read two other books I had just gotten from the library instead but as fate would have i...more
Kate Conlan has the unfortunate habit of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Such as the first morning back at work from leave, she just has to be the one who spotted the twitchy man. In stopping him, her tights were torn and she received a swollen lip.
Just as she reached her office, she was summoned to the office of Ted Sabin, her boss' boss. A special witness in a special case for her to look after. Whilst Kate loves her job as a victim's advocate, she does NOT do children. But in thi...more
Just as she reached her office, she was summoned to the office of Ted Sabin, her boss' boss. A special witness in a special case for her to look after. Whilst Kate loves her job as a victim's advocate, she does NOT do children. But in thi...more
Kate Conlan, ex FBI agent and now victim advocate with the Minneapolis PD, is called to work with a teenage girl found at the seen of a burned victim. She says she has seen the killer but is reluctant to describe him. The suspected victim is thought to be the daughter of a wealthy and influential local business man, but no positive has yet been made. The businessman pulls strings and gets FBI agent John Quinn sent from Washington to assist in the investigation. When John comes to the task force...more
Jan 31, 2013
Chris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
thrillers suspense , read again
Recommended to Chris by:
anything of hoag mystery
Kris
Jan 13, 2009
Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars false · review of another edition
Shelves: mystery
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hoag continues to exploit the theme of mutilated women (A Thin Dark Line, 1997, etc.) in a romance thriller about the hunt for a serial killer. Someone in Minneapolis is tying down women, then raping, torturing, and killing them. While they're still alive, the attacker sticks knives into the soles of their feet, then cuts of...more
Tami Hoag has a biting, sarcastic sense of humor in this book about a serial killer, a victim’s advocate, and an FBI agent who looks like George Clooney. I have to admit that procedural mysteries are not my thing, but Tami Hoag can make then go down smoothly with her humor and kick ass plot. This is 80% mystery; 20% romance.
Kate is a witness/victim’s advocate who is assigned to the only witness of the serial killer who has killed and burned 3 women. The last victim is the daughter of a very weal...more
Kate is a witness/victim’s advocate who is assigned to the only witness of the serial killer who has killed and burned 3 women. The last victim is the daughter of a very weal...more
This was another plot driven novel like The Bodies Left Behind. I enjoyed it as entertainment. Again I compare it to watching a thriller action movie. Tami Hoag obviously follows a formula, but the few twists were nice. I don't find reading these types of novels very rewarding intellectually, but they are great fun now and again.
There's a serial killer loose in Minneapolis and now he's broken pattern and abducted and presumably killed someone other than a prostitute. Now he's got the attention of the community, law enforcement and the press, and a new moniker...The Cremator, because of what he does to his victims after he's killed them. The atmosphere is now so politically charged the top guns are being assigned. Kate Conlan, a former DC FBI agent, now victim/witness advocate for the city, is assigned to work with the k...more
a great opening line "Some Killers Are Born. Some Killers Are Made"
this is one of my top favrite books!
the descriptions of the "Cremator's" work will have you smelling the stench.
this is for sure a "grab you by the throat" suspense thriller that will keep you guessing till the end!
this is one of my top favrite books!
the descriptions of the "Cremator's" work will have you smelling the stench.
this is for sure a "grab you by the throat" suspense thriller that will keep you guessing till the end!
«Prazer de Matar», ou CSI Minneapolis, ou ainda melhor, Mentes Criminosas. Foi neste tipo de séries de investigação criminal que pensei assim que li as primeiras de 825 páginas (edição livro de bolso da editora "11x17") deste policial da best-seller Tami Hoag. Rapidamente também cheguei à conclusão que os americanos deixam muito a desejar quanto às suas preferências literárias, e apesar de este livro da escritora de Minnesota ter vendido bem, a qualidade do mesmo não é proporcional às suas venda...more
My co-worker and I were always baffled by this book. Running a small used bookstore, we never understood why we had seven copies of this title - and no other Tami Hoag. When an eight one rolled in, I decided I had to know. It was either a horrible disappointment or was go good that it had been issued to every mystery fan in the area.
I read it. It was the latter.
A vicious serial killer, wonderfully realized characters, city-level political intrigue, and one of those introspective romances. I can...more
I read it. It was the latter.
A vicious serial killer, wonderfully realized characters, city-level political intrigue, and one of those introspective romances. I can...more
I love this book so much. This is the first book I read that got me into the thriller genre. It's not too scary (just scary enough), the gore and violence is done just right without being too over the top, and I also enjoyed the romantic side plot and the relationship between the two cops (Kovac and Liska).
Most thrillers don't hold up well on the reread because once you know "whodunit" all the mystery is gone. But this one is different. I've read this probably seven or eight times at least and...more
Most thrillers don't hold up well on the reread because once you know "whodunit" all the mystery is gone. But this one is different. I've read this probably seven or eight times at least and...more
Ashes to Ashes
2 Stars
Synopsis
A killer known only as The Cremator tortures his victims and sets them on fire. Victims advocate Kate Conlon is called in to help a reluctant witness to the latest murder. However, things are not at they seem and Kate, together with FBI profiler John Quinn ,must get to the truth before Kate becomes the next victim.
Review
The book is 200 pages too long.
The serial killer plot has potential but becomes bogged down with the characters internal dialogue that is repetitio...more
2 Stars
Synopsis
A killer known only as The Cremator tortures his victims and sets them on fire. Victims advocate Kate Conlon is called in to help a reluctant witness to the latest murder. However, things are not at they seem and Kate, together with FBI profiler John Quinn ,must get to the truth before Kate becomes the next victim.
Review
The book is 200 pages too long.
The serial killer plot has potential but becomes bogged down with the characters internal dialogue that is repetitio...more
This must be karma.
She writes the kind of thrillers that keep readers and critics awake all night. She grabs you with a story as frightening as your worst fears, as chilling as your unspoken secrets. What readers? Elementary kids?? 'Cause I sure as hell see nothing scary at all here. Nothing to see, shoo--shoo.
A couple of days ago, I complained about a crime book being too much a crime book (The Executioner), with no sideline story and no life to the characters. I wished for a book with more plo...more
She writes the kind of thrillers that keep readers and critics awake all night. She grabs you with a story as frightening as your worst fears, as chilling as your unspoken secrets. What readers? Elementary kids?? 'Cause I sure as hell see nothing scary at all here. Nothing to see, shoo--shoo.
A couple of days ago, I complained about a crime book being too much a crime book (The Executioner), with no sideline story and no life to the characters. I wished for a book with more plo...more
I am torn on the stars for this one. I kind of wanted to give it threer stars but then I was also so disturbed as to how dark this one was that I thought maybe only three. But then does that fact that this could have possibly been as big as silence of the lambs (ya! it's like that) that you feel compelled to go with the four star review. Either way, if this is your genre then it is a must read. If you are a little new to this genre, you may want to ease into it with a different book first.
All th...more
All th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was my first reading from Tami Hoag. Wow. Master of building alluring suspense, mystery, romance, and depravity combined with intriguing personalities (villians and do-gooders alike) falling under precarious circumstances that elicit powerful and full spectrum emotional responses from the reader. Amoral and nightmare-inducing descriptions of crimes that at times were difficult to consume due to their graphic nature and realism. My only critique is that the writer tended to be a bit repetiti...more
I normally like this style of story. I like the suspense, the twists and turns in plots and stories about officers. But this one seemed to tie in a few too many twists and turns in the who-dun-nit question. And for the leading lady Kate was just a bit too much in her 'tough man' persona.
The love interest line could have been put together better, I just never did feel the chemistry between Kate and Quinn. And the final twists in the end of who did it and who knew, was just too much.
Overall a dece...more
The love interest line could have been put together better, I just never did feel the chemistry between Kate and Quinn. And the final twists in the end of who did it and who knew, was just too much.
Overall a dece...more
Kovac and Liska take you on a wild ride as they try to crack the case. The who done it is based in my home state of Minnesota (Go Viking's) Tami Hoag gets the mentally of a big city with small town values right on the nose! She also gets the cop humor and details of the typical day of partners trying to figure out their life while the pressures of catching the bad guy zooms in! It's not hard to fall in love with Kovac,Kate,and GQ. I highly suggested you read this awesome who done it!
I read Tami Hoag only when I am out of books, have no to-reads ready, and am desperately bored. She's better than the unknown, most times, setting up a reasonably believable scene, albeit with gratuitous sex and formulaic plots. Now that I have a nook and don't have to be in a bookstore to obtain something I have wanted to read, I will be less likely to read her work. However, the vocabulary is simple, and if you are exhausted and just want to read w/o thinking too hard, and you prefer mysteries...more
This book could have been alot shorter and alot better!
Alot of time is spent on character development, the problem with that is alot of the main characters in the book are cops. When speaking amongst themselves the cops normally call each other by last names or knicknames at other times in the book the characters are referred to by their first names. I cannot tell you how many times I went back trying to figure out who the character was, in the end it didn't matter!
I did actually figure out who...more
Alot of time is spent on character development, the problem with that is alot of the main characters in the book are cops. When speaking amongst themselves the cops normally call each other by last names or knicknames at other times in the book the characters are referred to by their first names. I cannot tell you how many times I went back trying to figure out who the character was, in the end it didn't matter!
I did actually figure out who...more
This is the first in the Kovac/Liska series. I read the third in this series some time ago and am reading the books out of sequence.
I enjoyed the story, at 570 pages it's by no means a short novel but for me it was a page turner. With plenty of twists and turns I was pretty certain I knew who the Cremator was but I was wrong.
I found the novel well written and felt that the characters were very believable. With a good mix between the narrative and the dialogue driven parts.
I'm looking forward to...more
I enjoyed the story, at 570 pages it's by no means a short novel but for me it was a page turner. With plenty of twists and turns I was pretty certain I knew who the Cremator was but I was wrong.
I found the novel well written and felt that the characters were very believable. With a good mix between the narrative and the dialogue driven parts.
I'm looking forward to...more
I'm not sure why I read this one. I really liked Tami Hoag's
romantic suspense novels, but have been less enchanted with her
"straight suspense". I guess because I think she does romance very
well, but suspense only so-so.
I think this would be a good beach book. Smooth, easy to read, not too
taxing. The killer was obvious to me about half way through, and the
villain's POV stuff was "same-old, same-old", but it was reasonably
entertaining.
romantic suspense novels, but have been less enchanted with her
"straight suspense". I guess because I think she does romance very
well, but suspense only so-so.
I think this would be a good beach book. Smooth, easy to read, not too
taxing. The killer was obvious to me about half way through, and the
villain's POV stuff was "same-old, same-old", but it was reasonably
entertaining.
Jan 16, 2013
Kris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller,
suspense-mystery-series,
suspense,
series,
romantic-suspense,
romance,
fbi,
crime-drama
3 STARS
A great suspense/mystery novel.
4 STARS
"Kate Conlan, ex-FBI agent turned advocate, finds herself protecting a teenage runaway who has witnessed the latest murder by the "Cremator", a serial killer who burns women alive. However, the witness isn't talking and Kate can't tell if the witness is just reluctant, or something more sinister." (From Amazon)
Simply a great romantic suspense.
A great suspense/mystery novel.
4 STARS
"Kate Conlan, ex-FBI agent turned advocate, finds herself protecting a teenage runaway who has witnessed the latest murder by the "Cremator", a serial killer who burns women alive. However, the witness isn't talking and Kate can't tell if the witness is just reluctant, or something more sinister." (From Amazon)
Simply a great romantic suspense.
Though this book was written several years back, when 'serial killer themes' were highly popular, the work holds up well, due to the considerable skills of the author. Plenty of gore and grit, lots of tension and suspense. The romantic subtheme is predictable, but a pleasant element in the midst of the pace of the thriller. Familiar characters balanced with the new make this a very enjoyable read for fans of Tami Hoag, one of my favorite authors.
The cops find a burnt body in a park. Who did it? And will they find the culprit before there is another victim?
This was a pretty basic "sexy yet tough as nails" female cop story, plus her ex-lover FBI agent who of course is handsome yet sensitive. There were some parts of this book that were disgusting to read (torture, rape, etc.) and I had to put it down to recover before I could move on.
This was a pretty basic "sexy yet tough as nails" female cop story, plus her ex-lover FBI agent who of course is handsome yet sensitive. There were some parts of this book that were disgusting to read (torture, rape, etc.) and I had to put it down to recover before I could move on.
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Tami Hoag is the #1 international bestselling author of thirty books. 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 been a bestseller. She lives in Southern California and Florida.
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Mar 09, 2013 06:00pm