Review: Dust to Dust by Tami Hoag (audio)

Title: Dust to Dust  

Author: Tami Hoag   

Series: Kovak & Liska, #2    

Narrator: David Colacci  

Published: December 2014, Brilliance Audio (re-release)   

Length: 14 hours 30 minutes  

Source: Personal copy via Audible 

Sorry. The single word is written on a mirror. In front of it
hangs a Minneapolis Internal Affairs cop. Was it suicide? Or a kinky act
turned tragic?

Either way, it wasn’t murder. At least not
according to the powers that be. But veteran homicide detective Sam
Kovac and his wisecracking, ambitious partner, Nikki Liska, think
differently. Together they begin to dig at the too-neat edges of the
young cop’s death, uncovering one motive – and one suspect – after
another. The cloud of suspicion falls not only on the city’s elite, but
over the very heart of the police department. Someone wants the case
closed – quickly and forever. But even with their careers and their
lives on the line, neither Kovac nor Liska will give up. As they unearth
a connection between a two-month-old murder case and one that has been
closed for twenty years, they find themselves chasing a killer who will
stop at nothing to keep a dark and shattering secret.

My thoughts: This is the 2nd book in Tami Hoag’s Kovac and Liska series. I’m really glad that I decided to go back and read (listen to) to these earlier books – they are really good and have given me a taste of Tami Hoag’s earlier works. Now I am keen to read everything I can of hers!

So, after the first book of this series, where I felt like Kovac and Liska were more like supporting characters, this book has them front and center. We learn more about them, getting a better feel for the type of detectives they are. And I love the banter that goes on between them. 

From the moment this book starts, I found myself pulled in. The suspense starts almost from the beginning and doesn’t let up. Is this a case of suicide, an accident or a murder? As Kovac and Liska start investigating, they realize this case, the victim being a young cop, might have ties to another case from twenty years ago. As they dig deeper, they realize much more is at stake than just finding out what happened. And someone is willing to go to great lengths to keep them from finding out the truth. 

There are many layers to this story and I found myself thinking I had it figured out a few times, only to be proven wrong over and over again. I did make a few of the connections, but was still surprised at the end when everything came out. That’s what I love about reading a good thriller – I like to be surprised!

Audio Thoughts: David Colacci once again did a great job with the narration of this book, the second in this series that I’ve heard him narrate. I really like the voices he does and have found that he is pretty consistent from book to book. I am holding out hope that Brilliance Audio is re-releasing the audio of the next book in this series, Prior Bad Acts and that David Colacci narrates it!

Books in this series:

       1.   Ashes to Ashes
       2.   Dust to Dust
       3.   Prior Bad Acts

       3.5   The 1st Victim

       4.   The 9th Girl