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ictmrs's review against another edition
4.0
I think the title of this book was a little misleading to me. The author's notes at the beginning explained the meaning of it and I kept waiting for more to happen with that. It didn't take away from the story, but I kept waiting for more. I loved that she explained the challenges of writing a murder mystery set in 1985. Many of the things that she talked about were very familiar to me. It's interesting to see, in this age of CSI, VICAP, and profiling, how things were done before all of that was commonplace. 1985 was when many of those ideas were first developed. The story was well developed and I loved the love story amidst the solving of a murder. It didn't take over the story, but was an interesting part of it all.
sternyblossom's review
3.0
Thanks to my bronchitis, I am able to stay up late and read books in one sitting. Tami Hoag decided to set her crime thriller in the early 80's before DNA technology. It was still pretty much the Stone Age during that time when it came to forensic science. Criminal profiling was a very new thing and a lot of people didn't understand it. I enjoyed reading this to see how the police and FBI solved crimes with the limited technology available to them.
Four kids stumble upon a body in the woods. The victim had her lips and eyes glued shut and was buried to her neck in the dirt. Murder is very rare in the town of Oak Knoll and it isn't long before an FBI agent is called in to help. New victims are discovered as well as new suspects. Good read!
Four kids stumble upon a body in the woods. The victim had her lips and eyes glued shut and was buried to her neck in the dirt. Murder is very rare in the town of Oak Knoll and it isn't long before an FBI agent is called in to help. New victims are discovered as well as new suspects. Good read!
myreadingescapism's review against another edition
4.0
So I enjoyed everything about this..... except
Spoiler
the two detectives falling in love in such a short time.jo_strader's review against another edition
4.0
I found this to be a little disturbing. Not because of the grown up serial killer, but because of the implications with a younger child. I know that traits in violent offenders starts at an early age, but it was difficult reading about it and seeing that there is no hope. This was my first Tami Hoag novel and even though it was a little longer than some suspense novels, I sped through it. I will definitely be reading more in this series and by this author.
aussiegirlinuk's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this concept from author Tami Hoag!
You may pick up "Deeper than the Dead" believing it's a run-of-the-mill crime thriller and drama but by setting the novel in 1985, it instantly transformed this into something extraordinary. 1985? - 'soooooooooooo what?' I hear you say. In 1985 fingerprints were still examined and compared by eye, there were no crime database and profiling was in its infancy. DNA wasn't even part of investigations until 1987 and even then it wasn't accepted fully! I didn't realise how much these elements usually contribute to a crime thriller so it was fantastically refreshing to read a tale that relies on "old-fashioned" detective skills set in relatively modern times.
That in itself earned this book a star!
Another twist from Tami Hoag was the crime scene was discovered by children and they weave in and out of the story wonderfully!
You may pick this up thinking it's a run-of-the-mill thriller but it turns out to be anything but. Different era. Fantastic cast of characters - all multi-dimensional, unexpected and real. Twists and turns a-plenty. It had me hooked. Five star read and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
You may pick up "Deeper than the Dead" believing it's a run-of-the-mill crime thriller and drama but by setting the novel in 1985, it instantly transformed this into something extraordinary. 1985? - 'soooooooooooo what?' I hear you say. In 1985 fingerprints were still examined and compared by eye, there were no crime database and profiling was in its infancy. DNA wasn't even part of investigations until 1987 and even then it wasn't accepted fully! I didn't realise how much these elements usually contribute to a crime thriller so it was fantastically refreshing to read a tale that relies on "old-fashioned" detective skills set in relatively modern times.
That in itself earned this book a star!
Another twist from Tami Hoag was the crime scene was discovered by children and they weave in and out of the story wonderfully!
You may pick this up thinking it's a run-of-the-mill thriller but it turns out to be anything but. Different era. Fantastic cast of characters - all multi-dimensional, unexpected and real. Twists and turns a-plenty. It had me hooked. Five star read and I cannot wait to read the sequel!
kuchey's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a long time since I've read a murder/mystery or one of Hoag's books. It had me guessing right up to the end. It was a strange read because she set it in 1985 and the commentary about the lack of technology is an interesting through-line.
cornerofmadness's review against another edition
4.0
Hoag is usually good for an enjoyable, creepy suspense story and this is no different. Even though there are a lot of main players they never seem short-shrifted or cardboard. Someone is killing young women in California. The local police are a little over their heads when the women are turning up with their mouths and eyes superglued shut and their ear drums ruptured in a see/hear/speak no evil riff. It’s 1985 and both criminal profiling and DNA forensics are just getting off the ground.
Sheriff Dixon allows his detective, Mendez to ask for help from Mendez’s friend in the FBI, Vince Leone. Vince, however unknown to everyone, is recovering from a .22 bullet lodged in his brain after a mugging but he flies out to help them. The second body is uncovered by four school children, Wendy and Tommy, friends who are running from Dennis Farman and his hapless sidekick, Cody. Tommy literally trips and lands on the woman who has been buried with her head exposed. Wendy, while horrified, sees herself turning this into a mystery and a movie. Tommy withdraws into himself. Dennis wants to touch the body. Cody runs away and hides.
Anne Navarre, their teacher, gets involved mostly as an advocate for the kids and is one of the main pov characters. It starts out with both Mendez and Vince being drawn to her as they investigate. All the women seem to be from a local battered woman’s shelter that helps the women get back on their feet. The suspect pool is a little small, sucking out a bit of the suspense but not enough to be disappointing. The three main suspects are Wendy’s Dad, a lawyer for the shelter, Tommy’s Dad, a dentist who donates his time to the shelter and Dennis’s father, a wife beating straight as an arrow cop who gets off on dominating women and harassing the women at the shelter.
All in all, it’s a good mystery, creepy without being too salacious. I particularly liked Mendez, Anne and Tommy. The one truly disappointing thing was the romantic subplot. I wasn’t sure it was at all needed and for me, Anne ended up with the wrong detective. I thought maybe it was some of my RL issues that was creeping me out about her sleeping with a man 20 years her senior the day after she meets him but the person who recced this to me had the same reaction. We both thought the romance felt very forced but other than that I’d recommended this one.
Sheriff Dixon allows his detective, Mendez to ask for help from Mendez’s friend in the FBI, Vince Leone. Vince, however unknown to everyone, is recovering from a .22 bullet lodged in his brain after a mugging but he flies out to help them. The second body is uncovered by four school children, Wendy and Tommy, friends who are running from Dennis Farman and his hapless sidekick, Cody. Tommy literally trips and lands on the woman who has been buried with her head exposed. Wendy, while horrified, sees herself turning this into a mystery and a movie. Tommy withdraws into himself. Dennis wants to touch the body. Cody runs away and hides.
Anne Navarre, their teacher, gets involved mostly as an advocate for the kids and is one of the main pov characters. It starts out with both Mendez and Vince being drawn to her as they investigate. All the women seem to be from a local battered woman’s shelter that helps the women get back on their feet. The suspect pool is a little small, sucking out a bit of the suspense but not enough to be disappointing. The three main suspects are Wendy’s Dad, a lawyer for the shelter, Tommy’s Dad, a dentist who donates his time to the shelter and Dennis’s father, a wife beating straight as an arrow cop who gets off on dominating women and harassing the women at the shelter.
All in all, it’s a good mystery, creepy without being too salacious. I particularly liked Mendez, Anne and Tommy. The one truly disappointing thing was the romantic subplot. I wasn’t sure it was at all needed and for me, Anne ended up with the wrong detective. I thought maybe it was some of my RL issues that was creeping me out about her sleeping with a man 20 years her senior the day after she meets him but the person who recced this to me had the same reaction. We both thought the romance felt very forced but other than that I’d recommended this one.
rad_reads25's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent read.
Tami Hoag is a great story teller. You love (or hate) her characters. You empathise with them. You hurt for them. You root for them.
This is the first of a two part series about spunky school teacher Anne Navarre. Anne lives with her selfish, self involved dad in Oaknoll, and works with kids whom she (mostly) loves.
When 4 of these kids stumble upon a dead woman, Anne's protective instincts take over. And when another victim is found, the small community is thrown into a frenzy of fear and disbelief. The killer is one of them!
Hoag builds a wonderful atmosphere and creates a cliffhanger of a book.
Definitely a great read.
Tami Hoag is a great story teller. You love (or hate) her characters. You empathise with them. You hurt for them. You root for them.
This is the first of a two part series about spunky school teacher Anne Navarre. Anne lives with her selfish, self involved dad in Oaknoll, and works with kids whom she (mostly) loves.
When 4 of these kids stumble upon a dead woman, Anne's protective instincts take over. And when another victim is found, the small community is thrown into a frenzy of fear and disbelief. The killer is one of them!
Hoag builds a wonderful atmosphere and creates a cliffhanger of a book.
Definitely a great read.
readerrho's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
melmie's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first Tami Hoag. I liked the storyline. I didn't figure out who the villain was until close to the end. I did find some of the descriptions a little too vivid and slightly disturbing.