Cover of COLD COLD HEART; photo courtesy of Dutton
COLD COLD HEART by Tami Hoag
Tami Hoag takes a new slant on the actions of a serial killer by dealing with one of the victims after she has killed the “killer” and escaped. The victim heads back to “normal life and tries to adjust. But like someone returning from a war zone there are repercussions and “normalcy” becomes an elusive dream. This is all the basis for Hoag’s new best seller COLD COLD HEART.
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Dana Nolan had had a promising career as a television news journalist until she was abducted by a maniac who physically, emotionally and sexually abused her. Somehow she had the strength to fight back one last time and was able to kill her abductor and escape from his hideous clutches.
Every one tells her how lucky she is but Dana knows that her life will never be the same. She has physical and emotional scars she must try to overcome and it is apparent that she also has some forms of brain damage. She returns to the home of her mother and stepfather but her progress is slow going. Her emotions are all over the place and her mental facilities come and go. Still she presses on, trying to gain back a semblance of her old world.
Her mother is her staunchest supporter but Dana also reacquaints herself with her high school boyfriend. He is back in town as a law enforcement officer. He reminds her she is not the only person who disappeared from their town. It seems her best friend went missing and her fate has never been learned. Dana begins to search out what happened to her friend and that places her in danger once again.
This is one of Hoag’s most suspenseful and well written books yet. She certainly does a superb job of getting into Dana’s mind and showing the limitations that have been imposed on her by her experiences. Dana’s actions are like those of someone with PTSD, and it is obvious Hoag has done her research.
Hoag also knows how to keep her plot moving and the suspense growing. Each page increases the pressure and the final climactic scenes are breathtaking. You can’t turn the pages quickly enough.
For a frantic ride in a great tale of suspense and danger COLD COLD HEART delivers the goods. Hoag has always been a good writer but this book elevates her to a new level.
COLD COLD HEART is published by Dutton. It contains 400 pages and sells for $27.95.
