Prior Bad Acts: Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska, Book 3
Written by Tami Hoag
Narrated by Erik Bergmann
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with a thriller that begins with a shocking crime scene you'll never forget and follows two relentless detectives on a manhunt that ends in a chilling confrontation with the essence of human evil.
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 record is inadmissible raises a public outcry-and puts the judge in grave danger.
When an unknown assailant attacks Judge Moore in a parking garage, two of Minneapolis's top cops are called upon to solve the crime and keep the judge from further harm. Detective Sam Kovac is as hard-boiled as they come, and his wisecracking partner, Nikki Liska, isn't far behind. Neither one wants to be on this case, but when Karl Dahl escapes from custody, everything changes, and a seemingly straightforward case cartwheels out of control.
The stakes go even higher when the judge is kidnapped-snatched out of her own bed even as the police sit outside, watching her house. Now Kovac and Liska must navigate through a maze of suspects that includes the stepson of a murder victim, a husband with a secret life, and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system failed.
With no time to spare, the detectives are pulled down a strange dark trail of smoke and mirrors, where no one is who they seem and everyone is guilty of Prior Bad Acts.
Tami Hoag
TAMI HOAG is the #1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books. There are more than forty million copies of her books in print in more than thirty languages. Renowned for combining thrilling plots with character-driven suspense, Hoag first hit the New York Times bestseller list with Night Sins, and each of her books since has been a bestseller. She lives in California.
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Reviews for Prior Bad Acts
241 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The horrible, brutal murder of a mother and her two foster children is the centerpiece of this thriller. Drifter and petty criminal Karl Dahl is assumed to be the perpetrator. After all, he has a history of smaller sexual crimes from peeping to exposing himself in public. But Judge Cary Moore isn't going to let those past Prior Bad Acts be presented in the current case. This decision infuriates Detective Stan Dempsey who found his life changed by the crime. He's a loner who lived for the job but his obsession with this case has him on desk duty and on his way out the door of the police force short of the time needed for his thirty year pension.When Judge Moore is assaulted in the parking garage where she keeps her car outside the court building, Kovac and Liska get the case despite the fact that neither of them are fond of the judge's rulings which seem to bend too much to the criminal's side. As Kovac gets closer to the judge and her five-year-old daughter, Liska is looking into the family of the murdered woman and coming up with troubling things. Kovac begins to suspect that the Judge's husband might have hired someone to attack his wife. Their marriage is hanging on by a thread and he has been supporting a girlfriend. His career as a film producer never took off and he feels overshadowed by his wife, the judge. Then Karl Dahl escapes from prison and focuses on Judge Moore who he sees as an angel who is on his side. This thriller had a wide assortment of probable villains and I was led astray by a number of red herrings before the case finally came to its thrilling conclusion. I liked the banter between Kovac and Liska and the other police detectives. I'm glad that there are five other thrillers starring Kovac and Liska.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great story, lots of twists.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska from DUST TO DUST are back for an encore peformance. This time their investigation involves one of Minneapolis's most grisly crimes, the murder a mother and her two foster children. Judge Carey Moore's decision to disallow suspect's Karl Dahl's prior criminal record has upset many in the community. Judge Moore is mugged in the parking garage and later threatened. To make matters worse Karl Dahl escaped from prison. Now Kovac and Liska must find Dahl , protect Judge Moore and apprehend a rogue cop while continuing their on-going investigation of the Haas case.
Tami Hoag delivers a standard crime thriller, but with engaging characters and a well-paced plot. A couple of warnings-leave enough time to read it and the violence is rather graphic. Weak stomachs beware. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I just really, really love Kovac and Liska. This one was heavy on the Kovac and I really enjoyed it. The book was a little slow to start and was on the violent side, but kept you guessing and kept you on the edge of your seat in the latter part of the book. A good solid enjoyable read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The author has a great ear for dialogue, but this book was too raw, and the detective-victim romance was unbelievable. I quit halfway through.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed reading another one of Tami's books. I found that this one was hard to put down when I had other things to do but when I had the time I didn't put it down. This story had alot of twists to it and thats the best.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediocre thriller! New York Times bestselling author Tami Hoag returns with a thriller that begins with a shocking crime scene you’ll never forget and follows two relentless detectives on a manhunt that ends in a chilling confrontation with the essence of human evil.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 record is inadmissible raises a public outcry—and puts the judge in grave danger.When an unknown assailant attacks Judge Moore in a parking garage, two of Minneapolis’s top cops are called upon to solve the crime and keep the judge from further harm. Detective Sam Kovac is as hard-boiled as they come, and his wisecracking partner, Nikki Liska, isn’t far behind. Neither one wants to be on this case, but when Karl Dahl escapes from custody, everything changes, and a seemingly straightforward case cartwheels out of control.The stakes go even higher when the judge is kidnapped—snatched out of her own bed even as the police sit outside, watching her house. Now Kovac and Liska must navigate through a maze of suspects that includes the stepson of a murder victim, a husband with a secret life, and a rogue cop looking for revenge where the justice system failed.With no time to spare, the detectives are pulled down a strange dark trail of smoke and mirrors, where no one is who they seem and everyone is guilty of Prior Bad Acts.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I found Prior Bad Acts to be better then Kill The Messenger and Dark Horse, but it was still not up to par with some of Tami’s past novels. I found the book started out slow and thought it was a little confusing. Eventually the plot did pick up and it turned out to be not a bad book. The ending was well planned, exciting and surprising. I did enjoy the characters as well. I have really been kinda disappointed with Tami Hoag’s last 3 books. I find her writing style is really changing. She seems to be cutting out the romance in her books. And I think that is a bad thing because I really enjoy her romance novels. I hope she gets back on track with her next book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Brutal mystery in which sad people with dark secrets live lives of growing complexity and despair. Although the story was horribly engaging as it unfolded I imagine that it will soon fade to a blurred memory because I did not relate to any of the characters.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The third book I have written by Tami. Thrilling drama about cops and victims. Sort of Sandra Brownish...
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I picked up this audiobook without knowing anything about the plot. I just knew the narrator was Holter Graham and I have really enjoyed his previous "performances". I was quite pleased when this book fit my usual taste in books.... murder, mystery, suspence... it had it all. I was hooked from the beginning and found myself trying to figure out the many "who-done'its" to no avail. I will have to pick up more works by Tami Hoag now.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is fast, detailed and frightening. A super thriller that had me hooked from the outset. There are the obvious love interests but in this case it feels more natural than cliched. Carey Moore is a Judge who has worked very hard to get where she is. Faced with Karl Dahl who is deemed to be a brutal killer (the crime is truly horrific) she is the only one who seems to be preventing him being kept in custody. She hits the media spotlight when she rules that his prior bad acts are inadmissable. Detective Sam Kovac and his partner Nikki Liska are called in as protection. Dahl escapes and this thriller begins. Great characters, plot and narrative; this novel is difficult to put down. Hoag's writing involves the reader and occasionally some chapters begin with a character picking up from another character in a previous chapter. It is difficult to discuss too much of the plot for this novel without spoiling it but (as is not always the case) the praise quotes are generally accurate. Highly enjoyable from the great beginning to a thrilling ending.