Guilty as Sin: A Novel (Deer Lake)

Guilty as Sin is a magnificently written follow-up novel to Night Sins, but unlike some sequels this one could stand alone. I would recommend to anyone interested that Night SIns should be read first, because it would give the reader a lot of background and history regarding what ahppens in the second novel, but Ms. Hoag covers her bases well enough that if Night SIns wasn't read first the reader would still be able to follow along and enjoy. Ms. Hoag's charater development is amazing in this novel as it is in all of her works. Guilty as Sin focuses on Ellen, the assistant district attorney prosecuting a high profile kidnapping case. Ms. Hoag weaves romance into a very suspensful story as only she can do, and by doing so will catch the hearts of all of us hopeless romantics. This story is also full of twists, turns, and surprises. It keeps you guessing as to who the bad guy is, while it has you rooting for the good guys. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last pages, and will be very hard to put down. I would recommend this novel to any and all readers as I felt there was something in it for everyone.

When I read "Night Sins" it ended practically in the middle of a thought - very obviously (thank goodness) a sequel was planned. "Guilty" continues the story developed in the first book and does a good job of following through on the mystery. While I liked the first book better (personal preference, not quality of writing) "Guilty" keeps the suspense going and wraps up the storyline with a totally unexpected ending.Don't try reading this book on it's own - you'd be missing the intensity & mystery developed in the first book.

Read "Night Sins" first, but have this one on hand to start as soon as you finish it. I just happened across a copy of "Still Waters" a couple of weeks and read it without having read any Tami Hoag stuff before. I liked it so much that I immediately ordered both "Night Sins" and "Guilty as Sin" and read them back to back. Both are pretty long and I breezed through both in about 4 days - they were that good. I am a big fan of Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson and since I am caught up on their stuff I am now going to order a few more of Tami Hoag's books. She writes a good combination of love story and mystery, a little bit of a change from Cornwell and Patterson, but a good change in my opinion.

In Guilty as Sin the story centers on the child abduction that began in Night Sins. The story surrounds the perpetrator of the abduction of eight-year-old Josh Kirkwood. Ellen North, County Prosecutor and Mitch Holt, Police Chief for Deer Lake, Minnesota investigate. Ellen North must build a case against a suspect most people don't believe to be guilty. This book is as dynamic and riveting as the first and kept me enthralled as the mystery was first built into a more devious story and then slowly unraveled to a climatic end. A great story spread across these two novels. Highly recommended.

Did you get a chance to read "Night Sins" yet? I hope so, because we're reviewing the sequel "GUILTY AS SIN" now, and I don't want to spoil anything for you. "Guilty as Sin" picks up right where "Night Sins" left off. While a prominent Deer Lake citizen sits in jail for the abduction of Josh Kirkwood and the brutal assault on BCA Agent Megan O'Malley, Josh is returned home. Did Chief Holt arrest an innocent person, or is there still an accomplice on the loose? Now another child in a nearby town has been stolen, throwing further doubt on the suspect's guilt and scattering law enforcement resources across the county. With every new piece of evidence found, a dozen new questions arise. Rather than solving the crime, the investigation seems to be building a haystack in which to find their needle. Assistant County Prosecutor Ellen North must build a case against a suspect most people have trouble believing to be guilty. In fact, someone is violently protesting the arrest. Is a nationally recognized and applauded program for the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders really a clinic in violence and psychological terror, or is North jumping at shadows? Who is leaving notes and maddening clues, always one step ahead of the investigation? Has an innocent man been framed, victim of the age-old motives of lust and greed? Or is this just another ploy to lead the law agencies further afield? A career has been destroyed, a family torn apart, and a close-knit community will never look at a neighbor the same way again. Welcome to the next level of The Game. Nina M.