Elena Estes has given up her career as a detective and taken up living the quiet life in Florida. But her peaceful existence is about to get shaken up when twelve year-old Molly Seabright comes to her for help.

Molly's step-sister was working as a horse groomer among Palm Beach's wealthiest when suddenly she disappears, a victim of kidnapping.

Elena does not want to get involved but a few questions for her curiosity plunges her deep into a nightmare where a killer will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Now, forced to face the painful memories of her past, Elena must follow the trail of the killer if she is to bring a young woman back alive.

'Dark Horse' is a departure for best-selling author Tami Hoag, while it remains a thriller, it is not like her usual gritty thriller, but more a thriller in the Archy McNally vein. I was disappointed with this book, most of the novel was boring, and even the shocking, surprise ending couldn't pull it back from a time waster of 400 pages.

Tami Hoag writes excellent suspense novels, 'Dark Horse' not being one of them. Where Ms. Hoag usually writes dark police procedurals, she has opted to try something lighter, and the result is a slower, glitzy type thriller...one that does not succeed in thrilling as her previous novels have.

Nick Gonnella

The world of international horse breeding and training forms the background for another exciting story by Tami Hoag. Set in Florida this book is different from her two previous novels. The suspense is still set high, but it shares center stage with the skullduggery involved when millions of dollars worth of horse flesh meets limitless greed.

Former cop Elena Estes is asked by a young girl to find her missing older sister who was working as a groom for a trainer with a bad reputation. Elena is trying to physically and emotionally recover from the loss of her career. During the course of the investigation Elena rediscovers qualities she thought she had lost.

While not as intense as some of her other books this is a good solid read for a lazy afternoon.

It has been about two years since Tami Hoag's last book, so I have been patiently waiting. Finally, the time has come, I read the book in one day. Different from her books before Dust to Dust, less emphasis on romance, and more on redemption and coming to terms with past mistakes. Elena Estes is so heart breaking to the point of making me depressed, but I digress, she comes into her own near the end of the book when she realizes that there is nothing as precious as life, and she has found her soul again as she gets into a mystery with major consequences. At the end of the book we are left with hope for Elena as she has found love and a new lease on life. Let's hope it is not two years until the next Tami Hoag.

In my on-going quest to read everything ever written by Tami Hoag (even if I have to go backwards to do it) I borrowed a copy of Sarah's Sin from my aunt. Having read the latest of Ms. Hoag's murder mysteries it took some getting used to when I began reading this romance novel. I knew that Tami Hoag wrote romance before she began writing mystery novels, but still it took until chapter 2 before I settled into this book. Then I got lost in the world of Sarah Troyer, a young Amish widow and Dr. Matt Thorne head of the emergency ward in Minneapolis hospital. Matt is gorgeous, a bachelor and an unrepentant ladies man. Sarah is beautiful, naïve and Amish. The story begins as Sarah is nursing Matt back to health after he had been beaten and shot during a gang fight in the emergency room. Sarah works for Matt's sister, Ingrid, who runs a bed and breakfast in the small town where Sarah lives.

Ms. Hoag develops the characters and their relationship to their lives, families and each other with grace and her usual talent. It's a wonderful romance and love story and anyone who has read Nora Roberts work will enjoy it. If you are looking for Ms. Hoag's latest type of novel (Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Guilty as Sin) this is not the same type of book although I would highly recommend it to lovers of romance novels.

I have enjoyed all of Tami Hoag's murder/suspense novels. Sarah's Sin from 1992 was figured to be a romance novel from the title, and sure enough it was. While it didn't seem like Tami Hoag, or at least the one I had grown to look forward to, it was a sweet story about a cocky ER doctor from Minneapolis who had been wounded in a gun fight and ends up recuperating in a small town in Minnesota nearl an Armish settlement. A young Amish widow is working at the bread and breakfast run by the doctor's sister and is assigned the job of taking care of him as he recovers his strength. Of course the two of them are attracted to each other. Having grown up with the Armish of Central Illinois, I found Sarah's character believable and true to the Armish culture. The story is about Sarah's longing to leave her "plain" life and accept her love and move on to the world at large with all its opportunities and challenges. It's a fast read and a sweet story. The sex is a little idealistic, but it's good fuel for a night of fantasy. Stick it in your beach bag and enjoy.

this is a story of Sarah who was a worker at an inn, out in the country, and she was amish. she was taking care of Matt, a doctor from the city and he had been beat up pretty badly. Sarah was told to take care of him while the keepers of the inn were out of bussiness. while Matt's sister-in-law was away, Sarah and Matt were instantly attracted to each other and were totaly in love. they shared some long nights together....When Matt's sister-in-law came back from her business trip she saw that Matt and Sarah were in love and took it apon herself to tell him of the Amish bond that said that she could not love or marrie a non-amish person. torn at heart, Matt returned home to the city and to the hospitl, the rest u will have to read and find out this was a really good book and i think that anyone up for a good romance should read it

Rumor Has It was a fun romance to read. The story has a quick pace, is funny and romantic, and difficult to put down once you've started it.

A vibrant young woman has been found horribly murdered in the Louisiana bayou, while the suspected murderer has been set free on a technicality. But Detective Nick Fourcade refuses to let the murderer go unpunished and enlists Deputy Annie Broussard to help him pursue the killer. While on the trail of the killer, Annie becomes a target of sheer terror. Think you know who did it..well think again. This book is best read with the doors locked and the lights on!

Yes, it's your typical romance book, but it's fun to read. Hoag's characters, Jace and Rebecca have great chemistry, and you root for them from the beginning of the book to the end as Jace tries to make up for hurting Rebecca years ago. Hoag has added some rather interesting supporting characters to the book like Rebecca's father and their neighbor, Muriel, who are also on Jaces side. A fun romance to relax with.

This was truly appalling! All the characters were two dimensional and the plot was completely transparent. This is in fact a cheap romance masquerading as a thriller. Very disappointing and I would not recommend that anyone buy this.

I am a huge Hoag fan - but do not judge Tami Hoag by this book. Please read "Night Sins", "Guilty as Sin", "Cry Wolfe" and "A Thin Red Line" first! She is a great writer and this book doesn't quite measure up to the others. It's a little predictable and not as nerve wracking as the 4 above. However, it is a good book that held my interest. After reading the 4 above, then try "Still Waters" and "Dark Paradise".

I thought STILL WATERS was a fabulous book the first time I read it several years ago and I still do. To the amateur "reviewers" who aren't smart enough to check the copyright page and realize it's a reprint of one of her classic novels, not a brand new suspense offering, I can only say, "Duh!" No one mixes suspense, romance, and sheer writing prowess like Tami and it's easy to see why her publisher chose her to be one of their top stars after reading STILL WATERS. I found the resolution of the murder mystery to be particularly haunting.

This was a terrible book. Multiple authors were not able to successfully make the book flow from chapter to chapter. Character development was disjointed to say the least. Way tooooo much celebrity name dropping...it almost read like People Mag. Buy "The Greatest Player Who Never Lived" instead.

At first I thought this was going to be a serious mystery novel, until I realized that each chapter was written by a different author. It was almost like they were challenging each other, coming up with situations that were more and more ridiculous. I found myself laughing out loud. I should have known something was up when I saw that Dave Barry was one of the writers. It's a great book for those who like golf and for those, like me, that have never swung a club.

It is said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. Since a camel is very efficient doing what camels are intended to do, then the remark must mean that a camel is a very funny looking horse. Well, in The Putt at the End of the World, a committee of nine individually popular writers has turned out a very funny golf story.
The Putt at the End of the World is apparently the brainchild of last-listed author Les Standiford, shown as editor and compiler. It also seems to be a salute, at least in part, to recently deceased British writer Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series which includes The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. It is certainly reminiscent of Adam's work, with zany characters interacting amidst nefarious schemes, all centered around a golf tournament. But not just any golf tournament. Computer zillionaire Philip Bates has bought a Scottish castle and cleared original growth timber to construct the ultimate golf course-as well as rehabbing the castle into an exotic hideaway retreat. This infuriates both environmental terrorists and the last of the MacLout clan, who claims that the MacGregor sellers usurped his family's claim to the property and he should have gotten the money. Then Bates (no relation to this reviewer) scheduled a conference and golf tournament inviting all of the world's political leaders and top golf players.
One of the invitees is Billy Sprague, club pro from Squat Possum Golf Club in rural Ohio. Billy is a magnificent golfer, unless there is money involved in which case he can't even get the ball of the tee. Billy's mentor is the old retired family doctor whose life is golf, who build the Squat Possum Club and who dies immediately after giving Billy his invitation and telling him that he has to go to Scotland and play in order to lift the curse and "...save the world as we know it..." Then FBI and British Secret Service refugees from the Keystone Kops get involved because of the terrorist threat, and the rest is-not history, but hilarious.
Each of the nine authors wrote one of the chapters. They did a good job matching styles, and/or Standiford did a great job of editing, because the novel is seamless. It is a farce, but at the same time has a "Bagger Vance" note of paean to the wonder of golf. It reads fast, and it reads great.

This is the story of a young girl who comes home to care for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease. Little does she know before her arrival, an old friend of her mother is already there, trying to bring proof to her hysterical claims that the house she owns is haunted by an elusive ghost. Young girl falls in love with this man who is first perceived as a threat to her security. The two fall in love and live happily ever after.

Phew!

Somebody open a window!

This is a twelve year old drama queen's idea of romance and the world of grown-ups. Said daughter is a woman of the world at the ripe old age of sixteen. Her "aged" mother is a mere thirty six as is her longtime friend, who rattles on about the infirmities he suffers in his "old age." The writing style constantly switches person and tense. The story is ridiculously predictable. The entire tale was a complete departure from any form of reality. Dear reader is well-advised to throw this book out the window he has just opened.

I love all of Tami Hoag's books, especailly Night Sins, Cry Wolf and Dark Paradise. This book was merely a ghost tale with a little romance mixed in for good measure. This had some great characters who could have been expanded on, but the book was too predictable.

I love Tami Hoag's writings. Although this one doesn't stand up to her others it was still an excellent book. I would highly reccomend reading Tami Hoag books. If you are dissapointed in this one try A Thin Dark Line.