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katzreads's review against another edition
4.0
Very good story. Great, distinctive characters. #5 in a series, so I may have to look for more of them.
littletaiko's review against another edition
3.0
This is the fifth and apparently last in the the Kovac and Liska series. I haven't read any of the others but didn't feel like I was missing anything regarding the backstory. Lisa is part of a newly developed cold case unit and her first assignment is to investigate the murder of a former police officer. Kovac on the other hand is working a really gruesome murder involving a samurai sword. They eventually realize that the two cases are related.
The characters were well developed and I do enjoy a good police procedural. Not sure I completely bought in to most of the suspects reactions to any of the crimes. It seemed a bit over the top, but then again so was the violence.
The characters were well developed and I do enjoy a good police procedural. Not sure I completely bought in to most of the suspects reactions to any of the crimes. It seemed a bit over the top, but then again so was the violence.
kristinisreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book had Liska working a cold case in a new unit, while Kovac teamed with a new partner investigates a flashy new murder. As a result, there is less interaction between them, but I liked the characters working the cases and found the story compelling.
gotopieces's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
love me a Tami Hoag mystery
bookgurl88's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
debjazzergal's review against another edition
3.0
I've read most of her mysteries. This one was good, but the two previous books were better. Still I enjoyed the read.
lauriesls's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Gruesome. Slow to get going but picked up pace. It certainly kept me reading to find out the answers.
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Tami Hoag's latest release, The Bitter Season is a mesmerizing, fast-paced murder mystery. Although the fifth installment in the Kovac and Liska series, it can be read as a standalone.
Nikki Liska's new assignment in the recently formed cold case squad is off to a rather inauspicious beginning when she locks horns with an antagonistic co-worker over the unsolved homicide of a fellow detective. Ted Duffy, a sex crimes detective, was gunned down in his backyard twenty-five years earlier and despite numerous attempts to find his killer, the investigations never yielded any leads. Hoping a fresh set of eyes will revitalize the stalled investigation, Homicide Lieutenant Joan Mascherino assigns Nikki to the case (much to Liska's dismay). Despite her reservations, Nikki immediately jumps into her investigation and begins re-interviewing the victim's family and neighbors who, much to her surprise, are not exactly thrilled the case is being re-opened yet again.
Meanwhile, Liska's old partner, Sam Kovac, is training yet another newbie and he is pleasantly surprised to discover that Michael Taylor shows promise as a homicide detective. Their first case together is the high profile, gruesome murder of unpopular college professor Lucien Chamberlain and his wealthy wife, Sondra. The couple were brutally murdered in their home with weapons from Lucien's antique samurai collection. As Kovac and Taylor begin their investigation, they discover Lucien was one of four vying for a coveted position at the university. During interviews with the couple's children, Charles and Diana, they learn the family was anything but close and their relationship was strained by Lucien's narcissism and Sondra's alcoholism. Diana is bipolar and has been in and out of trouble over the years while also battling addiction at various times. Charles is the family peacemaker and he appears to be unaffected by the family's long standing dysfunction.
While Nikki has no regrets about transferring to the cold case squad, she does miss working with Kovac. A fleeting longing to be in the middle of the Chamberlain investigation quickly vanishes as she begins to feel like she is making progress in the Duffy case. Realizing a few people were overlooked in the initial investigation, she tracks down Duffy's daughter, Jennifer, and his former foster daughter, Evi Burke. While the women are reluctant to revisit the long ago murder, Nikki feels she onto something but she is frustrated by their reticence to fully open up to her. She is also stunned to learn that a person of interest in her case might also be linked to Sam's double homicide.
With two perplexing murders to solve, a stellar cast of characters and stunning plot twists, The Bitter Season is an incredibly complex and riveting police procedural. This cleverly written mystery has plenty of unexpected twists and turns that keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Tami Hoag brilliantly keeps the killer's identity carefully concealed until the novel's action-packed and jaw dropping conclusion. An outstanding addition to the Kovac and Liska series that old and new fans are going to love.
Tami Hoag's latest release, The Bitter Season is a mesmerizing, fast-paced murder mystery. Although the fifth installment in the Kovac and Liska series, it can be read as a standalone.
Nikki Liska's new assignment in the recently formed cold case squad is off to a rather inauspicious beginning when she locks horns with an antagonistic co-worker over the unsolved homicide of a fellow detective. Ted Duffy, a sex crimes detective, was gunned down in his backyard twenty-five years earlier and despite numerous attempts to find his killer, the investigations never yielded any leads. Hoping a fresh set of eyes will revitalize the stalled investigation, Homicide Lieutenant Joan Mascherino assigns Nikki to the case (much to Liska's dismay). Despite her reservations, Nikki immediately jumps into her investigation and begins re-interviewing the victim's family and neighbors who, much to her surprise, are not exactly thrilled the case is being re-opened yet again.
Meanwhile, Liska's old partner, Sam Kovac, is training yet another newbie and he is pleasantly surprised to discover that Michael Taylor shows promise as a homicide detective. Their first case together is the high profile, gruesome murder of unpopular college professor Lucien Chamberlain and his wealthy wife, Sondra. The couple were brutally murdered in their home with weapons from Lucien's antique samurai collection. As Kovac and Taylor begin their investigation, they discover Lucien was one of four vying for a coveted position at the university. During interviews with the couple's children, Charles and Diana, they learn the family was anything but close and their relationship was strained by Lucien's narcissism and Sondra's alcoholism. Diana is bipolar and has been in and out of trouble over the years while also battling addiction at various times. Charles is the family peacemaker and he appears to be unaffected by the family's long standing dysfunction.
While Nikki has no regrets about transferring to the cold case squad, she does miss working with Kovac. A fleeting longing to be in the middle of the Chamberlain investigation quickly vanishes as she begins to feel like she is making progress in the Duffy case. Realizing a few people were overlooked in the initial investigation, she tracks down Duffy's daughter, Jennifer, and his former foster daughter, Evi Burke. While the women are reluctant to revisit the long ago murder, Nikki feels she onto something but she is frustrated by their reticence to fully open up to her. She is also stunned to learn that a person of interest in her case might also be linked to Sam's double homicide.
With two perplexing murders to solve, a stellar cast of characters and stunning plot twists, The Bitter Season is an incredibly complex and riveting police procedural. This cleverly written mystery has plenty of unexpected twists and turns that keep the story moving at a brisk pace. Tami Hoag brilliantly keeps the killer's identity carefully concealed until the novel's action-packed and jaw dropping conclusion. An outstanding addition to the Kovac and Liska series that old and new fans are going to love.