Dust to Dust

I thought this book was a good read. (It must have been since I spent my lunch hour reading the last 25 pages or so to find out who-dun-it.) I described the book as a little dark to the friend I've given it too and when she asked what I meant by that I said the characters were not happy, they were depressed. However, I found them very realistic, not one-dimensional like the personae in some mystery novels. If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Sam Kovak, the male homicide detective. His partner, 'Tinks' Liska, is a single mom and her interactions with her kids were well done but I thought some of her decisions about pursuing the case were unrealistic.

The novel is set in Minneapolis just before Christmas. Some of the show more details about the festive season are very funny, like Kovak's neighbour's massive lighting display. It provides a nice counterpoint to the main action which deals with investigating the violent deaths of a police officer and his father. show less

This book has all the elements I love about well-written thrillers: a genuinely creepy bad guy, characters to root for, snappy dialogue, interesting situations, and tight plotting. I loved it. This is definitely the type of book I'd recommend to a friend who enjoyed the genre. My only problem was with the ending... I figured out the killer about half-way through, but I didn't think his motivation was anywhere near strong enough. The ending was somewhat of a let down, but not enough to ruin the enjoyment I got from the rest of the book.

Though I know that Hoag has "Ashes to Ashes" as the first Kovac and Liska book. I always thought "Dust to Dust" was the first book in the series. Mainly because we get Kovac and Liska's third person POVs in this one and the last book really focused on John Quinn and Kate Conlan. "Dust to Dust' has Kovac and Liska investigated the death of an IAB officer with ties to a legendary police officer. Though ruled a suicide, both Kovac and Liska believe the officer was murdered. There are ties to an older homicide from decades ago.

I love Kovac and Liska. They bounce off each other very well and you can see why they work as partners.

Kovac is twice divorced though at his heart he does want to be with someone. We see him starting to click with a show more lieutenant in IA. This is also the beginning of the Christmas light wars he has with his next door neighbor. I don't know why that whole thing tickles me, but it does. Kovac makes mention of Kate Conlan from book #1, and even goes and sees her and John Quinn (now together and happy). Even though Kovac would love nothing more to ignore the calls from the top to close the current case they are working, he and Liska still push ahead.

Liska is a divorced mother of two still hung up on her ex. You get to see her trying to juggle being a detective along with being there for her two boys. It's nice to see a female homicide detective who is apparently well liked be her colleagues and very good at her job.

We get some great secondary characters that I can't say too much about. I really enjoyed Amanda Savard (the lieutenant from IAB) as well as callbacks to book number one.

I thought the writing was very solid. The current case ties into at least two other side plots, but I found that everything works.

The setting of Minneapolis always makes me think of winter. I have no idea why. Probably because most of Hoag's books seem to take place during the fall/winter.

The ending was a gut punch to me. I didn't see the events coming and all I could think was if only at the end. show less

The death of internal affairs investigator Andy Fallon is a potential political bomb for the Minneapolis Police Department. Andy Fallon was gay, and he was investigating a possible cop connection in the brutal murder of another gay officer. But Andy's death looks like suicide - or an unfortunate and embarrassing accident: death by auto-erotic misadventure - and the pressure is on from the top brass to close the case as soon as possible. But Andy Fallon's ex-lover doesn't believe Andy died by his own hand - accidentally or otherwise. He believes Andy's death is tied to his work, and he presses lead detective Sam Kovac to find another answer - one that won't be popular with anyone. With the help of Amanda Savard, Fallon's supervisor, show more Kovac begins to investigate the cases that Andy was working on and the deeper he digs, the more suspicious he becomes.

My Thoughts:

These type of books are what they are. I quite enjoy a romantic suspense and Tami Hoag is quite good at what she does. This book has more suspense than romance so on this occasion there is very little sex for the romantic connection.

What I did find with this book is that I was getting a little lost. When there are more than one case which will eventually all tie in I do find that I get a little lost what is going on. My main focus was the currant case and I seemed to get bit confused how they were going to mould together. This I think was me not the book as I get too involved with what I want to.

The book was an ok thriller and part of a series with the same characters. It could have been read as a stand alone but as always I do like to read them in order.

Tami Hoag I would recommend if the reader likes the such as Sandra Brown, Erica Spindler and Karen Rose. show less

Really pretty good. This one focused on the detectives Kovak and Liska from the previous book (Ashes to Ashes). I found these characters to be more real than the "flawed hero and heroine" from the prior book. Kovak and Liska were real to me. The plot was a little convoluted but it rang true and didn't seem too contrived. Overall the book made me cold! December in Minneapolis ... who in their right mind? Oh, yeah, never mind.

What if you had to try and make sense of the hanging of a young cop? What if that cop was an Internal Affairs investigator? And what if that IA detective was gay? And what if he was the son of a legend of the department? Tami Hoag does just this and more in "Dust To Dust", a follow up to her previous book "Ashes To Ashes" if you want action and spell binding suspense that keeps you guessing, this is the book for you.

Andy Fallon, a gay Minneapolis police officer, hangs dead in his bedroom. A week later Iron Mike Fallon, a former cop and Andy's father, shoots himself with his service revolver. Detectives Nikki Liska and Sam Kovac are not happy with the suspicious circumstances and the too-swift closing of both cases. They continue to nose around, causing unexpected people to react to their search with panic, threats, and attempted murder. What is the secret behind these deaths, and how are all the people connected? Hoag's story is well told; revelations come slowly and tantalizingly, and the characters are well drawn.