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Doucet #3
Cry Wolf
In the rural parishes of Louisiana's French Triangle, young women are disappearing one by one, only to turn up on the banks of the bayou, strangled and cast aside where they are sure to be found. But there is one trophy the killer prizes above all others, one woman who must be silenced forever . . . Attorney Laurel Chandler did not come back to Bayou Breaux to seek justice. That once-burning obsession had destroyed her credibility, her career, her marriage - and nearly her sanity. But when a ruthless predator strikes too close to home, she's lured into a perverse game from which there may be no escape. Once before, Laurel's cries against a monstrous evil went unanswered. Who will listen now?
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First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Tami Hoag
99 books6,131 followersTami Hoag is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than thirty books published in more than thirty languages worldwide, including her latest thrillers—BITTER SEASON, COLD COLD HEART and THE 9TH GIRL. 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 leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
She leads a double life in Palm Beach County, Florida where she is also known as a top competitive equestrian in the Olympic discipline of dressage. Other interests include the study of psychology, and mixed martial arts fighting.
Visit her at www.tamihoag.com, Facebook.com/TamiHoag and on Twitter @TamiHoag
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
January 13, 2019
I liked this book much more than I thought I would. It may not be a very short book but it’s an easy and fast read. There are some things that bother me (I list them below) but I still enjoyed it a lot.
To my utterly astonishment I quite like the main characters - Laurel and Jack. And I’m surprised because as much as I like tortured characters, Laurel and Jack are not the best example of well-crafted troubled souls. Especially Jack who is a bit inconsistent to me. But somehow I ended up liking them anyway. Also, the idea of love between them is an overstretch and not really believable. They know each other for just a few days but they are already deeply in love. Not really convincing.
The suspense part is well-maintained but not ground-breaking. The killer is the person you suspect from the very beginning, so no surprise here. Though, to be totally honest, there are some other suspects and the whole thing may not be that obvious to some readers. And those other baddies make a pretty interesting bundle on their own.
I haven’t read many books by Tami Hoag but I generally liked the experience, so I think I will more of her in the future.
To my utterly astonishment I quite like the main characters - Laurel and Jack. And I’m surprised because as much as I like tortured characters, Laurel and Jack are not the best example of well-crafted troubled souls. Especially Jack who is a bit inconsistent to me. But somehow I ended up liking them anyway. Also, the idea of love between them is an overstretch and not really believable. They know each other for just a few days but they are already deeply in love. Not really convincing.
The suspense part is well-maintained but not ground-breaking. The killer is the person you suspect from the very beginning, so no surprise here. Though, to be totally honest, there are some other suspects and the whole thing may not be that obvious to some readers. And those other baddies make a pretty interesting bundle on their own.
I haven’t read many books by Tami Hoag but I generally liked the experience, so I think I will more of her in the future.
March 18, 2010
It has been a while since I read a Tami Hoag book. I usually enjoy her stuff, but this book I really struggled to finish. At the start, we get a glimpse of the killer. Then it’s 200 pages into the 529 page book before we get anything more about the killer other than mere mentions and hints. The two main characters, Laurel and Jack, had way too much “baggage” for my taste and we were constantly reminded of it. Even up until the very end. I never have understood why a writer feels they have to force certain points. It was rather like beating a dead horse after a while. They got issues from their childhood and recent adult past. I’ve got it. Move on with the story. This book could easily been cut by at least 200 pages if we had not had to go through their repeated melodrama.
Secondly, I had the killer figured out from his first introduction. Way too easy. Then the ending felt rushed. Compressed into the last 60 pages accompanied by more yet self-degradation from our main characters.
Also, I didn’t like that the Laurel’s mother and step-father got off with so little punishment for their past deeds.
Overall, this was really disappointing and it worries because I have a number of other books in my TBR pile by this author.
Secondly, I had the killer figured out from his first introduction. Way too easy. Then the ending felt rushed. Compressed into the last 60 pages accompanied by more yet self-degradation from our main characters.
Also, I didn’t like that the Laurel’s mother and step-father got off with so little punishment for their past deeds.
Overall, this was really disappointing and it worries because I have a number of other books in my TBR pile by this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2015
This was an outstanding third book into this series. I enjoyed the story line and how all the characters were coming together. Excellent touch of mystery to it. You got your self a great book if romance with mystery is what you're looking for.
February 20, 2018
haha, lame, nice try. It did give True Blood, the show not the books, vibe though. That's why I read this in 2008.
Nice cover, but not enough.
October 18, 2021
Enjoyed this Louisiana based serial killer mystery.
Laurel Chandler is home to recover from a terrible legal case that cost her legal career and caused an emotional break. She is pulled into an evil game with a serial killer, while trying not to fall in love with her novelist neighbor.
A lot going on in the story but definitely exciting.
Laurel Chandler is home to recover from a terrible legal case that cost her legal career and caused an emotional break. She is pulled into an evil game with a serial killer, while trying not to fall in love with her novelist neighbor.
A lot going on in the story but definitely exciting.
December 31, 2015
For me 90% of the book had just to much family drama, making feel like it was a daytime soap. The last 10% finally got back to the mystery,but it was just rushed.
September 10, 2018
Very good
4.5 ⭐️
This was a great book, and still just as good on the reread
I enjoyed Laurel and Jack to a certain extent as well. Both were troubled characters that were fighting for survival in everyday life.
I felt for Laurel the most as she was stuck in her upbringing and I really enjoyed her casting off those ties at the end. She fought for herself and for her sister. She had a quiet strength that kept her going long after everyone expected her to stop
Jack I also liked but I had a harder time connecting with him. He martyrs himself time and time again. Both characters tried their hardest to stay apart from society for their own reasons, and yet when they were pulled in by friendships and obligations Laurel was the better character, she didn’t kick and scream as much as Jack did. She gave in gracefully and tried her best to help those who needed it.
The mystery kept me entertained, even on the reread when I knew who was the killer. It was a long book that drew you in and kept you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what would happen next. The characters were well portrayed, and their emotions were brought out well by the author. The heartbreak had me crying in parts but in the end it is about triumphing over your fears and those who wish hurt upon you.
4.5 ⭐️
This was a great book, and still just as good on the reread
I enjoyed Laurel and Jack to a certain extent as well. Both were troubled characters that were fighting for survival in everyday life.
I felt for Laurel the most as she was stuck in her upbringing and I really enjoyed her casting off those ties at the end. She fought for herself and for her sister. She had a quiet strength that kept her going long after everyone expected her to stop
Jack I also liked but I had a harder time connecting with him. He martyrs himself time and time again. Both characters tried their hardest to stay apart from society for their own reasons, and yet when they were pulled in by friendships and obligations Laurel was the better character, she didn’t kick and scream as much as Jack did. She gave in gracefully and tried her best to help those who needed it.
The mystery kept me entertained, even on the reread when I knew who was the killer. It was a long book that drew you in and kept you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what would happen next. The characters were well portrayed, and their emotions were brought out well by the author. The heartbreak had me crying in parts but in the end it is about triumphing over your fears and those who wish hurt upon you.
May 23, 2013
I was told I need to read more outside of my favorite genres, so I went to the library and picked the first title that caught my eye.
THE LONG AND SHORT:
I don't read thrillers. Especially ones that are romance heavy. I was under the impression that this would be some mix of Criminal Minds + Law and Order. Instead I got something that you would find on the Lifetime network. In my opinion, that is not a good thing. In my head, Lifetime = melodramatic romance mixed with some violence for spice demonstrated by the washed up refugees of Hollywood.
THE LONG
I like southern settings, they are both familiar and exotically strange. Hoag is great at making the setting come to life, and to be honest, that was the only thing that kept me reading. While some of her characters had promise (Savannah, Jack, the Delahoussayes) I hated pretty much everyone else, ESPECIALLY Laurel. The real thriller-y part doesn't even begin until about page 300. The "perverse game" isn't much of the disturbing brain teaser it could have been either. The killer is pretty obvious once they show up and the mighty Laurel only figures it out when the killer gives themself away intentionally. There's no cat and mouse game, no matching of wits, just Laurel shaking in her boots and 'bravely not crying'. Everything before pg 300 is an incredibly over-dramatic angst fest by every character you meet. There was an over-repetition of phrases that drove me crazy and they didn't go away, even up to the very last page. Phrases like:
"If she had a brain in her head, she would walk away...."
"Jack took in the rigid set of her shoulders-so slim, so delicate, too often carrying a burden that would have crushed a lesser person."
by the 14th time I've read similar lines, I very much wanted both Laurel and Jack to be done in by the fell Killer. Something is very wrong when, as a reader, you're cheering on a serial killer.
I hear tell that her later books are much better, and this book is nearly 20 years old, so I'm striving to be fair and not write Hoag of as a terrible experiment gone wrong.
THE LONG AND SHORT:
I don't read thrillers. Especially ones that are romance heavy. I was under the impression that this would be some mix of Criminal Minds + Law and Order. Instead I got something that you would find on the Lifetime network. In my opinion, that is not a good thing. In my head, Lifetime = melodramatic romance mixed with some violence for spice demonstrated by the washed up refugees of Hollywood.
THE LONG
I like southern settings, they are both familiar and exotically strange. Hoag is great at making the setting come to life, and to be honest, that was the only thing that kept me reading. While some of her characters had promise (Savannah, Jack, the Delahoussayes) I hated pretty much everyone else, ESPECIALLY Laurel. The real thriller-y part doesn't even begin until about page 300. The "perverse game" isn't much of the disturbing brain teaser it could have been either. The killer is pretty obvious once they show up and the mighty Laurel only figures it out when the killer gives themself away intentionally. There's no cat and mouse game, no matching of wits, just Laurel shaking in her boots and 'bravely not crying'. Everything before pg 300 is an incredibly over-dramatic angst fest by every character you meet. There was an over-repetition of phrases that drove me crazy and they didn't go away, even up to the very last page. Phrases like:
"If she had a brain in her head, she would walk away...."
"Jack took in the rigid set of her shoulders-so slim, so delicate, too often carrying a burden that would have crushed a lesser person."
by the 14th time I've read similar lines, I very much wanted both Laurel and Jack to be done in by the fell Killer. Something is very wrong when, as a reader, you're cheering on a serial killer.
I hear tell that her later books are much better, and this book is nearly 20 years old, so I'm striving to be fair and not write Hoag of as a terrible experiment gone wrong.
May 2, 2012
TBR Challenge 2012: May Challenge- Read a book published prior to 2000.
TBR Challenge 2012: Personal Challenge- Cry Wolf has been on my to-read list since March 2010.
Grade C+
Lucky's Lady is one of my favorite romantic suspense books, and I looked forward to reading Cry Wolf when I saw it was labeled Doucet #3. Other than sharing the Bayou setting and having a one line mention of Lucky Doucet, there is nothing to tie this book to the others. Lucky's Lady also dealt with family troubles and a tortured hero, but I was able to believe the transformations and the happy ending. Cry Wolf on the other hand is one long downer. The book is full of characters who have been abused and traumatized. A few of the topics covered include repeated sexual abuse of a child by a custodial step-parent, physical abuse by an alcoholic parent, patricide, a disbarred lawyer, suicide, nervous breakdown, cold social climbing parent, and so much more. There are no well-adjusted characters here.
The suspense plot was slow to unravel, and the relationship between Jack and Laurel was push-me pull-you for half the book. The heavy angst in both of them was exhausting. Laurel is suppose to be a strong character, and in some ways she comes through in the end, but overall she seems helpless in the face of her grief over her failed case and loss of career. She seems like a ship tossed around on a stormy sea in every relationship: with her sister, her mother, Jack, Stephen, the sheriff, Jimmy Lee, and even the local bar patrons.
Even when the mystery is solved, I wasn't convinced of the happy ending. Way too much baggage weigh the characters down. Their HEA won't come without years of therapy for both of them.
I gave it 3 stars because the writing is good and the mystery kept me glued to the pages.
TBR Challenge 2012: Personal Challenge- Cry Wolf has been on my to-read list since March 2010.
Grade C+
Lucky's Lady is one of my favorite romantic suspense books, and I looked forward to reading Cry Wolf when I saw it was labeled Doucet #3. Other than sharing the Bayou setting and having a one line mention of Lucky Doucet, there is nothing to tie this book to the others. Lucky's Lady also dealt with family troubles and a tortured hero, but I was able to believe the transformations and the happy ending. Cry Wolf on the other hand is one long downer. The book is full of characters who have been abused and traumatized. A few of the topics covered include repeated sexual abuse of a child by a custodial step-parent, physical abuse by an alcoholic parent, patricide, a disbarred lawyer, suicide, nervous breakdown, cold social climbing parent, and so much more. There are no well-adjusted characters here.
The suspense plot was slow to unravel, and the relationship between Jack and Laurel was push-me pull-you for half the book. The heavy angst in both of them was exhausting. Laurel is suppose to be a strong character, and in some ways she comes through in the end, but overall she seems helpless in the face of her grief over her failed case and loss of career. She seems like a ship tossed around on a stormy sea in every relationship: with her sister, her mother, Jack, Stephen, the sheriff, Jimmy Lee, and even the local bar patrons.
Even when the mystery is solved, I wasn't convinced of the happy ending. Way too much baggage weigh the characters down. Their HEA won't come without years of therapy for both of them.
I gave it 3 stars because the writing is good and the mystery kept me glued to the pages.
November 3, 2010
I read Tami Hoag's "Bayou Series" books in order, and I have to say this one was actually worse than "Lucky's Lady."
"Cry Wolf" takes place over one week, and again we are burdened with reading about impossibly gorgeous characters with troubled pasts who just neeeeeed each other to make everything all right. Mmmhmmm. This book was about 300 agonizing pages too long. The story wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention, especially since the killer all but told Laurel who he was pretty early in the book, yet she was convinced someone else was the Bayou Strangler and pursued him up until about the last 3 chapters or so. She also at one point thought her new lover, Jack, might be the killer, but does that stop her from bedding him another time or two? Nope. She's on vacation, and that means wanton, forbidden sex with the town rebel.
This is the third book of Hoag's where the man says "sweet heaven" as he mounts his woman (yes, really) and says such winners as "relax for me, sugar" and "you're tighter than a fist." Yes, REALLY. (Lucky's Lady, Cry Wolf, and Guilty as Sin all contain those ridiculous gems.)
Again, the setting and scenery are great, but the story was dreadful. I actually physically wanted to punch Jack for being so whiny and thick-headed, and I kind of wanted Laurel to die or be seriously injured.
"Cry Wolf" takes place over one week, and again we are burdened with reading about impossibly gorgeous characters with troubled pasts who just neeeeeed each other to make everything all right. Mmmhmmm. This book was about 300 agonizing pages too long. The story wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention, especially since the killer all but told Laurel who he was pretty early in the book, yet she was convinced someone else was the Bayou Strangler and pursued him up until about the last 3 chapters or so. She also at one point thought her new lover, Jack, might be the killer, but does that stop her from bedding him another time or two? Nope. She's on vacation, and that means wanton, forbidden sex with the town rebel.
This is the third book of Hoag's where the man says "sweet heaven" as he mounts his woman (yes, really) and says such winners as "relax for me, sugar" and "you're tighter than a fist." Yes, REALLY. (Lucky's Lady, Cry Wolf, and Guilty as Sin all contain those ridiculous gems.)
Again, the setting and scenery are great, but the story was dreadful. I actually physically wanted to punch Jack for being so whiny and thick-headed, and I kind of wanted Laurel to die or be seriously injured.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2010
This book has some fairly dark suject matter - child abuse, serial killers and psychological issues to name a few. If you're OK with that, then it makes a good read.
While pegged as romantic suspense, I would see this one as more a mainstream thriller/suspense with a romance sub-plot that is not the core of the book.
Plenty of action throughout but I would have liked a bit more from the ending - both the serial killer and romance plots.
While pegged as romantic suspense, I would see this one as more a mainstream thriller/suspense with a romance sub-plot that is not the core of the book.
Plenty of action throughout but I would have liked a bit more from the ending - both the serial killer and romance plots.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2009
I don’t know if it’s the setting but the truth is that I always find myself completely absorbed with stories set in the Louisiana bayous. And I really wanted to read Hoag again after having enjoyed Dark Paradise so much. So one night this week I picked this one to read before bed time and the truth is that I just couldn’t stop and was kept awake half the night trying to finish it.
Laurel Chandler used to be a public prosecutor and after having lost a child abuse case she has a nervous breakdown and goes back home, to Bayou Breaux, to recuperate. She comes from a dysfunctional family and instead of staying with her mother she chooses to stay with her sister and aunt instead. Her sister particularly seems to have big problems rooted also in sexual abuse as a teenager. Also in town is Jack Boudreaux, a crime writer with a less than pristine past and a bad boy attitude that Laurel meets when she goes to confront him over his dog. She also antagonizes the local preacher who is trying to close one of the local bars. They meet and soon Laurel is seeing the good man in him and Jack is feeling protective towards her.
I must confess that I didn’t particularly like any of them. Laurel needed to grow a spine in what concerns her mother and definitely change her attitude towards her sister. Now Jack kept alternating being really bad with being really protective and I didn’t like the combination. Had the book been just about these two it might not have kept me awake but soon we discover that there’s a serial killer on the loose and someone is watching Laurel. The killer’s victims are all young women with a bad reputation and Laurel’s sister Savannah not only has one but she is bent on self destruction. I was quite curious about what Hoag was going to do with that character but I guess she chose the easy way. Either that or some people just don’t have a chance in life.
I think Hoag was particularly good at describing the swamps at night; she creates such a good atmosphere that whenever the scene change to the swamps I was immediately expecting something horrible to happen. She is also good at creating a suffocating atmosphere regarding the abuse Savannah endured and how she and Laurel always kept it a secret. You know something horrible is going to happen and you can’t stop regarding because you really want to know what it is. Hoag completely sucks you in and I must confess that my complaints with the story were all found after I read it and when I was sitting in front of the computer and trying to write this review, while I was reading it I was completely hooked.
The identity of the killer is slowly revealed so instead of a bit element of surprise you are left in doubt about whether he is going to succeed with Laurel or not. I found it an absorbing and intense read but with a really dark theme.
Grade: 4/5
Laurel Chandler used to be a public prosecutor and after having lost a child abuse case she has a nervous breakdown and goes back home, to Bayou Breaux, to recuperate. She comes from a dysfunctional family and instead of staying with her mother she chooses to stay with her sister and aunt instead. Her sister particularly seems to have big problems rooted also in sexual abuse as a teenager. Also in town is Jack Boudreaux, a crime writer with a less than pristine past and a bad boy attitude that Laurel meets when she goes to confront him over his dog. She also antagonizes the local preacher who is trying to close one of the local bars. They meet and soon Laurel is seeing the good man in him and Jack is feeling protective towards her.
I must confess that I didn’t particularly like any of them. Laurel needed to grow a spine in what concerns her mother and definitely change her attitude towards her sister. Now Jack kept alternating being really bad with being really protective and I didn’t like the combination. Had the book been just about these two it might not have kept me awake but soon we discover that there’s a serial killer on the loose and someone is watching Laurel. The killer’s victims are all young women with a bad reputation and Laurel’s sister Savannah not only has one but she is bent on self destruction. I was quite curious about what Hoag was going to do with that character but I guess she chose the easy way. Either that or some people just don’t have a chance in life.
I think Hoag was particularly good at describing the swamps at night; she creates such a good atmosphere that whenever the scene change to the swamps I was immediately expecting something horrible to happen. She is also good at creating a suffocating atmosphere regarding the abuse Savannah endured and how she and Laurel always kept it a secret. You know something horrible is going to happen and you can’t stop regarding because you really want to know what it is. Hoag completely sucks you in and I must confess that my complaints with the story were all found after I read it and when I was sitting in front of the computer and trying to write this review, while I was reading it I was completely hooked.
The identity of the killer is slowly revealed so instead of a bit element of surprise you are left in doubt about whether he is going to succeed with Laurel or not. I found it an absorbing and intense read but with a really dark theme.
Grade: 4/5
February 16, 2012
I haven't read Tami Hoag before. I don't read books where supposedly smart women throw themselves at verbally abusive disrespectful jerks because they need to be dominated, so this will also be the last.
March 1, 2015
DNF halfway through the book. The characters didn't grab my attention and the story was long winded about their pasts. I just didn't care to read on.
March 23, 2020
Gah. This book annoyed me. Much mills and boon style romance, with dark men with a troubled past Blah blah blah. And a little bit of obvious crime perpetrated by creepy men.
July 10, 2019
A page turner. Tami Hoag describes Louisiana bayou country so vividly you can feel the humidity and smell the swamp. Attorney Laurel Chandler, burnt out attorney, returns to her home rural parish to lick her wounds and restore her soul. Returning home isn't the sanctuary she desires as old issues still test her. Hoag creates a tangled web of deceit, characters who are not as they seem to be, images of violence so horrifying to make you stop and make sure your doors are locked.
June 30, 2017
I really liked this one. A good mystery that had me guessing at first and a romance in there too with some deep family secrets. A good and fast read forme. I finished it in one sitting.
February 28, 2018
It is not fair to rate a book I read 26 pages of one star, but I did. There is no reason for the amount of bad language, especially in so few pages that I read. Sorry. Not for me.
Read
January 8, 2019Round up to 3.5 stars.
May 3, 2019
Loved this book
May 8, 2009
I first read Cry Wolf when I was fifteen. I remember becoming completely absorbed in the story, the author’s descriptions of the bayous and the different facets of Louisiana culture. Half a lifetime later, I’m pleased that the story is still good, the characters still vivid, and the conclusion, still quite dramatic.
Written in the early part of the nineties, computers are hardly in evidence (Newspaper clippings? Really? But I kid!), cell phones aren’t mentioned, and it would be nearly a decade before the public would be under the impression that CSIs and the BAU did all the investigating.
Laurel Chandler, who the media labeled “the attorney who cried wolf,” has come home to Bayou Breaux to recover. She had obsessively devoted herself to a big case, which she lost. She not only lost the case; she lost her husband and her sanity as well. After leaving the mental institution, she goes to her Aunt Caroline’s home, trying not to think too hard about what she’ll do next. Her sister Savannah has her own reasons for being glad to have Laurel home. It gives her a chance to be the caretaker of someone rather than just the town slut, a niche she’s carved out with relish over the years.
Jack Boudreaux is a good-time boy, whose friends can hardly believe is the best-selling author of horror novels. There are rumors that he has a tragic past of his own, spoken of in whispers when he leaves the room. Laurel, who looks like a wilted flower, but has a spine of steel, intrigues him. At first he’s just flirting, but soon they’re spending a good deal of time together.
Unfortunately, their intentions to just “pass a good time” are stalled when a killer who has been plaguing the surrounding parishes enters Bayou Breaux.
Tami Hoag did an excellent job creating a foreboding atmosphere in this book. The swamps and bayous are almost characters in their own right. As a teen I thought the characters Laurel and Jack wonderfully tragic, now I find them less appealing. Still, even though I knew the end, I read eagerly to the conclusion.
Written in the early part of the nineties, computers are hardly in evidence (Newspaper clippings? Really? But I kid!), cell phones aren’t mentioned, and it would be nearly a decade before the public would be under the impression that CSIs and the BAU did all the investigating.
Laurel Chandler, who the media labeled “the attorney who cried wolf,” has come home to Bayou Breaux to recover. She had obsessively devoted herself to a big case, which she lost. She not only lost the case; she lost her husband and her sanity as well. After leaving the mental institution, she goes to her Aunt Caroline’s home, trying not to think too hard about what she’ll do next. Her sister Savannah has her own reasons for being glad to have Laurel home. It gives her a chance to be the caretaker of someone rather than just the town slut, a niche she’s carved out with relish over the years.
Jack Boudreaux is a good-time boy, whose friends can hardly believe is the best-selling author of horror novels. There are rumors that he has a tragic past of his own, spoken of in whispers when he leaves the room. Laurel, who looks like a wilted flower, but has a spine of steel, intrigues him. At first he’s just flirting, but soon they’re spending a good deal of time together.
Unfortunately, their intentions to just “pass a good time” are stalled when a killer who has been plaguing the surrounding parishes enters Bayou Breaux.
Tami Hoag did an excellent job creating a foreboding atmosphere in this book. The swamps and bayous are almost characters in their own right. As a teen I thought the characters Laurel and Jack wonderfully tragic, now I find them less appealing. Still, even though I knew the end, I read eagerly to the conclusion.
January 19, 2011
We typically find Tami Hoag’s novels to be suspenseful mystery/thrillers, often with a female leading character. In “Wolf”, Laura Chandler fills that role, an attorney who returns to her Cajun homeland in Louisiana after a career-busting loss as an assistant DA in a prominent case in Georgia. Yet most of the book is really more a soap opera about Laura's improbable and almost immediate romance with local rogue Jack Boudreaux, himself a disbarred lawyer who is now a wealthy and successful murder/thriller novelist who otherwise does little besides drink booze and bed women!
Meanwhile, a serial killer is busy offing young women in various parts of the state – until a local girl’s death brings the matter close to hand. The local police seem inept, their ineffectiveness helped along by numerous clues pointing at Jack. Wondering whether Laura herself will eventually become a target serves to sustain suspense until nearly the end, when we readers learn the surprising identity of the perpetrator.
Somewhat different from most Hoag thrillers, this story really explores the unlikely relationship that blossoms between the principals – that revelation hardly a spoiler as it seems “certain” after just a few chapters that a love affair is in the air. Whether that focus will please or displease may be a matter of taste.
Meanwhile, a serial killer is busy offing young women in various parts of the state – until a local girl’s death brings the matter close to hand. The local police seem inept, their ineffectiveness helped along by numerous clues pointing at Jack. Wondering whether Laura herself will eventually become a target serves to sustain suspense until nearly the end, when we readers learn the surprising identity of the perpetrator.
Somewhat different from most Hoag thrillers, this story really explores the unlikely relationship that blossoms between the principals – that revelation hardly a spoiler as it seems “certain” after just a few chapters that a love affair is in the air. Whether that focus will please or displease may be a matter of taste.
June 28, 2009
Laurel Chandler, a lawyer returning home in disgrace, meets a local man, Jack Boudreaux, also a lawyer though disbarred, and falls in love. Most of the story is Laurel's healing from a mental breakdown and dealings with Jack while all along she is determined that the last thing she needs is a relationship. Her bad childhood and his draw them together like white on rice. When the local serial killer strikes close to home, things heat up and Laurel finally gets her feet under her and gets back in the game.
UNBELIEVABLE! I honestly couldn't put it down. I started it today and other than a dinner break, read it in one shot. What a fabulous story! This is the first Tami Hoag book I've read but it certainly will not be the last. The plot was convoluted and the murders where really in the background until they hit home and then wow in your face action and suspense.
UNBELIEVABLE! I honestly couldn't put it down. I started it today and other than a dinner break, read it in one shot. What a fabulous story! This is the first Tami Hoag book I've read but it certainly will not be the last. The plot was convoluted and the murders where really in the background until they hit home and then wow in your face action and suspense.
May 10, 2016
In the Louisiana Bayou, attorney Laurel Chandler returns home after a nervous breakdown. Laurel came back home to live with her much loved aunt and her older sister, the sultry Savannah. She initially tangles with local Jack Boudreaux, a dark character who writes books filled with murder.
Meanwhile, someone is torturing and mutilating women and leaving them in the swamp. As Laurel and Jack face an undeniable attraction, one of the murders hits very close to home and Laurel begins to receive gifts in her car.
This is an older Tami Hoag book from 1993. Typically Tami Hoag books are mainly suspense thrillers but readers barely get a mention of the killings until about half way through the book when the pace started to pick up. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the bayou.
Meanwhile, someone is torturing and mutilating women and leaving them in the swamp. As Laurel and Jack face an undeniable attraction, one of the murders hits very close to home and Laurel begins to receive gifts in her car.
This is an older Tami Hoag book from 1993. Typically Tami Hoag books are mainly suspense thrillers but readers barely get a mention of the killings until about half way through the book when the pace started to pick up. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the bayou.
August 8, 2012
I normaly am not one for mysteries, but this book is exceptional! My first time reading it, I couldn't put it down and that was sixteen years ago. I have since then read it several times and it never changes as one of my favorites. Not only is there a murder to solve, but a great romance between the main characters Jack and Laurel. Sexual tension, great word play between the two of the them, humor and dark, emotionally tortured people. You won't want to miss it.
April 13, 2012
About 50 pages in, I started dreading returning to this book. The style reminded me of, maybe Joanna Russ? I'm not sure, it's been so long. She was trying to depict a post-apocalyptic society through the broken mind of the one person who had any knowledge of the past, but it just went in circles and I gave up.
February 10, 2012
It was a little slow at first. I am torn between a 3 and 4 for this book. I liked the book, but I got a little tired of the I am not good enough to have a relationship part of this book. Which is the majority of this book.
February 21, 2014
This is more of a schlocky romance story with a serial killer thrown in for good measure rather than just a mystery. (Another reviewer said that the book was originally marketed as a romance when it was first published.) I've read other books by Tami Hoag; this was NOT one of her better ones.
April 27, 2015
Competent at moments. Heavy-handed and incomprehensible at most others.
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