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Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3)
Prior Bad Acts - Kovac & Liska, Bk 3
Author: Tami Hoag
PRIOR BAD ACTS — 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 Dahl's prior criminal re...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780553583595
ISBN-10: 055358359X
Publication Date: 2/27/2007
Pages: 560
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 474

3.9 stars, based on 474 ratings
Publisher: Bantam
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Another good one from Tami Hoag! Although I thought I had parts of it figured out early it was a page turner I couldn't put down!
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is top notch. I could not figure out who did it until the last few pages. A quick read, but a little deeper than most mystery books.
barbsis avatar reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 1076 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
In typical Tami Hoag fashion, this twists and turns with surprise after surprise. The cops think they have the triple murderer in custody until the unthinkable happens and he escapes. Then it's a race to find him and protect the ones in the most danger from him. I haven't read the first two books in this series (Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust) but I really liked the dynamics between the partners. They use humor and sexual innuendos to get past the horror of their jobs. The banter between all the cops on the task force provide a much needed comic relief from the horrific murders they are investigating. Though I will say that thankfully the details were sparse on the triple murder which involved kids and rape. Ms Hoag very nicely left that to our imagination which can (or possibly not) be a blessing.

I particularly liked Kovac's surprising attachment to the victim and her daughter. It was refreshing to see a twice divorced cop trying again to find THE one. I own both of the previous series book and will be reading them as soon as I can. I would love to get more details on Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska. They make an amazing team and like all cops, have personal issues involving kids and marriage. I've read many of Tami Hoag's novels and am never disappointed. They are fast reads and you get input from both sides of the law - the police and the lawyers.
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 97 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Awesome book! Fast moving with lots of twists and turns!
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 223 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A good book, good characters. I wouldn't say a great book, since midway through you end up with a pretty good idea of what's happening. Still, Hoag did a good job of keeping my interest.
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robinmy avatar reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 2097 more book reviews
Judge Carey Moore makes an unpopular decision when she rules that Karl Dahl's prior criminal record is inadmissible during his current trial. Dahl is accused of torturing and murdering Marlene Haas and her two foster children. Everyone believes Dahl is guilty and they are not happy with Judge Moore's decision. Soon after the ruling, the Judge is beaten in a parking garage. Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska are assigned to her case. As they hunt for the attacker, they hear that Karl Dahl has escaped from custody and is at large. Now a task force is assigned to bring Dahl back to prison and protect the Judge from the people who want her dead.

This is a well written suspense thriller with many suspects. Not only do the cops have to find the escaped prisoner, they have to figure out who tried to kill the judge. There is a long list of suspects including people the Judge sent to prison, her estranged husband, a troubled homicide cop, and the Haas family. I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next in the series. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 48 more book reviews
Good Book. Enjoyed it from start to finish.
liamsgramma avatar reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 25 more book reviews
My two favorite detectives. I have nothing bad to say here!
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 41 more book reviews

Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book at a library sale. Now when I added it to do my review, I find out that it is the third in a series, and I hate to read books out of order, but I think I can manage this one.

I have read a few Tami Hoag books before and I have always enjoyed the way she writes and how she spins a story.

This was amazing, it was a well written story with lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing the whole time. The murders were intense and might be hard to handle for some, but the details and well written and give you just enough information to understand the crime without being overly gory or too intense.

The emotions of the people in the story are so easy to relate to you, and you find yourself understanding and feeling for all the people in the story, not just the good guys. Even the emotions or lack of emotions in the bad guys are understandable.

This is a hard book to review in that you don't want to tell to much about the story for fear of giving awsay too many things and spoiling the book for the next person, but at the same time you want to get enough information to spur someone into reading it.

The story follows two main detectives and other minor detectives as they try to make a case in the brutal murder or a woman and her two children. Everyone in the case, including the town, blames a drifter. The story opens with the judge in the case having to make a hard decision about the drifters past, weather it is admissable in court or not. The thing is the writer really dealves into the judges mind in making the decision, you understand her conflict and her reasoning for making the ruling, even though it makes her unpopular in a minute in town, she does what she feels she has to based on the laws.

The story goes from there and tells what happens after the ruling, how it effects certain people in the case and the unhinging of minds.

I would encourage anyone who loves a mystery to read this. It will keep you guessing and make you respect and understand the work of the police, the lawyers and the judges more too.



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reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 12 more book reviews
I thought this was really good. As a thriller writer myself, I don't believe she went into enough depth, but I found it very entertaining. There are different types of writing and not every reader wants all the psyhological ins and outs to the 3rd degree.
reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 111 more book reviews
This is one of Hoag's more exciting books, and even the least is excellent, as far as I'm concerned. She is not one of those who has 20 books a year coming out with her name on them. She really write 'em and they're good. Don't wnat to give much away -- but just want to say she knows how to keep the interest level high.
MistyDawnG avatar reviewed Prior Bad Acts (Kovac & Liska, Bk 3) on + 3 more book reviews
This was a really good book, it kept me on the edge of my seat all the wat through!


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