A horrifying triple murder in the Minneapolis area seems to be solved when drifter Karl Dahl, with a long record of minor offenses, is arrested. This record, coupled with other evidence linking Dahl to the victims, is important to the prosecution's case. But Judge Carey Moore provokes a public outcry when she rules that Dahl's "prior bad acts" will not be admissible in court. This action sets off a chain of violent events, including an attack on the judge in a parking garage and threats to her life and family. A burnt-out cop, haunted by the murder scene, begins making plans for his own brand of justice in the case. And in the midst of it all, Dahl escapes --a desperate fugitive who'll stop at nothing to get to freedom.
Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are assigned to protect Judge Moore while assisting in the manhunt for Dahl. When Kovac discovers Carey's husband is leading a secret life, he begins to wonder if the attack on her was related to the murder trial after all. Meanwhile, bodies begin to turn up as Dahl remains on the loose -- but is he the only killer out there?
This is one of those books that hooks you from the very start and takes you on a roller coaster ride. Liska and Kovac are a great team, and Dahl is a truly creepy character. Hoag is a master at ratcheting up the suspense and keeping readers guessing. There's also a nice relationship that develops between Kovac, Judge Moore and her young daughter that provides some softer moments in what can sometimes be a rather gruesome story. If you're not a fan of Tami Hoag yet, I think you will be after reading this book. If you're already a fan, you won't be disappointed.
It was a crime so brutal, it changed the lives of even the
most hardened homicide cops. The Haas family murders left a
scar on the community nothing can erase, but everyone agrees
that convicting the killer, Karl Dahl, is a start. Only
Judge Carey Moore seems to be standing in the way. Her
ruling that Dahlβs prior criminal record is inadmissible
raises a public outcryβand puts the judge in grave danger.
When an unknown assailant attacks Judge Moore in a parking
garage, two of Minneapolisβs top cops are called upon to
solve the crime and keep the judge from further harm.
Detective Sam Kovac is as hard-boiled as they come, and his
wisecracking partner, Nikki Liska, isnβt far behind. Neither
one wants to be on this case, but when Karl Dahl escapes
from custody, everything changes, and a seemingly
straightforward case cartwheels out of control.
The stakes go even higher when the judge is
kidnappedβsnatched out of her own bed even as the police sit
outside, watching her house. Now Kovac and Liska must
navigate through a maze of suspects that includes the
stepson of a murder victim, a husband with a secret life,
and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system
failed.
With no time to spare, the detectives are pulled down a
strange dark trail of smoke and mirrors, where no one is who
they seem and everyone is guilty of Prior Bad Acts.
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