Tami Hoag

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 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.… (mer)

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.… (mer)