The Boy: A Novel

I think I bought this for someone else, because I don't remember the details. . . sorry!

Some of the early chapters in which the author introduces the characters of Nick Fourcade and Antoinette Broussard presented a bit of a hurdle for me. This police detective couple are projected as a pair off the cover of a Harlequin Romance novel.Nick in particular is a figment of an over-heated imagination. He is presented as being strikingly handsome, with piercing eyes, a square jaw, and the kind of muscular forearms that Anne likes to stroke. He is continuously solicitous of Anne, but is macho aggressive when faced with any shortcomings or cruelty on the part of his police colleagues. He grandstands his outrage at the brutal murder of the little boy. He sprinkles his conversation with “Mon Dieu” snippets of French, apparently to illustrate him as being authentically Cajun. (The author provides a French-English translation of these phrases at the back of the book.)I almost abandoned the novel early on because of this fatuous, cardboard-cut-out representation.Neither Nick nor Anne ever really come off the page as interesting real-life characters. But the plot did soon enough engage me. Also, the other characters are better limned. The mother of the victim as well as the young people who hang out together in the little bayou town where the action takes place are well-drawn in all their often unkempt, mean, and anguished lives.This edition also includes an interview with Tami Hoag. Here she admits that Nick is just the kind of man she could go for. Yes, readers can sense that. But other parts of the interview are more interesting and grounded. Hoag says she never writes from an outline. She likes to surprise herself with twists and turns as she goes along. That approach shows and helps makes the plot endlessly surprising and fresh for the readers as well.One caution: You might not want to look too closely at the blurry picture on the cover of the paperback edition. It almost gives too much away.

Tami Hoag is a wonderful writer. I'm enjoying her "who dunnit" books, but love her romance novels.

Tami Hoag always gets it right! This book sucks you in from the first page and wallops you continually! I thought I knew who the killer was but NOPE! It's the kind of book that you hate when it ends because the next book you read will probably be a let down! Absolutely fantastic read from start to finish!

I've been a fan of Tami Hoag for years. I believe I've read every one of her books and have never been disappointed

I just finished reading "The Boy." There is no end to the amount of twists, and the author is adept at misleading her readers into suspecting who the killer is. That's precisely why I liked this book so much! We are first introduced to a troubled young single mother, Genevieve Gauthier, who is fleeing from her rented ramshackle of a home where her only son was brutally murdered. Then shortly thereafter, Nick Fourcade visits the crime scene, only to immediately conflict with Keith Kemp, who he thinks is an incompetent CSI officer. In her delightfully complex ensemble of characters, it turns out that Kemp has a checkered past, having gone from a veteran cop to a CSI examiner. Also, having followed the new sheriff, Kelvin Dutrow, from a previous town, Houma, into Bayou Breaux arising suspicion in Detective Fourcade. Tami Hoag lets the reader view the family lives of Nick and Annie, a married couple who are both detectives (Nick being her boss). Dutrow lives with his fiancee, Sharon Spencer, with her troubled child, Cameron. Inner conflicts occur. There is the unsolved case of the Theriot girl, which Nick constantly gets hounded over. There is the Florette family, with Nora, a 12-year-old who was supposed to baby sit for KJ, the murder victim, but is embroiled with her bully brother, Dean Florette, who also bullies the troubled Cameron. Cameron Spicer turns out to be a character that the reader will focus on. The author's attention to detail and setting is keen. The spirit of life in the bayou is nicely captured. The ending of this book begets tragedy in the wake of violence. Don't miss this read!

I love the plot and the twist. Very good book to read. Looking forward to more great books read like this .

Being a La. native I like that this book is based in La. & shows the Cajun country way of life along with the description of the weather & nature. I could actually feel that swamp humidity & hear the mosquitos buzzing around. When you no longer hear him buzzing you can bet your about to feel why!

My thanks to Orion Publishing/Trapeze for an eARC via NetGalley of Tami Hoag’s ‘The Boy’ in exchange for an honest review. It was published in hardback in December 2018 and its paperback edition is being published on 22 August 2019.This is the second in her series featuring Detectives Nick Fourcade and Anne Broussard set in Bayou Breaux, Louisiana. Actually the first book in this series, ‘A Thin Dark Line’, was the first book I had read by Tami Hoag back in 2009. I have gone on to read a number of her other crime thrillers and found them excellent.So I began reading ‘The Boy’ with great confidence in her skills in storytelling and characterisation. Plus, as I enjoy the combination of reading and listening, I obtained its Kindle/Audible editions.In this troubling case a young single mother, Genevieve Gauthier, is attacked in her home. She escapes and flees to a neighbour’s house. Called to the scene Detective Nick Fourcade discovers the body of a young boy, viciously stabbed to death. This turns out to be Genevieve's seven-year old son, KJ.In addition, Nick is still investigating a brutal assault against a 13-year old girl with non-verbal autism and is finding himself increasingly in conflict with the new Sheriff, Kelvin Dutrow, who considers Nick a rouge detective that he would love to fire.Once started this book was almost impossible to put down. It is very fast paced and takes place over a very short period of time. It builds up to a shattering climax that had me on the edge of my seat.As well as being a dark, intense crime thriller, Hoag powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the Louisiana bayou with its unique flora and fauna. I could so easily visualise the cypress trees heavily draped with Spanish moss.She concludes with a short glossary of Cajun French.A well deserved five stars.

It's surprising this author is not more well-known than she is. If you like PJ Tracy and Karin Slaughter, then you'll probably like Tami Hoag, as her writing is very similar in style. The setting - Louisiana Cajun territory - lends this well-paced and plotted book added atmosphere. The dialogue is authentic sounding and the bad guys suitably nasty. The scenes between Detective Fourcade and his boss are particularly enjoyable. My only slight criticism is that it becomes a tad OTT towards the end, by which time it is clear who the killer is. This didn't detract though from it being possibly the best crime novel I've read this year and one I'd recommend to other lovers of the genre, especially if it introduces them to an author, hitherto unfamiliar.

This is a great story! A slightly slow start, but then builds up. I read the second half in one sitting!I've read quite a few of Tami Hoag's books over the years and have recently discovered her all over again. Enjoying them more now than ever.Well worth a read.

There are very few authors whose quality of work is consistent, but I am happy to confirm this is still the case with Tami Hoag. I loved this novel, absolutely loved it.Although the novel revolves around the murder of a young boy, because of the way the novel is written, it felt like a reading comfort blanket. I hope we see some more Hoag novels, as it certainly makes my reading selection more enjoyable.

I love Tami Hoag's style of writing. This is a good book with twists & turns throughout the book. One very mild criticism, I thought Nick was way to angry & inflexible to be a good cop. The love story between him & his wife was sound but in reality no-one could put up with his antics, passionate about his job or not. Liked his stan-offs with his own 'boss'. Worth reading