Nick Fourcade and wife Annie Broussard, detectives with a sheriff’s department in Louisiana, have two major cases to solve–the rape of a young autistic girl who doesn’t speak and therefore can’t identify her attacker, and the murder of a seven-year-old boy in bed in his home.

The plot is good with many suspects for the murder and twists, turns, and surprises throughout the book. But the characters (the author jumps through numerous POVs) are all warped and living twisted lives. Characters are evil, mean, power hungry, psychologically twisted, or cops so set on finding the perpetrator that they browbeat the victims. Hero Nick is always angry at everyone except his wife and son. None of the characters appear to grow.

There doesn’t seem to be a premise to the story, but maybe a theme of child abuse, spousal abuse, bullying, and the effects on the abused.

I’ve read other novels by Tami Hoag, and this one doesn’t compare favorably. The book kept me reading to the end, because of a good plot. Certainly not because of the characters.