A Thin Dark Line

A Thin Dark Line
3.5 Stars

When a suspected killer is released on a technicality, Detective Nick Fourcade is removed from the case. Not one to give up, Nick forges an unlikely alliance with Deputy Annie Broussard. Known for playing by the book even to her own detriment, Annie is determined to seek justice for the victim even if it means putting herself at risk. But who is the real threat - the killer or those sworn to uphold the law?

Series note: Book #4 in the Doucet series and book #1 in the Broussard and Fourcade series. Despite these associations, this can be read as a standalone as the characters and the mystery are unrelated to the previous Doucet books.

This is my second foray into Tami Hoag's writing. The first was not all that show more successful as my expectations were for romantic suspense when Hoag's style is more thriller with romantic elements. Being aware of this made the current reading experience more satisfying.

The Louisiana bayou setting is very atmospheric and Hoag depicts some of the more uncomfortable nuances of a small town in the South with aplomb. She also does not shy away from realistic portrayals of law enforcement and the treatment of women in the profession. As recent cases in the US and the UK have illustrated, not much has changed since 1997.

Nick and Annie's chemistry is off the charts and their interactions are breathtaking. Nick is a compelling character whose actions are morally and ethically questionable. He skirts around the rule of law yet never completely crosses the line between hero and villain. Annie is the complete opposite. Although her strong sense of justice would seem to put her at odds with Nick, she is actually the perfect complement to him, and they bring out the best in each other.

The case itself is compelling with some excellent twists that keep the reader guessing throughout. The pacing is good although the book could have been shorter with less repetition of characters' internal musings and fewer overly descriptive paragraphs of settings.

Overall, an excellent mystery with strong characters and an engaging romance. show less

The plot was a bit creepy in the sense that I found myself checking the locks on the doors as I read late into the night. It did not help that the story line is about a serial rapist/killer who sneaks into women's homes at night when they are in bed and alone, which I was when I read this book. All in all, I would have to say that for a suspense/thriller it was fairly decent.

A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag is a 1997 publication.

I shared in a review, recently, that I was having trouble finding the right book at the right time now. One sympathetic commenter suggested I try re-reading a favorite book. It just so happens that I had this one on my TBR because the author just released the third installment in the series after a very long wait- and I felt the need to go all the way back to the first installment, though I had read it many years ago, and refresh my memory about how the Broussard and Fourcade series got its start. Turns out this book snapped me out of my little ‘book depression’.

Despite having been written twenty-seven years ago, this story still packs a very powerful punch.

It’s been a long show more time since I was so immersed in a story, loathe to put it down, even past my bedtime. The story is gritty, and not for the faint of heart. The language at times is very vulgar, sexist, and occasionally juvenile for grown up professionals. But Annie gave as good as she got a lot of the time. Eventually, though, it toned down a bit as the story progressed. The chemistry between Annie and Nick sizzles hot as fire and I do remember having a bit of a crush on Nick. He’s rough and tough but has a soft side that comes out in timely moments that made up for it… and I loved his accent/vernacular.

This book, despite its darkness, does have a romantic element and several sex scenes- more explicit and more often than necessary, and honestly, the story did go on a bit longer than necessary- so, these interludes could have been cut out and the pacing would have benefited from those edits.

Other than that, the only other thing that should be mentioned is that the book’s age gives it a dated quality only because of the lack of modern technology. Strangely though, this only seemed to increase the unease as people depended on answering machines and rotary phones. Some super creepy moments came from the messages left on Annie’s machine.

Other than that, if you have never read one of Tami Hoag’s thrillers, you should treat yourself to one. This series, despite only having three installments- with extremely LONG waiting times in between releases- So you could binge read the series!

*Content warnings: Explict sex, contextual, realistic cop banter- it's really bad- sexist, vulgar and OTT, in my opinion- naturally, there's violence, and triggers, too. But, it is a dark thriller- so regular readers of dark crime will be able to handle it. show less

I was totally engrossed in this suspense novel which I read as a stand-alone. The intensity of the suspense was riveting.

By Chapter 40 I anticipated giving a rating of 5 stars. However, at this point in the novel a key character visits the Andrew Carnegie Library for research and the description of the "old" library disappointed me as per my italics of quoted material.

"The computers had been a gift to the library from a well-known local author, Conroy Cooper. A new library would have been a better gift. The Carnegie had been old when Christ was in short pants. Dank and dimly lit, the place had always given Annie the creeps. The air was musty with the smell of moldering paper. Every wooden surface had either turned black with age or

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been worn pale from use. Even the librarian, Miss Stitch, seemed slightly mildewed."

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A great little mystery novel, that reads like a cozy with a very dark center. I liked the surprise of that! While I love a good cozy, for their comforting predictability, it's good to shake things up a bit and put a little zing in the formula.
Eloise Carmichael is a 30 something librarian, living in a guest house in the backyard of her best friend Jane in the small town of Dogwood, Ohio . Jane is pregnant, married to Ben and has two adorable little boys that love their Aunt Weez.
Idyllic it would seem, until Dogwood's own ex-con, Cormac O'Malley strolls back into town to a less than enthusiastic welcome.
Eloise hires Cormac to be a handyman at the library and that's when the bedlam begins.
Mystery, romance and murder, this story has it show more all and while it got a bit sappy at moments (I'm not a big romance reader), the author moved the story along quickly and made it very difficult to put down. show less

Set in Bayou, the novel centres around a mission to nail a killer who walked free because of a technicality. On his trail, the cop whose mistake cost him the case, and his deputy, Annie Broussard, leading Nick Fourcade into an obsessive search for justice and truth, and Annie in to a dilemma where she must defend or accuse him...

My Thoughts:

Tami Hoag is an author who I enjoy reading and would go as far as saying that this type of genre, romantic suspense is my comfort reading.

This book I found a little too long and at times I felt that I was never going to finish the book. I enjoyed most of the story and love the romance that blossoms between the two main characters. I felt that towards the end I just wanted the book to end, I could see show more where it was going. I have to hold up my hands and say that I flicked the last pages just to find out who did what.

This book I felt was an average thriller with a few thrills and a nice romance along the way, but a little too long and hundred pages less would not have spoiled the story. show less

What a weird book.

This doesn't even read like a Tami Hoag book. The main plot is a mess (investigating assault and murders of women) with multiple character POVs. I don't get the romance between Annie Broussard or Nick Fourcade. The setting of Louisiana could have been interesting, but ultimately fell flat. I just couldn't get behind Nick being an abusive police officer and Annie getting harassed by her fellow officers for daring to do the right thing.

I forgot I had "A Thin Dark Line" until I started rummaging through my bookshelves. I honestly didn't recall a thing about this book either so even though I had this book for years, nothing came back to me as I reread this.

Annie Broussard is a deputy looking to eventually become a show more detective. She finds herself fascinated by Nick Fourcade who is a loose cannon on the force. When Nick lashes out at a suspect, Annie steps on to stop the assault. This leaves Annie with a man who becomes obsessed with her. Nick also becomes obsessed with Annie initially thinking she is part of some conspiracy to ruin him.

I didn't really like any male in this book. Annie deserved better than Nick. In the end I think we're supposed to think Annie will keep Nick on the straight and narrow. Annie is put in danger repeatedly by her fellow officers and gets crapped on. She has an old flame try to tell her what to do and push his feelings on her. Maybe if Annie had a strong female relationship it would have helped balanced the overly masculine POVs.

I didn't believe the person who ended up being the suspect. It just read as false and something to throw out there. And I hated how things ultimately got wrapped up.

The writing was so so since we had multiple POVs. And we had Annie investigating and being harassed and Nick barely doing a thing it felt like. The flow was off. I found myself getting bored at parts. There were so many red herrings in this I just didn't even care at the end who was responsible for what.

I read this cause Hoag has a new book coming out that is a continuance of this series. Hopefully it's better than this. show less