Guilty as Sin

This sequel to Night Sins was only okay at best. Had it not been for the unanswered questions that remained at the end of Night Sins, I probably would have DNF-ed this one. The book was far too long and the story just kind of meandered along. The new characters introduced in Guilty as Sin didn’t do much for me. Prosecutor Ellen North was okay, but romantic interest Jay Butler Brooks, who was a true crime writer, didn’t appeal to me at all. He was arrogant, pushy, annoying, and boring. The characters that I found interesting in Night Sins didn’t have as much to do in this one and kind of faded into the background. The best part of the story were the courtroom scenes which I wish there had been more of. The overlength of the book show more though, pretty much killed it for me. It would have worked better if everything had wrapped up in Night Sins. I really enjoyed Night Sins a lot, but Guilty as Sin was just an okay read. show less

Having read, and loved, two of Tami Hoag's other books (Kill the Messenger and Dust to Dust), I had high hopes for this one, and it didn't disappoint. It did, however, read like an earlier effort -- perhaps slightly less polished than the other two. But that's a minor nitpick. The story held my interest. I genuinely liked Ellen (even though her constant leap to think the worst of people, especially Brooks, grated on my nerves a little). I also liked some of the secondary characters, and got teary eyed during the final scene between "Father" Tom and Hannah. There were a few loose ends that didn't quite wrap up well enough for my liking (like why was Josh so terrified of his father?), but otherwise I enjoyed the way the plot developed and show more its conclusion. I'd been craving a good legal thriller, and the courtroom scenes fit the bill here. All in all, Guilty as Sin gave me another good reason to add more of Tami Hoag's books to my ever-growing TBR pile. show less

I didn't know until I came to write my review on GoodReads that this novel is a sequel to "Night Sins." I read "Guilty As Sin" as a stand-alone. I enjoyed the novel and at first anticipated giving a rating of 4 stars. However as I continued turning the pages some of the subplots definitely dragged and sometimes in a tedious manner...one in particular is the repetition of mind analysis of characters Ellen North and Jay Butler Brooks of why they are drawn to one another and if they should commit to being in each other's lives for either the length of the case and/or something more permanent. It's a shame an editor didn't advise melting some pages away. Even in the cold landscape of a Minnesota winter the snow eventually melts.

Guilty as Sin picks up right where Night Sins leaves off. However, instead of continuing the focus on the Kirkwood family and the law enforcement officers trying to find the child, Guilty as Sin focuses on Ellen North, an Assistant County Prosecutor who is trying to put Dr. Garrett Wright away for this heinous crime. The ending is a page-turner and the last 50 pages will be read quickly. You'll hold your breath hoping you've sensed the outcome correctly. And you won't be disappointed.

I really didn't like this one. I had vague memories of reading book #1, so maybe it's my own fault for not re-reading that one first to go into this one fresh. Honestly though, I don't think it would have helped. The characters didn't grab me and the plot seemed nonsensical after a while. We eventually sputter to an ending.

The main character (if you can call her that since you get many POVs in this one) is prosecutor Ellen North. Ellen is trying a local professor in good standing in the community with a kidnapping and possible murder of a young boy (Josh Kirkwood). With her boss ready to throw her under the bus at any moment, Ellen is walking a tightrope when the young boy suddenly reappears and refuses to speak about what happened to show more him.

We not only follow Ellen, we follow a true crime novelist (Jay Brooks) along with the young boy, his mother, his father, one of the neighbors, the local sheriff, and I know I am forgetting some people. There are too many characters to juggle in this one. It needed cut down a lot.

I personally didn't like the character of Jay at all and thought he was creepy/stalking Ellen.

I didn't feel one way or the other for Ellen.

The other characters just pop in and out of the story throughout. I think I was supposed to be on pins and needles about what happened with everyone, but think that Hoag left way too many things up in the air regarding the personal relationships that may have drawn people in via book #1.

The whole mystery of what happened to Josh Kirkwood and why took way too long to get to. I found myself getting bored along the way. When things are finally revealed I maybe just went "huh" rather than even trying to work out all of the plot holes I had with the book as written. show less

I would not have sought out this book, but I got it at the little free library, and it was not bad. I probably won't seek out more by this author.
About two thirds of the way through, there was a sex scene that I had to skim on through. And after that point there was a lot more chapters containing much violence.
I have to spoiler this review, because I recognized early on that Karen Wright was actually Garret's sister and not his wife. First, there was the reference to his having a sister and then no follow up. And she seemed altogether too disconnected from the world. Well before the end, I had decided she was his accomplice. Then the other accomplice showed up and I doubted myself, but it turned out how right I was.
Well written, good show more story. I understand her popularity. show less

Not as compelling as Night Sins. The author was able to sustain the suspense and the overall aura of evil that pervades the previous book. The characters aren't as interesting and multi-faceted either. However, it was still a good solid enjoyable read.